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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 1294910" data-attributes="member: 2629">There are many threads on various boards about leadership. They have a lot of useful info. I'd search them out.Leadership is the feat witht he most potential for abuse int he game. It gives the PC an army at his beck and call, as well as nearly doubling his abilities via his cohort.Some important guidelines I keep in mind:1.) The cohort should never be close in power to a PC. They should use the elite ability scores from the MM (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or worse. They should have little or no starting equipment (as a typical NPC). They should never be strong enough to steal the glory from another PC. They are there to be a supporting character, not a main character, in the D&D story.2.) They should have lives, families, etc ... They are, by rule, loyal to their PC, but they should also have lives outside of the PC. In other words, many cohorts should not be at the beck and call of their PC every moment of every day. When the PC goes on a long adventure, the cohort may wish to stay behind to be with his family. 3.) Cohorts should be designed to be complete individuals, not wands for their PC. They should not be built to serve as a min-maxed servant for their PC. A sorcerer cohort would not choose only spells that buff up a fighter. He'd choose spells for protection (shield), for daily use (unseen servant) and for other tasks as well (as an example: a cohort sorcerer that spent his early years as a messenger might have a number of spells that are useful for travel (mount), storing equipment (leomund's secret chest) and providing refuge (rope trick)).4.) Having a servant involved burders as well as benefits. A loyal cohort can still get in trouble. If a cleric has a paladin cohort, that paladin might not be very approving of the seedy areas of town where the PCs collect information. A wrong word from a cohort could start a bar brawl. A loyal rogue might be great in the dungeon, but what happens when he seems that rich nobleman with the loose coin purse? A loyal bard cohort could request that the group stay a few extra days in town so the can perform at the upcoming festival. A loyal wizard could be jailed for using his magic to spy on the beautiful princess in the bath ... The rules allow PCs to control cohorts at the DM's option, but I recommend against them controlled by the PC at all times. Instead, I'd advise them to follow all commands of the PC (subject to interpretation), but for the DM to control them when they are away from the PC or are not under orders. The feat is not called 'second character'. It is called 'leadership'. Let the PC be a leader, but don't let him be two entire characters at the same time.</blockquote>

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