How powerful is leadership?

[Question]

Im curious as to what you guys think about this. Ive seen some people refer it as broken.......citing the ability to have a cleric(or other supportive class) 2 levels below your level jsut buffing you constantly, or a fighter meatshielding the wizard PC, etc, and that it makes combats too "easy" for the party.......

 

[Plot-Device]

Enh it depends. Some people give kids followers with actual pc class levels, and that can make for bad times. "Well my level 1 wizard followers end this combat pretty quickl". That sort of artillery is lame, espically when the only downside is providing for them which isn't that tricky at high levels.

And the cohort is enh too. Just start killing them off left and right.

 

[Menexenus]

IIRC, "followers" have to have NPC classes (warrior, commoner, or expert). Only cohorts can have PC classes. So you can't have a group of 1st level wizard followers.

 

[frankthedm]

Leadership is in the DM's ballpark for a reason. Read the feat because an important part of the feats balance is "A character can try to attract a cohort of a particular race, class, and alignment." The PC can try to attract cleric or other casters, but the DM decides if the NPC becomes the cohort. Clerics tend to already have cohort-level loyalty to a higher party already. If the Players goal’s strongly sync up with the Deity’s, it’s possible though.

Cohort Level http://d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#leadership
The character can attract a cohort of up to this level. Regardless of a character’s Leadership score, he can only recruit a cohort who is two or more levels lower than himself. The cohort should be equipped with gear appropriate for its level. A character can try to attract a cohort of a particular race, class, and alignment. The cohort’s alignment may not be opposed to the leader’s alignment on either the law-vs-chaos or good-vs-evil axis, and the leader takes a Leadership penalty if he recruits a cohort of an alignment different from his own.

 

[Particle_Man]

IIRC, "followers" have to have NPC classes (warrior, commoner, or expert). Only cohorts can have PC classes. So you can't have a group of 1st level wizard followers.

For 3.0 you are right, but for 3.5 that restriction was removed and thus the door has been opened to PC followers. [Edit: I mean followers can be of any class, not that other players must be found to play the followers in your game ]

 

[Stalker0]

Leadership varies between a complete waste of space or the most powerful feat in the game bar none...it all depends on the campaign.

 

[Glyfair]

Enh it depends. Some people give kids followers with actual pc class levels, and that can make for bad times. "Well my level 1 wizard followers end this combat pretty quickl". That sort of artillery is lame, espically when the only downside is providing for them which isn't that tricky at high levels.

I don't see followers doing much adventuring. Unless the PC has a very high charisma score, they are likely 8th or 9th level before they have any followers. What are a few 1st level wizard followers going to do when the fireball/lightning bolt hits them? Die.

Followers are the guys who do the grunt work. Guard the horses. Watch the fort. Deal with paperwork.

Leadership can be a powerful feat when used with a min-max type player. It's a great feat when used by a role oriented player.

 

[Goolpsy]

Do remember that NPC's active in battle also take a share of the xp... so the team mates might be quite annoyed on the player having 8 or 16 level 1 wizards with him...

 

[Glyfair]

Do remember that NPC's active in battle also take a share of the xp... so the team mates might be quite annoyed on the player having 8 or 16 level 1 wizards with him...

Cohorts & followers don't (at least in 3.5). Cohorts get XP based on the main characters xp (never being allowed to level too far) which doesn't decrease the party experience. Followers never gain experience at all.

 

[Felix]

Followers never gain experience at all.

Although as you level and your Leadership score increases, you gain access to more and higher level followers; you could Role-play this into your original followers having gained levels.

It's not compulsory, however.