Dysfunctional Rules X: I Cast Comprehend Rules

[ShurikVch]

Well, cohort level is affected by both the character's level and their Leadership score - you get the lower of what is permitted by your leadership score, or (Level -2.) If you Leadership score is too low you may not be able to get the maximum level cohort you otherwise would have (but if you have a long-term cohort you've probably leveled them up by their own XP gain rather than trying to attract a new one at base level anyways.)

For followers, yeah, it would appear to do absolutely nothing, as those have no other limit other than the one given by the chart and the ability explicitly does not count for that. :shrug: Like I said, it works.. just what it works on is a very niche and small scope.

Thus, it falls to the definition of what, exactly, is "maximum level cohort"...
OK, "dysfunction by specific reading" - not a valid dysfunction

The interesting bit is that there's at least one other place in the books that refers to 'leadership checks'

Note how there's no mention of a DC, or even what exactly the check is.

Chalk it to the "authors don't know how their own rules work" (like "Armored Uncanny Dodge", "Tumbler's Breastplate", etc)