Ok, remember I do 2nd ed. (Yeah, I know y'all are tired of me reminding you). But, I was just thinking that people always talk about their party of adventurers in a way that says they're the only ones in the group. Oh, occasionally the DM will toss in an assisting NPC or two, but it's usually just the core characters.
Do any of you really use Henchmen and Followers for the characters much?
If not, why not?
If so, what are some of the more interesting outcomes or problems that resulted?
I generally don't encourage the use of followers or cohorts becuase they just add another person to worry about in combat. Plus some of my players would probably forget that they even existed and would constantly need to be reminded.
I encourage Sexi Golem, whenever he returns to the boards, to list here the massive sprawl of NPCs that emerged during the "masagura" (sp?) campaign last summer.
I suggested that the party may wish to hire porters and other such assistants, but despite the sometimes heavy CN selfishness the party could develop, they always came back with something like, "Dude- one chimera attacks us and they're all toast." I'm not sure if it was genuine concern for the NPCs, or wanting to avoid alignment questions from knowingly involving people who would just be liabilities, or not wanting to constantly re-hire dead laborers, but they never really went for that. I personally like the idea of those assistants and things- leave them away from the combat and let them be an in-game excuse for incumberance rules and such.
The other thing is that in 3.x, they've got that damned Leadership feat that really messes things up. Some NPCs have followers without Leadership, some don't. Sometimes PCs can get allies without it, sometimes they can't. I'd just like to do away with it, but if you're going to have a consistent follower, it does provide handy guidelines. Maybe I should just use leadership "scores" to determine the types of cohorts PCs can get, but not actually use the feat and only give such NPCs to the party sparingly. I don't know; it's a yucky situation.
We also play 2nd ed. (YEAH!). We don't use henchmen and only use followers very sparingly just because it's a plain old hassle. They seem to end up being more of a hindrance than a boon most of the time. They get in the way during combat, they're extra expense to travel with, etc,etc,etc. You constantly need to maintain their contentment and just keeping them safe and well-fed can be a full time job.
Had a paladin in our group (actually my husband's character) who acquired two squires over a period of time. Ultimately he sent them back to take over some of the responsibilities at his castle while he continued to adventure. The ranger gains animal followers which is better and easier to control (especially in combat/adventure situations). They're more loyal and there's no real danger of them betraying you or rejecting you because your reputation is one of killing your followers. Most of the time, though, we just allocate followers/henchmen to some "off-screen" tasks. My thief character used her followers as the crew on a pirate ship once. My monk character just kept his followers at the monastery.
They're just window-dressing most of the time anyway and it can provide a convenient replacement character if the campaign is an extended one (which ours tend to be).
I generally don't encourage the use of followers or cohorts becuase they just add another person to worry about in combat. Plus some of my players would probably forget that they even existed and would constantly need to be reminded.
I'm somewhat similar.
With a small handful of exceptions I don't use humanoid cohorts but do allow creature type Cohorts such as animal companions, familiars, special mounts and the various things one can get with Leadership.
Mainly I'm trying to get a balance between players wanting to have cohorts and the annoyance of having the game cluttered up with more good guys. I find creatures usually have only a very limited repertoire of abilities and therefore make good cohorts as they are easy for the players to run and their actions go by quickly.
The other thing is that in 3.x, they've got that damned Leadership feat that really messes things up. Some NPCs have followers without Leadership, some don't. Sometimes PCs can get allies without it, sometimes they can't. I'd just like to do away with it, but if you're going to have a consistent follower, it does provide handy guidelines. Maybe I should just use leadership "scores" to determine the types of cohorts PCs can get, but not actually use the feat and only give such NPCs to the party sparingly. I don't know; it's a yucky situation.
I like the idea.
I might be starting the Savage Tide campaign.
I will use your idea.
I thik I will make a feat like "inpiring leadership" +3 to leadership score.
Thanks Saern.
Any other ideas and on followers amd cohorts?
I encourage followers and cohorts, but players are don't want to use up a feat. In fact i'm the only player I know to take the feat. But I am a meglomaniac like thatthat.
Do any of you really use Henchmen and Followers for the characters much?
If not, why not? If so, what are some of the more interesting outcomes or problems that resulted?I DM my group. At 5th level they were in the mountains rescueing a band of dwarves whose mine was overtaken by a kobold tribe and band of troglodytes led by a drow. During the final battles the drow escaped with a few trogs, and when the PCs emerged they found their mounts and pack-animals slain as a winter storm was blowing in. They spent the winter with the dwarves until the passes opened again with the spring thaw.
Currently 13th level and now with land and estates, the Cleric (the only remaining member of that version of the party) is married to an archeology professor who accompanies the party and helps them research sites, gather rumors and lore before delving, solve riddles and so forth. She also has a 5th level "apprentice" Cleric of her faith, a pair of 1/1 Fighter-Ranger "Sentinels" who keep an eye on their camp as well as a trio of pages, two of them girls from an orphanage for which she has decided to sponsor a type of "work-study" program to help girls too old for the orphanage avoid life on the street (taking some as pages, but sponsoring others as apprentice chambermaids, scullery maids, servant-girls and so forth in addition to the occasional seamstress or other trade).
Her companions in the party include a Specialty Priest with his own 5th level assistant who during combat has been useful remaining invisible with curative wands in hand, as well as 2nd level Ranger and Rogue cohorts who help with his research, but also oversee getting him from site to site and then arrange lodgings in town, gathering rumors and information from locals and so forth.
There is the Fighter/Rogue who has a military commando background. After service in two recent wars he resigned from the army as a Sergeant Major and recruited a small group of similar mustered-out veteran commandos to join him, and so...
Rez, this was the best answer I think i've ever seen on the question of cohorts and henchmen! Excellent RP there. You my friend are welcome at my table any day.
~ Lazlo ~