Ways to gain a network of contacts?

[SangoProduction]

Leadership can kinda do this, but unless you're really optimizing for charisma, it's not much, especially if you want the entirety of a kingdom, rather than just a small town.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Are you asking for a mechanical way to do it, as in your OP, or do you want actual methodology? Because if you know how such networks function, leadership and some related feats can go a -long- way.

[SangoProduction]

Are you asking for a mechanical way to do it, as in your OP, or do you want actual methodology? Because if you know how such networks function, leadership and some related feats can go a -long- way.

Mechanically. Please.

I guess technically, you could chain leaderships, but not really the route I'm looking to go, especially as I don't want another character leeching my xp.

[PaucaTerrorem]

Do jobs. Make deals. Bribe. Learn of incriminating evidence and use it to extort for favors.

Basically imagine yourself coming up on the mob. What would one have to do to make it a life long occupation. Not a lifestyle, an occupation. Main focus is to disconnect yourself from anything illegal.

That is if your thinking of an illicit life.

[Cerefel]

Do jobs. Make deals. Bribe. Learn of incriminating evidence and use it to extort for favors.

Basically imagine yourself coming up on the mob. What would one have to do to make it a life long occupation. Not a lifestyle, an occupation. Main focus is to disconnect yourself from anything illegal.

That is if your thinking of an illicit life.

For more ideas along these lines go look into how people like spies gain assets in real life.

Otherwise the cohort and followers from leadership could totally be your eyes and ears in a city.

[Ruethgar]

Mind Rape! It answers all of life's problems, and if it doesn't, just apply more until everyone is comatose from severe mental trauma.

[Crake]

I think there's stuff in cityscape that covers this sort of stuff, check that book out.

[Inevitability]

Urban Druids of 9th-level and higher get an information network.

[Duke of Urrel]

Check out the Dungeon Master's Guide II. On pages 153 and 154, there's a discussion of contacts. Basically, you recruit a contact by using Diplomacy skill to raise a NPC's attitude to Helpful. Unfortunately, the rules give you only one contact for every point of Charisma bonus you have, with no level-based increase. You get an extra contact if you join a guild.

I would echo what others have said: Use the Leadership feat.

Finally, I would choose a Good alignment and become an ally of some Good NPCs. Good creatures help each other; it's just what they do.