Hi,
my group is rather small and we just recently abandoned the former chars, because they didn't fit together. How it came to that is a rather long story I don't want to bother you with.
The party, which tries to defend the Dalelands against a rather alarming number of orcs and their mysterious financier, consists of
Elladyr the Paladin (face, heal, smitinglotsofevil),
Allanir the Arcane Duellist (helping the paladin social stuff, mobile hitter, buff) and
Bibi the Wood Elven Lady (shooting stuff and helping not to run into orcs all the time).
We are level 6 and I am about to take leadership as a talent, because it just fits my role a the face so well. The cohort should be some kind of squire/officer kind of type that can manage my followers. I just can't decide where to go with the class. My GM is okay with everything I choose, knowing that I don't try to ubergame.
Cohort will have the heroic npc ability scores and the complementary moneyz to spent.
How about an Order of the Dragon Cavalier (possibly Honorguard archetype)? He'll help shore up the frontline (protecting either the Paladin or Arcane Duelist) with his bodyguard ability, can Aid Another to the tune of +3 and should be able to do decent damage (say with a Greatsword and using his challenge - which gives the rest of the party a +2 to hit his target). Additionally, he can grant a teamwork feat with his tactics ability (good for you guys, great for your followers).
Since you've decided you want a "Squire", that kind of dictates to direction you want to go in, i.e. a martial-type character. Despite that, you might consider a Bard. A minstrel following a heroic knight is not too much of a deviation. A level or two of a melee class (Fighter, Cavalier, or even Paladin) can make him more "Squire-y", if you like. It would give you some additional healing power (it seems you're the only healer atm, unless Bibi is a ranger).
Otherwise, you may just consider an "apprentice" Paladin.
On a side note, I have taken the Leadership Feat twice in my life:
The first time I created my own cohort to be perfectly complementary to my PC + the group dynamic. In other words, I rolled up a level 5 heal-bot/potion crafting Cleric whose only ambition in life was to be a tremendous boon to our group, receiving only hand-me-down gear in recompense.
The second time, my DM let me pick from the NPC's we had met in our adventure (those that had a compatible alignment), and statted up as level 1 NPC's (I chose a Half-Elf Aristocrat 1), and told me that she would only gain levels as she gained xp. Truthfully, she was nearly useless at first, but she gained a couple of levels quickly, and grew into her own character (not necessarily the cohort I would've rolled up). It was very much like raising a protege/apprentice. By the end, her death was so tragic, it nearly made me retire that PC to wait for a new campaign to start.
You can probably guess which one I had more fun with...
Thank you. Your thoughts are very easily comprehensible. I just don't know how to answer without a wall of text. Hope you don't mind the short answers.
- Honorguard idea is cool, was suggested by the duellist's player, too. I imagine the cohort as an junior officer to my soon to come followers and the paladin "needs" no bodyguard ;)
- Bard idea is so cool, that the arcane duellist, being a bard, has his character's concept wrapped around that idea.
- I second your opinion on Sir Boonalot. Boons and pets are for Ranger, Druids and mounted paladins.
- Picking a npc is rather difficult. We kept Exp after switching characters to kept the pace. We did not met cohorty npcs and I don't want to make it any more difficult for the GM being his first campaign after many years.
What would you say about a cleric of torm, who's more on the martial side, caring less about being in charge of something more than troops he can motivate. I would take a "small" paladin, but that's so agains style... with me being the ONLY paladin around. ;)
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I would ask your DM about a Blink Dog
They're considered 4th level companions, and they're SO cool. Not only do they make fantastic scouts, but they're usually LG (meshes well with Pally), are smart enough to take class levels (Druid could work well, or maybe a Ranger for some variety), and they look really cool, too.
They're also quite durable, thanks to constant blink, though for some groups it'd be a hindrance more than a blessing >_>
- We have a herald, who will definitely become a Battle Herald once he gains knighthood.
- Blink Dog as Marshall for my troops? My troops would be not amused. He is a valid choice if someone wants to bash things with the cohort - but I rather do that myself.
You might want to consider a Gunslinger, being at least two hit dice behind the party will be more dangerous for melee type characters, so range helps protect the cohort from an untimely death. Also, the fact they shoot at touch AC will be a godsend in taking down heavily armored targets.
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Hi,
my group is rather small and we just recently abandoned the former chars, because they didn't fit together. How it came to that is a rather long story I don't want to bother you with.
The party, which tries to defend the Dalelands against a rather alarming number of orcs and their mysterious financier, consists of
Elladyr the Paladin (face, heal, smitinglotsofevil),
Allanir the Arcane Duellist (helping the paladin social stuff, mobile hitter, buff) and
Bibi the Wood Elven Lady (shooting stuff and helping not to run into orcs all the time).We are level 6 and I am about to take leadership as a talent, because it just fits my role a the face so well. The cohort should be some kind of squire/officer kind of type that can manage my followers. I just can't decide where to go with the class. My GM is okay with everything I choose, knowing that I don't try to ubergame.
Cohort will have the heroic npc ability scores and the complementary moneyz to spent.
I would personally reccomend a little pocket healing cleric of your diety to follow you around and protect the rightous cause pushing the Paladin, annoying the Elf, and generally is there to save your life. Restoration is awesome man.
Don't forget, nobody knows how and when to play a healer better than a NPC controlled by the GM, and I don't assume he will be playing his against you, so you should be fine.
I looked into the Cavalier and he just doesn't fit, being all about Cha and Challenge. I want an divine Marshall that can marshall all day long without being dependant on Charisma. Then a fellow gamer pointed me at the inquisitor. He is just perfect. He can fight, he is divine, he brings knowledge to the table and he can intimidate.
A nice Preacher that knows how to fight. Thanks to all of you for helping me. This is a great community. =)