Crowdsourcing: Help Build Jane/John Goodfella - Paladin Attorney

[Captnq]

So, working on a foil NPC.

He's LG, emphasis on the LAW. He/she is a paladin of the god of justice. He's got to be good in a court of law and the battlefield, and trial by combat, or any other sort of "trial by X" you can think of. Since he's long term, I'll accept builds and ideas ranging anywhere from 5th level to 17th.

He does not have to be a paladin. It's his title. However, he's the best Pro Bono Lawyer you could hope to have.

Looking for:
Builds/Classes
Suggested Feats
Suggested Equipment
Suggested Skills
Background

So, hey, Go nuts. All suggestions of any level of detail welcome.

[Darkweave31]

Do they NEED to be a paladin? They aren't generally paid to think...

By which, of course, I mean they have a very limited class skill list and skill points are at a premium so skills like sense motive, diplomacy, gather information, survival (tracking), knowledge skills, etc won't have nearly the attention that they deserve.

Might I suggest Urban Ranger as a suitable alternative capable of tracking down, apprehending, and bringing accused to court? You may find it quite a bit more fitting mechanically. Also that way you can cast aside the good part of your alignment. Or keep it and give em a level or two of paladin as well.

You could also look into Justicular the prestige class from complete warrior.

[Chronos]

Even though it isn't very practical, I so want to recommend that you use Neanderthal (Frostburn) for his race.

[CoreBrute23]

Maybe the Illumian Race from Races of Destiny might be a better fit? Humans who literally have words/knowledge floating around them.

They have a 'drive for mastery' and in this case, being the best lawyer/lawman there can be could be a good one. Also, Illumian Paladins and Monks can multiclass freely with other classes, without needing a specific feat.

And if you really want to focus on being a good lawyer and detective (Phoenix Wright does this too right?), the Master Inquisitive (http://dndtools.eu/classes/master-inquisitive/) from Ebberon Campaign setting could be a lot of fun, especially if you multiclass Paladin with the Urban Ranger class mentioned above.

Alternatively, you could go the opposite route. A cleric or Wizard who specializes in diviniation-either seeing into the past for the crime, asking spirits for advise, or scrying potential witnesses/suspects, it could be a nice support assist for the PCs without needing to be a physical threat. Leave the smashy smash to the PCs. :smallwink:

[Gildedragon]

There is a LN paladin in Dr 310 iirc, go into in as a PRC from archivist

Skills:
Diplomacy
Intimidate
Sense Motive
Perform (oratory)
Craft (legal defense)
Profession (Lawyer)
Speak language (Latin-ese and as many others are common)

[Captnq]

(done with yard work)

Thanks! Those look like good places to start.

[wayfare]

(done with yard work)

Thanks! Those look like good places to start.

Sounds like a Rogue/Swashbuckler/Chameleon to me.

[Gildedragon]

Nope no LN paladin. But you can aprox it with the Grey Guard

[Thealtruistorc]

This is probably the perfect use of the Slayer of Domiel Prc from BoED.

[Melayl]

Perhaps the Soulborn from Magic of Incarnum? All of them are dedicated to one axis of the alignment spectrum. In this case, Law.

[Chronos]

Quoth CoreBrute23:

And if you really want to focus on being a good lawyer and detective (Phoenix Wright does this too right?), the Master Inquisitive from Ebberon Campaign setting could be a lot of fun, especially if you multiclass Paladin with the Urban Ranger class mentioned above.
Or you could do the exact same thing without the Master Inquisitive class, which does nothing.

[Captnq]

The goal here is to make someone who wins arguments and contests. Who will step in to defend anyone, even evil, because "Everyone deserves justice, even if they make bad choices. I don't judge people on their entire life, just what they are doing in regards to this particular crime." He hates people who say, "I killed him because I used detect evil and the target was evil so he clearly had it coming."

[WinWin]

Binder X/Knight 4+/Apostle of Peace 4/Prestige Paladin 2+ Obtainable by 13th level.

Mix and match other classes as required. Test of Mettle allows you to tie up hostile creatures and draws them into triggering your Vow of Non Violence. Accelerated casting progression allows access to information gathering spells and compulsion spells like Zone of Truth. Plus you can rock the whole Exalted 'there is good in everyone' thing, with the obvious exception of fiends and undead, of course.

Binder allows you to summon armour. Prestige Paladin will allow you access to a mount. Use AoP spells* to summon weapons of you need them.

*expanding this list should be a priority once spellcasting is obtained.