Vile Leadership

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Pathfinder Player Companion: Champions of Corruption
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Intrigue

You rule over your own cabal of minions with a villainous cohort as your lieutenant.
Feat Type(s)
Prerequisites
  • any evil alignment
  • character level 7th
Benefit

You can attract a loyal cohort and a number of intimidated followers to assist in your nefarious deeds. This feat is similar to Leadership, except Vile Leadership rewards—rather than punishes—leaders with cruel reputations or who cause their followers’ deaths. Once you take this feat, you cannot take the Leadership feat without retraining your feat selection.

Numerous factors can affect your Vile Leadership score (which acts as a Leadership score for the purpose of feats and abilities that rely on a Leadership score, other than Leadership itself); work in conjunction with your GM and use the tables below to adjust your Vile Leadership score accordingly. The NPCs you attract must be of a nongood alignment.

Vile Leadership Modifiers: Your reputation (from the point of view of the cohort or follower you are trying to attract) raises or lowers your Vile Leadership score.

Leader’s Reputation Modifier
Ruthless +2
Rewards loyalty or success +1
Possesses a special power +1
Indecisive –1
Tolerant of failure –1
Merciful –2

Other modifiers may apply when you try to attract a cohort with this feat, as listed below.

Leader’s Attributes Modifier
Gained power by eliminating a superior +1
Fails to punish or kill minions who make costly mistakes –2†
Recruits a cohort of a different alignment –1

† Cumulative per incident of compassion shown. This penalty is incurred even if you show mercy to avoid killing or punishing more than 20% of your minions during a given character level (see the footnote in the following table).

Followers have different priorities from cohorts. When you try to attract a follower, use the following modifiers.

Leader’s Attributes Modifier
Has a stronghold, base of operations, guildhouse, etc. +2
Has punished or killed minions to set an example or assert dominance +1†
Has a tendency toward long periods of inactivity –1
Restricts minions from looting, pillaging, or pursing other spoils of war –1

† Cumulative to a maximum bonus of +1 per character level. If you punish or kill more than 20% of your minions during a given character level, this bonus becomes a penalty instead. When you gain a new level, any bonus or penalty from punishing or killing minions resets to 0.

The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.

Sources:

  • Pathfinder Player Companion: Champions of Corruption
  • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Intrigue

SECTION 15

  • Pathfinder Player Companion: Champions of Corruption, Copyright 2014, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Paris Crenshaw, Jim Groves, Sean McGowen, and Philip Minchin.
  • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
  • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Intrigue, Copyright 2016, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Robert Brookes, Jason Bulmahn, Ross Byers, Robert N. Emerson, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Steven Helt, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Mikko Kallio, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Thomas M. Reid, Alexander Riggs, David N. Ross, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Linda Zayas-Palmer.
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  • Daemon, Guardian from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author: Scott Greene, based on original material by Ian McDowall.
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  • Dragon Horse from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author: Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
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  • Giant, Wood from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Authors: Scott Greene, based on original material by Wizards of the Coast.
  • Hippocampus from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Authors: Scott Greene and Erica Balsley, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
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  • Muckdweller from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author: Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
  • Open Game License v 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  • Quickling from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author: Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
  • Skulk from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author: Scott Greene, based on original material by Simon Muth.
  • Spriggan from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Authors: Scott Greene and Erica Balsley, based on original material by Roger Moore and Gary Gygax.
  • System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  • System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  • Pathminder, Copyright 2016, Drumanagh Wilpole.