Leadership, Cohorts, and ECL...

[The Cardinal]

Question: since the chort you gain from the Leadership feat must be at least one level below your PC - does this mean below the character level of the PC *or* below his ECL? Shouldn't a half-celestial/half-human who happens to be an 8th level paladin (ECL11) be able to attract a more powerful cohort than a mere human paladin of level 8???

 

[mikebr99]

I would think that your cohort would be 10th level... max.

 

[dcollins]

According to the core rules, your character level is basically your total hit dice. If you use "ECL" as synonymous with the DMG's "level equivalents" (which I assume you are, since you're using the DMG's +3 figure for half-celestials), then, no, that's not how Leadership works -- it would be based on total hit dice.

If you use "ECL" from FR specifically as something distinct from "level equivalents", then Leadership does not interact with ECLs in any way, and you need to look to FR for guidance or house-rule it.