Advice on Cohorts as Mounts

[Spahrep]

Just looking for some advice from those who have used the leadership skill to gain a cohort mount.

[LazarX]

Spahrep wrote:

Just looking for some advice from those who have used the leadership skill to gain a cohort mount.

What type of advice? As to the choice of mount that's very situational depending on the campaign, level, dm etc.

[Spahrep]

LazarX wrote:

Spahrep wrote:

Just looking for some advice from those who have used the leadership skill to gain a cohort mount.

What type of advice? As to the choice of mount that's very situational depending on the campaign, level, dm etc.

All of the above :).

Just their experiences and what they would have done differently and what they would have done the same.

I take part in 3 games, all very different, I gm one. Just looking for general advice on the leadership feat.

[LazarX]

My general advice on Leadership itself. Make the cohort take up a "space" on the gaming table. So if the maximum amount of players that you're going to allow on the adventure is 6, let them know that any cohorts are going to be taking up one those slots each. This includes cohorts that function mainly as mounts. They get full treasure shares but you the DM have the final say on how the money is spent.

[Riggler]

I don't allow the Leadership feat in my games. As my experience with the feat is that it CAN lead to many complications.

If a party operates on a Democratic decision basis, that's another vote claimed by the chracter with the Leadership feat. That can prompt other players to take Leadership in a kind of "arms race" for decision-making by the party. You can end up with a small army of NPCs accompanying the heroes.

If the pets allowed by classes isn't already enough targets for the bad guys to take on, the Leadership feat adds even more.

Also the player who has a PC with Leadership can take up 2 shares of the attention from a GM. A Druid with an animal companion with Leadership with a Druid with an animal companion is 4 mooks on the board. Assuming a 4 player group, if everyone else is a non-pet class without Leadership, the Leadership player is optomizing 1/2 of the "player time talking" during a game session as they describe the actions of four different critters.

Now, don't get me wrong. If I can only find two players, then yeah, Leadership might be a good choice. But if I've got four or more players at my table it's not happening.

[Sarta]

Riggler wrote:

I don't allow the Leadership feat in my games. As my experience with the feat is that it CAN lead to many complications.

I've found that it works well if the cohort is not considered a "party member". They are great as super-henchmen. Some fantastic uses I've seen:

- Seneschal of a pc with a keep, in charge of the keep and the followers who served as staff.

- Spymaster for a pc with followers spread out gathering information from various communities within the campaign.

- Second-in-command of a thieves guild a PC had created, left to run things when the PC is off adventuring.

- Minder / Spin Doctor for a Barbarian / Heir of Sibarys PC. The cohort was assigned by the PC's family to minimize public embarrassment. His followers were gnome lawyers.

As a GM I'd be nervous about allowing the use of leadership for a mount. I'd worry that it would outclass the mount of a paladin or the companion of a Druid / Ranger. This is a single feat. I personally don't feel it should be much more powerful than other feats, such as improved familiar.