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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Vangarel" data-source="post: 890165" data-attributes="member: 223">Ok, thought I'd add my two cents into this one, seem as I am the DM in question.Hackenslash isn't quite right, the cohort is a lower level than the primary character and also gains XP at a reduced rate, approximately half of the primary character. What I tend to do is award the XP to the two characters separately so the primary character earns XP and the cohort earns XP. The player wants to play his primary character more, hopefully, and so that advances faster. What I would also add is, as a group, we decided +8 was too high for a Minotaur and reduced this figure so the character has more class levels than the standard rules.As regarding the levels, the cohort is a lower level but the player makes sure he knows the rules inside out and has maxed out his primary character to enable the best possible cohort.Ok, so what effect is it having on the game?Combat: Can take longer as the player gets double the combat options. Has added extra beef to an already strong party, please refer to Hackenslash's character over in the Rogues Gallery for a slighty above average party member. Also bear in mind the player in question knows the rules better than any other player and creates his characters appropriately.Roleplaying: I tend to let the player roleplay the cohort. As I said above the XP doesn't combine but the player can see more playing time. The player concerned is one of the stronger roleplayers in the group though so he'd probably see a fair amount of talking time anyway.What solutions could I use to prevent future problems?I could create the cohorts. This would stop a player using it as an extra ability to powergame.I could roleplay the cohorts. This would stop any additional time being taken by a player with a cohort reducing other players time.As the DM I'm trying to walk a fine line between seeing the feat as a powergame facility and letting players run with it to see what happens. I would suggest that if it goes in the current direction then the rules my have to be revised with one or both of the above suggestions.</blockquote>

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