Questions about Leadership

[Longneil]

Hey so question about pathfinder. The feat leadership, how does it work? For example, my fighter wants to start a mercenary group does that mean i can only have my class level of members or only followers? what i mean is if im level 18 am i limited to having 18 level ones working for me or do they only count if they follow you?

[BWR]

The text of the feat (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/feats.html#leadership)is rather clear on that point but
1) no. your leadership score determines the number and level of your followers, with a cap imposed by your level
2) no, the number and level of your followers is determined by your leadership score.
3) no. You can have as many people working for you as you can pay for/the GM permits. Followers from Leadership are extra loyal beyond mere hirelings

[Madbranch]

What BVR said. I'd also like to add some things.

Considering you want to start a mercenary group, it wouldn't be bad, if you could get followers to fight for you, which they usually don't do (or you get penalties for leadership scores). So ask your GM, if he would let you take 3.5 feat Fanatical Devotion, which basically enables you to get your followers to fight and die for you. What should be noted though, is that even then, they're not very useful. Followers usually get NPC classes and only every so often you'll find ones with PC classes.

So for mercenary group it would be better to just pay them, yes. But you can get your followers to work for you in plenty of useful ways either way. I had a bunch of followers in one campaign acting as a spy network for me. Also anything that I didn't want to be bothered to do I just sent them. That is, unless it was dangerous enough to get some nice xp. :P

[MagpieWench]

I would use followers in admin/non-combat capacity: healers, cooks, paper pushers, quartermaster, and maybe some as officers.

YMMV :)

[Longneil]

ok thanks, I was thinking about having a level 14 or so to assist me in combat.

[Madbranch]

Well, you get cohort, but that's just one guy/gal/magical creature. So yeah, it'd be best to just pay some mercenaries. Sure you can find some in the tavern or sth.