When it comes to classes with thralls, or cohorts from leadership feat, perhaps familiars from summoners things that are part of your character, do you gain the same xp or diminished xp from them?
I am wanting to play as my Thrall and let my Thrall herd retire for a few missions. Assuming my GM is okay with this (he is) would my thrall heard continue to gain xp as I level the Thrall?
This also adds the prospect of sending all my believers on mini missions to gain a miniscule amount of steady xp for me... Just pushing the idea further here.
short answer, they don't. they cannot get XP on their own without stopping to be a familiar or cohort.
Well, the rules are pretty specific about how far a cohort can advance:
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.
A cohort does not count as a party member when determining the party's XP. Instead, divide the cohort's level by your level. Multiply this result by the total XP awarded to you, then add that number of experience points to the cohort's total.
If a cohort gains enough XP to bring it to a level one lower than your level, the cohort does not gain the new level—its new XP total is 1 less than the amount needed to attain the next level.
I can't see much trouble so long as you stay within those guidelines. If you send the cohort on a trip on his own and you RP the cohort, then give him XP independent of the overall PC. If the XP exceeds his possible level you have two options. One: the cohort doesn't advance to the next level. Two: the cohort becomes an independent NPC.
That's how I'd do it, anyways. The intent is not to have the cohort be an XP farm. As I see it the PC would only "get" the cohort's XP (and it's not even that, the cohort just doesn't fit into the party's XP total at all - its like a summoned creature at that point) if they're in the same combats.
I can't see much trouble so long as you stay within those guidelines. If you send the cohort on a trip on his own and you RP the cohort, then give him XP. If the XP exceeds his possible level you have two options. One: the cohort doesn't advance to the next level. Two: the cohort becomes an independent NPC.
That's how I'd do it, anyways.
Your quote also reveals why he wouldn't earn experience for his "master" he doesn't count as a partymember, ergo, no experience.
Yup. Its experience granted after the fact.
You could probably simplify the rules even further by house-ruling that the cohort is always "minus whatever" levels to the PC based on their leadership score.
So it seems like the PC has to be actively involved in the encounter to gain xp from it.
And being "involved" in the encounter is probably up to the GM as well.
But I do have the feat Master's voice which allows me to have constant mind link with them so hopefully that will be enough to convince him.
Remember that cohort's and the like are usually weaker than your main character, your GM might rule that the encounter was to easy for you to learn anything from it because of that.