Table
Data
More Data

Table
Data
More Data

Table
Data
More Data

Table
Data
More Data

Table
by Bresk

Table
by Jonny

Table
by Cutethulhu

Table
by Star

Table
by AoN

Table
by AoN

Table
by JurianChibo

Table
by Star

Table
by AoN

Table
by Jonny

Table
by AoN

Table
by Jonny

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide

Battlecry!

Source Battlecry! pg. 76
A follower is an NPC who accompanies and assists you for an extended period of time, perhaps even an entire campaign. You can gain a follower by taking the captain archetype. Followers are companions who rely upon you for direction in combat; they have the minion trait. You can have a follower and a familiar or pet, but you can’t have a follower if you already have an animal companion or another companion that prevents you from having an animal companion.

Ancestry: Most followers are human, and so have the human and humanoid traits. They are size Medium, have a 25-foot Speed, and speak Common plus a number of additional languages equal to 1 + their Intelligence modifier. While followers have a heritage that is part of their personal story and background, followers don’t gain mechanical benefits from their heritage. For information on followers of other ancestries, see the Leader of All feat.

Follower Type: Followers can come from all walks of life and have a wide variety of experiences and abilities. For ease of play, followers are grouped into broad categories called follower types, such as berserker or medic. For more on follower types, see here.

Kits: Each follower has a personal set of gear called a kit, which automatically improves as the PCs level up and has a level equal to the PCs’ level. The kit includes the follower’s weapons, armor, and other items that they require to perform the actions listed in their statistics. Followers can’t wear or use items other than those in their kit, nor can they share equipment with the PCs. A follower’s damage with melee and ranged Strikes depends upon their follower type. Each follower type has a default weapon listed; if you would like your follower to use a different weapon that deals the same or lower damage from the same category (for example, simple melee weapon or martial ranged weapon) that requires the same number of hands to wield, talk to your GM. Followers are assumed to maintain their kit. This includes procuring adequate ammunition for ranged weapons, as well as repairing damaged gear. A follower can spend 10 minutes to repair all their broken and damaged equipment, and they can replace destroyed equipment during daily preparations.

Payment: The follower mechanics abstract away the compensation that followers receive for their work, so as not to impact the expected party wealth. Followers are assumed to earn enough income to provide for their own food, clothing, and shelter, to maintain and upgrade their kits (see above), and to have a comfortable standard of living. The source of this income is up to the GM and player to decide based on the follower’s circumstances; perhaps they have been hired by the PCs’ patron or an outside organization to work with the PCs, or perhaps the PCs earn additional wealth in their adventures that is earmarked for the follower.

Replacing a Follower: Followers might part ways with the PCs for a variety of reasons, whether it be the follower’s death or other events during the campaign. If a PC loses a follower, they can spend a week of downtime to replace them. Replacing a follower generally requires the PC to be in a settlement or other location where recruits are available, but the GM can also introduce followers organically during the adventure.

Follower Actions

Source Battlecry! pg. 76
Use the following guidelines to determine what followers can do in encounter mode, exploration mode, and downtime.

Encounter Mode: During an encounter, you can spend a single action on your turn to Direct Follower, an action described below. If you don’t spend an action to Direct your Follower, the follower gains 1 action that they spend to Stride, usually to get to a safer position or to set themselves up to assist you more effectively on future rounds.

Direct Follower [one-action]

Concentrate
Source Battlecry! pg. 76

You issue an order to your follower, granting them 2 actions. This action has the auditory or visual trait depending on the method of communication used, but it must have one or the other. You can Direct your Follower to perform any of the following basic actions: Crawl, Drop Prone, Escape, Interact, Leap, Release, Seek, Sense Motive, Stand, Step, Stride, and Strike. They can only use the Strikes listed in their stat blocks. Followers that gain a burrow Speed or fly Speed can use Burrow or Fly, respectively. You can also direct your follower to use skill actions for which they meet the prerequisites. Finally, you can direct the follower to perform any actions listed in their stat block. Unlike an animal companion's support actions, these special actions don't impose restrictions on the other actions a follower can use on this turn.

Exploration Mode: In exploration mode, followers typically tag along with the group. They either travel normally without using an exploration activity or Avoid Notice, Hustle, or Follow the Expert to Avoid Notice (your choice). Alternatively, you can use your exploration activity to direct your follower to Follow the Expert, Investigate, Scout, or Search, or to use any of the exploration skill actions which they meet the prerequisites.

