Leadership/Cohorts? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Leadership/Cohorts? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
mearrin69
10-22-07, 02:00 AM Hi all,
I've never dealt with this before so I'm here for advice. My players' PCs have just hit sixth and I think the party's fighter type is going to take Leadership. He'll get a cohort of 4th level and it suits the story for him to attract him right away - probably a member of the city watch, from which he resigned shortly after the group started adventuring.

Should I design the character, let him do it, or should it be a collaboration? Are there any 'gotchas' I should be aware of? Any general advice for running cohorts? Does he control the character unless something extraordinary comes up?

Thanks for any help!
M
runestar
10-22-07, 03:14 AM I would suggest to let him customize hos cohort whatever way he wants, but be there during the creation process so you can watch out for any attempts to cheese.

Only gripe I have is that the xp progression for cohorts is defective. It will never level up at the same rate as your party, so will end up lagging behind more and more.
Dog_O_War
10-22-07, 11:07 AM If you're going strictly by the book, you would create three or four NPC's (of a 25 point build) and allow him to choose which one he likes. Of course you can do what ever you like in regards to this matter; I personally would design the NPC myself, but with heavy player input.
runestar
10-22-07, 11:52 AM If you're going strictly by the book, you would create three or four NPC's (of a 25 point build) and allow him to choose which one he likes.

Where is this stated in the book? I had always been under the impression that cohorts are wholly determined by the player, rather than by the DM.:confused:
Jaxgaret
10-22-07, 12:41 PM Where is this stated in the book? I had always been under the impression that cohorts are wholly determined by the player, rather than by the DM.:confused:

According to the SRD:

The character can attract a cohort of up to this level. Regardless of a character’s Leadership score, he can only recruit a cohort who is two or more levels lower than himself. The cohort should be equipped with gear appropriate for its level. A character can try to attract a cohort of a particular race, class, and alignment.

That last sentence in particular makes it seem like it is up to the DM to provide specific cohorts for the character to attempt to attract, with its qualifier "of a particular race, class, and alignment." That seems to be all the player input in the process - what race, class, and alignment of cohort they are attempting to attract.
Dog_O_War
10-22-07, 02:31 PM Okay, I re-read all of the information and found out that it was infact another feat that says "the DM makes up 3 or 4 potential cohorts". This line is apart of the Mentor feat in the DMGII (it actually says 3 to 6). It does however say on page 106 of the DMG that the DM desides the statistics and such of the cohort. I'd make up a few for my players to choose from personally.

As for the 25 point build thing, it is not a requirement (though in the DMG it lists NPC's as 25 point buy being the standard).
steenan
10-23-07, 10:13 AM Much depends on how much time you are willing to spend roleplaying the process of getting a cohort.

If you prefer to do it quickly, let the player give you a one-sentence description (like "I'd like a human or dwarven cohort that's good at healing and quite knowledgable; he doesn't need to fight effectively") and build an effective character that follows this description.

If you have more time, you may do it otherwise. Create a handful of NPC's that will try to become the character's cohort. Give them different builds and different personalities - and then let the player choose one in game, without seeing their character sheets. They will probably talk about motivation for joining, test their combat and/or spellcasting abilities and so on. If played well, it may become a very fun game session and will give the cohort much color and depth from the beginning.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
mearrin69 10-22-07, 02:00 AM	Hi all, I've never dealt with this before so I'm here for advice. My players' PCs have just hit sixth and I think the party's fighter type is going to take Leadership. He'll get a cohort of 4th level and it suits the story for him to attract him right away - probably a member of the city watch, from which he resigned shortly after the group started adventuring. Should I design the character, let him do it, or should it be a collaboration? Are there any 'gotchas' I should be aware of? Any general advice for running cohorts? Does he control the character unless something extraordinary comes up? Thanks for any help! M
runestar 10-22-07, 03:14 AM	I would suggest to let him customize hos cohort whatever way he wants, but be there during the creation process so you can watch out for any attempts to cheese. Only gripe I have is that the xp progression for cohorts is defective. It will never level up at the same rate as your party, so will end up lagging behind more and more.
Dog_O_War 10-22-07, 11:07 AM	If you're going strictly by the book, you would create three or four NPC's (of a 25 point build) and allow him to choose which one he likes. Of course you can do what ever you like in regards to this matter; I personally would design the NPC myself, but with heavy player input.
runestar 10-22-07, 11:52 AM	If you're going strictly by the book, you would create three or four NPC's (of a 25 point build) and allow him to choose which one he likes. Where is this stated in the book? I had always been under the impression that cohorts are wholly determined by the player, rather than by the DM.:confused:
Jaxgaret 10-22-07, 12:41 PM	Where is this stated in the book? I had always been under the impression that cohorts are wholly determined by the player, rather than by the DM.:confused: According to the SRD: The character can attract a cohort of up to this level. Regardless of a character’s Leadership score, he can only recruit a cohort who is two or more levels lower than himself. The cohort should be equipped with gear appropriate for its level. A character can try to attract a cohort of a particular race, class, and alignment. That last sentence in particular makes it seem like it is up to the DM to provide specific cohorts for the character to attempt to attract, with its qualifier "of a particular race, class, and alignment." That seems to be all the player input in the process - what race, class, and alignment of cohort they are attempting to attract.
Dog_O_War 10-22-07, 02:31 PM	Okay, I re-read all of the information and found out that it was infact another feat that says "the DM makes up 3 or 4 potential cohorts". This line is apart of the Mentor feat in the DMGII (it actually says 3 to 6). It does however say on page 106 of the DMG that the DM desides the statistics and such of the cohort. I'd make up a few for my players to choose from personally. As for the 25 point build thing, it is not a requirement (though in the DMG it lists NPC's as 25 point buy being the standard).
steenan 10-23-07, 10:13 AM	Much depends on how much time you are willing to spend roleplaying the process of getting a cohort. If you prefer to do it quickly, let the player give you a one-sentence description (like "I'd like a human or dwarven cohort that's good at healing and quite knowledgable; he doesn't need to fight effectively") and build an effective character that follows this description. If you have more time, you may do it otherwise. Create a handful of NPC's that will try to become the character's cohort. Give them different builds and different personalities - and then let the player choose one in game, without seeing their character sheets. They will probably talk about motivation for joining, test their combat and/or spellcasting abilities and so on. If played well, it may become a very fun game session and will give the cohort much color and depth from the beginning.