Cohorts

[Swashbucklersdc]

Just posting as a sounding board for this idea:

Figure out the PC's Leadership Score, finding out what maximum level of a cohort he can have. Then, use the Experience Points Awards Table under Gamemastering, from the CRB, to match that level to an allotment of XP of cohorts the player may buy.

That would normally give, considering if the player wishes to maximize both cohorts levels, two cohorts at 2 levels less than allowed.

As an example, a 12th level PC with a leadership score of 15 can have, based on the Leadership Chart, a 10th level cohort. Using the table above, that becomes an allotment of 9600 "XP" worth of cohorts. The player could choose to have two cohorts bought at 4800 XP each, or both at 8th level. He could instead say he wants one at 9th (6400 XP)and the other at 7th (3200 XP), both together adding up to 9600 XP. Heck, the player could even choose to have 3 cohorts, each at 7th (3200 XP each).

Based on this note about Followers under Leadership: "Because they're usually 5 or more levels behind you, they're rarely effective in combat", I would limit your cohorts to being 5 levels below you. So, if you wanted the maximum number of cohorts all at the highest level you could get, that would give you three at 5 levels lower.

At this point, you use the normal rules for cohorts leveling, but using the XP chart, combine their XP together to make sure they never break the total level the player is entitled to.

As just a side note for my rulings on cohorts as well: Cohorts/Followers are not allowed to have the Leadership Feat themselves and I judged closely if they have crafting feats.

Any ideas on if this would work well?

[Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan]

How would the cohorts gain XP? They're asking to die if they adventure with you.

What's wrong with 1 cohort and multiple followers like the CRB says? I'm not understanding the reason behind trying this,

[Big Lemon]

Yeah I'm also kind of lost.

Plus I would warn against letting the PC have his own "mini-party" to follow the group, that just smells like trouble.

[Wycen]

Why not just tell your player "no, you can't have a cohort"? If that's what you are getting at.

I suppose we wonder if you don't want the cohort to be a major player in the party or are you trying to give the player multiple less powerful cohorts?

What about the negative modifier "already has animal companion, familiar or special mount?" Wouldn't more than one cohort count?

One of the new guys in our group said, "so you are the action economy guy, eh" when he heard I had a cohort plus eidolon. For action economy, I understand why you might want to bring more cohorts, but I also understand bogging the game down trying to go through 3 or more characters and their actions.

I just got my cohort in the last session. I should have gotten him sooner but for whatever reason that didn't happen. I told my DM I didn't want him to outshine the party cleric (my cohort is a cleric). So the DM built him and he has a glass jaw. He's got potential to be as good or better in the spell casting department, that kinda depends on me of course.

[Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan]

Swashbucklersdc wrote:

Cohorts/Followers are not allowed to have the Leadership Feat themselves and I judged closely if they have crafting feats.

I'm all good with the idea of not letting cohorts have cohorts, you end up with a bunch of Russian nesting dolls, or even worse with a certain prestige class where all the nested cohorts are the same level, however why not let cohorts take item creation feats?