Vindicators are heralds specifically trained to find and bring to justice the perpetrators of great evils. Famously incorruptible, they hunt down and capture or eliminate the worst the world has to offer; terrible necromancers, vicious serial killers, brutal tyrants, and even fiendish royalty have been brought down by vindicators who will tirelessly pursue their quarry to the ends of the earth … and beyond, if necessary.
A Prosecutor, Not a Persecutor
Vindicators are intended to be a representation of honest, incorruptible, and actual justice, not pitiless enforcers that hunt down the pettiest criminals, terrorize communities, and dispense sadistic punishment to anyone who catches their attention or who has inconvenienced someone powerful. A character modeled on one of those people is better built as an Inquisitor or even a Cutthroat rogue (or, if you have MoAR Intrigue and/or MoAR Light & Dark, an Enforcer fighter or a Black Knight herald).
The touchstone for a Vindicator is Bass Reeves, not Torquemada (and if you don’t know who Bass Reeves is, look him up)!
All Vindicators hold similar tenets, regardless of any deity they serve.
Fairness. Your actions should not be influenced by partiality or animosity.
Persistence. Once you have determined the proper course of action, see it through.
Resolution. Do not allow yourself to be corrupted or swayed from what is right.
Resilience. You will witness terrible wickedness as you strive to bring it down. Steel yourself, and seek help when needed.
Restraint. Your job is justice, not vengeance. Wherever possible, leave punishment to the courts. Where that is not possible, let the punishment fit the crime.
Add the movement school of magic to your list of herald spells.
At 3rd level, you learn to track down those who would evade justice. You gain proficiency with the Survival skill, and you gain the Tracking skill specialty for it. In addition, you are able to use the tools of capture better than most. The DC to escape nets you throw, manacles you attach, and ropes you tie becomes your maneuver DC unless it would already be higher.
Also at 3rd level, you gain a measure of legitimate temporal authority. You may be issued a warrant for a specific quarry that confers various benefits. In order to qualify, the target must be reasonably believed to have committed a truly serious and truly monstrous crime. The target must also reasonably be believed to have been the perpetrator of what they are accused of; some compelling evidence and/or reliable testimony must exist.
On occasion, warrants may be issued for an entire organization. In such a case, you treat any individual who you know to be affiliated with the organization as an individual warrant. To qualify, you must have evidence of the individual’s participation in the organization.
You gain an expertise die on Insight and Intimidate checks made against the target of your warrant and on Survival checks to track them.
What’s a “Serious” Crime?
While there is significant room for setting-specific examples here, some common examples include murder, any sort of assault or abuse that will leave lasting scars on the victim’s body and/or psyche, summoning things like fiends and aberrant horrors, large-scale property crime such as burning down a whole city block, and acts of sedition or treason against a legitimate government.
At 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
As an action, you can sharpen your ability to sift worthwhile information from worthless. For the next hour, when you are asking questions about an injustice or its perpetrators, you gain advantage and an expertise die on all checks to distinguish truth from falsehood and to separate useful information from pointless details and red herrings.
When you witness a grave injustice or atrocity yourself, you can condemn the perpetrator as a bonus action. To do so, you must be within 100 feet of the creature you deem most responsible for the wicked deed. Alternatively, you may choose a single creature you have a warrant for. Used this way, the creature saves with advantage, but the range is unlimited.
A creature so condemned must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. A creature that fails its save can no longer hide from you. For the next week, its outline seems to glow even behind solid barriers or if it becomes invisible or enters the ethereal plane. If the creature is far enough from you that you could not see it, a glow on the horizon indicates its general direction to you. These effects are only visible to you, not your companions. In addition, the damage dice of your Divine Smite ability become D10s against the creature and you have advantage on saving throws imposed by any of its spells or effects. This effect ends early if you dismiss it (no action required) or you use this Channel Divinity option again.
A creature that succeeds on its save instead has disadvantage on all checks to hide from you or put you off its trail for 24 hours.
At 7th level, you become especially effective at bringing down the wicked. As a bonus action, you may designate a creature for which you have a warrant, that you have marked with your Render Verdict feature, that has an Evil alignment, and/or that is of the aberration, fey, fiend, or undead types. You have advantage on attacks against that creature and on ability checks to capture it for one minute. Once you have used this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum once) you must finish a short or long rest before you can do so again.
Also at 7th level, you are immune to the charmed condition and any effect that would determine your actions such as the command or dominate person spells.
At 15th level, you can cause the weight of a creature’s misdeeds to weigh on it—literally. As a bonus action, you can proclaim a creature’s crimes, which must be serious as per the Warrant Bearer feature. The creature must be one you have evidence of serious crimes against. It must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. A creature that fails is slowed for one minute. A creature that succeeds has its movement speeds reduced by 10 for the same duration. An affected creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
If you attempt to use this ability on a creature that is truly innocent of the crimes you accuse it of, the creature is unaffected and you take 4d4 points of psychic damage from the backlash.
Once you have used this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum once), you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
At 20th level, you become an exemplar of either temporal or divine justice. Choose one of the following options:
Order of Justice. You receive the authority and funding to set up your own order. You gain a level 5 stronghold of average quality of the castle, temple, or training hall type, and two seasoned followers chosen from the diviner, healer, interpreter, sage, or smith types. At the Narrator’s option, you can place this stronghold somewhere unusual or purchase upgrades for it at the normal cost as part of the acquisition process. You also gain the services of two NPCs of up to CR 5.
Divine Certainty. You can survey the scene of a grave injustice or atrocity and instantly know who is responsible, both for the actual action itself and anyone who ordered it. The responsible parties are immediately marked as per your Render Verdict ability (no save). Nothing short of the wish spell or the intervention of a deity can thwart this feature.