Leadership with pixie cohort

[Spacehamster]

I'm playing an chaotic good exalted char and planning on taking leadership feat at level 12. And taking a pixie cohort, my leadership score will be 14 by then unless I have found something that increases cha by then. It says lvl 10 cohort with 14 score but I guess since pixies has lvl adjustment 4 it will be level 6? Or is that only when you make it as an player character? Am I correct? Oh and should I roll it's stats and add and subtract their racial ability modifiers to get a more unique cohort or should I just copy paste the pixie from monster manual and level it from there?

[Baroknik]

The ECL is 10, which means the pixie will have 6 character levels(or 4 if they gain irresistible dance). As far as rolling vs using the common array, talk to your DM, but generally I have found cohorts are rolled for their stats.

[Spacehamster]

Ok ty for quick answer. :)

[Tokiko Mima]

You're going to give it 6 levels of warlock, right? Turn it into a invisible flying mobile weapons platform? :smallcool:

[Baroknik]

No problem. I would consider picking up irresistible dance, honestly. It's going to be so far behind it may as well get an 8th level spell. If you put an 18 in its CHA the DC should be 25.

The biggest problem is it is touch based, but with greater invis at will that is less of an issue (be sure to invest in a death prevention though).

[Spacehamster]

No problem. I would consider picking up irresistible dance, honestly. It's going to be so far behind it may as well get an 8th level spell. If you put an 18 in its CHA the DC should be 25.

The biggest problem is it is touch based, but with greater invis at will that is less of an issue (be sure to invest in a death prevention though).

Will mostly use it as flavor fluff and a scout so I'm not out to optimize it and sadly says in book of exalted deeds that cohort pixies can't have the dance. :(

[Jeff the Green]

As far as rolling vs using the common array, talk to your DM, but generally I have found cohorts are rolled for their stats.

Another option sometimes used (and the one I generally prefer) is to use the elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8).

[Spacehamster]

Oh and also wondered about gear, does the cohort gear up automatically between sessions to appropriate starting gear for the current lvl or do the player have to equip it for own funds?

[Crake]

Another option sometimes used (and the one I generally prefer) is to use the elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8).

Actually, any creature with class levels should use the elite array instead of the common array according to the monster manual. So since the pixie has class levels instead of a single fey hit dice, it should get the elite array for free (or rolled, if the DM prefers). It shouldnt use the common array at all.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Oh and also wondered about gear, does the cohort gear up automatically between sessions to appropriate starting gear for the current lvl or do the player have to equip it for own funds?

Iirc the cohort gets WBL for an npc of its level by RAW, but i could be wrong. That one depends a lot on your DM though.

[John Longarrow]

Check with your DM regarding gear. For my game and the game's I've played in the Character provides the Cohort their gear. This avoids WBL issues.

If you want your pixie to be the party scout, Beguiler is a natural for them. If you just want some fun, make them an initiator with access to a shadowhand stance and the shadow hand feat. Get them exotic(spiked chain) and Combat reflexes. Then let them go to town on anyone closing with you.

[Spacehamster]

Iirc the cohort gets WBL for an npc of its level by RAW, but i could be wrong. That one depends a lot on your DM though.

Guess worse gear then a player of that effective level has with the option of using own gold to better it if you want would be a fair way of doing it?

[sleepyphoenixx]

Guess worse gear then a player of that effective level has with the option of using own gold to better it if you want would be a fair way of doing it?

That's how i'd do it, at least. The feat only mentions "gear appropiate for its level" without going into specifics.

[ericgrau]

The ECL is 10, which means the pixie will have 6 character levels(or 4 if they gain irresistible dance). As far as rolling vs using the common array, talk to your DM, but generally I have found cohorts are rolled for their stats.

Oh wow, flying greater invis no save foe disabler. Too bad it's only 1/day, or I'd seriously suggest taking the extra LA for irresistible dance. A cohort may be the time when it's worth it. Maybe there's a feat to get more uses/day of an SLA somewhere?

