Leadership & CHA enhancements

[smootrk]

I have a question regarding the leadership feat and the Leadership Score.

Does ability enhancement magic items (Cloak of Charisma +6) modify the Leadership score with regards to cohorts and/or followers... specifically the number and levels of such?

My gut says no, much like intelligence adjustments and skill points, but I cannot find a definitive answer in my DMG, but I just might be overlooking the answer somewhere.

What say you, Rules Gurus?

 

[CyberSpyder]

Based on the fact that a Belt of Giant Strength can qualify you for Power Attack (as long as it is worn), I would say that a Cloak of Charisma increases your leadership score as long as it is worn.

Effectively, as long as it's being worn whenever the character is interacting with his cohort or followers, it should work.

 

[irdeggman]

Won't have any effect for cohorts.

Cohort Level: 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.

Cohorts earn XP as follows:
The cohort does not count as a party member when determining the party’s XP.
Divide the cohort’s level by the level of the PC with whom he or she is associated (the character with the Leadership feat who attracted the cohort).
Multiply this result by the total XP awarded to the PC and add that number of experience points to the cohort’s total.
If a cohort gains enough XP to bring it to a level one lower than the associated PC’s character level, the cohort does not gain the new level—its new XP total is 1 less than the amount needed attain the next level.

If you look at the table you will notice that the maximum cohort levelis always 2 lower than the leadership score. Starting with a score of 6 they are always 2 lowere (e.g., 4 at score of 6). Leadership score is character level plus charisma bonus plus other factors it.

Cohortlevel would pretty much be non-affected by leadership score (mostly character level with that max based on character level anyway)

 

[CyberSpyder]

Won't have any effect for cohorts.

Unless, say, you're level 10 with a 13 charisma. But how likely is that to happen?

Also.

If you look at the table you will notice that the maximum cohort levelis always 2 lower than the leadership score. Starting with a score of 6 they are always 2 lowere (e.g., 4 at score of 6).

Leadership score 10 gives a maximum cohort level of 7.
Leadership score 15 gives a maximum cohort level of 10.
Leadership score 20 gives a maximum cohort level of 14.

 

[irdeggman]

Unless, say, you're level 10 with a 13 charisma. But how likely is that to happen?

Also.

Leadership score 10 gives a maximum cohort level of 7.
Leadership score 15 gives a maximum cohort level of 10.
Leadership score 20 gives a maximum cohort level of 14.

But the absolute limit is based on character level, regardless of leadership score. Leadership score may limit it to lower, but not real likely - themajor factorwill always be character level for cohorts.

 

[Artoomis]

But the absolute limit is based on character level, regardless of leadership score. Leadership score may limit it to lower, but not real likely - themajor factorwill always be character level for cohorts.

Maybe so, but an enhanced Charisma counts, which is the point. Whether or not it makes any difference is not the issue.

 

[CyberSpyder]

But the absolute limit is based on character level, regardless of leadership score. Leadership score may limit it to lower, but not real likely - themajor factorwill always be character level for cohorts.

There are two absolute limits - that enforced by your character level, and that enforced by your leadership score. As your level goes up, the latter takes on greater and greater importance. While it is true that at level 3, you can get your level-based maximum of 1 even with an 8 charisma, once you get up to level 15, you won't be able to get your level-based maximum of 13 without a charisma score of 18. And if you want to get an 18th-level cohort at level 20, you're SOL - the maximum level allowed by leadership is 17.

Even getting that, at level 19, would require a charisma score of 20 or better.

 

[smootrk]

I am mostly concerned with the follower aspect. Do the extra followers leave the first time you change clothes or bathe... or other realistic situations?

 

[CyberSpyder]

I am mostly concerned with the follower aspect. Do the extra followers leave the first time you change clothes or bathe... or other realistic situations?

As I said, it seems like the best way to adjudicate the situation would be to require the stat-boosting item be there whenever the character is interacting with his followers. So if he takes the cloak off to bathe, it's not a problem - he doesn't have to enforce loyalty while he's bathing, anyway. But if he goes out to address the troops in his bathrobe, some of the followers who weren't quite so keen on him to begin with will say "screw this" and wander off.

 

[JimAde]

As I said, it seems like the best way to adjudicate the situation would be to require the stat-boosting item be there whenever the character is interacting with his followers. So if he takes the cloak off to bathe, it's not a problem - he doesn't have to enforce loyalty while he's bathing, anyway. But if he goes out to address the troops in his bathrobe, some of the followers who weren't quite so keen on him to begin with will say "screw this" and wander off.

This is how I run it. A character in my group has a cloak of charisma, raising his CHA from 17 to 21. He is just now attracting followers and as long as he wears the cloak most of the time in public I will let it count. If he loses it or declines to wear it for some reason, some of his followers will find something better to do.