Deathkeeper
2013-07-10, 08:09 AM
So, I'm in a summer campaign. The party is currently in an expedition to the Underground region of Golarion, since I forget what PF calls it (which really tells you how much plot has happened, hasn't it?). We're a level 7 Ninja, Alchemist (that's me), and a Paladin since our Cleric left. The paladin is a first-time player, with terrible priorities and an awful build, but I only lightly make fun of him for that (I admit to teasing him about a paladin without any knowledge: religion).
Anyway, we're all really good friends but I think the DM really slapped our Pally in the face during our last level up. He, mostly for flavor of the Awesome Holy Leader Guy along with the perfectly accurate observation that we're a small party and lackeys help, asked for Leadership. I warned them both that it can be considered very OP sometimes. It was approved anyway. Now, here's the problem.
The GM made the common and reasonable ruling that followers must be gained; they don't just appear like a familiar or animal companion. So of course he draws a cohort from the npc's of the expedition. Who he previously said were mostly levels 2-5. The Pally explicitly took the feat expecting to be able to ask for a Wizard, Sorc, or Bard since we have little support and magic. So what does he get? He gets "Not only am I picking your cohort without any input whatsoever, she will be a level one this. (https://sites.google.com/site/pathfinderogc/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus-archetypes/kapenia-dancer)" Heck, I can ignore how terrible this class archetype is if the NPC was unique and flavorful, but instead he just pulled this girl out of the 45 npc's who had never been mentioned before and he still has never made talk. Even though the Pally pumped Cha instead of physical scores and therefore can have a level 7 cohort AND is generally liked by the npc's. And this is a problem, because she WILL die, being a low level in a high combat campaign. And since the Player has previously refused to use his special mount for fear of it dying he's never going to actually take his followers anywhere, thus wasting the feat.
The point to all this is:
How do you folks normally make Leadership work when it's allowed?
Anyway, we're all really good friends but I think the DM really slapped our Pally in the face during our last level up. He, mostly for flavor of the Awesome Holy Leader Guy along with the perfectly accurate observation that we're a small party and lackeys help, asked for Leadership. I warned them both that it can be considered very OP sometimes. It was approved anyway. Now, here's the problem.
The GM made the common and reasonable ruling that followers must be gained; they don't just appear like a familiar or animal companion. So of course he draws a cohort from the npc's of the expedition. Who he previously said were mostly levels 2-5. The Pally explicitly took the feat expecting to be able to ask for a Wizard, Sorc, or Bard since we have little support and magic. So what does he get? He gets "Not only am I picking your cohort without any input whatsoever, she will be a level one this. (https://sites.google.com/site/pathfinderogc/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus-archetypes/kapenia-dancer)" Heck, I can ignore how terrible this class archetype is if the NPC was unique and flavorful, but instead he just pulled this girl out of the 45 npc's who had never been mentioned before and he still has never made talk. Even though the Pally pumped Cha instead of physical scores and therefore can have a level 7 cohort AND is generally liked by the npc's. And this is a problem, because she WILL die, being a low level in a high combat campaign. And since the Player has previously refused to use his special mount for fear of it dying he's never going to actually take his followers anywhere, thus wasting the feat.
The point to all this is:
How do you folks normally make Leadership work when it's allowed?