Gez
First Post
Hey, I like Leadership.
Leadership isn't necessary to have followers and cohorts, it just makes sure you have them. And the sixth-level requirement makes sense, because you have to be somewhat heroic if you want groupies that'll follow you just for the honor of following you.
If you don't have Leadership, you can still have lackies, but you'll have to pay them a wage -- see hirelings. Or it'll just be temporary (a good Diplomacy roll could convince somebody to help you on a short quest). A first-level king has not Leadership, but his very own status gives him followers and peers nonetheless.
The thing is, with Leadership, he would have one henchman and several followers he could be sure of -- those that are not "given" by Leadership can be traitors. Leadership henchmen are supposed to be loyal.
So, I like Leadership. It's a purely mechanical feat which doesn't preclude other ways to get what it gives -- just like character wealth-by-level is purely mechanical, too, without preventing the DM from having young heirs with far more money than their NPC level warrants, or tough, grizzled ermits with far less than they're supposed to.
Wealth and henchmen are two elements that cannot be strictly dependent on character sheet. But there are game mechanical ways to get them, as a guideline for players and DMs both, to help them know where the approximative balance is.
Leadership isn't necessary to have followers and cohorts, it just makes sure you have them. And the sixth-level requirement makes sense, because you have to be somewhat heroic if you want groupies that'll follow you just for the honor of following you.
If you don't have Leadership, you can still have lackies, but you'll have to pay them a wage -- see hirelings. Or it'll just be temporary (a good Diplomacy roll could convince somebody to help you on a short quest). A first-level king has not Leadership, but his very own status gives him followers and peers nonetheless.
The thing is, with Leadership, he would have one henchman and several followers he could be sure of -- those that are not "given" by Leadership can be traitors. Leadership henchmen are supposed to be loyal.
So, I like Leadership. It's a purely mechanical feat which doesn't preclude other ways to get what it gives -- just like character wealth-by-level is purely mechanical, too, without preventing the DM from having young heirs with far more money than their NPC level warrants, or tough, grizzled ermits with far less than they're supposed to.
Wealth and henchmen are two elements that cannot be strictly dependent on character sheet. But there are game mechanical ways to get them, as a guideline for players and DMs both, to help them know where the approximative balance is.
