Can you take the Leadership feat more than once?

[Thundering_Dragon]

Simple question. As far as I know, it is allowed. Am I wrong? If so, why, and what do I tell players who want to take it more than once?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Simple question. As far as I know, it is allowed. Am I wrong? If so, why, and what do I tell players who want to take it more than once?

You are wrong. Leadership isn't even in the PH as a standard feat. Allowing it into your game is a DM option. Everything about it is DM fiat.

Now, if you allow it in, you'll also note that there is no note under Leadership that specifies it can be taken more than once (such as with Weapon Focus, for instance). If a feat doesn't specify that it can be taken more than once, it can't be.

So the DM would have to select the optional rule of allowing Leadership into the game, and then House Rule the optional rule, to allow Leadership to be taken more than once.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I concur. Unless a feat says you can take it more than once, you can't.

Otherwise you could take, say, Stealthy (or any of the +2/+2 skill feats) multiple times. Which would be ridiculous.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

There is one way I know of to get more than one cohort. And that is to be a 10th level Thrallherd.

 

[DM-Rocco]

There is one way I know of to get more than one cohort. And that is to be a 10th level Thrallherd.

Dang, that is what I was going to say

I had an epic level succubus 10th level thrallherder. The DM allowed, what can I say, except that he regretted it later

 

[DM-Rocco]

Oh, and I thought there was a prestiege class somewhere that allowed a second cohort, other than the thrall herder, but I could be wrong, I have been before. Seems to me it was a forgotten realms book or something.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think the FAQ say you can take Leadership more than once, but you only get a second cohort (not twice as many followers). Still very much based on DM's permission tho.

 

[irdeggman]

I think the FAQ say you can take Leadership more than once, but you only get a second cohort (not twice as many followers). Still very much based on DM's permission tho.

Nope its not in the FAQ (never has been). That is one reason we've had such long discussions over whether or not more than 1 cohort can be gained at a time. The text is ambiguous at best over this issue.

Someone had an article/post by some designer a long time ago (looked to be 3.0 vice 3.5) that said you could take it more than one with each application getting another cohort.

I have written to Sage Advice numerous times on this subject with no reply. I and others have gotten pretty much the same reply from cust serv at the WotC boards - you only get one cohort at a tiem and you can't take the feat more than once. {That is the paraphrased version}. I will point out that most people on this site appear to give less credence to the cust serv than Sage Advice.

 

[Alejandro]

I asked Monte Cook about designer intent back in the days of 3.0 DMG. Here is what he wrote:

From the DMG forum
RE: Leadership
Originally Posted by Inalchuk

*Monte, how did the 3E design team intend for the Leadership feat to be taken? Can it be taken multiple times to gain multiple cohorts? Do you use the Leadership feat in your games, and how is it used? Thanks! *

Monte Cook
(10/1/02 9:42:27 am)
Re: [Monte] Spirit of the Rules: Leadership Feat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, you can take it multiple times and get multiple cohorts if you want. I've never seen anyone do that, but you could.

Three of the PCs in my game have leadership. It's actually pretty popular. One uses it to staff his fortress-like home, the other two used it to get "back-up companions." A fighter got a cleric to heal him and a paladin got a sagely wizard to do research and make magic items.
Monte
www.montecook.com

 

[NimrodvanHall]

In heroes of batle there are feats that alow you to:

Dubble the number of folowers you have, from leadership.
Alows your cohort to be only 1 lvl lower than you.
Allows an extra cohort.
i belive that the +1 cohort feat can be taken multiple times, dubbeling of your followers i'm not shure of.