Help with Leadership Feat

[Samothdm]

One of my players (a cleric) just reached 6th level and wants to take the leadership feat. I think it's a good idea, roleplaying-wise. His character has a "patron" within the church who is, unbeknownst to the player, actually a "bad guy".

The bad guy patron has been sending the cleric PC on missions, etc., which the player actually thinks are "good" missions but which are actually intended to help the bad guy patron gain personal power. The patron has promoted the cleric PC within the ranks of the church.

So, my question is, if the PC cleric takes the Leadership Feat, is it appropriate for me to have his new cohort actually be sort of a bad guy - like a spy NPC for the bad guy patron that I as the DM actually control? Or is that going against the spirit of the feat, and should I just let the cleric's player design the background of his own cohort and use the cohort as he sees fit?

 

[cerberus2112]

my opinion

It goes against the spirit of the feat. The Cohort is a follower loyal to the leader; still, its a very cool idea. If you want to do a little more work, convince the player to take all of the followers he is entitled to, and let a couple of those lesser minions be spies instead. The non-cohort guys aren't as loyal to the character as the cohort.

 

[Airwolf]

I agree with cerberus2112, use one of the followers as the spy.

The cohort really is a close friend and ally of the PC with the leadership feat.

 

[Janos Antero]

I'd say turning the cohort against the PC wouldn't be fair, basically he's burning a feat to gain an ally, turning that ally against him not only would be a betrayal of someone he thought was loyal, but also cost him a feat (even if he later gets a good cohort, he wasted time and levels when he could have been using another feat). That may cause some bad feelings on the player's part, so I'd avoid it.

Followers it works with, especially if you let him have more followers than normal, so he thinks he's lucky, but really he's not.

Tangent: Is it possible to take Leadership more than once? I seem to remember it being possible, but I can't find anything to back that up now.

 

[Datt]

I don't think it is possible.

Why would you need to anyway?

 

[drnuncheon]

I don't think it is possible.

Why would you need to anyway?

Since there's no 'special' notation saying you can take it multiple times (as there are on all other feats which you can take more than once), it's not possible in the rules as written.

As for why you'd want to - for an extra cohort and more followers, I'd guess.

J

 

[cptg1481]

Wellllll....

I say you could but only for a while say if you wanted to use it as a device to tip the player off to the baddie. I.E. He, NE or soemthing and after being with the group and the cleric in particular he decides that he and his boss are dead wrong and he becomes a loyal cohort to the pc after that.


It's kind of cheesy though....

 

[Datt]

Since there's no 'special' notation saying you can take it multiple times (as there are on all other feats which you can take more than once), it's not possible in the rules as written.

As for why you'd want to - for an extra cohort and more followers, I'd guess.

J

Didn't think of the more followers thing. But you can already have more than 1 cohort per the DMG. Can't remember the page off the top of my head, but I know you can because I looked it up for my friend once.

 

[coyote6]

I agree that having the cohort be a bad guy is probably a bad idea -- the player may be upset to find out he spent one of the handful of feats he'll get, and got a penalty rather than a bonus.

Instead, give him one extra follower. IIRC, the cleric is probably supposed to get one 4th or 5th level cohort, and 5 followers that are War1. Give him six followers instead; if he asks, they're all War1; and if he points out that it should be five, not six, say, "Oops, I misremembered. That's okay, one extra War1 is no big deal." Then let them find out through play that one of those followers isn't quite on the same team . . .

 

[Pielorinho]

I agree with cptg: this might be a fun chance for a spy to infiltrate the party, but when the chips are down, the spy should turn rogue on his spymasters, shold betray them on behalf of the party. It might be a chance for good drama.

If you do this, be prepared for the party to turn on the NPC anyway in such a manner as to cost the PC his cohort. Be prepared to otherwise compensate the PC, perhaps with a new cohort.

Daniel