Cohort from Leadership feat - NPC or PC Wealth?

[Marc Radle]

When you gain a cohort from the Leadership feat, does the cohort get built using the NPC wealth per level or PC wealth per level? If it exists, I'm looking for an actual rule you can point to. Barring that, what do most people do?

I realize the cohort is an NPC so the NPC wealth per level makes the most sense. BUT, wow, the difference between a 7th level PC (23,500 gp) and a 7th level NPC (6,000) is pretty huge! A 7th level cohort with NPC level wealth is going to have a heck of a time surviving with his 9th level PC 'master'!

[wraithstrike]

NPC rule:

"Cohort Level: You can attract a cohort of up to this level. Regardless of your Leadership score, you can only recruit a cohort who is two or more levels lower than yourself. The cohort should be equipped with gear appropriate for its level (see Creating NPCs). A cohort can be of any race or class. The cohort's alignment may not be opposed to your alignment on either the law/chaos or good/evil axis, and you take a –1 penalty to your Leadership score if you recruit a cohort of an alignment different from your own."

[KainPen]

Neither give what you see fit. A lot of people Band leadership from there game because it over powered. I think the only reason it is over powered is because of the free wealth that is giving with it. No where in the feat does it say that the cohort must have wealth of any sort it just recommends it. to support this a cohort could be monster or animal. It does not have to be a humanoid or even have class levels. It can be all monster hit dice. It is up to DM/GM to make the call. Also you do not have to let the pc in say in what you give them as cohort. If you want to give him a Griffin as a cohort you can. If you want to give him a 4 level farmer you can. Also you as GM control the way the cohort levels. The cohort is a npc under your control not the pc. The cohort will expect some of the PC loot or he may stop following. This how the feat in balanced with heavy GM control. The cohort will be drawn either from the pc wealth that he choose to share or the groups should they choose to share. I like the idea of run away Prince looking for adventure following the pc around. 7 level aristocrat and he start to take pc level in the pc class as he learns from him. The Prince could use is position of power to help the pc, and it could also bring a king guards down as they search for the run away lad. Have fun with it and pick what you want not what the pc wants.

[wraithstrike]

What free wealth?
Burning a feat and having no say in the NPC is pretty pointless. I have never had a problem with feat. I juts dont allow the followers to exist.