This question has just been bugging me: I know that at one point you have the opportunity to get a winter wolf sidekick/ally. But if you wanted to make it strictly game-legal, how high a Leadership score should you have to be able to keep a winter wolf cohort?
Considering the Winter Wolf in question is only a 1st level Fighter if I remember correctly, you could hypothetically get away with a Leadership score of only 4 or so, considering the negative Modifiers from different alignment & moving around & such.
I believe one of the Devs actually weighed in on that very idea. I think he said something like a Score of 10 or so, but the Character would need to be at least level 9 if I remember correctly, considering the Racial HD + Character levels issue. Considering you are almost definitely dealing with different Alignments, that will negatively affect the score, as will the constant moving about via the Hut, although that wouldn't technically happen until after you had met her. So figure a score in the range of 10 to 12, by my reckoning.
I think the hut at best balances out between moving around a lot and having a home base, and alignment changes were discussed. That said, the best way to ask/answer the question is "What level of character does a winter wolf count as for the purpose of leadership"
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This question has just been bugging me: I know that at one point you have the opportunity to get a winter wolf sidekick/ally. But if you wanted to make it strictly game-legal, how high a Leadership score should you have to be able to keep a winter wolf cohort?
A basic winter wolf is on par with a Shadow Mastiff (same CR and HD). You need a leadership score of at least 12 to get a Shadow Mastiff as a cohort. So, I would say you need at least 12 for a winter wolf.
As a GM, I would allow a potential cohort to 'join' the part before they qualified. However, I would limit the control the PC had and the roll in the party. Essentially, I would let the 'pre-cohort' hang out, RP and help with basic chores, but not in combat or on quest.
A basic winter wolf is on par with a Shadow Mastiff (same CR and HD). You need a leadership score of at least 12 to get a Shadow Mastiff as a cohort. So, I would say you need at least 12 for a winter wolf.As a corollary, you would also need to be level 14.
Is it that they count as a 12th level character or that you need a leadership score of 12? Those aren't the same thing, it's entirely possible to have a leadership score of 12 by level 7.
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Is it that they count as a 12th level character or that you need a leadership score of 12? Those aren't the same thing, it's entirely possible to have a leadership score of 12 by level 7.
Correct. A shadow mastiff counts as a Level 8 character per PRD. So, you need to be level 10 for the Shadow Mastiff.
Well, that's a lot more reasonable, though still outside the realm of volume 2.
Thanks for the responses, they're very helpful.
Level 10 and leadership score 12 are also the pre-reqs I came up for recruiting Greta (provided you woo'd her). I also buffed her strength by 2 to 20, as a base winter wolf is stronger than her for some reason.
Her strength is 18 due to rules for adding PC class levels to monsters. In the first instance you apply +4, +4, +2, +2, 0 and -2 to the standard stats. Then start to give them levels. It so happens that Greta has the -2 applied to strength.
I was considering playing with he modifiers for her partner. But if you gave them the 4 in strength they suddenly become really nasty of the PCs have to fight them :-)
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The remark abut the array is correct. We don't always design for maximum KILL PLAYERZ potential. Applying those stats elsewhere made for a much more well rounded character. She hits just fine with her racial HD/BAB with the fighter BAB on top of it, and she really doesn't need that +1 to damage. In exchange, she's reasonably bright, charismatic, and plenty deadly for her CR. There's nothing wrong with her build. At the risk of being sexist, I quite like it myself!
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I ended up writing 4 or 5 pages worth of backstory for her, including; that her mother was human explaining her advanced mental stats (the note in the ecology stated that human female born winter wolves are smarter), and that she had an unhealthy fascination with the human form (most winter wolves seem to enjoy having hands) which has led to her being somewhat frowned upon (and single), which also leads to a situation (hopefully) where she wouldn't be too upset with a humanoid mate.
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she had an unhealthy fascination with the human form (most winter wolves seem to enjoy having hands)
So Greta is the Winter Wolf version of that one pony from MLP:FiM who's nuts about hands? Could make for an amusingly creepy quirk of hers if she obsesses over hands to the point of keeping some of them around (severed from the former owners) as trophies.
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I ended up writing 4 or 5 pages worth of backstory for her, including; that her mother was human explaining her advanced mental stats (the note in the ecology stated that human female born winter wolves are smarter), and that she had an unhealthy fascination with the human form (most winter wolves seem to enjoy having hands) which has led to her being somewhat frowned upon (and single), which also leads to a situation (hopefully) where she wouldn't be too upset with a humanoid mate.
This sounds fun. Can you repost it here?