I' am starting a new campaign and I am going to playing a Arbitrator. I have read the recent thread on the Arbites and it has been very helpful, i have also read the back section of the DotDG(not so helpful).

But iam still lost on many things especially there rights when dealing with civilians.

1) Is there any book that has the Dictates Imperialis in it(or a summary of it) and other important laws of the High lords of Terra?

2) I know their job is not to enforce local laws and such, but what happens if something vile happens right in front of them or local laws come in play while doing there job?

ex 2a) A gang is ****** and killing a family in a back alley as the Arbitrator passes by and sees this. Does he has jurisdiction to intervene and stop this and if so, does he have the right to dispense judgment if they comply(yes i know this is unlikely) with his request to cease and desist(aka can he blow there brains out right where they stand or would he have to take them to the local jail and have the local police deal with them form there on)

ex 2b)What if he is pursing information on the possible corruption of a governor and the informant has a price on his head by a local gang. Thus, the informant will only give up the information, if the local gang is dealt with. Would it be within the Arbitrator's rights to go kill the local gang to get the information form the informant.

3) Can a Arbitrator break into any civilian house or business when on a case directly dealing with Dictates Imperialis.

4) Does the arbitrator have confiscation rights when on a case directly dealing with Dictates Imperialis.

5) Does a arbitrator have all his rights when pursing a case given to him by his Inquisitor(aka the same rights as when on a case directly dealing with Dictates Imperialis)

6) It is routine for a Arbitrator to at least announce his presence to the local law enforcement when he arrives in their jurisdiction.

7) What can a Arbitrator request for the local police force(manpower, access to all there files(even classified files?), guns and ammo etc etc)?

8) (and most likely the hardest to answer, since there is likely no official answer) At what ranks does the arbitrator gain his rights(as i assume a High Marshal has much more rights than say a regulator)

I know much of this is simply going to be decided between me and my gm(especially 8) but i would like as much official fluff as possible before i go to him with this headache.

P.S. listing sources for information would be great and thanks in advance.

1) Is there any book that has the Dictates Imperialis in it(or a summary of it) and other important laws of the High lords of Terra?

www.darkreign40k.com/index2.php is kind of helpful, though I think it is copied from somewhere else, but unfortunately I do not know from where anymore.

2) I know their job is not to enforce laws and such, but what happens if something vile happens right in front of them or local laws come in play while doing there job?

They are normally above local law and not really interested in it, so they simply ignore it most of the time.

ex 2a) A gang is ****** and killing a family in a back alley as the Arbitrator passes by and sees this. Does he has jurisdiction to intervene and stop this and if so, does he have the right to dispense judgment if they comply(yes i know this is unlikely) with his request to cease and desist(aka can he blow there brains out right where they stand or would he have to take them to the local jail and have the local police deal with them form there on)

Well, some Arbitrators might ignore it while others more morally inclined Arbitrators might decide the gang is actually guilty of an unlawful assembly or diorederly conduct. Public disorder are serious offences after all and even assault on an Imperial civilians are.

ex 2b)What if he is pursing information on the possible corruption of a governor and the informant has a price on his head by a local gang. Thus, the informant will only give up the information, if the local gang is dealt with. Would it be within the Arbitrator's rights to go kill the local gang to get the information form the informant.

Actually, he would most probably just give the informant a serious beating or a more serious interrogation in the nearby courthouse to get the information.

3) Can a Arbitrator break into any civilian house or business when on a case directly dealing with Dictates Imperialis.

Sure. Though in cases were less serious offences are to be dealt with and the civilian house is by chance the stately home of a Lord Sub-Sector, he might be a little more reserved in his approach (not so much kicking open doors and the like).

4) Does the arbitrator have confiscation rights when on a case directly dealing with Dictates Imperialis.

Sure (but see above).

5) Does a arbitrator have all his rights when pursing a case given to him by his Inquisitor(aka the same rights as when on a case directly dealing with Dictates Imperialis)

It depends. When delaing with something that has nothing to do with the Dictates Imperialis and he is away from his home precinct, he has no 'actual' rights above most other adepts. Though, should he have some kind of official Inquisitorial authorisation (e.g. Inquisitorial Rosette, Sigil of Question/Inquiry, etc.), given by his Inquisitor he probably has all these rights and more.

6) It is routine for a Arbitrator to at least announce his presence to the local law enforcement when he arrives in their jurisdiction.

I do not think so. Magistratum and Arbites mostly despise each other, and the Arbites simply do not care (about the Magistratum, their jurisdication and local law) most of the time. If it might help them or if they hope of support they might do though.

7) What can a Arbitrator request for the local police force(manpower, access to all there files(even classified files?), guns and ammo etc etc)?

Requesting stuff normally takes ages in the Imperium of Man. It depends on the compliance and cooperativity of the Magistartum's local Chief-Enforcer on short notice. Even though the Arbites might then charge the local Magistratum/Enforcer with hindering the course of Imperial Justice. This case might took ages then to clear up while the Adepta fight a paper-warfare and the involved Arbitartor dies of old age...

