Items that give bonus to Leadership score?

[Notmousse]

Wow... Ok, first off the pricing I've seen is ridiculous, a leadership bonus is a 'nice thing' but obviously not worth 20-50k.

I'd just state the possessor of the sword receives Great Renown which is a non-magical +2 to leadership. Quick. Elegant. Easy.

 

[Artoomis]

Keeping in mind that such a bonus would stack with a Charisma bonus, I'd say a reasonable price would be about 12k. Less than the Charisma +4 bonus, but still a significant cost.

 

[roguerouge]

Yeah, it definitely is a strong feat. However, this is for my group of three PCs with no spellcaster. I don't want to outright give them Leadership, but I'm willing to give them incentive to take it.

One of the PCs is a de-landed baron with an ancestral bastard sword. I want to put +1 leadership on his weapon of legacy. My hope in this thread is to determine a ballpark market value for +1 (or maybe +2) to leadership score.

Wait. You're willing to let them take Leadership as a feat... and they're NOT taking it? How strange. I would guess that it's not items that's holding them back, but rather table issues: will this be a hassle, will the DM take him hostage, will the other players resent me, etc. Talk with them about that, first.

 

[blargney the second]

They're only level 7 at the moment, and their feat slots have been largely occupied so far setting them up for PrCs and just making the characters work.

The PC in mind will already have a maxed out cohort if he ever takes Leadership, so this benefit is mainly for picking up followers. I'll start it out as a Special Power bonus at 8th level, possibly upgrading to Great Renown at a later point. Displaced Cyrans would flock to him in droves...

 

[Nifft]

Many people are bad at optimization. Even if it's the best feat anywhere ever, it's impossible to sell it that way to a person who doesn't think in those terms.

Honestly, I'd just give the party a free Mage -- an NPC which they get to run in batle -- but with his own agenda. He will help them with plot stuff, for a price, and will be generally reliable (until his agenda dictates otherwise).

IMC, Leadership buys you more than just an NPC -- it buys you a reliable and trustworthy NPC. So I'd give this group an NPC who lacks those two traits. If they later decide they like having an NPC, but would rather have one who's trustworthy, tell them about Leadership.

Cheers, -- N

 

[blargney the second]

At the moment they are occasionally helped by a warforged artificer that they rescued from petrification. I think I'm going to have him start sliding into depression and get less and less useful. (Not unlike Marvin the robot.)

 

[irdeggman]

They're only level 7 at the moment, and their feat slots have been largely occupied so far setting them up for PrCs and just making the characters work.

The PC in mind will already have a maxed out cohort if he ever takes Leadership, so this benefit is mainly for picking up followers. I'll start it out as a Special Power bonus at 8th level, possibly upgrading to Great Renown at a later point. Displaced Cyrans would flock to him in droves...

IMO, to pick up more followers is a bad reason for boosting leadership.

Followers are NPC classed (3.5 might have changed this one, don't have my resources on hand to check) characters of essentially neglible level who are all under the DM's control. IIRC correctly they are also of the same race and alignment as the leader where cohorts have more flexability.

Followers should really provide no essential benefit for the PCs, although they could be good for color, flavor and background - but if needed for those reasons then just treat them as NPS who follow the "leader". When you do that you are not bound by the leadership feat restrictions and how much they detract from the PCs (xp and treasure) is up to the DM and how "involved" they are.

 

[Notmousse]

I find (potentially) hundreds of people willing to help me 'because' to be a great boon for several reasons.

Firstly is you can literally form yourself a caravan replicating 'town' for all intents and purposes. Granted a bit expensive, but seriously, this is a roving band at your beck and call (outside of danger), adding not only convenience, but also a strong regular cast to interact with (imagine the simpsons in scope of characters each with their own quirks and impact on the central characters).

Second, a mobile labor force available for making minor terrain changes for crossing rivers, temporary fortifications, digging trenches, etc...

Third, like I said a regular cast of characters great RP potential. I once had a barber shop quartet follow my guy around singing his theme, heh.

Fourth, information farm. With so many people there can be many stationed throughout the realms reporting back through messengers about what goes about in their localities. Select units may also be deployed for covert information gathering in environments the PCs may be recognized tainting the information (a much subtler trick which can be just as deadly as the standard attack on sight done to death).

I mean really, creativity is your major limitation here.