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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aaron2" data-source="post: 991000" data-attributes="member: 1436">I find that players are smart enough to pick a cohort to best fill any holes in the party. For example, in the party I DM, the player picked a rogue cohort because the party up until that time didn't have one. This rogue had the best seach and, thus, found more hidden treasure than the rest of the party combined. Even two levels behind. Plus her tumbling into flanking positions gave the raging barbarian plenty of +2s. All this for the measly cost of 10% XP.If a cohort lets the party take on one encounter at CR+1 for every four normal encounters. It pays for itself. For example, a sixth level party takes on four CR 6 encounters. Total XP=7200/4 = 1800 a piece.Same party with a cohort takes on 3 CR6 and one CR7 encountersTotal XP=8100/4.5 = 1800 a piece. If a character with a low charisma picks a cohort that doesn't add much to the party structure then, yeah, it won't work out all that well. However, I don't see a difference between that and a player with a character that isn't very effective (such as a multi-class bard/wizard).  I guess what I'm trying to say is that its just as easy to create an ineffective PC as an ineffective cohort. At least the cohorts have a 1/2 effectiveness factor build in.Aaron</blockquote>