How do you all treat Leadership

[Gaiden]

Does the player or DM determine cohort and followers?

Right now I am playing in RttToEE and I am thinking about taking the feat. My DM wants most of the control over the generation of the characters that will be my followers and cohorts.

He has an excellent way to tie everything into the story as a result. I suggested that I give him a "wish list" of traits I wanted my cohort and followers to gain. He seemed set on an idea he had already but I think I convinced him to at least be cordial to the wishlist.

I am actually not really opposed to this - it seems that structuring the feat as he plans such that all of the characters will already be pregenerated seems to add much flavor and finesse to the story.

Its just that I was originally putting my min/max cap on and was thinking of the possiblities of having experts who all excelled at their own craft (horsebreeding, craft arms and armor, herbalism, sage of the planes, etc.) and then a cohort that could supplement my lack of feats - I have a Cleric 6 Radiant Servant of Pelor 1 who could tremendously benefit from CWI. However, the time constraints that the feat would impose make the feat not worth it - with the current style of play for RttToEE. I would never get to use it. However, if I had a cohort who had it, then he/she could do all the crafting for me. They gain 50% of the XP I gain so they could still be doing ok XP wise while making the item all in the safety of their laboratory.

I was thinking that in order to capitalize on this I would have my cohort be another cleric of Pelor but go a more philosophical route. I know that if he went wizard, the arsenal of magic items that would be possible would greatly increase. However, that would make less sense because in order to sequester this cohort in the first place, my character will petition is church for a likely candidate.

Anyway, so if i get another cleric - one who will spend the majority of his/her time making things, in order to capitalize on the arsenal at my disposal I was thinking he would take Contemplative PrC and get Summoning as the PrD so that multiple summon monsters could be cast for lantern archons - they can teleport (so just have some sort of distance communication set up - and when we are in the temple in need of some help - a few score of lantern archons could show up (I know this won't all happen for some time as I am still only 7th level - but just work with me - pipe dreams if you will).

So what are your oppinions:

Does the DM get total control over the creation of the Cohort and followers?

Does the PC have all of the control?

Is it a shared process?

 

[Crothian]

For me, it's a combination of the DM and the PC to determine cohorts and followers. The PC will attract certain typoes of people depending on how he is played. Also, the PC can say I'd like so and so to be might cohort. So and so being an NPC he knows.

On the creation, I'll allow the PC to do that if they aren't already done. Or I'll give him a partial creation and have him finish it. AS DM I get final say in everything, but DM's have enough work so make the PCs do some of it.

THe PC has most of the control. Again, the DM has enough to do make the PCs do some of it. However, I will interceed if the PCs has the cohort or follower do something out of character. Also, I set the personalities for them most of the time so I'll role play them when needed.

 

[aliensex]

The one overriding rule is: Its whatever way the DM says it is. The Leadership feat is completely open in this regard, so if the DM wants to make the cohorts for you, he does it.

I think almost every DM will let the player(s) have some say in the creation process, but if the DM has an agenda (as seems to be the case here), I see nothing wrong with him assigning you a cohort he creates.

Its GOOD to be the DM

 

[Mr Fidgit]

Does the DM get total control over the creation of the Cohort and followers?

IMO, yes. cohorts and followers are NPCs.

i would allow the PC to try and recruit specific NPCs or NPC types (like an artificer cleric Pelor). i think a 'wish list' sounds like a fine idea.

what are your PC's leadership scores?

 

[MerakSpielman]

When my Paladin goes recruiting, the DM tells him who he finds locally who is amenable to being a follower (he has a cohort already). Then I decide if I want to take on any of those people. I don't know if he makes it up on the fly or has a system worked out for who I find.

 

[Mistwell]

I don't get all this "It's mostly up to the DM" stuff. The feat specifically gives rules for attempts BY THE PC to attract specific types of cohorts (like panalties for those of a different race). It's clear the intent is to allow the PC to specify the types of people he wants to attract. Sure, the PC could fail, but that should be based on a d20 - not purely the DM.

I know of no other feat that people would say is "up to the DM". Yes, I know the details are in the DMs guide, and that the cohorts and followers and NPC's controlled by the DM. But the difference is one of control after the are attracted - not on the choice of cohort and followers during that attraction process.

And, if you want to know how the creators of the feat think about it, check out how Monte Cook is using it:

"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. "

That seems like a pretty specific, PC-chosen use of this feat. A player wanted a cleric to heal him, and he got it. A Paladin wanted a wizard to make magic items, and got him. That is the point of a PC choosing to burn a feat (perhaps the most important thing gained as levels increase) - they get to choose how to use that feat.

 

[Pielorinho]

On the off chance that Luke is reading this, go away! Shoo!
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Okay. A PC in my game just got the Leadership feat, and I've given him almost total free rein to design the cohort. He's playing an uncharismatic cleric who's been using most of his spells on buffing, so he's coming up with an order of sorcerer squires that assist the clerics in his church; the sorcerer cohort will do mostly buffing spells, freeing the cleric up for righteous buttkickage spells. Right now, his leadership score is not high enough to allow for followers.

However, due to player requests, I'm about to send him on a quest that may (if he plays his cards right) drastically raise his charisma, even as it burns away his strength score. If he does that, his leadership score will rise dramatically, and I'll be using the occasion to offer him a coterie of followers. He won't get to choose them; I'll have them predesigned, down to the last stat. But hopefully they'll be followers that he'll like.

So in my case, it's a mix of DM choice and player choice.

Daniel

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'm with mistwell on this one. I honestly would never take the feat if the DM just decided, because I'm DM, DM is god. Now the palyer shouldn't be given free reign to design them all from the ground up. But, if they want the cohort to be an elven sorcerer cool. I'd let them evenmake the cohort with the NPC wealth guidlines and on a point buy amount for stats that I decide to come up with, pending my apporoval to weed out sillyness, like my only item is this +5mithal full pate of heavy fortification and I'm a wizard.

 

[Zaruthustran]

How do you all treat Leadership?

Take two aspirin, drink lots of water, get plenty of rest.

 

[Stalker0]

As long as the PC wasn't creating a cohort simply to minmax like a whore, I would let him have most of the free reign...with a little twist here and there

I think the followers should be mostly free reign for the DM. While cohorts to me are personally chosen succesors, followers are more like guys who just wandered up one day.

Also, I think having your followers crafting magic items for you is abusing the relationship. The follower has a certain loyalty for you, but he's not going to start draining himself crafting gear for no real gain. I would think you would have to pay near market price to the cohort (a little less because he is your follower after all).