What could an inquisitor of a Lawful Evil diety do and not do?

[Zhentarim]

Can they lie and decieve? Can they pretend to not be working for that diety? Spread misinformation?

I’m trying to stay lawful evil, but how bound to the code are inquisitors, anyway?

[grarrrg]

Can they lie and decieve? Can they pretend to not be working for that diety? Spread misinformation?

I’m trying to stay lawful evil, but how bound to the code are inquisitors, anyway?

A: What code? You are not a Paladin, there is no code inherent to Inquisitors. Your deity might have strict preferences, but that's a case by case thing.

B: If you were any other class would you feel compelled to have to tell the truth at all times? Not likely.

[Zhentarim]

A: What code? You are not a Paladin, there is no code inherent to Inquisitors. Your deity might have strict preferences, but that's a case by case thing.

B: If you were any other class would you feel compelled to have to tell the truth at all times? Not likely.

Its a homebrew, but the diety is Moloth, LE goddess of Tyranny and Anger

[Geddy2112]

Inquisitors normally don't have a code, they are bound to the alignment and general tenants of their deity like a cleric. So long as you are not doing something that is open heresy or switch alignment, you should be fine. As a servant of a tyranny and anger deity, so long as you are not promoting peace calm and kindness or fighting against iron fisted rulers, you should be in the clear.

Lawful evil can usually lie, particularly if they are in a place of legal authority to do so. Most lawful evil deities are not big against lying(particularly misleading) but frown on breaking your word if you give it. Take devils, they never technically lie but they use their words in such a way to deceive. Any deal made with a devil is ironclad, and they will uphold their end of the deal every time(but the fine print means their end is often not what the dealer thought).
You most certainly can hide the fact you are working for such a deity, particularly if declaring such would get you killed or hinder your goals. Spreading misinformation depends on the deity, as well as the intent. Doing so to keep down the enslaved and oppressed masses is probably in your job description for a LE deity of tyranny, as is tactically slandering enemies. Spreading gossip because you are into drama or for the lulz is probably frowned on(but unlikely to get you expelled from the faith).

It is also important to keep in mind that inquisitors of any alignment or deity can bend or even break the rules of their faith for greater aims, so for an inquisitor to get kicked out they have to do something insanely egregious or have a drastic change of heart(alignment). For example, an LE inquisitor of a tyranny deity could join an underground liberation movement to find its leader and eliminate them, even if that means they have to free slaves and kill tyrants in the meantime. Inquisitor has a lot of "the end justifies the means" built into their class.

[Zhentarim]

Inquisitors normally don't have a code, they are bound to the alignment and general tenants of their deity like a cleric. So long as you are not doing something that is open heresy or switch alignment, you should be fine. As a servant of a tyranny and anger deity, so long as you are not promoting peace calm and kindness or fighting against iron fisted rulers, you should be in the clear.

Lawful evil can usually lie, particularly if they are in a place of legal authority to do so. Most lawful evil deities are not big against lying(particularly misleading) but frown on breaking your word if you give it. Take devils, they never technically lie but they use their words in such a way to deceive. Any deal made with a devil is ironclad, and they will uphold their end of the deal every time(but the fine print means their end is often not what the dealer thought).
You most certainly can hide the fact you are working for such a deity, particularly if declaring such would get you killed or hinder your goals. Spreading misinformation depends on the deity, as well as the intent. Doing so to keep down the enslaved and oppressed masses is probably in your job description for a LE deity of tyranny, as is tactically slandering enemies. Spreading gossip because you are into drama or for the lulz is probably frowned on(but unlikely to get you expelled from the faith).

It is also important to keep in mind that inquisitors of any alignment or deity can bend or even break the rules of their faith for greater aims, so for an inquisitor to get kicked out they have to do something insanely egregious or have a drastic change of heart(alignment). For example, an LE inquisitor of a tyranny deity could join an underground liberation movement to find its leader and eliminate them, even if that means they have to free slaves and kill tyrants in the meantime. Inquisitor has a lot of "the end justifies the means" built into their class.

