Unseelie Accord Lawyer - idea for a character.

[Anubissama]

So I have been tinkering with the idea of an Unseelie Accords Lawyer, something like an auditor if Mab suspect a breach of the Accords, but also generally a freelancer if he isn't currently on an assignment from her. If you want to join the Accords, need something explained, or are preparing to back stab your opponents but want to be in the clear (as far as the Accord bylaws are concerned) this is the guy you hire as a consultant.

This is the template I came up with. Level Chest Deep.

Skills:
+5 Presence, Intimidation
+4 Empathy, Scholarship
+3 Discipline, Conviction
+2 Contacts, Deceit
+1 Investigation, Resources

Powers:
Unseelie Magic -4
Marked by Power -1
The Catch +2
You can only use Unseelie Magic if at least one member of the opposing party has the aspect "In violation of the Accords".
You may use Unseelie Magic regardless of that restriction in social actions, and to substitute/modify investigation roles. - per Quantus suggestion

Stunts:
"I went to Winter Law School"
You can use Scholarship roles to substitute Lore roles, pay one FP to substitute other roles with Scholarship roles as well if it is justifiable in story

"The Cold of Winter is my shield"
When attacked by a party with at least one member who has the aspect "In violation of the Accords" you have an Armour against physical stress worth 3 shifts. You can spend an additional FP to make the Armour 5 shift for the duration of one attack exchange. per Tedronai's suggestion

"Winter always balances the Scale"
If you put the aspect "In violation of the Accords" on a character, this aspect becomes immediately a sticky aspect

So the character is obviously lacking in the physical department with only 2 stress boxes on the physical stress track. But he isn't meant to be a magical or physical powerhouse, the idea it to win in social battles and leverage the threat of Mab and the Accords as much as possible. If things go awry he is just supposed to get out of there and report to Her, which is why is somebody does decide to attack him they most definitely need to kill him.

[Quantus]

I like it!  I think I'd move Investigation higher up in his priority list, it sounds like that's the role he'd often be sent to play, and would be his "official" job with winter.  Similarly Id change restriction on Unseelie Power so you can still use some without having found and/or proven the Accords violation, for the investigation phase, or for minor displays of Winter Power as intimidation to remind people that you are backed by Winter.  Also to be able to use it on "freelance" jobs that might not be Accords related (or do you want the Unseelie Power to be for Official Use Only?).  Maybe you can always access a small amount, but the Catch unlocks the full level?

Stuff:
I recommend a Snowflake Badge of Office, something that provides visible Winter Authority (pin or tattoo/brand).  It might also make a great focus item for Unseelie Magic since you are directly tying your access to the magic to Accords enforcement. 

Id also recommend some thought into a go-to strategy for how you'd try to escape if things go south.  One might be a panic-button teleportation spell that can blink you out of most (but not all) locations.  Another might be a defensive Pet that you can summon, like a voodoo bag of bones that grows to a rawhead when tossed on the ground. 


Questions:
What sort of character background are you thinking?  Mortal/Changeling/Fae?  Based in the Mortal world?

[Anubissama]

For background I was thinking human, and the position as Unseelie Accord Lawyer would be something Winter Knight Light ques.

Mab chooses the best real world lawyer of his generation and makes him an offer he can't refuse. "Congratulations! You are so competent at you job you drew the evil Queens of Fairy attention!"

The Badge is a no brainier, the pin Alter-Dresden wears in Skin Game. Maybe as tie pin or just a pin in the lapel of his suit.

The investigation you are right, should probably be higher. And maybe an exception in the Catch "You can use Unseelie Magic to place social combat related aspects on character, or to help you in investigation roles".

[Quantus]

Mab chooses the best real world lawyer of his generation and makes him an offer he can't refuse. "Congratulations! You are so competent at you job you drew the evil Queens of Fairy attention!"

Make it an unwitting challenge:  After a long and grueling trial he won the case against a tall, leggy bulldog of an attorney, only to find out afterward that it was Mab and he passed his audition. 

[Taran]

I think a stunt for Lore/Scholarship.  Depending what skill "Law" falls under with the accords.  I lean towards scholarship for that so I might increase Lore (so your character knows a thing or two about the people he's prosecuting/defending) or a stunt that lets you use Scholarship for Lore related rolls in regards to their stake in the Accords.

Eg:  Why would a RCV decide to break the accords?  They are diet consists of blood  and their hierarchy is designed like this and therefore...blah, blah...which leads to a particular MO.

It just feels like you'd have a hard time being an accords Lawyer with 0 Lore.

On the other hand, you could have high Lore and have a stunt that lets you use Lore to make Law research/arguments instead of Scholarship when applied to the accords.  This one seems better, in fact.

Edit: 

I went to Winter Law School"
You can use Scholarship roles to substitute Lore roles, pay one FP to substitute other roles with Scholarship roles if it is justifiable in story

I should have read your post more closely.  I don't think you should need to spend a FP to do Lore replacements.  Trapping swaps is something that stunts already do.

[Anubissama]

I should have read your post more closely.  I don't think you should need to spend a FP to do Lore replacements.  Trapping swaps is something that stunts already do.

The Lore-Scholarship swap is permanent, I'm trying to be a sneaky bastard and put two effects in to one stunt. The primary one is a Scholarship substitute for lore, but if I can justify it in story (read. convince the GM) I can pay 1 FP to substitute other roles with scholarship as well based on that stunt.

[Tedronai]

Recommend the second clause of Winter Shield either be extended to one exchange rather than one attack, or stripped entirely.  As it stands, it's less valuable than the mere existence of a defense-invokable aspect

[Anubissama]

Recommend the second clause of Winter Shield either be extended to one exchange rather than one attack, or stripped entirely.

That's what I meant, but forgot the word. The duration of one Exchange seems appropriate enough. TY

[Anubissama]

Id also recommend some thought into a go-to strategy for how you'd try to escape if things go south.  One might be a panic-button teleportation spell that can blink you out of most (but not all) locations.  Another might be a defensive Pet that you can summon, like a voodoo bag of bones that grows to a rawhead when tossed on the ground.

If I took Unseelie Magic at full price -4 it counts as if I took Ritual and Channeling, right? Does that mean I get the Item Slots of those powers too? If that's the case maybe I can make one supercharged enchanted item design for escape.

[Tedronai]

Sponsored Magic comes with Focus Item Slots so long as you do not also have them from Channeling/Evocation//Ritual/Thaumaturgy

[Sanctaphrax]

I like the concept. Got some quibbles about the mechanical side of the character, though.

The Catch can't be applied to Unseelie Magic. It's only for Toughness.

"I went to Winter Law School"
You can use Scholarship roles to substitute Lore roles, pay one FP to substitute other roles with Scholarship roles as well if it is justifiable in story

Looks like two stunts in one to me. And the first one is significantly too strong; a stunt can add a trapping to a skill, but it can't add a skill to a skill.

"The Cold of Winter is my shield"
When attacked by a party with at least one member who has the aspect "In violation of the Accords" you have an Armour against physical stress worth 3 shifts. You can spend an additional FP to make the Armour 5 shift for the duration of one attack exchange. per Tedronai's suggestion

Generally speaking, armour stunts provide armour 1 in a limited situation and that's it.

If I were you I would handle this effect with Toughness. It's a good fit and the effect feels supernatural anyway.

"Winter always balances the Scale"
If you put the aspect "In violation of the Accords" on a character, this aspect becomes immediately a sticky aspect

A +1 bonus to an extremely narrow class of maneuvers, but only when they succeed, is not worth a stunt. I'd make it +2 to all law-related maneuvers with Scholarship.