Wild Cohort feat [WotC website]

[Halivar]

I agree with Gez. Large groups (especially where over half the composition is 4-6 levels lower than the PC's) has it's own set of problems... for the PC's.

Also, I am under the impression that while there are many rules that allow you to take special/unique cohorts, the fact remains that you can only have one cohort. I'm pretty sure the 3.0 DMG and 3.5 PHB state this explicitly. Am I wrong?

 

[Stormrunner]

Would that be "an arrrrrs of pirates", then?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Don't you lose XP by having a cohort? It takes a half share of the XP booty. That's a half-share less for the PCs.

They changed the way it works in 3.5e. The cohort doesn't now penalise other PC's by taking a share of their experience, it just gets a proportion of his leaders experience, effectively pegging him the same number of levels below his leader.

 

[jgsugden]

I'm not speaking from experience here, but if everyone has an equal number of cohorts (of course, that may not be the case) then having one character get taken out seems pretty parallel to having one character taken out in a party without any cohorts: one quarter of that party is gone.

Speaking from experience, taking 1/4 of a 12 character group out is not like taking 1/2 of a 4 character group. Why? Because you get greater imbalances on on a smaller scale.

What the heck do I mean by that?

Let's pretend that you have 4 red knights and 4 black knights. The two sides fight with each red knight fighting a different black knight. It is a balanced fight. Suddenly, one of the red knights disappear. The black knight that was fighting him can suddenly turn on another red knight creating a 2 on 1 advantage.

Let's pretend that you have 12 red knights and 12 black knights. The two sides fight with each red knight fighting a different black knight. It is a balanced fight. Suddenly, three of the red knights disappear. The 3 black knights that were fighting them can suddenly turn on one red knight creating a 4 on 1 advantage.

This is a rather simple example, but the same theory applies to lots of actual scenarios: an equal percentage advantage on a larger scale creates more room for small scale imbalances.

On a separate note: Having all these cohorts makes balancing combats very difficult for the DM. He might create a battle that he thinks is balanced, but wil almost certainly result in a TPK if it gets to be too difficult. After all, it is easy to balance an encounter for a 4 PC 10th level party. It is very hard to come up with something balanced for a 4 10th level PCs, 4 8th level cohorts, 4 ECL 8 dragon cohorts and 4 ECL 8 wild animal cohorts (plus an animal companion, a paladin mount and a few familiars.)

 

[Halivar]

It is very hard to come up with something balanced for a 4 10th level PCs, 4 8th level cohorts, 4 ECL 8 dragon cohorts and 4 ECL 8 wild animal cohorts (plus an animal companion, a paladin mount and a few familiars.)

Again, this is assuming that the rules allow each character to have three cohorts, which it does not.

 

[jgsugden]

Again, this is assuming that the rules allow each character to have three cohorts, which it does not.

Can you specify where in the rules it says that you may not? I've never found it ...

 

[Halivar]

Can you specify where in the rules it says that you may not? I've never found it ...

You're right; the rules never do state that you can only have one cohort. In fact, the Leadership feat itself, minus special and animal cohorts, never mentions itself that you can only have one cohort. If you want to play by the letter of the rules and not the spirit of them, I suppose you could say an 11th level PC could have ten 8th level NPC cohorts, because the Leadership feat never says "one and only one" cohort. This interpretation of the rules, however, is not what I think WotC had in mind.

So, let's say that the 3.0 DMG and 3.5 PHB Leadership feats intend only one "normal" cohort per person, and we use that interpretation. In the 3.0 DotF, we see rules laid out for acquiring a dragon cohort. It's not laid out explicitly that the dragon cohort replaces the "normal" cohort you have by virtue of the Leadership feat, but any other interpretation is rules-lawyering munchkinizing. Note that is never says "in addition to your Leadership cohort."

I have to say precedent shows that a cohort is a singular individual who follows the PC around. I have never seen an interpretation of the rules allowing more than one cohort. Also, the fact that the feat itself does not say "in addition to your Leadership cohort" gives me as a DM enough wiggle room to say that it is in lieu of the Leadership cohort.

That's my humble $0.02.

 

[Artoomis]

In actual fact, the Leadership feat does restrict you to one cohort, that's pretty clear in the language that only refers to a cohort as "singular," not plural.

However, it appears you may take this feat multiple times to gain multiple cohorts, if the DM is willing. Rules-lawyering on whether and when you can get cohorts is silly in the extreme as the rules make it quite clear that this is up to the DM completely.

 

[Gez]

Yep, I allow someone to take Leadership more than once in order to acquire multiple cohorts.

I don't think I'll ever meet a happenstance of little army, however -- most cohorts simply can't be there all the time.

 

[Ranes]

An observance of hermits


As a player and DM, I've only ever had to manage large groups for short periods. It's more work when it happens but it's never become an issue.