charisma boosting items & leadership.

[krupintupple]

do you allow them to affect your character's leadership score? i'd like to, but i'm curious what would happen when they are removed, do followers and/or cohorts drop levels or desert?

your thoughts, or your take on the matter?

 

[Vegepygmy]

do you allow them to affect your character's leadership score?

Yes.

i'd like to, but i'm curious what would happen when they are removed, do followers and/or cohorts drop levels or desert?

I'd say yes, the excess followers would (eventually) leave.

A cohort's level is determined by one's Leadership score only when first obtained; after that, it is determined by his XP. So no, I wouldn't have him drop levels or anything.

 

[blargney the second]

Yep, the items do affect your leadership score. However, I don't think of followers as a static resource. In my games they're constantly in flux - sometimes you have a few more than your score suggests, sometimes a few less. On the average it'll be around the table value but I'm not gonna pop a vein over it.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I agree with Blargney, and to take the point further... Say you're hit for 6 charisma damage in combat. Do you suddenly lose a whole bunch of followers at that instant and regain them when the cleric casts a restoration on you?

It's more common sense than a RAW ruling, but i think any change in cha -- positive or negative -- should gradually cause the leadership numbers to adjust over a period of time. How long is up to the DM, but at least a day, if not a week, seems good. Possibly several weeks.

 

[krupintupple]

oh, i didn't plan on dropping anyone or anything of the like, i was just curious about the process.

a player has a cloak of charisma +4, but basically wears it 24/7, so i figured it would just be considered normal. however, if she lost it or stopped wearing it, i'd probably re-adjust the followers over a week or so, maybe one week per dropped charisma bonus or something - certainly not immediate or anything.

during the attraction of the cohort, i know that a magic item's bonus would apply, but would it if the character merely cast eagle's splendor daily, or does it need to be a continuous bonus, such as the case of the cloak of charisma +4?

 

[blargney the second]

I'd let a persistent eagle's splendour fly, but not multiple short-term castings.

 

[roguerouge]

The followers also have to know about the reduction of CHA in my campaign. If the PC globe trots and dies but comes back, the followers lose heart only when they hear that the PC is mortal.