So when do you use leadership?

[Righteous Doggy]

So, Leadership feat sounds and looks cool, but... you probably shouldn't have many if any games that require you to use 200+ minions on a single battlefield. I'm curious when other people have used it and what for.

Personally, I've only used it twice. Once in a pirate campaign where we had to design a lvl 15 captain with leadership and design each and every member of his crew personally.(was much fun!), and another time with an necromancer using undead leadership for fluffy goodness.

[Telonius]

In my experience, the minions are mostly fluff. Leading 200 level-1's into a combat with a CR-appropriate foe ... well, let's just say Blasphemy and leave it at that.

I've only used it in situations where we had an extremely small group, and needed some roles filled (i.e. cohort Wizard); or when it was really plot-appropriate for an NPC to join the party permanently as a cohort. This doesn't happen very often, but it does come up occasionally.

[Duke of URL]

Except for games specifically designed around having minions/followers, most people seem to really only care about getting the cohort. The followers generally are too fragile for much else, and are generally left behind to do things like crafting and off-screen "make the abandoned castle my character took over livable" or "build up a town" type of duties.

In town/city defense situations, it's a different story, as they're generally your best source of low-level troops (and casters). While the feat points out that they are low-level NPCs, it does not specifically require them to have NPC levels, so you can get some moderately effective support when they work together intelligently.

[prufock]

Uses of followers:
- Crafting items, usually alchemical ones.
- Building your fortress.
- Spy network, intel gatherers.
- Farming, hunting, foraging.
- Propaganda machine.
- Building your fortress.
- Ranged attackers, especially if you can somehow recruit a bunch of 1st level warlocks. Even if they're just commoners, 1/20 should hit on average.
- If you can get a bunch of marshals, you can have all of the minor and major auras overlapping with enough followers.
- Mining.
- Mundane tasks, like cleaning your armor.
- Tossing nets, lassos, tanglefoot bags, alchemist's fire, holy water.
- Give them all ranks in UMD and supply them with wands.
- Running the town that you just took over. Who wants to be overrun with bureaucratic tasks?
- Messengers.
- Aid another. Even low-level NPCs should be able to semi-reliably hit a DC 10. Have them aid you on your intimidate check to get the BBEG to surrender! Or whatever.

[Righteous Doggy]

Uses of followers:
- Crafting items, usually alchemical ones.
- Building your fortress.
- Spy network, intel gatherers.
- Farming, hunting, foraging.
- Propaganda machine.
- Building your fortress.
- Ranged attackers, especially if you can somehow recruit a bunch of 1st level warlocks. Even if they're just commoners, 1/20 should hit on average.
- If you can get a bunch of marshals, you can have all of the minor and major auras overlapping with enough followers.
- Mining.
- Mundane tasks, like cleaning your armor.
- Tossing nets, lassos, tanglefoot bags, alchemist's fire, holy water.
- Give them all ranks in UMD and supply them with wands.
- Running the town that you just took over. Who wants to be overrun with bureaucratic tasks?
- Messengers.
- Aid another. Even low-level NPCs should be able to semi-reliably hit a DC 10. Have them aid you on your intimidate check to get the BBEG to surrender! Or whatever.

Huh, how would you rule some of these things as happening? At most I've had my teammates search a graveyard or run things that don't really produce anything.

[Feralventas]

-Crafting Items.
Look up the needed resources, craft times and such, the crafting happens while you're away after you pass the followers the cash to do so + 10 or 20GP for living expenses.
-Building fortresses.
There's a guide for this somewhere and functionally it's just a longer term version of the above process. Pay for it, let 'em do it, come back occasionally to make sure no one's slacking off.
-Spy Network
The PC who has a follower in an area is treated as having 4 Ranks in Knowledge Local for that area, more if they invest skill ranks in it. Knowledge Local becomes a class skill. They can also do a Gather Information check likewise to inquire about an area, though it may take a day or two to get information back and forth depending on the methods used.
-Farming, Hunting, and Foraging.
Survival and Profession rolls en-mass. Look up the profession skill rules.
-Propaganda Machine.
Bluff check against a whole town with a +2 for each successful aiding skill check.
-Ranged Attackers.
(Warlock Example.) 1st level, Eldritch Spear Invocation for 250ft range. Play a Crusader/Warblade with White Raven abilities to debuff the targets around you while your Bardic/Cavalier cohort boosts their attack and damage rolls through the roof for their level.



Personally, I've considered using Leadership for a character that's a Cleric of a lesser-known deity in the setting, representing the followers he's gathered to his patron. They'd be running a forge to help their nation's defense and development while going about adventuring to find new technologies to bring home.

[dropdadgbe]

In my longest running game we had a sailing ship and the crew were all named followers, but I see you thought of that too.

I've also seen a DM use followers for circle magic, but I don't know what book it was from or how high level they needed to be to do it.

[doko239]

Make all your 200 followers 1st level wizards, and issue each a wand of magic missile.

You now have your own artillery piece.

[Vegan Zombie]

One of my favorite uses of followers is manning siege engiens and such. Catapults, ballista etc. A few ranks in Profession (Siege Engineer) and your siege weapons can be more accurate, and far enough away that the enemies would need to get through you to reach them. Flying and teleporting can be their downfall, but hey that's a couple rounds that enemies aren't attacking you!

[Gadora]

Well, I've got a character who will be taking leadership at next level. We're going to need to staff our fortress (assuming we survive taking it) and the bard put a stipulation on me taking Nymph's Kiss so that I have to bring in my pen pal/adoptive sister as a cohort.

Probably going to put out the call to the elemental planes (playing a sha'ir) and use Savage Species to staff the place with a bunch of very low power elementals.

So in this case, it turns out to be a mix of delicious flavor, DM stipulation, and bringing a backstory element into play. There might also be a plot hook gained from it as well.

[Averis Vol]

i'm using leadership right now to start a mercenary company. for now they take odd jobs when they come in from town and pump more wealth into Dawnhall (my estate/base of operations) and i think by end game i might introduce my warriors into a full scale war.

[Loxagn]

The true use of Leadership is obvious.

Take Leadership.
Make your cohort and all followers of sixth level or higher take Leadership.
Make their cohorts and followers do the same until you run out of sixth-level people.
Make an epic diplomacy check to make them Fanatical to you, and to get them to worship you as their messiah.
Become a god.

[Righteous Doggy]

The true use of Leadership is obvious.

Take Leadership.
Make your cohort and all followers of sixth level or higher take Leadership.
Make their cohorts and followers do the same until you run out of sixth-level people.
Make an epic diplomacy check to make them Fanatical to you, and to get them to worship you as their messiah.
Become a god.

I did that in the pirate game actually. The DM allowed it and my crew was in fact a cult of psionics and wizards... Was awesome. Secretly sacrifice other PCs to the aboleth on the ship!
Edit: Also, a team of bufftastic diplomancers you refer to as cheerleaders!

[The Bandicoot]

200+ 1st level halfling fighters.

Give them slings.

Raid the nearest riverbeds for smooth rocks for ammo

?????

Profit Carpet bombing.