8) (and most likely the hardest to answer, since there is likely no official answer) At what ranks does the arbitrator gain his rights(as i assume a High Marshal has much more rights than say a regulator)

My personal interpretation is as follows:

Trooper: Trooper are some kind of riot police. They are the backbone of Adeptus Arbites missions that are combat related and where a direct approach is needed. For example to suppress an insurgence of discontent workers in a Manufactorum. Armed with Clubs or Punisher Baton and Riot Shield most of the time and seldomly also equipped with a mundane shotgun. They have no real authority themselves and most Adeptus Arbites personell remains in theis class (my groups Arbitrator was a Trooper for 8 years before our game started and he was promoted to Enforcer).

Enforcer: Enforcer are somehow like 'true common police-men'. The normally work in groups (sometimes on their own) and have the authority to arrest, but still they have no leading position (even in regard to the common Trooper) and normally do not execute without direct order. They are often armed Stub Pistols and Punisher Baton, and sometimes also with Shotguns.

Regulators: Regulators are kind of SWAT members. Better armed, equipped and trained. They are veterans and normally still do not have leading positions or authority over any Trooper or Enforcer, though sometimes older Regulators become some kind of sergeants for Trooper or Enforcer squads (mostly for training purposes). They often were Carapace Armour and are armed with Pump-Action Shotguns as well as Shock Mauls (sometimes even Flamers or Grenade Launchers) most of the time. They are used for the tough jobs and sometimes in conjunction with Trooper backup.

Investigator: Investigators mostly work on their own. At least they do not work in a squad as such. They have some authority over Trooper, Enforcer and Regulators even though they have no direct leading role except when ordered to do so. They are the first rank within the Adeptus Arbites of whom it is expected to think and (sometimes even) act on their own accord and not to only accept and execute orders of their superiors. An Inteligencer is often the head of a 'group' of Investigators. They are regularly armed with Stub Pistols, but they are also the first rank that are not a 'fighting-force' as such; instead it is expected of them to be more subtile in their approach (collecting data and so on).

Arbitrators: These are the true archetypes of the Adeptus Arbites. Those from the movie clips sold in the hive-cities. They are kind of Judge Dread with the authority to arrest and execute about everyone who violates the Lex Imperia. They either act alone, in groups, or as a leader of groups of the aforementioned (except Investigator) ranks. Instead of leading units of Trooper or squads of Enforcer/Regulator, they also sometimes form squads of small and extemely effective combat units (mostly in an covert approach) like SEALS or the GSG9. They are the highest rank within the Adeptus Arbites that sometimes still acts in groups. They are armed with the best regular equipment like Combat Shotguns and Shock Mauls or even Bolters, Heavy Stubbers and Plasma Guns. They are the First Company (or Terminators...) of the Adeptus Arbites so to speak.

Proctor/Marshal/Lord Marshal: These are the officers.

Intelligencer: These are the Lt. Columbos and Gilbert Grissoms of the Imperium.

Magistrate/Justicar: These seem to be of more the judicial branch within the Adeptus Arbites, dispensing justice intead of acting themselves. They are the Judges.

I like the gist of the document, although i disagree with several claims, and I think too much there overlaps with local law enforcements... Arbitrators doesen't go around punishing farmer joe beating up his wife...

I agree with answers.

With this thread and my own, I'm getting a pretty good picture on how to handle the Arbites in my game.

1) There is no official “Dictates Imperialis” as it is a conglomeration of legal documents with a history that spans thousands upon thousands of years. Our own modern legal system is only a couple hundred years old and there are scholars who devote their entire life to law and don’t understand it all. Much like a cop or FBI agent today, an Arbiter may have to hire a lawyer (Adept) if he wants to understand the intricacies of a given law.

2) Much like the real world, if something vile is happening in the presence of an Arbiter, they are free to act in their own defense of in the defense of others. Local, state, and federal laws overlap all the time but an FBI agent wouldn’t sit by watching someone get beaten because it isn’t under his jurisdiction. Jurisdiction applies to investigation. For example, if your Arbitrator was investigating a heretical cult he could force the local government to allow a low-level thug go in hopes of following him to the cult.

3) My understanding is that the Imperium does not maintain a bill of rights for it’s citizens as we do in modern times and thus there is no rule prohibiting an Arbitrator from conducting his investigation as he sees fit.

4) Same as above – no bill of rights = no protection from illegal search and seizure.

5) The Inquisition and the Adeptus Arbitis are two separate entities. An arbiter who happens to be an acolyte of an Inquisitor may find his authority usurped by his Inquisitor. The Inquisition has a higher authority than the Adeptus Arbitis.

6) An Arbitrator is free to announce his presence or not depending on his personal inclination.

7) An Arbitrator’s authority is separate from local law enforcement. As a result, local authorities are free to assist the Arbitrator at his request as they see fit… or not. An Arbitrator is not entitled to anything but he’s free to request.

8) An Arbitrator doesn’t gain rights as he advances. As he advances, his ability is recognized by the Adeptus Arbitis and he may be givin authority of over additional arbiters. For example, a starting character likely is charged with maintaining imperial law within a given city where a level 6 Arbiter might be in charge of an entire planet or two – exercising his authority through a chain of command.