Followers & Cohorts
Players may accumulate followers, NPCs who work under the employ of the player characters in some form, throughout their career. Most commonly, these are obtained using the Leadership feat, though there are other means of obtaining them that do not require specific game mechanics. Cohorts, while a type of follower, are treated differently from other followers and are detailed below.
Follower Uses
Followers can be used in many different ways, though it should be remembered that in whatever capacity they serve the player, they are their own individuals and (except in rare circumstances) have the agency to choose not to do what is asked of them. Unlike mounts, animal companions, familiars, and cohorts, followers are not intended to serve as combat aids to the player, and bringing them along to aid in battle is restricted except with explicit DM approval (Note this is a feasibility rule rather than logical one; D&D combats can get bogged down very fast with additional combatants, and can reduce the fun for everyone involved). Below are some example uses of followers:Large Scale Combats
Followers can either be formed into Combat Units or serve as commanders of them to provide bonuses in Warfare. Requirements and mechanics of this are determined case-by-case, and should be discussed with the DM.Organizations
Followers can can be incorporated into an existing organization or used as the basis to form one. See Organizations & Followers Overview for more details. In general, 3 HD of followers equates to 1 manpower in an organization, but this use should be discussed with the DM first before implementing.Earning Money
Followers can earn income for a player character while they are out adventuring. How much they earn will depend on the follower, and are determined by the DM.Performing Tasks
Followers can perform tasks that may not be pressing enough for the party to approach directly. Adventures that are beneath the player characters may be just the right level of challenging for a group of trusty followers to partake. Again, discuss with the DM to determine how these tasks can be resolved.Creating Followers
Followers are not typically given stat blocks, though they do technically have class levels that may play into their actions as described above. What types of followers (class and race) are obtained by the player are chosen by the DM, though they are typically in line with the status and actions of the leading character, and a player can influence the types of followers they attract. Restricting their followers to only those of specific races and/or classes may limit the number of followers a character can attract, as well as negatively impacting their Leadership score.Cohorts
Cohorts are a special type of follower that breaks from several norms of regular followers. First, a cohort is a fully developed character with a class and levels created by the leading player (with restrictions as covered below). Second, a cohort may actually travel with and participate in combats with the party (again, with restrictions as covered below). Third, a cohort gains levels along with their leader, up to the maximum level allowed for them. A cohort may be used in many of the same manners described for followers above, or used in any of the manners provided specifically for cohorts below.Creating a Cohort
A cohort is created by the player whose character leads them, but the creation process is more restricted and simplified than a full character creation. The following rules and restrictions are applied when creating a cohort.- A cohort can be of any core race (see Character Races) and any base class (see Character Classes) by default. Uncommon races and non-base classes may be chosen instead, but only with DM approval, and a class and/or race that does not make sense for the campaign or player may be veto'd by the DM, so it's recommended to check in with the DM early in this process.
- The Ability Scores of a cohort are not rolled. Instead, the following array is provided, and the scores are placed at the player's choosing: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8.
- A cohort does not gain background Traits, Drawbacks, or Flaws.
- A cohort's background, Alignment, religion, and basic personality Traits can be determined by the player, though they should be discussed with the DM to ensure it can be reasonably fit into the campaign setting.
- Skills are chosen as normal, but a cohort does not gain background skills, though they do still gain an automatic Profession (see Character Skills).
- Feats are granted as normal, but they are chosen from a restricted list. When the cohort is created, choose one of the following lists from which to draw feats (talk to the DM if you wish to see a type of list not available here):
- Arcane Caster: Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Item Creation Feats (all), Lightning Reflexes, Metamagic Feats (all), Spell Focus, Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration, and Toughness.
- Divine Caster (With Channeling): Combat Casting, Extra Channel, Improved Initiative, Improved Channel, Iron Will, Item Creation Feats (all), Metamagic Feats (all), Selective Channeling, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Toughness, Elemental Channel, Alignment Channel, and Channel Smite.
- Divine Caster (Without Channeling): Cleave, Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Item Creation Feats (all), Lightning Reflexes, Metamagic Feats (all), Natural Spell, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Toughness, and Weapon Focus.
