LA buyoff for cohorts?

[molten_dragon]

Anyone ever tried it? I've got a player who wants to take a cohort with a fairly steep LA, and wants to buy it off. It's complicated by the fact that I don't give cohorts XP, they just stay 2 levels below you at all times. So how would that even work?

Just figure out the times when he would be able to buy off a level, and then reduce his LA there, and let him catch up?

Any suggestions?

[Kazyan]

The normal XP gain math actually works out that your cohort levels at the same rate you do, regardless of the cohort's level. Thus, LA buyoff does not speed up XP gains. It's throwing XP away.

[molten_dragon]

The normal XP gain math actually works out that your cohort levels at the same rate you do, regardless of the cohort's level. Thus, LA buyoff does not speed up XP gains. It's throwing XP away.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I don't give cohorts XP, since if you start off with a cohort that's lower than your level -2 because of a poor leadership score or whatever, or if your cohort loses a level at some point, it can never catch up.

So I just keep them at level-2 at all times and don't worry about it.

I guess what I'm asking more is whether it will be really broken if I allow the cohort to eventually 'buy off' part or all of its level adjustment, essentially ignoring some of it and gaining more class levels.

[TuggyNE]

The normal XP gain math actually works out that your cohort levels at the same rate you do, regardless of the cohort's level. Thus, LA buyoff does not speed up XP gains. It's throwing XP away.

What? No, I worked it out, and the cohort will eventually catch up in all cases. The math was fairly complicated, so I stuck it in a spreadsheet, but I can recreate it here if needed.

[Renen]

What? No, I worked it out, and the cohort will eventually catch up in all cases. The math was fairly complicated, so I stuck it in a spreadsheet, but I can recreate it here if needed.

Its a rule. Cohort IS always 2 levels below you. He can have a bajillion XP but by RAW (Unless im mistaken) he cant level, unless you level.

[nyjastul69]

:smallfurious:
Its a rule. Cohort IS always 2 levels below you. He can have a bajillion XP but by RAW (Unless im mistaken) he cant level, unless you level.

You are not mistaken. A cohort can never be closer than 2 levels behind the associated character. It's stated in the Leadership feat description.

[Curmudgeon]

Level adjustment buyoff is only good for characters who receive XP. Just tell your player that their cohort is out of luck. After all, he's already better off than in many games where Leadership is flat out banned. Every NPC is an extra character for the DM to run.

[Marnath]

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I don't give cohorts XP, since if you start off with a cohort that's lower than your level -2 because of a poor leadership score or whatever, or if your cohort loses a level at some point, it can never catch up.

So I just keep them at level-2 at all times and don't worry about it.

I guess what I'm asking more is whether it will be really broken if I allow the cohort to eventually 'buy off' part or all of its level adjustment, essentially ignoring some of it and gaining more class levels.

I would suggest examining the creature in question by comparing it to it's ECL in a PC class that has roughly the same niche abilities it has, and then seeing if it is of equal or lesser power. If it is weaker, then just cut LA until it becomes roughly as good as just picking up a human cohort with said PC levels.

[TuggyNE]

Its a rule. Cohort IS always 2 levels below you. He can have a bajillion XP but by RAW (Unless im mistaken) he cant level, unless you level.

Yeah, but, and here's the key thing that I think you're missing: the XP given is sufficient to always catch up to that point, no matter how far behind the cohort may start out. (I calculated it based on a level 10 starting character and a level 1 or 2 starting cohort. By level 13 or 14 the cohort was capped.)

(Also, of course, a cohort cannot gain more XP than their capped level allows.)