Imperial Policeman (3.5e Prestige Class)

The Imperial Police
"I am...The Law!"

Most societies have laws, and where there are laws there are lawbreakers. And where there are lawbreakers, their are those who hunt down and persecute them. These imperial police are the elite cadre of warriors who hold their loyalty to the law and the Emperor in higher regard then anything else. No one who commits a crime, especially treason, is immune from their justice.

Imperial police are taken from all walks of life. Spellcasters and melee combatants alike serve the Emperor by enforcing his law. Their skill and devotion are all that matter; whether they use the sword or magic is irrelevent. Imperial police are chosen from those who demonstrate exceptional ability, sincerity, and devotion to the Emperor and his laws. Most headquarters of the imperial police are near or in the capital city of the nation/empire, and they are expected to send reports back to headquarters on a regular basis.

Becoming an Imperial Policeman
Imperial police come from all classes; they are handpicked for ability alone, and little else is of consequence. Anyone who meets the requirements is eligible for the position. Most who take this class seek to uphold the law, or to abuse it.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the imperial policeman.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The imperial policeman gains proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and the sai.

 (Ex): The imperial policeman is a member of the police force who represent the Emperor, and is extremely good at dealing with people. He gains a +2 miscellaneous bonus to all Diplomacy and Intimidate checks. When he is speaking in an official capacity as representative of the Emperor, this bonus rises to +5.

 (Ex): Criminals cannot be persecuted and meet the full punishment of the law if they are dead. Whenever the policeman attacks with a melee weapon, he can deal nonlethal damage with the weapon instead of lethal damage with no penalty on the attack roll. Normally, attempting to deal nonlethal damage with a weapon in this way incurs a -4 penalty on the attack roll.

 (Ex): The imperial policeman's duty cannot easily be deterred. Beginning at second level, he gains a morale bonus to resist any attempt to turn him away from his duty, either through use of skills (Diplomacy, Intimidate, Bluff) or through magic (any attempt at mind control of influencing thoughts) equal to his imperial policeman level.

 (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, the imperial policeman can gain a competence bonus to any class skill or skill he has ranks in equal to his policeman level a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier.

 (Ex): The imperial policeman knows how to use his weapons to stop lawbreakers. He gains an extra 1d6 on damage rolls when using his Nonlethal Strike ability. This bonus increases to +2d6 at 6th level, and to +3d6 at 9th level. This bonus stacks with any other sort of damage bonus he would normally get (such as rage dice, death attack, and sneak attack).

 (Ex): The imperial policeman is a master of wrangling unruly lawbreakers. The policeman does not provoke an attack of oppurtunity when he makes a touch attack to start a grapple, and gains a +4 bonus on all grapple checks, regardless of whether he started the grapple.

 (Ex): An imperial policeman of 4th level or higher gains a circumstance bonus on Gather Information checks he makes when in pursuit of a lawbreaker equal to half his levels of imperial policeman (round down).

 (Ex): An imperial policeman of 5th level or higher automatically has the Edge against anyone who he has seen break the law, even if their base attack bonus is higher than his own. In addition, he gains a +5 bonus to attack rolls and a +1d6 bonus to damage rolls on all attacks (no spells) against any creature that he has seen breaking the law.

If he has only heard that the opponent has broken the law, the bonuses fall to +2 on attack rolls and +1d4 to damage rolls, but he still has the Edge against said opponent. The extra damage gain be made nonlethal, and stacks with the extra damage from Shocking Blow.

 (Su): Constantly getting interrupted when doing your duty is a hassle. At 6th level, the imperial policeman gains a gaze attack, which he can use once per policeman level per day, and targets one creature within 30 feet. When the policeman's chosen target meets his gaze, the target must attempt a Will save (DC 10 + imperial policeman's level + imperial policeman's Charisma modifier). If the target fails this save, he is struck mute for one minute per hit die of the policeman. A mute character cannot speak, cast spells with a verbal component, or use abilities that require use of the voice.

