multiple cohorts

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

Do any of the GM's here let their player's characters take the Leadreship feat more than once? Has it ever even come up?
One of my player's is brewing up a plot involving a mid-level sorcerer with three cohorts, each of whom has three cohorts. . . ad nauseum.
I actually opened the floodgates on this one when I mentioned to the player that I had seen an article on wizards.com implying that one could take Leadership more than once.
I have considered letting a PC take two cohorts with one application of the leadership feat: each cohort would just be two levels lower than if there were only one of them.
All thoughts on the subject are most appreciatted.

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

(contact) lets his players take it more than once, or so the Liberation of Tenh thread leads me to believe.

Go check it out.

 

[Pax]

IMO, a cohort is by definition a follower, not a leader - I would never allow a cohort to take the leadership feat and REMAIN a cohort. A good friend, yes. A cohort, no.

And I wouldn't let a single PC have multiple Cohorts, unless s/.he had class feature(s) which specifically gave them that very benefit.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I'd allow leadership more than once, gaining a cohort from each one, but I definately wouldn't allow cohorts taking leadership for the same reasons mentioned by Pax. If the PC wants to use their feats to further divide the treasure and XP, I have no problems with it. That said, if you didn't want to have one PC running multiple cohorts (and don't want to run them yourself or farm them out to other players), then I'd just flat-out deny the leadership feat.

Edit: Hmm... according to the SRD, cohorts do not gain XP as a party member but instead follow some formula based on XP from their "leader". But I'm still pretty sure that it says in the DMG that cohorts still expect a share of the treasure (or to be supported at the very least by their leader).

 

[Ovinomancer]

Why ditch leadership for cohorts? I see the previous posters points, but to give an example from real life, look at any military organization. There is a leader at the top, who commands lesser leaders, who,in turn, command lesser leaders, who command groups of line troops. Classic leadership tree.

 

[ConspiracyAngel]

I totally agree with Pax. If a cohort is a cohort, then he is not a leader. When a cohort becomes a leader then he does require someone to lead him. I would say player needs to loose the feat or one cohort.

But, look at plus side... at two levels lower than one could be ... they would be really easy to kill off.

 

[ConspiracyAngel]

Quick Note that I forgot to mention... all feats in the v3.5 PHB ... the ones that you are allowed to take more than once actually say so. I would say that unless the feat actually says you may take it more than once, then no... it may not be taken but only once.

my two cents.

 

[mikebr99]

Why ditch leadership for cohorts? I see the previous posters points, but to give an example from real life, look at any military organization. There is a leader at the top, who commands lesser leaders, who,in turn, command lesser leaders, who command groups of line troops. Classic leadership tree.

I'll second that...


Mike

 

[Pax]

Having been IN the military, I assure you, the bonds of loyalty between (say) a company's Captain and the Battallion CO (likely a LTC or COL), are very rarely as strong as those between leader and cohort.

You can be simply HIRED to follow someone else's orders, without holding any especial loyalty for the person whose orders you're being paid to follow.

 

[Wolf72]

Having been IN the military, I assure you, the bonds of loyalty between (say) a company's Captain and the Battallion CO (likely a LTC or COL), are very rarely as strong as those between leader and cohort.

You can be simply HIRED to follow someone else's orders, without holding any especial loyalty for the person whose orders you're being paid to follow.

true, but take this to a more medieval setting ... I would think the loyalties would be a bit stronger than in today's military.


I don't have a problem with the cohort taking leadership ... but I think I'd drop a lot of the paperwork responsibility on the player