How powerful is leadership?

[Plot-Device]

So, I just made a character today that has the Thrallherd prestige class, except this version of Leadership is more powerful. Will report back after I single handedly (ish) take over ever town below "Small City"

Edit: Just to make this clear how awesome this class is. One of my funnest attack tactics plans is as follows: I have a 4th level painter as a believer. He is obese. I will be using telekenetic thrust to hurl him at enemies. It will rock. He will not leave me, and if he does he is automatically replaced 24 hours later.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I love the feat as a player and as a DM (for the same reason) - it allows the PC to have a backup PC in the party! If the primary PC dies, I grant an extra bonus level to the cohort (or bring him up to one level below his master if necessary) and he then becomes the player character.

It eases the transition into the new PC, it means that the new PC already has history and integration with the party, the new PC is there on the spot rather than having to be suddenly discovered in the middle of the frozen wastes of thrun... so many benefits. (also, this slightly discourages any cheesy cohorts... it makes sure that the cohort is someone that the PC would also like to play).

Cheers

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Leadership is bar none the best feat in the game by a mile. It RULES. That said, it's a lot of work to maintain 2 characters and keep them both powerful, so many people still do not choose it even in my game where it is approved 99.5% of the time. That tells me that it isn't broken.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

Leadership is not something that every PC in my campaign takes, but those who do often find it useful for attending to the mandanities that keep other PCs in semi-retirement - minding shop, guarding the horses, conducting research, etc.

For NPCs, I like to have chains of leadership: Graktos, the Red Wyrm of the Grimm Steppe, has a succubus sorcerer cohort, who in turn has human fighter cohort. Between them, Graktos can call on a fair number of low-level followers to due his bidding.

 

[irdeggman]

Leadership as a feat by itself is not overpowering.

It all depends on how it is handled. It is by far the feat that requires the most DM attention.


IIRC the big caution on allowing the feat or not into a game had to do with dominating game play. A player running a PC with the leadership feat gains another PC to play at the same time, not counting followers. So a player can pretty much dominate a game session since he has more characters beign run then do the others.

This is the biggest concern over the feat, IMO. How to use it and keep all of the players at the table happy and engaged in the game instead of merely watchstanders.

 

[Nyeshet]

Typically I see the Cohort as a helper - a flanker, a back up, a shieldmate, etc. He can come in handy, aiding in a variety of ways.

The other followers I typically see as setting up the camp, taking notes or copying runes / images / maps on the wall, carrying messages back to the nearby town through a region of little danger, and doing errands in general (such as taking the Cohort's MW armor to be repaired at the town blacksmith while the cohort is busy helping the PC).

They are not meant to be part of the dungeon crawl, they are not meant to be reinforcements.

 

[Altharos]

İf you will increase to your followers, you take a Extra Follower feat. (Heroes of Battle)
Twice your follower numbers and +1 to Leadership score...

 

[KarinsDad]

Although cohorts do add flexibility to a group, they also add liability.

One of our two NPC cohorts almost died in the last session. It's really an art to have a cohort help, but not hinder. Not all players are up to it.


Btw, the group overall pays for the services of each cohort. Each PC gets 1 share of wealth and each cohort gets a half share.

Hence, the difference between 4 PCs and 4 PCs with 2 cohorts is that each PC gets 25% of wealth in the first case and 20% in the second. So although the party can do more, they are also restricted slightly more (since each PC is slightly less effective / versatile due to having fewer magical items). Granted, a DM could boost wealth found, but I do not do that.

 

[LeifVignirsson]

I am using the Senschal PrC from Mongoose Publishing's Bard's Handbook and I have two Leadership feats (one I took myself, one I got from the PrC) which I use to the nines. As the party leader, it is important to have resources from which to pull from in order to fill gaps, even if there is a huge level difference. My cohorts do a lot of my footwork and fighting for me, respectively (I might have a huge amount of skill points, but my Vilia can do alot of spying. My 46 hps at 10th level is terrible, so I have a quick hitter in Ivanar who can get to the 39 AC level and never leaves my side). Sure, it is a little more footwork for me, but my DM lets me do it because it is less people HE has to worry about.

All in all, I never have a character that DOESN'T have the Leadership feat, it is quite handy and really is a staple for yours truly!

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I had a character with a cohort (never bothered about the followers). I had to get that cohort because I wanted to play a Dreadmaster. It was useful. She was a cleric, just like my character, and between the two of us, we could provide reasonable healing services to the party (something evil clerics are usual not so grand at.) Since we had another banite in the party, she used recitation, which buffs the whole party - but those of your faith more than others. Other than that, she had some attack magics (mostly domain spells, since those can't be healing spells) and was otherwise loaded with healing, curing, and stuff like that.