Thank you.

Artifice was also a domain, but I’m not sure what that does.

[Rynjin]

Yeah, unlike a Paladin or even a Cleric, an Inquisitor only falls if they become an incompatible alignment for their deity. So as an LE Inquisitor you're good so long as you maintain an LE, LN, or NE alignment.

Inquisitors are meant to be the transgressive branch of their faith, so they're allowed to stray from what more clean cut members of their faith can do.

[Zhentarim]

Yeah, unlike a Paladin or even a Cleric, an Inquisitor only falls if they become an incompatible alignment for their deity. So as an LE Inquisitor you're good so long as you maintain an LE, LN, or NE alignment.

Inquisitors are meant to be the transgressive branch of their faith, so they're allowed to stray from what more clean cut members of their faith can do.

I guess it makes sense I went VMC rogue, then!

[Vaern]

Lawful characters are most comfortable in a rigidly structured society, and an evil character is motivated primarily by personal gain. A lawful evil character is likely to seek a position of power within the government or a church where he can exploit others for personal gain.
Gaining influence in society depends largely on how the character is perceived by others. Thus, while the lawful evil character may have neither moral qualms with lying nor a code which prevents him from doing so, he must still bear in mind that blatantly false claims, if revealed as such, may discredit him and harm his reputation.
I don't think there's anything explicitly preventing a lawful character from lying, but you need to consider your character's goals and motivations before deciding whether it's appropriate for you. It's generally much more becoming of a lawful evil character to speak in deliberately misleading half-truths than outright fabrications. That way you have a chance to try justifying yourself if you're called out on it.

[Zhentarim]

Lawful characters are most comfortable in a rigidly structured society, and an evil character is motivated primarily by personal gain. A lawful evil character is likely to seek a position of power within the government or a church where he can exploit others for personal gain.
Gaining influence in society depends largely on how the character is perceived by others. Thus, while the lawful evil character may have neither moral qualms with lying nor a code which prevents him from doing so, he must still bear in mind that blatantly false claims, if revealed as such, may discredit him and harm his reputation.
I don't think there's anything explicitly preventing a lawful character from lying, but you need to consider your character's goals and motivations before deciding whether it's appropriate for you. It's generally much more becoming of a lawful evil character to speak in deliberately misleading half-truths than outright fabrications. That way you have a chance to try justifying yourself if you're called out on it.

He wants to have a neutral good king adopt him so he is heir to the throne.

[Rynjin]

I guess it makes sense I went VMC rogue, then!

Not to derail this into a build advice thread, but you'd get more bang for your buck just taking the Sanctified Slayer archetype for a Rogueish Inquisitor IMO.

Instead of losing half your Feats you get most of the same stuff for the cost of Judgement (and the direct replacement is a stronger, unlimited use per day version that doesn't get the more rarely used options of Judgement).

[Zhentarim]

Horace Mann (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1581446)
Male LE Human Inquisitor (Sanctified Slayer) vmc Rogue, Level 6, Init 4, HP 34/34, Speed 30 ft
AC 11, Touch 11, Flat-footed 10, CMD 18, Fort 6, Ref 3, Will 5, CMB +7, Base Attack Bonus 4
Quarterstaff +7 (1d6+4 (two handed), x2)
(+1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 24, Wis 16, Cha 7
Condition None

Wishlist:

::+2 Medium Armor
::+2 Axiomatic Composite Longbow (+1 str rating)
::Be adopted into royalty
::Gain authority in the Church of Moroth
::Unify as many as possible under his command

Theme song:


https://youtu.be/_e1XtyfpAv0

Backstory:

