Inducing Templates in Apprentices

[Foryn Gilnith]

I had an idea centering around the Mentor feat from DMG2. The apprentice from the feat gains a level every time you gain a level. After fifth-level, it follows you like a cohort. Now, couldn't one theoretically stack templates on the apprentice willy-nilly, since it gains levels at the same rate as you regardless?

What templates could be given this way? Half-Fiend, Lycanthrope, and Vampire are the only ones I can think of off-hand (Nar Fiendbond, infection, infection).

[CrypticOcean]

If I remember correctly, once you hit 5th level, you no longer qualify for an apprenticeship. Would this apply to the apprentice that you are mentoring? If so, since it does not explicitly mention Hit Dice, but levels, I would imagine that having an ECL of 5th disqualifies you as well.

Although I have not perused the DM's Guide II for a long while.

[Foryn Gilnith]

With adequate training, the apprentice gains a level each time the mentor gains a level...When the apprentice reaches 5th level, he graduates and follows the mentor as a cohort, as if she had the Leadership feat.

While the PC leaves apprenticeship, NPCs don't, apparently.

Finally, once the apprentice reaches 5th level and graduates from his apprenticeship, he becomes a cohort, as if the mentor had the Leadership feat. The mentor can dismiss him, if she wishes, with no ill effect or hard feelings.

[CrypticOcean]

Then I assume they would follow cohort rules for level-gain, and the Mentor-Apprentice level-gain synergy would dissapear. So they would be capped at your ECL-2, as described in the Leadership Feat. Which would eliminate the usefulness of taking the Mentor Feat, if all it did was give you a cohort without any extra followers, and having much steeper prerequisites.

But of course, that is just my take on it.

[Akal Saris]

Well, you also keep the bonuses you had from the Apprentice feat, which is mostly useful for getting class skills like Spellcraft or what have you. So it's like leadership lite with some minor extra bonuses for your character.