Last game session my level 16 rogue died (rip) and since our favored soul recently decided to reroll, I'm rolling a cleric. My character is a level 16 cleric of Pelor 11/Thaumaturgist 5. I'm basically planning him as a high member of church, specializing in the millitant aspects. The type who stands in the throne room tall, confident, and has a loyal outsider a step behind him as a show of his deities favor. Problem is, I am having major troubles with the actual creation of the Planar Cohort. I want a good or neutral aligned outsider but I really can't find one that makes sense and isn't terribly weak. That or I'm just not understanding the rules for it. So for this reason, I have come to you guys to request suggested planar cohorts because the LA/ECL/HD system is just giving me a headache.
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Planar Cohort help
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Shin Okada
Explorer
LA/ECL/HD system is not that difficult.
HD + LA = ECL
HD = Character Level (and vice versa)
HD/Character Level = Racial HD + Class Levels
So, for example, A Hound Archon is
HD/CL (Racial HD 6) + LA (+5) = ECL 11
A Hound Archon/Paladin 3 is
HD/CL (Racial HD 6 + Class Level 3) + LA (+5) = ECL 14
Most celestials, especially angels, have very high racial HD and LA. And thus have very high ECL. So, maybe not so good as a cohort.
But you can always use something with Celestial template (LA +2) or Half-Celestial template (LA +4).
Protector in Miniatures Handbook may make a good cohort, too. It is "any good" outsider with racial HD of 2 and LA +3.
HD + LA = ECL
HD = Character Level (and vice versa)
HD/Character Level = Racial HD + Class Levels
So, for example, A Hound Archon is
HD/CL (Racial HD 6) + LA (+5) = ECL 11
A Hound Archon/Paladin 3 is
HD/CL (Racial HD 6 + Class Level 3) + LA (+5) = ECL 14
Most celestials, especially angels, have very high racial HD and LA. And thus have very high ECL. So, maybe not so good as a cohort.
But you can always use something with Celestial template (LA +2) or Half-Celestial template (LA +4).
Protector in Miniatures Handbook may make a good cohort, too. It is "any good" outsider with racial HD of 2 and LA +3.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
The problem with the Planar Cohort ability is that it has two stipulations: the first is that the cohort cannot have more Hit Dice than the PC, which is easy to determine; the second is that it must have an ECL equal to the PC's ECL -2, which is hard to determine since most Outsiders and Elementals don't have Level Adjustment listings.
A quick glance through the MM makes it seem as though a base hound archon is your only real choice, since the few other Good-aligned Outsiders that have LAs are all otherwise too high.
A quick glance through the MM makes it seem as though a base hound archon is your only real choice, since the few other Good-aligned Outsiders that have LAs are all otherwise too high.
Thats what it seemed like to me. I wasn't seeing much with an LA, and it seemed like almost everything that did immediately became very underpowered adding LA+HD, resulting in a cohort thats questionably useful other than for the occasional casting of a buffing spell or two or some backup healing, but other than that mostly a liability.
griff_goodbeard
First Post
The BoED has several suitable cohorts at ECL 14:
Asura: 8HD+6LA
Bariaur: 3HD+2LA
Coure Eladrin: 2HD+5LA
Equinal Guardinal: 6HD+7LA
Musteval Guardinal: 2HD+5LA
Asura: 8HD+6LA
Bariaur: 3HD+2LA
Coure Eladrin: 2HD+5LA
Equinal Guardinal: 6HD+7LA
Musteval Guardinal: 2HD+5LA
