Leadership and Awaken

[Thanee]

Let's say, I have the Leadership feat and have a cohort (animal), which is just 2 HD below my level (i.e. at the maximum level for a cohort).

I now cast Awaken on this animal, which among other stuff, adds 2 HD to it.

Is it now too high in 'level' to be a cohort (or cannot advance further until I have gained 2 levels to compensate), or does the spell not count against the total and is just tacked on top?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Kobold Stew]

Is it now too high in 'level' to be a cohort (or cannot advance further until I have gained 2 levels to compensate), or does the spell not count against the total and is just tacked on top?

I think there is a third option, which seems to me most likely: you have advanced the cohort beyond your ability to lead it, and it no longer is your cohort. Perhaps when you have gained two more levels, you could attract it again, but perhaps not.

I would always hesitate before making someone who wanted to be around me all the time any smarter!

 

[Thanee]

That's basically the first option (too high to be a cohort (at that time)).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

Oh, and something else... would an awakened animal still learn tricks normally (just a rather large number of them)?

EDIT: Hmm... no, that's only for Int 1 or 2 creatures.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Silveras]

Let's say, I have the Leadership feat and have a cohort (animal), which is just 2 HD below my level (i.e. at the maximum level for a cohort).

I now cast Awaken on this animal, which among other stuff, adds 2 HD to it.

Is it now too high in 'level' to be a cohort (or cannot advance further until I have gained 2 levels to compensate), or does the spell not count against the total and is just tacked on top?

Bye
Thanee

I think the issue is that you cannot have an Animal as a Cohort in the first place.

Cohorts are creatures that work out a deal with the PC/NPC they serve (per the DM Guide, p. 104, Cohort). PCs can have unusual Cohorts, but the standard rule is cohorts are character-types:

With the DM's permission, a leader may seek out a special cohort who is not a member of the standard PC races (the common races).

Even when combining the Leadership feat with the special mount class ability, the mount has to have at least an Int of 4.

This section (pp. 199-200) goes on to discuss undesirable Cohorts:

If a creature in the Monster Manual doesn't have a level adjustment, this means we don't recommend using it as either a player character or a cohort. The dryad is a good example; she's connected to her tree and as such has very limited mobility. Mindless or low-Intelligence creatures also make undesirable cohorts.

[Edit: Forgot to finish: All of the Animals in the Monster Manual have a Level Adjustment of "-", which is to say, none. They are not, in the core, considered suitable as Cohorts.]

So, it sounds like this is in House-Rules territory.

Now, that being said, I would agree that there are limited options. Awakening such an animal would be like awakening an Animal Companion: it is no longer an animal companion (or, in this case, Cohort). The PC *could* try to win the awakened character-type animal as a Cohort, as soon as s/he qualified to have a cohort of the awakened animal's ECL.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Is it now too high in 'level' to be a cohort

Yep.

 

[Kobold Stew]

That's basically the first option (too high to be a cohort (at that time)).

Bye
Thanee

Yup. it is. My bad.

When I read "Is it now too high in 'level' to be a cohort (or cannot advance further until I have gained 2 levels to compensate)..."

what I saw was "Is it now too high in 'level' to be a cohort (AND cannot advance further until I have gained 2 levels to compensate)..."

In any case, we agree.

 

[Obscure]

What Silveras said.

And to emphasize, it's the ECL of the awakened animal, not just the HD, that needs to be two less than your HD. Determining the ECL of such a critter is a thread in itself.

 

[Thanee]

I think the issue is that you cannot have an Animal as a Cohort in the first place.

Right, let's just assume that it is ok by the DM (which in most cases is probably true, at least according to my last thread, where I asked about this part, heh).

Now, that being said, I would agree that there are limited options. Awakening such an animal would be like awakening an Animal Companion: it is no longer an animal companion (or, in this case, Cohort).

I don't think this is right, tho. In fact, awakening should make the animal *more* suitable as a cohort (for the Leadership feat) if anything, not less.

Anyways...

The PC *could* try to win the awakened character-type animal as a Cohort, as soon as s/he qualified to have a cohort of the awakened animal's ECL.

Ok, so it's the first option, too.

I was mainly wondering about how people would see that, because it is an effect the PC creates to make the cohort stronger, similar to giving it a magic item.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Crothian]

First option, though I'm nice and would allow the awakened animal to remain the cohort as long as the animal was treated well. As long as the animal wanted to fill the role of cohort as is.