Horace Mann was born in Illara, a moderate-sized town on the edge of a forest, near a river and a mountain range, in a fairly diverse kingdom. Horace made an honest living in Illara making traps for hunters and for the odd trap enthusiast who wanted the best in home security. One day, however, the town was raided by bandits, and Horace saw everybody he cared about cut down before his very eyes. This prompted Horace, only 22 at the time, to flee his home for the ultra-metropolis named Gildenscar, which also served as the seat of the kingdom government. Horace’s hopes to find a sane, orderly place to resettle were dashed, however, as he saw crime was rampant on the streets. Tired and jaded, he sought shelter at a temple of Chinik. Chinik was the god of Creation and Construction, and seemed like a good fit for a man who had previously made a living constructing traps. Regardless, Horace grew more and more angry at how much chaos and crime there was in the world. He expressed multiple times to his fellow builders and creators taking refuge in the church that the world needed a strong, intelligent leader. One day, a woman who Horace thought was a cleric of Chinik pulled Horace aside and asked him how far he was willing to go to bring order and control to the world. When Horace affirmed his desire to bring about a perfect world under the control of a single, strong and wise leader, the woman revealed herself as a Sanctified Slayer of Moroth, with special extra training in trap finding and dealing precise strikes to the church’s enemies. Most people would be scared out of their skin coming across a Sanctified Slayer of Moroth, as Moroth was the Goddess of Control and Artifice, who had a penchant for attracting angry tyrants under church’s command. Horace, however, was intrigued, and soon used the training the Sanctified Slayer of Moroth gave him to follow in her footsteps, becoming a roguish Sanctified Slayer of Moroth himself. His first mission from the church was to curry favor with the king, who had no heir. Horace was told if he was named heir, he could arrange for another operative to assassinate his adoptive father and the Church of Moroth could rule through Horace by proxy, giving the church access to the kingdom’s massive armies and giving it a chance to conquer the world. Such is the story of how Horace came to be part of the king’s court. Horace built a number of traps for the king over the years, but still didn’t feel like he had gotten close enough to the king. The king was getting older and Horace knew the king would be selecting an heir soon. Horace asked around, gathering information about who the king may select. Upon hearing the king was going to select whoever from his court was brave enough to investigate whatever fell in the mountains was on his shortlist to become his heir, Horace volunteered. Horace’s old hometown, Illara, was on the way from Gildenscar to the mountains, and Horace decided to stop and rest at the town tavern a while so he could see how the town had rebuilt itself as well as gather allies for his journey ahead.

[Geddy2112]

Those are some...interesting...stats for an inquisitor. You have more int than most wizards at this level, any particular reason? Inquisitors are good skill classes, but 14 ranks per level is a little much, moreso considering you don't need to max a fair amount of their skills, and even maxing 14 is a lot. Even with your build, it seems excessive. You can take 10 to appraise most of the time and 20 passes the basics. 20 on UMD will pass a lot, unless you roll a 1 so once you have an 18 you are fine. Once you can pass a 25 or 30 on a 2 you can stop investing in it. Consider retraining some of your skill ranks, particularly handle animal, escape artist and sleight of hand. Without maxing SoH it is near pointless, and you generally never need the other two(your CMB is better for breaking grapples than SoH anyways).

Also, wishing for armor, but you don't have any at this level? Not even something cheap looted off a body? You should have the bow you want be +3 composite, as your not taking your giant strength belt off.

I like your choice of name with a Lawful Evil Orzhov themed inquisitor though.

[Zhentarim]

Those are some...interesting...stats for an inquisitor. You have more int than most wizards at this level, any particular reason? Inquisitors are good skill classes, but 14 ranks per level is a little much, moreso considering you don't need to max a fair amount of their skills, and even maxing 14 is a lot. Even with your build, it seems excessive. You can take 10 to appraise most of the time and 20 passes the basics. 20 on UMD will pass a lot, unless you roll a 1 so once you have an 18 you are fine. Once you can pass a 25 or 30 on a 2 you can stop investing in it. Consider retraining some of your skill ranks, particularly handle animal, escape artist and sleight of hand. Without maxing SoH it is near pointless, and you generally never need the other two(your CMB is better for breaking grapples than SoH anyways).

Also, wishing for armor, but you don't have any at this level? Not even something cheap looted off a body? You should have the bow you want be +3 composite, as your not taking your giant strength belt off.

