3.5 Cohorts and followers

[herrhauptmann]

Earlier this week, I was reading through Power of Faerun, which included a handful of epic level NPCs with the leadership feat. It also included a lot of details for a persons leadership score, beyond just having a high charisma.

Such as a Heretical Cleric of Lathander, level 25, and entitled to a level 19 cleric cohort if he wished, though his cohort was only a level 17. Said cleric also had several thousand followers and technically had to maintain records of several different leadership scores. For normal citizens, he had a leadership score of 29, but 31 for other followers of Lathander, and 32 or 33 in regards to people who believed in the Risen Sun Heresy like he did. (Might have remembered the different Leadership scores incorrectly, but my point stands)


Anyway, after a while I got to thinking, what sorts of cohorts would be best for different kinds of characters? Obviously for anyone, a character who specialized in party buffing would be best in making their character shine, for overall power a tier 1 caster would provide the greatest boon to the power of the party.
But what about thematically? Rangers would make appropriate cohorts/followers of a druid.
Warrior types would follow another warrior, though a barbarian cohort of a paladin (or vice versa) would be a little strange.
Clerics could find any cohort who shared his faith, and it would probably fit (maybe not the cleric of a War God and a wizard cohort though).

Part of why I'm asking: I recently was working on two builds, both builds had a few feats free at later levels. And I was wondering what sort of cohorts might fit them thematically.

[Greenish]

Well, if one is to use warblade's canned fluff of gloryhounds, a (buffer) bard cohort would be excellent match.

Rogue-type characters might want some solid muscle, preferably one that can also sneak a bit.

[Zhalath]

Well, if one is to use warblade's canned fluff of gloryhounds, a (buffer) bard cohort would be excellent match.

"Skald! Sing me a song of my accomplishments! I need a +2 to hit this orc chieftain!"

I could see a religious Paladin with a Cleric of his faith with him.

Wizard gets another wizard as a cohort, with a completely different spellbook. All followers are also wizards, who are forced to learn spells from the latest splatbooks. Copypasta ensues.

[StreetPizza]

Also a potential cohort for a Wizard: a meat shield! Y'know, in case if the Wizard doesn't like sharing secrets and whatnot.

Also also, an idea just popped into my head. How about a pre-existing relationship between the hero and cohort before the cohort becomes... the cohort, like a boy following his elder brother? This kind of cohort could probably then skirt past the whole "thematic" thing based on the fact that the two people are already close friends.

[Coidzor]

Wizard gets another wizard as a cohort, with a completely different spellbook. All followers are also wizards, who are forced to learn spells from the latest splatbooks. Copypasta ensues.

And thus new adventuring wizards are born.

[FelixG]

A charisma focused rogue or buffer bard is always good, meat shieldy type lets their spokesperson do all their talking for them :P

[Dimers]

A Devoted Defender (3.0, Sword&Fist) or Daidoji Bodyguard (3.0, Oriental Adventures). Dunno why I've never seen a 3.5 prestige class oriented toward protecting someone else, aside from the minimally protective Thayan thingie in CW.

For a melee character, have a cohort who's small enough to Ride you, and have it apply its optimized Ride skill and Mounted Combat feat to protect you from blows. Combine with other mounted feats for various degrees of silliness and profit.

[WinWin]

I have seen a Rogue use a thieves guilds fairly well. An assassin (cleric base) cohort and a mix of followers. Mainly experts and commoners. They were basically spies and informants planted around the area. Some of the higher level followers were rogues, I think.

Not really optimized, but it took a lot of pressure off the DM and gave a few opportunities to provide plot hooks.

I had an idea for a Wizard character of mine. I had a Cleric/Mage cohort leading into Mystic Theurge. I was going to establish a college of sorts, dedicated to the deity Boccob. The idea was to attract a lot of educated followers to manage my characters library and lab. Unfortunately the game fell apart before that could unfold. I was aiming for some low level wizard followers, but would have been happy with a couple of experts.

[herrhauptmann]

Also also, an idea just popped into my head. How about a pre-existing relationship between the hero and cohort before the cohort becomes... the cohort, like a boy following his elder brother? This kind of cohort could probably then skirt past the whole "thematic" thing based on the fact that the two people are already close friends.