[Jeff the Green]

Oh wow, flying greater invis no save foe disabler. Too bad it's only 1/day, or I'd seriously suggest taking the extra LA for irresistible dance. A cohort may be the time when it's worth it. Maybe there's a feat to get more uses/day of an SLA somewhere?

Maybe. If you can still qualify for Regional feats with ranks in Knowledge (local) or if your pixie can be from the drow region of Menzobarranyr, Magic in the Blood will do it.

[Spacehamster]

Well decided now, she will be 1 lvl rogue and 5 lvl wizard. Were thinking tho don't really want her to have a familiar since that would just get me a 3rd char to control. Would a feat be a fair replacement for a familiar?

[Flickerdart]

Well decided now, she will be 1 lvl rogue and 5 lvl wizard. Were thinking tho don't really want her to have a familiar since that would just get me a 3rd char to control. Would a feat be a fair replacement for a familiar?
Yep. There's both a flaw (lose a familiar, gain a feat) and a feat to gain a familiar, so the equivalency is pretty much established. There are actually a whole bunch of things you can trade a familiar for. Check out the wizard alternate class features in this thread (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7908).

[Baroknik]

I may suggest sorc rather than wizard. She's a level behind on spell progression, but then she gets CHA synergy.

[Phelix-Mu]

I may suggest sorc rather than wizard. She's a level behind on spell progression, but then she gets CHA synergy.

Ah, true. But no extremely amusing Abrupt Jaunting greater invisible pixie in that case. :smallfrown:

[ericgrau]

On a fragile cohort I'd focus more on defense and keep abrupt jaunt. Especially if it'll get within melee range to irresistible dance. Anything it casts with a save is going to have too low of a DC purely by level & gear anyway. Better to focus on no save or save-and-still-suck spells. They remain useful even among allies who are higher level than you: empowered ray of enfeeblement, sleet storm, web, levitate (save ally/macguffin), haste. A mere half character disabling one or more foes or making the day of one or more full characters is a great deal.

For that matter the pixie might want to get resist energy and a good reflex save. Perhaps go into arcane trickster or spellwarp sniper to get evasion out of that 2nd low level. An invisible flying jaunting pixie's biggest fear is random unlucky wide area damage. Direct targeting not so much.

[Alaris]

For the record, as far as I know, there aren't actual rules for rolling up a Cohort. Yes, it would have up to 6 Class Levels, with +4 Level Adjustment.

Some DMs will personally build the Cohort-type you seek out, and others will just let the player do it, and control the Cohort itself (not that I agree with that particular way of running it). I don't know what your DM allows, but I recommend talking to them before presuming he or she runs it in the way you want.

[Phelix-Mu]

I usually ask the player what type of character archetype or build they are looking for, maybe their top couple choices, and then I make three or so recruits that show up. Then the character holds job interviews or whatever and chooses one of them; caveat: I make them super-cool, because I want to reward the player for opening up the treasure-trove of plot hooks that a cohort represents.

They are npcs, not second characters. I allow the player to control them in combat (within reason), but have them role played as an npc (who generally favors the character in all things, seeing as they are the character's protege/admirer/majordomo/bodyguard).

[Spacehamster]

We run with pretty much total freedom since we rotate gm duty so unless it's something completely silly and overpowered beyond belief we allow it. :) and a fragile 6 levels behind the pc's pixie won't make my char op would prob have been better off with a feat improving his own combat. ^^ mostly for fun fluff and rp reason I made her. :)

[Spacehamster]

This is more for a future thing, making the cohort made me want to make a PC pixie wizard in the future but with 4 lvl adjust you won't reach lvl 9 spells so would removing the the once per day spell like abilities for 1 less level adjustment be balanced?

[ericgrau]

The role play aspect is a good point though. If your DM doesn't tie the NPC into the world, then you may give it a go. Back story the heck out of that sprite. Give the DM a private message on world-related things. And think of a personality to go with it. You might go through the ones in the DMG and pic 1 or 2 to focus on. Then think of how it ties to the back story and now you have a distinct character from your main one.