The imperial policeman commonly uses this technique against protesting bystanders, smoothtalking criminals, and law-breaking spellcasters.

 (Ex): Acting with the Emperor's blessing gives the imperial policeman the authority and confidence to accomplish nearly any task. Once per day per 2 imperial policeman levels, the policeman can instantly take 20 on any skill check involved in the execution of his official duties (DM's discretion whether a skill check is so involved). This does not increase the amount of time required to perform the task.

 (Ex): Imperial police are famed for their ability to strip criminals of their weapons. He no longer provokes an attack of oppurtunity when attempting to disarm an opponent, nor does the opponent have a chance to disarm him. He also gains a +4 bonus on the opposed attack roll you make to disarm your opponent (which stacks with any other bonus he may receive to disarm rolls).

In addition, if an opponent attacks the imperial policeman in a melee and misses, the policeman may attempt a disarm attempt as an immediate action.

 (Ex): When pursuing a specific lawbreaker, a 10th level imperial policeman can use a Search check to determine in which direction the culprit might be found if the criminal is without 2 miles of the policeman (DC 10 + target's HD). A policeman can use this ability to determine the direction of anyone he has previously faced in combat and/or seen breaking the law as long as they are within range.

Ex-Imperial Policemen
Policemen who are rightly accused of breaking the law (see section below) can no longer gain levels in this class. Rightly accused means that they were doing something illegal, and got caught. In some societies, these people are assassinated without warning.

The Law
The law, which most of the imperial policeman's abilities revolve around, is the main code of legal tenets in your campaign setting/nation. In a setting that has no laws, the imperial policemen is pretty much non-functioning. If you intend to use this prestige class in your setting, you need to come up with some laws.

Now, you don't have to go too gung-ho with this (so really, there's no need to use all of Hammurabi's code in a Babylonian setting), but you'll need to come up with some sort of basic legal code. If there are multiple nations in your campaign setting, then the imperial policeman only uses and pursues lawbreakers from his nation.

Playing an Imperial Policeman
Combat: The imperial policeman is best when he's fighting breakers of the law, or acting as the representative of the empire (usually to go and arrest someone).

Advancement: Imperial policemen often take levels of shubosha, gathering a following of others loyal to the Emperor's law. They also take levels in combat classes, usually.

Resources: An imperial policeman can expect to be given food, lodging, and minor services from his fellow policemen. If he is currently hunting down a criminal, he may be able to get some of his friends to help him out.

Imperial Police in the World
"A nation that will not enforce its laws has no claim to the respect and allegiance of its people."

Any society that has any sort of laws will have some kind of policemen. So imperial policemen can be put into really any sort of campaign, whether they are opposing the PCs or aiding them. They are more elite than the standard police officer (who usually has an NPC class), and can pose a challenge to a group by themselves.

NPC Reactions: NPCs hold a bit of respect and a bit of fear for the imperial police. While they do protect civilians from bandits, many evil imperial police are adept at gaming the system, and have found ways to make extra money and inspire terror without actually breaking the law. Aristocrats disdain imperial police; their authority comes from the emperor himself, and they technically outrank (and have the right to arrest) any noble.

Imperial Police Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Local) can research the imperial police to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Imperial Police in the Game
NPC imperial police can be allies or enemies of the PCs. As long as the PCs don't break the law, and are after someone who has, they may be able get help from the police. But if the PCs do break the law, the imperial police becomes a dangerous organization bent on hunting down the PCs for their crimes. If the PCs are found near a crime scene, they may have to convince the police that they didn't actually commit it.

PC imperial police fit in most when the campaign revolves less around dungeoneering and more around politics (such as an Eberron campaign). If they are in a place with no laws, or no emperor, than many of their abilities lose potence.

Adaptation: In any sort of campaign where there is a nation with laws, there can be imperial policemen.

Sample Encounter: This class needs one.

EL --: And one of these.