I like your choice of name with a Lawful Evil Orzhov themed inquisitor though.
I predominantly want to be a skillmonkey, and pretty much, I wanted to grab as many skillpoints as I could so I could do anything and everything. Combat is more secondary, but I still want to be ok with it. Also, we are starting at level 6, and only got WBL.

I already submitted this to the DM, but I can ask if I can tweak those other things before the game starts.

Should I take a point off int to put 2 points in dex or str? I really like having a nice spread of trained skills so I can use my bestow insight spell with that skill.

[Rynjin]

I'd up your Str, Con, and MAYBE Wis by a midge. Upping your Wis doesn't make you any worse at skill monkeying in terms of bonus for most skills people refer to when they say "skill monkey"; you add your Wis AND Int to Knowledge skills as an Inquisitor, and your Dex is already trash anyway, so you have a net gain of a bonus to your Face skills with no reduction in Int or Dex skill bonuses.

As a melee class with d8 HD I personally am always hesitant to have less than a 14 Con, and an 18 Str is good to have. 18-20 Int should be plenty enough for skills (that's 11 skills per level, 12 with FCB, 13 if you're human) as far as ranks; that's enough to put a rank in every monster Knowledge, a few ranks in the more niche Knowledges (History, Geography, and Nobility) and have plenty leftover for your Rogue-y skills like Acrobatics and Disable Device.

You could eke out some more ranks with what is possibly my favorite trait: Forbidden Knowledge (lets you use Kn. History or Religion for all kn. Planes checks; I take it on most of my skill monkeys). That would let you either drop Planes entirely and put ranks in something else or max History (the most consistently useful of the niche Knowledges save Engineering in a robot heavy campaign) and keep the same ranks.

I'm at a loss for what you need 15-16 skills/level for, basically, at that point you have too many and are going to end up dropping the overflow in random stuff like Escape Artist or Sleight of Hand which will rarely (if ever) come up.

Dropping all your cash on two items is a separate issue, and likely to bite you hard in the ass. The Big 6 are staples for a reason, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend dropping the +4 headband entirely, Belt to a +2, and filling out the rest of that list (+1 Ring of Protection, +1 Amulet of Natural Armor, +2 Cloak of Resistance, +1 weapon and armor). You may not want to be a combat-focused character, but Pathfinder is a very combat heavy game. It's going to come to you to fight regardless.

I'd still also suggest dropping VMC Rogue so you can have some Feats. You get, essentially, Uncanny Dodge at 15th(!) out of that for the cost of half your Feats. That's all.

Since you're a Sanctified Slayer, you get Slayer Talents. At 8th you can take Trapfinding as your Talent, and at 16th (or with the Extra Slayer Talent Feat as early as 9th with GM discretion) get Evasion. You already get Sneak Attack at a higher progression from the same. That leaves the dubiously useful Uncanny Dodge at 15th (remember, this is a 3rd level Rogue ability) as the only non-duplicable VMC Rogue ability via that archetype.

That gives you extra Feats to work in even more skill monkey goodness like Improved Monster Lore (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/improved-monster-lore/) or even some Combat Feats.

And a final minor thing: If you're taking Skill Focus at 1st level anyway as a Human, trade your racial Bonus Feat for Focused Study instead; it gives you Skill Focus at levels 1, 8, and 16.

[Psyren]

Yeah, unlike a Paladin or even a Cleric, an Inquisitor only falls if they become an incompatible alignment for their deity. So as an LE Inquisitor you're good so long as you maintain an LE, LN, or NE alignment.

Inquisitors are meant to be the transgressive branch of their faith, so they're allowed to stray from what more clean cut members of their faith can do.

Well there's also the "slips into corruption" clause. It's vague, but it could allow a GM to take an Inquisitor who holds a very warped view of their deity's teachings to task.

I agree though that the intent is for them to have a looser leash than typical clerics would. (This is supported by the "not as tied to tenets of the deity" clause.)

[Rynjin]

True, though the schisms in the church of Sarenrae give a hint as to how far you can stretch the tenets of your deity without losing spellcasting as far as official Golarion lore goes.