A Patriel held membership in either one of the Nine Ruling Families or the Forty Great Families of the Chiss Ascendancy, and their responsibility was to oversee the administration of the family's matters across an entire planet. Within a Ruling Family, the position of Patriel represented the fourth most elevated political standing, positioned higher than Councilors but lower than Syndics.
The authority vested in Patriels included the ability to announce a family emergency, and they also possessed command over their family's planetary defense forces. Furthermore, Patriels had the option to assign some of the patrol boats to the Councilors within their family who were also stationed on the same planet, designating these boats for particular tasks.
In the event of a family Patriarch's passing, the family Patriels played a role, along with the family Speaker, in selecting the next Patriarch to lead the family. It was common for a Patriel to be the individual selected to take on the role of successor Patriarch.