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<blockquote data-quote="Satin Knights" data-source="post: 6094202" data-attributes="member: 6666968"><p>Well, since I suppose I am a multiple personality expert, I should chime in.</p><p>* A cohort is going to be running two levels behind and cannot catch up. So, it is going to have to have superior AC, superior HP/level or both. Otherwise it becomes the weak link of the party and falls unconscious or dead first.</p><p>* Choice of class for a cohort is extremely important. A fighter to protect a wizard is a good combination. A tank AC AND healing cleric to keep a barbarian standing on his feet is good. A wizard or sorcerer to buff a cleric, squish!</p><p>* A cohort is more than a porter who uses a healing wand. I have seen the "fights over, you can come out now and heal us." paper characters that annoy a GM to no end. On the battlefield, two characters standing side by side give no indication as to which is more powerful. So, the cohort should be targeted by an archer 50% of the time. That leads back to the first point; if he isn't designed to take a beating, he falls a lot easier.</p><p>* A cohort should logically be a drain on financial resources. Instead, he ends up being an upto 50% gain if he chooses his purchases properly on per day perpetual resources. Think Rod of Extend, Staff of Healing... Going the other direction, the cohort's finances can be abused in the purchase of consumables that are used by the primary or party.</p><p>* The cohort isn't counted in the XP/GP spits for an encounter, yet gets a flat rate percentage of it which turns into a bonus for the group.</p><p>* An eidolon is powerful in the 3-10 range, then his comparative strengths vs. a barbarian or fighter start to fall. At any level, a barbarian can still be built that will outperform an eidolon or synthesist. It's close, but a barbarian or fighter will win out if the eidolon is built legally.</p><p>* Several cohort designs are: </p><p>+ Crafter for cheap magic; useless because we don't craft.</p><p>+ Bard buffer, weak HP and AC.</p><p>+ Meat Shield Fighter for a caster, very useful, but not up to par with the other melees in the group.</p><p>+ Heal bot; useful.</p><p>+ Flank buddy; We have rogues in LPF?</p><p></p><p>So, given all that, I can summarize that a cohort is complicated and difficult to manage well. Keeping it alive is the hard part. Kill one off, and you lose a level in the next guy you recruit. But then again, all the extra complications are on the player and not the GM. So, I am going to give it a mild <span style="color: #b0ffb0">yes</span> for my vote with the caveat that judges get to stomp on unforeseen, highly abusive combinations that crop up.</p><p></p><p>And followers, well, we already have a servants mechanic if you own a home. They can be wrapped up in that, and stay there, at home.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Satin Knights, post: 6094202, member: 6666968"] Well, since I suppose I am a multiple personality expert, I should chime in. * A cohort is going to be running two levels behind and cannot catch up. So, it is going to have to have superior AC, superior HP/level or both. Otherwise it becomes the weak link of the party and falls unconscious or dead first. * Choice of class for a cohort is extremely important. A fighter to protect a wizard is a good combination. A tank AC AND healing cleric to keep a barbarian standing on his feet is good. A wizard or sorcerer to buff a cleric, squish! * A cohort is more than a porter who uses a healing wand. I have seen the "fights over, you can come out now and heal us." paper characters that annoy a GM to no end. On the battlefield, two characters standing side by side give no indication as to which is more powerful. So, the cohort should be targeted by an archer 50% of the time. That leads back to the first point; if he isn't designed to take a beating, he falls a lot easier. * A cohort should logically be a drain on financial resources. Instead, he ends up being an upto 50% gain if he chooses his purchases properly on per day perpetual resources. Think Rod of Extend, Staff of Healing... Going the other direction, the cohort's finances can be abused in the purchase of consumables that are used by the primary or party. * The cohort isn't counted in the XP/GP spits for an encounter, yet gets a flat rate percentage of it which turns into a bonus for the group. * An eidolon is powerful in the 3-10 range, then his comparative strengths vs. a barbarian or fighter start to fall. At any level, a barbarian can still be built that will outperform an eidolon or synthesist. It's close, but a barbarian or fighter will win out if the eidolon is built legally. * Several cohort designs are: + Crafter for cheap magic; useless because we don't craft. + Bard buffer, weak HP and AC. + Meat Shield Fighter for a caster, very useful, but not up to par with the other melees in the group. + Heal bot; useful. + Flank buddy; We have rogues in LPF? So, given all that, I can summarize that a cohort is complicated and difficult to manage well. Keeping it alive is the hard part. Kill one off, and you lose a level in the next guy you recruit. But then again, all the extra complications are on the player and not the GM. So, I am going to give it a mild [COLOR=#b0ffb0]yes[/COLOR] for my vote with the caveat that judges get to stomp on unforeseen, highly abusive combinations that crop up. And followers, well, we already have a servants mechanic if you own a home. They can be wrapped up in that, and stay there, at home. [/QUOTE]
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