You know, I've done that once or twice for PCs, and backstory NPCs, but never really occurred to me for cohorts/followers.
-Was DMing for my little brother and his best friend, they independently made dwarf fighters, with nearly identical stats and feats, so I suggested they should be brothers in game.
-Back in 3E, our usual DM got to play a game, so regurgitated some son of a nobleman, necromancer character, with a father who disappeared in battle. (No DM in like 10 years had apparently gotten to a story where they found what happened to the father btw). My own character was a displaced/dispossessed son of a noble himself. The necro suggested my mother and his mother were related. This gave my character a place to belong, gave us a reason to adventure together (related, and his father wanted his son safe, and felt only family could be trusted).

I do think I'll use the adventuring family thing for a cohort.

Zhalath: You forgot to give them all the Collegiate Wizard feat: 4 Spells per level per character. With the costs for copying spells, they're going to be broke until 5th level.

Dimers: You know, I'm really wishing I had gotten a copy of OA last time I saw it for sale. Since 4E, that book has been way overpriced. Though using my character as the bodyguard for my cohort could be interesting. Isn't that sort of like the "The Big guys with me" psion build?

[Shenanigans]

In the (now) epic campaign I play in, our DM gave every character a free Leadership feat if they built a stronghold. My exalted monk started a fortress monastery in the mountains.

We each got a cohort and a number of followers, with most cohorts coming into the campaign via a side adventure or mini-arc. For example, my cleric/sacred fist cohort was rescued by my character from a collapsing church. This brought in followers from the church, mostly level 1 clerics and monks.

My cohort worked well because he was a caster, but still monkish. Other characters had appropriate cohorts, the rogue/sorceror/salad bar who had a bard to sing of his glory, the druid/verdant lord with an advanced treant, etc.

[Dimers]

Dimers: You know, I'm really wishing I had gotten a copy of OA last time I saw it for sale. Since 4E, that book has been way overpriced. Though using my character as the bodyguard for my cohort could be interesting. Isn't that sort of like the "The Big guys with me" psion build?

I don't know the build, but it's a fun inversion to play. And it helps paranoid DMs feel safer about both the Leadership feat and high-tier characters in the party, since the DM has as much control over the cohort as desired.

[herrhauptmann]

I don't know the build, but it's a fun inversion to play. And it helps paranoid DMs feel safer about both the Leadership feat and high-tier characters in the party, since the DM has as much control over the cohort as desired.

Big guy is with me, if I'm remembering correctly, you turn your psicrystal into a ginormous creature. And while it fights, you just sorta hang in the back.

[jiriku]

I've run a red wizard of questionable morals who has a cleric cohort to act as his confessor and a set of low-level wizards, experts, and bodyguards to act as his cabal and the traditional Thayvian magic-item-selling merchant caravan.

For an upcoming campaign I'll be playing an exalted succubus with either a unicorn mount or a nymph companion, and using the low-level followers to fill in the ranks of suitors, consorts, charmed minions, and general fans of hers.

[Crossblade]

A Devoted Defender (3.0, Sword&Fist) or Daidoji Bodyguard (3.0, Oriental Adventures). Dunno why I've never seen a 3.5 prestige class oriented toward protecting someone else, aside from the minimally protective Thayan thingie in CW.

Master's Chosen, in Libris Mortis is pretty close to that, if I remember correctly, though I'm away from my books atm.

[herrhauptmann]

Masters chosen is for the living servants of an undead creature.
He gets the some morale bonuses when within a certain distance of the master, and is freely exempt (if master chooses), from any spell, supernatural, extraordinary, spell-like ability of the master. Like a mummys fear effect, or a fireball spell.

Perhaps good for an evil campaign. But seems like it'd be better for an NPC (at least to me).

[Crossblade]

Perhaps good for an evil campaign. But seems like it'd be better for an NPC (at least to me).

An NPC like a cohort? Awesome. My memory didn't fail me.

[herrhauptmann]

*Facepalm* yeah, but then it requires an undead character if the NPC is the cohort.
I meant it seemed like it'd be good for the undead villain and his right hand man.

[Ormur]

An aristocratic twit and his sneaky more intelligent squire or servant.

The aristocrat could be a Warblade, Knight, Paladin or even a Cleric. The cohort would be a rogue or a factotum.

[herrhauptmann]

An aristocratic twit and his sneaky more intelligent squire or servant.

The aristocrat could be a Warblade, Knight, Paladin or even a Cleric. The cohort would be a rogue or a factotum.

And I shall name him Sir Percival Von Fluffypants.







Sorry, couldn't resist

[Greenish]

And I shall name him Sir Percival Von Fluffypants.

What? His name is Bertie Wooster!

[Zhalath]

What? His name is Bertie Wooster!

Seconded. Jeeves is the best cohort ever.

[herrhauptmann]

Is that where the "Very Good Jeeves" comes from?