Leadership and followers...

[Terraism]

So, for the first time, I've got a player who's interested in what his followers (attracted via Leadership) are up to - not his cohort. (Well, ok, he likes his cohort too. But... ) He's seventh level, and has a 19 Charisma, so his leadership score is an 11. This gives him six first level followers. The question, though, is "first level what?" Can they have PC classes? Or just NPC.

The other question is less rules specific, but related. His character is a mercenary, leading this tiny band of what have been "special opps," as it were. It consists of himself, another PC (7th level druid,) a 5th level marshal (his cohort, and corporal, as it were,) and these six first level fellows. This has worked in the past, but going into further adventures - with the other two PCs, who they'll be joining - designed for their level, the first-level mercs would get slaughtered. Anyone have any ideas for what to have them be doing? We've thought about him sending them off on one mission while he takes another, but that doesn't seem to fit the character that well. Moreover, if he were to leave them behind, he'd realistically leave his second (the marshal/cohort) behind with them... meaning he's getting no benefit out of having the Leadership feat most of the time. Any ideas?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

This has worked in the past, but going into further adventures - with the other two PCs, who they'll be joining - designed for their level, the first-level mercs would get slaughtered. Anyone have any ideas for what to have them be doing? We've thought about him sending them off on one mission while he takes another, but that doesn't seem to fit the character that well. Moreover, if he were to leave them behind, he'd realistically leave his second (the marshal/cohort) behind with them... meaning he's getting no benefit out of having the Leadership feat most of the time. Any ideas?

Have the followers start to focus on intelligence gathering. He can send them out to keep tabs on important cities, towns, etc, maintaining a base of operations there and keeping an ear to the ground for situations that require the PC's attention, or job opportunities. They would no longer provide the PC with combat help, but would instead give the PC a base-of-operations in several locations, plus provide a source of intel.

As far as the classes of followers, in 3.0 it was clarified in a splatbook that they could only be NPC classes, but I don't believe that's been stated anywhere in 3.5 thus-far.

 

[Treebore]

Generally, followers and cohorts are only meant to go with you when you are the only player. Otherwise they stay behind and guard/manage your holdings.

For example, my current group has a 9th level paladin and a 9th level cleric who both took leadership, one at 6th level (the Paladin) and the other at 9th.
The Paladin took the feat to have what is now a 7th level cohort and his followers guard/maintain/work a vineyard and Mansion (from a excellent module called Morricks Mansion). The cleric took it at ninth level to "man" a temple which she now has to build because Tyr manifested there in response to saving the condemned soul of a paladin (from another excellent module called Grey Citadel).


As for what classes the followers are supposed to be, it is the NPC classes such as warrior. I house ruled that if they cut the numbers in half their followers could be PC classes. I also allow multiple selections of the Leadership feat to add the same amount of additional followers and cohorts. As far as a I know that is a house rule too.

Edit: for more definitive information read all the info about followers and cohorts in the DMG.

 

[dcollins]

Generally, followers and cohorts are only meant to go with you when you are the only player. Otherwise they stay behind and guard/manage your holdings.

Obviously this depends on the DM -- but, in general I would agree with that for followers, and disagree with that for cohorts. Cohorts IMO are supposed to be the PC's "right hand man", and in all games I've seen they participate equally (3.0 had specific paragraphs about how to compute XP for them). They're the equivalent of AD&D's "henchmen" (in early AD&D it was presumed party size would be bulked up x2 by henchmen).

In the current RPGA Living Greyhawk campaign, as another example, you're always allowed to bring along cohorts to bulk up your party size to the maximum of 6. On the other hand, followers are generally disallowed, like you say.