Level Adjustment Buyoff for a Cohort

[JesseMXGangl]

Forgive me if this has been analyzed elsewhere already, but I couldn't find it.

Does anyone know how the math works out on using level adjustment buyoff with a cohort? The normal mechanic for LA Buyoff relies on the fact that the character will gain experience faster and catch up to the party, which doesn't apply to cohorts who get XP based on their master and actually get less XP the lower their level. So, will the cohort catch up to its maximum allowable level after the XP sacrifice?

I'm currently running a 10th level character with the Improved Cohort feat from Heroes of Battle, and I'm thinking about picking up a new cohort with a +2 LA once I get to 12th level. I just don't want to start sacrificing the cohort's XP only to find that he just remains stuck multiple levels behind me for it and never closes the gap.

Thoughts?

 

[Jack Simth]

The XP formula for Cohorts means that they don't catch up by default.

There's an exception, though:
If you spend XP, and your cohort doesn't, the cohort will eventually catch up. So while your cohort may fall a level due to LA buyoff, if you spend XP crafting, you'll advance faster (because you're a level behind), and if you keep spending XP crafting, your cohort will keep gaining XP until the cohort hits the cap based on your level.

 

[Thanael]

aka the gravy train iirc.

 

[Jack Simth]

aka the gravy train iirc.

Why yes, it can be abused to almost double your available XP pool for crafting.

 

[JesseMXGangl]

Thanks for the info. This has opened up new possibilities. Let me see if I have this straight. If at level 12, I pick up my new cohort and some item creation feat (since my character is a sorcerer). Once my cohort took his first xp sacrifice for LA buyoff, I could start crafting items to stay a level behind the party and thereby making him only one level behind me again (because of Improved Cohort), and then we could work our way back up together since I'd be getting extra XP as a lower level character (along with the cheap loot I'm making). Once the cohort's +2 LA is paid off that way, then I could always retrain the feat and go about my business normally. Do I have all that right?

 

[irdeggman]

As long as you maintain the level difference between the cohort and the PC.

That restriction can never go away, even though the cohort can be a greater level difference he can never be less than the restriction.

And as far as I know if the DM allows retraining then, yes you should be able to retrain the feat and lose the cohort along the way.

Unless you are talking about retraining the improved cohort feat that is - but then you still have to meet the level restriction for the cohort.

IIRC the cohort's ECL is the level that matters not his class level so it is his ECL measured against the PC's ECL.

 

[JesseMXGangl]

I meant retrain the item creation feat once it had served its purpose.

I haven't really found the cohort amassing tons of surplus XP, so I'm not even worried about him getting too much, especially with him taking the XP hit for buying off his level adjustment.

 

[Nifft]

My house rule was that the PC pays all XP costs that his cohort normally would pay. Cohorts effectively had no XP of their own, they just leveled up following their liege.

Cheers, -- N