[3.5] Leadership and Level Adjustment - How do they interact?

[Laniius]

I am a level 8 half-ogre. I have an LA of 2. Do I attract followers as if I was level 10 or as if I was level 8? Is the max ECL of my follower level 6 or level 8? Does the level of the follower included or not include his level adjustment, if any?

[Lonely Tylenol]

I am fairly certain that leadership uses ECL and not HD to determine this, so you would be ECL 10 (level 8 +2LA) and the maximum ECL you could recruit would be ECL 8. That means, however, that were you to try to recruit a half-ogre, it would have a maximum of 6 class levels (+2LA).

[Laniius]

Has this been clarified anywhere? Because the DMG says level, not ECL.

[Laniius]

Also, where in the books did it discuss how the cohort gets XP? I know it says on the SRD that

Cohorts earn XP as follows:

"The cohort does not count as a party member when determining the party’s XP.

Divide the cohort’s level by the level of the PC with whom he or she is associated (the character with the Leadership feat who attracted the cohort).

Multiply this result by the total XP awarded to the PC and add that number of experience points to the cohort’s total.

If a cohort gains enough XP to bring it to a level one lower than the associated PC’s character level, the cohort does not gain the new level—its new XP total is 1 less than the amount needed attain the next level."

But this isn't in the DMG, and my DM is very book-centric.

[The-Mage-King]

It's in the DMG, pages 104/105.


As for the LA thing, not that I know of.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Has this been clarified anywhere? Because the DMG says level, not ECL.

I don't know the specifics, but the fact that it says "level" and not "class levels" or "Hit Dice" or anything to that effect suggests, to me, that it means your Effective Character Level.

Maybe someone else can help you with the rest.

Sorry!

[Laniius]

Thanks! I didn't see that.

[Urpriest]

I don't know the specifics, but the fact that it says "level" and not "class levels" or "Hit Dice" or anything to that effect suggests, to me, that it means your Effective Character Level.

Maybe someone else can help you with the rest.

Sorry!

Actually, level when left alone like that means character level, not effective character level. It should have been corrected at some point, but as it stands while your cohorts are limited by their ECL your ability to attract them is limited by your HD.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Actually, level when left alone like that means character level, not effective character level. It should have been corrected at some point, but as it stands while your cohorts are limited by their ECL your ability to attract them is limited by your HD.

That makes absolutely no sense and even appears self-contradictory.

Therefore, it must be right.

[demigodus]

Based on the dragon cohort feat, I would say it depends on your cohort's ECL.

That said, I would guess it is intended to go off of the level of the person with the feat, not the ECL. Of course, this is the worst possibility, as far as power levels of the feat go.

[Elfinor]

ECL (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monstersAsRaces.htm#levelAdjustmentandEffectiveCha racterLevel) is to be used as a substitute for character level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/multiclass.htm) only for XP and starting wealth.

Leadership (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#leadership) clearly states that Character Level is to be used for the purposes of determining both maximum cohort level (last paragraph under subtitle 'Cohort Level') and Leadership Score (under subtitle 'Leadership Modifiers').

There is an added clause in the DMG under 'Special Cohorts' (p. 199) that says your cohort's 'maximum level' is based on their ECL, rather than character level. This is the only other mention of ECL (rather than Character Level) relating to the feat.

What this means is that you attract cohorts according to your leadership score (Character Level (8)+CHA modifier+other modifiers). No matter how high your Leadership score is, you cannot attract a cohort higher than ECL 6. Therefore, if you wanted a half-ogre cohort, it would be a maximum of 4th level.

EDIT: FWIW, the FAQ also supports this. ECL vs. Character Level is discussed on page 2-3. A cohort's ECL (rather than Character Level) is mentioned as being pertinent information on page 15.