I was wondering what people would think about the leadership feat being modified to be used as a charisma based skill.
In my eyes it would do the following
A.) Allow you to recruit a maximum number of followers based on your score, granted you can make the diplomacy checks required.
B.) Allow you to train and order around followers in a fashion similar to Handle Animal.
Followers may only be trained in manners you are adept enough to give guidance, you may hire on outside trainers to fill gaps, or have followers train each other.
Followers are of NPC classes only, or are CRs equal to the class level you may recruit -1. As such If you were recruiting gnolls, you could have your first level followers be Gnoll Warriors using the Gnoll race statistics, level 2 would be Gnolls, and level 3 could be carrion guards or carrion initiates.
C.) deal with the logistics of feeding and sheltering groups of men, with bonuses and detriments based on terrain. this would give bonuses to
KN. Nature checks by your men to identify local edible and medicinal plants and animals
Survival checks relating to setting up camp, finding camp, and finding game
Heal checks relating to conditions caused by both commonplace and local hazards.
You may make a leadership roll, Multiply the result by 20, this is considered to be a pool of Virtual gold, you have the equivalent of this amount in supplies
A cohort of effective level equal to half of your level may be recruited by taking Torch Handler or Squire, all players must take the leadership feat in order to have a cohort of your level -3, prerequisites of these abilities also include skill ranks in leadership equal to the level the feat is normally available as well as skill focus diplomacy (Not leadership). The cohort is to be played by the dungeon master and is not necessarily loyal to the player, but to his own goals. He may consider himself to be simply hired services, or he might be with the group for an equal share in the wealth. Either way it would be taxing to hire him on.
Using the normal leadership score rules this can mean that a first level player, with 20 charisma, a single rank in leadership, and skill focus (Leadership), will have a 8 first level followers, to mitigate this I suggest subtracting five from the player's leadership skill score to determine the number of followers a player may recruit... thus as opposed to 8 first level followers with his 12 score (1 rank, 3 trained, 3 focus, 5 charisma), he will have no followers, and will continue to not have followers until his leadership score reaches 15,
At some point I allowed cohorts on a roleplay basis rather than a feat basis so I'm not opposed to the idea although I am wary of being mechanically entitled to NPCs so I'd more separate Cohorts to feats and followers be able to be gained by a skill.
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I run that every PC has Leadership feat, but at half character level when calculating leadership score. NPCs must be drawn from in-game and developed, then "purchased" by expending fame points. Characters who take the feat advance to full character level to their leadership score. And I find the skill system as it is suffices to handle interaction.
If anything, just make new functions for old skills (for example, using Handle Animal mechanics to allow Bluff/Diplomacy/Intimidate to teach your cohorts/followers new tricks and command them...)