leadership thoughts

[SolosAddie]

Hi,

I'm coming up on 12th level, and am looking at taking the leadership feat.

I'm having trouble narrowing down what I want my cohort to be classwise, so i thought to ask here.

The rest of the group consists of paladin, cleric, druid (me), psionic xeph (i think psych warrior) and wizard (pyro blaster npc).

I know what role I want my cohort to play, and that is party buffer/skill monkey.

I am leaning to bard/lyric thautmage, but was wondering if anyone could way in on their thoughts of marshal, dragon shaman, or even rogue.

Or what people thought of war weaver prc with bard

I have many books, anything is legal if i can find copies of it, although most setting specific Eberron and Faeron i do not have.

 

[SolitonMan]

I don't know about buffing, but if you're looking for a great skill-monkey then a factotum (from Dungeonscape) can be fun. At 12th level, assuming your Leadership score is high enough, you'd have a 10th level cohort. If your DM is kind enough to let you create your cohort character, then you could max out his Int and take Font of Inspiration (feat from the WotC web site, maybe published somewhere else I didn't see) as many times as possible to maximize your Inspiration points. Then with Cunning Surge you can take extra standard actions (a class feature gained at 8th level) many times, and if you choose your spells from the arcane dilettante class feature well, you can buff, move, and act again all in one round.

Plus with high Int score, all skills as class skills, and 6 skill points/level, you should be more than capable of fulfilling the needs of the party. Remember to try to take at least one rank in every skill, so that you can use your skill-boosting class feature.

Just a thought...

 

[SolosAddie]

the only problem i see with factotum is that it gives too many options, i don't want to slow the game down or getto involved with just a cohort but thanks for the tip

 

[Jack Simth]

Beguiler or Rogue, then. Both are skillmonkeys. You've got a Paladin tank, two divine casters (who can likely also tank), a Wizard, and an uncertain class. A beguiler has the advantage of also being a social caster (enchantments - unlike your current Wizard), and having a lot of buff spells. A Bard could work, but you do need someone with Trapfinding in case the DM decides to go that way. A Whisper Gnome would probably be about the best race, assuming you don't go the Bard route.

Edit: Mostly, though, you probably shouldn't - you've already got a five-man band.

 

[aboyd]

Bard looks OK to me, and if they really needed someone to pick locks and disarm traps, there is a feat that lets you pick any 3 skills and turn them into class skills. So a bard could become more like a rogue if necessary.

I personally like the bard idea simply because it is a "fire & forget" kind of option. Get the guy doing some optimized musical abilities, and then just let the guy sing throughout the battles. Everyone will have +4 to hit & damage, and be thrilled.

He can do much more than that, of course, which just means he's even cooler to use during the times that you wish to get detailed and really use all his abilities.

EDIT: Also, don't forget the other advantage of the Leadership feat, which many people discard -- the followers. These low-level guys are not meant to accompany you in battle. However, that's how most people initially think of them, so they don't even bother with the followers, because they assume they'll die immediately. However, that's not really what followers are for. They are meant to be spies in various towns that will feed you quests. They are the women who swoon over you and who happen to have a level of adept so that they can give you a safe house when you are down on your luck. These followers will start roadside shrines for you, if you are a cleric of Fharlanghn. These followers will advocate for you if you are a rogue away from your guild. These followers will take your songs to the corners of the planet if you are a bard. Etcetera.

Worth considering.

 

[SolosAddie]

yes, boyd, that's exactly what i was thinking. some buff spells, singing, and covering some of the skill categories like alchemy, appraise and some of the knowledges the party doesn't have covered.

Is war weaver worth incorperating into this or straight bard/bard prc better?

 

[roguerouge]

Well, Dragon Shaman's a close second for cohort if you're looking for ease of use: the auras are helpful in combat, they can heal your entire party to half between combats (helping the divine casters), and they serve as your bodyguard while auto-firing an area of effect every once in a while. Sure, they're kind of boring, but they've got the shaman vibe that would suit your guy.

Although, if you're the druid, you'll be playing three guys. While the rogue would be best mechanically to flank with your companion, that's going to be a hassle at the table, perhaps. You might also consider just taking a regular feat.