- Melee (Finesse Fighter): Combat Reflexes, Dazzling Display, Deadly Stroke , Dodge, Deft Maneuvers, Improved Vital Strike, Spring Attack, Shatter Defenses, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse, and Whirlwind Attack.
- Melee (Unarmed Fighter): Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Gorgon's Fist, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Medusa’s Wrath, Scorpion Style, Snatch Arrows, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist, and Weapon Focus.
- Melee (Mounted): Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Skill Focus (Ride), Spirited Charge, Toughness, Trample, and Weapon Focus.
- Melee (Sword and Shield Fighter): Cleave, Shield Focus, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Powerful Maneuvers, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Shield Master, Shield Slam, Two-Weapon Fighting, Vital Strike, and Weapon Focus.
- Melee (Two-Handed Fighter): Cleave, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Powerful Maneuvers, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Vital Strike, and Weapon Focus.
- Melee (Two-Weapon Fighter): Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Vital Strike, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Vital Strike, and Weapon Focus.
- Ranged: Far Shot, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Manyshot, Pinpoint Targeting, Precise Shot, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run, Vital Strike, and Weapon Focus.
- Skill: Light Armor Proficiency, Medium Armor Proficiency, Heavy Armor Proficiency, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Shield Proficiency, Skill Focus, and Toughness.
- A cohort's starting level may be lower than the maximum allowable level depending on circumstances. By default, a cohort's starting level is equal to their maximum allowed level minus 1d4 (minimum 1).
- A cohort's starting equipment value is decided by their level, given in the following table. How the gold is distributed is up to the player, but no more than half of their gold can be spent on a single item.
Leveling a Cohort
A cohort whose level is below the maximum allowed by the feat or ability that allows them will advance in levels at an accelerated rate. As a general rule, A cohort behind in levels gains a level after a number of sessions equal to the cohort's current level. In addition, all cohorts gain a level whenever the leading player gains a level. A cohort may be allowed to level faster, or their progression may be slowed depending on circumstances as determined by the DM. Cohorts do not automatically gain wealth from Leveling Up, and it is up to the players leading them to determine what wealth and/or equipment they receive. Similarly, any gold a cohort earns is considered belonging to the leading players, and how it is spent is similarly decided by them.Cohort Uses
While a cohort may be used in any manner that a follower is used in, they can also be used in several ways that a follower cannot.Join in Adventuring
A cohort may be brought along with a player character on adventures, joining as part of the retinue of the party. When joining in this capacity, they are treated in most respects the same as a player character. They are subjected to the same environmental threats and effects and can contribute to solving encounters with their skills, equipment, and abilities. Their participation in combat, however, may be subject to restrictions covered below.Fight in Combats
| Cohort Level | Equipment gp Value |
|---|---|
| 1 | 390 gp |
| 2 | 780 gp |
| 3 | 1,650 gp |
| 4 | 2,400 gp |
| 5 | 3,450 gp |
| 6 | 4,650 gp |
| 7 | 6,000 gp |
| 8 | 7,800 gp |
| 9 | 10,050 gp |
| 10 | 12,750 gp |
| 11 | 16,350 gp |
| 12 | 21,000 gp |
| 13 | 27,000 gp |
| 14 | 34,800 gp |
| 15 | 45,000 gp |
| 16 | 58,500 gp |
| 17 | 75,000 gp |
| 18 | 96,000 gp |
| 19 | 123,000 gp |
| 20 | 159,000 gp |
A cohort that is accompanying the party may participate in combats involving the party with some restrictions. As with followers, too many actors in a fight (especially when they are controlled by a single player) can bog down the proceedings and reduce the fun for everyone involved. There is no hard set rule for enforcing this, but as a general case cohorts will be limited to participating in combats when the full compliment of players is not present at a session. Smaller groups are typically allowed more flexibility in this regard, and larger groups will typically hold more rigid to it. Individual rulings will be made dependant on all circumstances of the group, including the complexity of turns for the cohort and their leading player character, and the overall flow of combats for the group. Cohorts that are not able to participate in combats are generally considered to be performing other tactical actions during a combat, such as acting as a rear-guard, and are not directly subjected to the threats of the combat itself (i.e. area of affect attacks and so-on).
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