Leadership Followers Based on CR instead of level?

[liquidformat]

So has anyone played using Leadership followers based on CR instead of levels? I feel like it opens it up to some fun monsters but doesn't dramatically change the power level unless you are purposely trying to abuse CR. What do people think?

[unseenmage]

Pathfinder has some rules for using CR as ECL for monster characters.

Our table uses that for NPC ECL for leadership and it works just fine.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Venerable Dragonwrought Kobold Dracolich Warrior 1 with two flaws for Epic Toughness twice is only CR 1. It has paralyzing claw and bite attacks and a paralyzing gaze.

A Dragonkin is CR 3 and 7 HD, add 7 levels of a spellcasting class and they'll be nonassociated levels at 1/2 CR each, rounded down. That gets you a CR 6 that's 14 HD with 4th level spells, natural flight, and bruiser stats.


The purpose of Leadership followers isn't to gain combatants, it's to build a community in and around your character's stronghold or base of operations. If you're in a city, those are your household servants, your specialist crafters, your spies and scouts around the neighborhood. If you're in a remote castle, those are your servants, groundskeepers, game wardens, farriers, temple acolytes, and guards. Most importantly, all of those followers will bring their families with them and fill out your community. You'll end up with a town whose population is three to four times the number of actual followers you have, but the actual followers are the only ones with any significant game stats.

[RandomPeasant]

And Pun-Pun is doable off a 1st level Paladin. Scaling Leadership off CR is very reasonable if you want to support things like "army of demons" or even "army of undead", and will not produce results that are particularly less sane than what you could already do with Leadership.

[liquidformat]

A Venerable Dragonwrought Kobold Dracolich Warrior 1 with two flaws for Epic Toughness twice is only CR 1. It has paralyzing claw and bite attacks and a paralyzing gaze.

A Dragonkin is CR 3 and 7 HD, add 7 levels of a spellcasting class and they'll be nonassociated levels at 1/2 CR each, rounded down. That gets you a CR 6 that's 14 HD with 4th level spells, natural flight, and bruiser stats.


The purpose of Leadership followers isn't to gain combatants, it's to build a community in and around your character's stronghold or base of operations. If you're in a city, those are your household servants, your specialist crafters, your spies and scouts around the neighborhood. If you're in a remote castle, those are your servants, groundskeepers, game wardens, farriers, temple acolytes, and guards. Most importantly, all of those followers will bring their families with them and fill out your community. You'll end up with a town whose population is three to four times the number of actual followers you have, but the actual followers are the only ones with any significant game stats.

I mean I clearly said if you aren't trying to abuse CR both of your examples are clearly trying to abuse CR. Most monsters out there aren't horribly powerful for their CR but make for interesting flavorful followers.