Splitting the Leadership feat?

[thundershot]

My players (we only have 3 PCs) want to have cohorts to make up for lack of PC's (they'll be playing Kingmaker, so the extra bodies will help with the kingdom) when they hit 7th level but don't want the bookkeeping of having followers. I haven't played in a few years, but wasn't there feats that split the leadership feat? If not, what I want to do is this: Have a "Cohort" or "Sidekick" feat that just gives you the cohort, but at -1 instead of -2 from your level. That should make up for the lack of followers. Then have a "Followers" feat that doesn't have the cohort, but maybe you get a bonus to your Leadership score in regards to determining followers. Do these sound balanced enough to use in PF?



Thanks
Chris

 

[TanisFrey]

Just have the followers be some of the commoners of the kingdom that the PC are building. No need to have paperwork on them, unless the PC declares that one of their followers is x, y or Z.

I am playing a 3.5 game with a PC 14th level and CHA of 28. I have some of the followers of greater than 1st level named and classed with some key skills but, the rest are just described in passing. The PC own a caravan of traveling thespians, this composes all of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th level followers and a couple of the 1st level followers. The rest of the 10+ 1st level followers are just contacts spreed out over the Coymar, the Dales and Simba.

 

[concerro]

My players (we only have 3 PCs) want to have cohorts to make up for lack of PC's (they'll be playing Kingmaker, so the extra bodies will help with the kingdom) when they hit 7th level but don't want the bookkeeping of having followers. I haven't played in a few years, but wasn't there feats that split the leadership feat? If not, what I want to do is this: Have a "Cohort" or "Sidekick" feat that just gives you the cohort, but at -1 instead of -2 from your level. That should make up for the lack of followers. Then have a "Followers" feat that doesn't have the cohort, but maybe you get a bonus to your Leadership score in regards to determining followers. Do these sound balanced enough to use in PF?



Thanks
Chris

Just use the cohort and drop the commoners or allow one of the players to run 2 PC's. We often allow one player to run 2 PC's. The only time it might be an issue is if someone might get jealous if they think one player is only volunteering in order to reduce screen time.

 

[gamerprinter]

When our group was small (3 players, now its 6) we often created an extra PC, as Concerro suggests, but the players switched off from session to session as to who got to play the extra PC. This minimized one player getting two characters and causing jealousy issues. Since all the players get to run that PC in addition to their own - there was never a problem.

At 6 players, no need for extra PCs anymore, though.

GP

 

[Burn_Boy]

My players (we only have 3 PCs) want to have cohorts to make up for lack of PC's (they'll be playing Kingmaker, so the extra bodies will help with the kingdom) when they hit 7th level but don't want the bookkeeping of having followers. I haven't played in a few years, but wasn't there feats that split the leadership feat? If not, what I want to do is this: Have a "Cohort" or "Sidekick" feat that just gives you the cohort, but at -1 instead of -2 from your level. That should make up for the lack of followers. Then have a "Followers" feat that doesn't have the cohort, but maybe you get a bonus to your Leadership score in regards to determining followers. Do these sound balanced enough to use in PF?

TanisFrey makes a good point, you don't need paperwork for your followers but there's also no need to just abandon them altogether. A buddy of mine used his followers very creatively, turning them into a spy network.

But your trade off, no followers = -1 level for cohort seems fair. The followers feat also looks good, but I would just modify the Leadership feat so you get either extra followers or a -1 level cohort. Don't let someone take both.

 

[thundershot]

I was just going to have 3 different feats: Leadership, Sidekick (cohort -1 PC lvl), and Followers (+1 or 2 Leadership score for followers). They really can't be combined, except for the two new ones, but if you want to blow two feats for little Leadership bonuses, more power to you.

It would be easy to have 2 PC's a piece, but then the XP gets divided up... I gave them all a 20 hp kicker to help survive at early levels, but with all the slots that need filled for the kingdom, having cohorts take some of those roles would be better than trying to drudge up more NPC's.

 

[TanisFrey]

TanisFrey makes a good point, you don't need paperwork for your followers but there's also no need to just abandon them altogether. A buddy of mine used his followers very creatively, turning them into a spy network.

But your trade off, no followers = -1 level for cohort seems fair. The followers feat also looks good, but I would just modify the Leadership feat so you get either extra followers or a -1 level cohort. Don't let someone take both.

I am one of three players in my 3.5 game with the leadership feat. In fact in someways my character is most involved in her leadership score as I have a second feat, Dragon Cohort from the Draconomicon, granting her a second cohort.

As I wrote only half of my followers that I have done almost nothing with. The other half has notes of what role they play in the thespian group. I have notes on what level bards are actors, what level experts are the carpenter, seamstress, painter, blacksmith and their assistants. I have notes on the levels of the warriors and their fighter captain whom guard the caravan plus the few extras in the group. My non-combat Cohort is the playwright of the thespian group.

The rest of the followers I noted that they are 1st level commoners, experts, aristocrat and that they are spread across the region. This allows my to ask the DM the question, I do have any followers in this town that I can go ask questions of?

The other two players with the leadership feat are using their followers in other ways. One is a Prestige Paladin of Sune, a Baron of Corymar, his followers are his troops. His cohort is an evoker, his siege warfare expert. We are trying not to get into any border wars with his neighbors.

The other is a Bard, who is a retainer of the Baron, she used her followers to form a spy network with her cohort being it head.

Most of the time the followers are not involved in the character adventures. The cohorts are more involved. With how the game is going the Paladin player and myself do not have our PC's with the group right now. The Paladin is running his Barony and my PC is at his side. The baron sent his squire (6th level follower) with the group. My dragon cohort also feet it would be fun to follower the group.

So I am saying that there several way to run the followers in game. You are playing Kingmaker. The players have a kingdom to populate and run, their followers can do that in the background with a minimum of paperwork on their part. Followers do not need to be new settlers to the area, they can be existing residents who see the stability and safety that the new kingdom will give them, so they give their new master their support.

 

[Mojo_Rat]

just have them take leDership and ignore the followers or apply them as needed. the cohort is why Pc take leadership. ALOT of the time followers are useless. if given the option I woul always take the sidekick feat over leadership because cohort -1 is better than cohort -2 and followers.