Downtime: Followers use their downtime to train, upkeep their kits, and perform other background activities at the GM’s discretion. They don’t perform downtime activities on behalf of the PCs like Crafting or Earning Income.

Followers vs. Non-Companion NPCs

Followers are NPCs who are designed to be balanced with other companion options, such as animal companions, and to maintain their own necessary gear without cost to the PCs. As such, they have the minion trait, and they can only use the actions listed under follower actions and in their stat block.

Since followers are intelligent people, these abstractions can potentially lead to unusual circumstances at the table. For example, some groups might find it odd that followers can’t Activate an Item to use magic item abilities or feed potions to PCs. However, activated items are balanced around the idea that a PC is spending their own actions to use them. For example, magic items with a 2-action activation are balanced around the idea that they can’t be used on the same turn as any other 2-action spell or activity. If your group would rather have an NPC companion that can take 3 actions per round and use items, consider asking your GM to add an NPC to the party, counting them as an extra PC for the purposes of XP and treasure.

Roleplaying Followers

Source Battlecry! pg. 77
When your character gains a follower, work with your GM to decide who will roleplay the follower. It could be you, the GM, or even another player at the table. It could also be one of the players most of the time, with the GM taking over when they want the follower to convey information that the players haven’t yet discovered.

When creating a follower, just as when creating a PC, it’s valuable to consider what their history is and how they have come to join the group. In a follower’s case, why they have chosen to accompany you is particularly important, as this reason helps define the nature of their relationship with you and the rest of the party. Consider working with your GM to establish what your follower’s short-, medium-, and long-term goals are, and how they like to spend their downtime. All these factors help determine what the follower does when they aren’t taking direct orders from you and can serve as seeds for the GM to use the follower to introduce new information or exciting adventure hooks to the party.

In general, followers respect you and get along decently with the rest of the PCs, but they may develop friendships or rivalries with other PCs based on events during the campaign. Followers have their own opinions and express them, but they should generally not take the spotlight from the PCs. This means that followers typically don’t take the lead in social encounters or participate heavily in decision-making.

Though followers are committed to working with the PCs and will never betray them under ordinary circumstances, they are people with their own agency. A follower who is dissatisfied with their circumstances due to poor working conditions or mistreatment might eventually leave to find other employment. If a player repeatedly loses followers in this way, the GM should consider working with that player to retrain out of the captain archetype.

Novice Followers

Source Battlecry! pg. 77
Followers begin their journey as novices. The following are the base statistics of a novice follower. Followers calculate their modifiers and DCs just as you do with one difference: the only item bonuses they can benefit from are the ones listed in their statistics. You can take feats from the captain archetype to advance your followers, making them stronger.

A follower’s starting statistics are as follows.
Level: Your follower’s level is equal to yours.
Proficiencies: Your follower is trained in their listed attacks, the armor from their kit, Perception, all saving throws, and the skills listed in their stat block.
Attribute Modifiers: A follower begins with base attribute modifiers listed in their stat block.
Hit Points: Your follower has starting Hit Points from their type, plus a number of Hit Points equal to 6 plus their Constitution modifier for each level you have.

Follower Types

Source Battlecry! pg. 77
The theme of a follower’s abilities and skills is called their follower type. Each follower type has its own stat block and advancement, as follows.

Strikes One or more entries with the follower’s Strikes and their traits and damage
Attribute Modifiers Starting attribute modifiers
Hit Points The follower’s starting Hit Points
Kit Armor The item bonus and Dexterity modifier cap (or Dex cap) for the armor from the follower’s kit
Skills Trained skills your follower has
Follower Ability A special ability that your follower has; this is either an action you can Direct your Follower to perform or an ability that happens automatically
Special If present, this section lists other mechanics that apply to the follower
Experienced Advancement The bonuses and abilities the follower gains when they become an experienced follower
Veteran Advancement The bonuses and abilities the follower gains when they become a veteran follower
Exceptional Advancement The bonuses and abilities the follower gains when they become an exceptional follower

<< Banners

Designing Troops >>

Classic Feel

Classic Feel

Classic Feel

Book Feel

Book Feel

Book Feel

Round Feel

Round Feel

Round Feel

Slim Feel

Slim Feel

Slim Feel

Absalom

Blackbird