I have written up a Leadership Feat for 5e, I would like some advice on what the community thinks (play balance, etc.):
Leadership
To take the Leadership Feat, the PC must be 7th Level. Leadership adds +1 Charisma, Maximum Score 20.
Your Leadership Score is your Level plus your Charisma Modifier.
You have a number of Leadership Points equal to your Level squared.
Cohorts: You may have a single Cohort of 2 levels lower. The level squared of the Cohort is deducted from your total Leadership Points. Cohorts automatically level when you do. Recalculate Leadership Points for your Cohort each time you level.
Followers: Follower maximum level is 1/3 of your Leadership Score (rounded down). You may change Followers at each level, when recalculating your Leadership Score and Leadership Points. Each Follower deducts their Level squared from your Leadership Points.
Example:
Level 7 PC with 16 (+3) Charisma gains Leadership. She has a Leadership Score of 10 and 49 Leadership Points. Her maximum Cohort level is 5; her maximum Follower level is 3.
She takes a 5th level Cohort for 25 Leadership Points. She has 24 Leadership Points remaining for Followers, with which she gains the following:
Steward, 2nd level, 4 points
2 Guard Sergeants, 2nd level, 8 points
4 Retainers, 1st level, 4 points
8 Guards, 1st level, 8 points
What do you think? I appreciate and advice...
It seems powerful to me - gaining half a dozen or more actions, admittedly from lower level characters. At very high levels, I could see this becoming a feat that was almost compulsory. Although, I guess there's not necessarily an assumption that your cohorts will follow you into battle.
I wouldnt take it as a player, since it seems like a lot of bookwork to me. I'd be more interested if it gave a few of the NPCs from the MM apendix - and I suspect I'd limit the CR pretty severely too. That would also tone the power down a bit. (Compare the CR of the followers/cohorts provided by this feat with the animal companion the ranger gets as his main 'schtick').
It seems powerful to me - gaining half a dozen or more actions, admittedly from lower level characters. At very high levels, I could see this becoming a feat that was almost compulsory. Although, I guess there's not necessarily an assumption that your cohorts will follow you into battle.
I wouldnt take it as a player, since it seems like a lot of bookwork to me. I'd be more interested if it gave a few of the NPCs from the MM apendix - and I suspect I'd limit the CR pretty severely too. That would also tone the power down a bit. (Compare the CR of the followers/cohorts provided by this feat with the animal companion the ranger gets as his main 'schtick').
On the one hand; Low level characters stay relevant in 5e DnD much longer, bounded accuracy ensures that even relatively low level PC classed individuals can hit relatively high CR monsters, which combined with all those extra attacks makes this feat game breathtakingly powerful if useful to bring mooks along on adventures.
Of course in a game like I am planning, something like this, that allowed you to deploy your mooks to patrol areas of your domain, or perform functions in your house hold, it would be an awesome and useful feat.
Of course in a game like I am planning, something like this, that allowed you to deploy your mooks to patrol areas of your domain, or perform functions in your house hold, it would be an awesome and useful feat.
Exactly how I would use it; the cohort is a fellow adventurer, the followers would normally not accompany you on adventures (although guard followers could be used to secure your camp, etc.).
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I'd just leave followers and cohorts as a roleplay thing under DM guidance.
Feats feel like player entitlements.
I'm pro followers, mounts, familiars, animals companions, and henchmen but I measure it against the number of players and the scope of the campaign. Small group allows more room for extra party members.
Basically 1e/2e style plus scaling mechanisms from the more recent editions.
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In PF, we did a campaign with three 15 point buy PCs and three 5 or 10 henchmen NPCs with NPC warrior levels. It was really fun. The GM could be kinda extra lethal, but no player was ever stuck passively watching.
Are there any plans for NPC classes? Particularly, something like the warrior, expert, and adept? I'm thinking the aristocrat can be replaced by an adept, expert, or warrior with the Noble background.
One of my pet peeves with 5th Edition is how monsters and NPCs are handled. Particularly how HD and power level are almost totally unrelated to each other. I REALLY liked the changed in monster rules from 3.0 to 3.5 where monsters followed the same rules (skills and feat-wise, at least) as PCs. Ditto PF. But I find 5th Edition monsters might have been better off getting rid of hit dice entirely and just give out a chunk of hit points based on AC and CR. Ditto their proficiencies, particularly saves and skills.
Sorry for the rant.
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This is true, about the HD... they really took a page out of 4th edition to fine tune the monster statistics to a more refined math, but in doing so they really did end up negating HD as a concept outside of the chunk of hp, especially with resistances.
However, with things being less level dependent overall, this isn't as big of a hit, but it does seem superfluous. So far the math works out well for me, but I think I tend to throw slightly higher challenge rating monsters at my players.
2e tied your maximum number of henchmen to Charisma, as well as their morale bonus. Maybe doing something in the line could be easier to implement than a leadership feat as per 3.P?
I once made a d20 Modern Advanced Class for a criminal mastermind that go henchmen. It got a number of henchmen equal to its Charisma modifier, and the level of the henchmen equaled the Advanced Class's class level.
(in d20 Modern, you could typically enter an Advanced class by character level 4)
This meant the henchmen lagged at least 3 levels behind the Criminal Mastermind. There were also NPC versions of the PC classes, which typically lacked class features and bonus feats.
For 5th Edition, maybe allow a number of henchmen equal to your Charisma modifier, with a number of hit dice equal to half your level?
With bounded accuracy, even NPC allies with half the party's average hit dice would survive most encounters, still be effective, but not overwhelmingly so.
Y'know Dan, there's a variant noble background feature in the PHB that gives you 3 commoners as retainers. Maybe there could be some sort of feat that grants them HD and proficiency bonus advancement?
Hitdice negated as a concept? I'm standing right here, dude!!
Well, this is awkward.
Look! Behind you!
**hides**