The household generals 'main job is to precede the chief spirit on the eve of his tour of inspection, clearing his path by catching ghosts and demons; or during his tour, to catch demons at his behest, and to escort captured evil spirits and plague demons onto the Royal Ship to be sent into banishment. In other words, the role they play is that of a police force.
家將的主要任務是，在於主神出巡前一天晚上，先行捉拿妖魔鬼怪，為神明開路叫「暗訪」；或於出巡時領命捉妖並將收伏的毒煞瘟鬼押解上王船，遞解出境，就猶如古代的「巡捕堂」、今天的「檢警」單位一般。