Leadership feat clarification

[Peter Montgomery]

I am nearing lvl 7 on my wizard and I saw a feat called leadership
I have enough charisma and other leadership points to have a cohort ( NPC) who is 2 levels below me and a few followers

I assume I can make a npc apprentice wizard who is my sidekick and basically he doubles my spell casting output and nearly doubles my know spells
inwould have him pick different forbidden schools so we would have a wider range of spells to choose from and have him pick a few different feats for more flexibility

this sounds too good to be true
then you add a few level 1 npcs who could be buffing characters who try to stay out of combat a bard and cleric let's say they buff me and the boy wonder and the rest of the team while we go playing mini god and son on the bad guys

this sounds too good to be true

please correct me if I am wrong
or what the drawbacks are
I assume my GM will be trying like crazy to them off so that I lose leadership. Points

[lastknightleft]

It really depends on DM, some don't allow you to build cohorts but rather require you to get them in game (I.E. from known allies etc.) or have other requirements. By RAW you are correct, and yeah after a short while your cohorts are going to start dropping like flies, but any questions on leadership should always be run by your DM.

[LilithsThrall]

Peter Montgomery wrote:

I am nearing lvl 7 on my wizard and I saw a feat called leadership

I have enough charisma and other leadership points to have a cohort ( NPC) who is 2 levels below me and a few followers

I assume I can make a npc apprentice wizard who is my sidekick and basically he doubles my spell casting output and nearly doubles my know spells
inwould have him pick different forbidden schools so we would have a wider range of spells to choose from and have him pick a few different feats for more flexibility

this sounds too good to be true
then you add a few level 1 npcs who could be buffing characters who try to stay out of combat a bard and cleric let's say they buff me and the boy wonder and the rest of the team while we go playing mini god and son on the bad guys

this sounds too good to be true

please correct me if I am wrong
or what the drawbacks are
I assume my GM will be trying like crazy to them off so that I lose leadership. Points

No. The GM will wipe out over 2/3rd of your first level characters with a fireball trap. Then, he will have one of your followers kidnapped and replaced by an assassin in disguise who will make an attempt on your life while you're sleeping. He will also have all the monsters which can hear a battalian moving through their area respond appropriately (armies don't sneak). He may charm your cohort and have him work against you.

While all this is going on, the other players will be hitting you hard and repeatedly about the neck and ears with their PHBs and dice bags because it takes you an hour to complete each round of your combat action and because armies don't sneak.

My recommendation is to leave your cohort and followers at home. Your cohort can make magic items for you (or whatever else you like) and your followers can be a spy network or do research to find the great lair of the old dead dragon.

[ProfessorCirno]

Typically you don't take your followers with you into the dungeon or adventure, since 1) it makes things so much more complicated and difficult, 2) they're just level 1, they really can't help you all that much, and 3) they're just level 1 so they drop like flies.

The cohort is indeed very powerful, but the followers? They're fluff. Leadership works best in a game where the DM gives you a base of operations so that your followers can stay and work there. Or follow you in places that aren't filled with danger as an entourage.

[Peter Montgomery]

ProfessorCirno wrote:

Typically you don't take your followers with you into the dungeon or adventure, since 1) it makes things so much more complicated and difficult, 2) they're just level 1, they really can't help you all that much, and 3) they're just level 1 so they drop like flies.

The cohort is indeed very powerful, but the followers? They're fluff. Leadership works best in a game where the DM gives you a base of operations so that your followers can stay and work there. Or follow you in places that aren't filled with danger as an entourage.

it still sounds worth it as long as when I return to the hideout after a sucessful dungeon raid that I can still scream " Minions! Where is my lemonade!"

it does sound like makes things fun for my GM and he can charm any player in the group
although not as easy as a member who is 2 levels below the rest of the group

I could mitigate that damage by having him only know buffing and roleplaying spells and I have all the good damage and control spells

Minions, where are my slippers!?!?