Followers are nonheroic characters that act as allies and agents during adventures. Unlike other NPC allies, followers are obtained through talents and augmented by abilities of your choosing. A player that selects follower-granting talents can choose the role, function, and abilities of those followers through further talent selection. Unlike a Crime Lord’s minions, followers do not gain skills or feats as they advance in level, and many of their statistics are tied directly to the hero who spent talents and feats to gain them. However, followers go on adventures with you and provide assistance, both in combat and in noncombat adventures, and otherwise function as members of your party. Followers are considered your allies, as well as the allies of other party members.
For an individual hero, the presence of followers represents a significant part of that character’s development: leadership. When a hero takes a talent that grants followers, that hero has become a leader to a single follower or small group of NPCs. Gamemasters that allow heroes to take follower-granting talents should encourage these heroes to act as good leaders should, taking care of their followers, ensuring that they are healthy and prepared, and watching out for their emotional and physical welfare.
Each individual Gamemaster can determine how much or how little time they devote to fleshing out the personalities and mannerism’s of a hero’s followers. For some, assigning a name to a follower is enough, but some Gamemasters might wish to flesh out the followers as thoroughly as they would major NPCs for a campaign. Gamemasters should also consult with their players to determine how much detail they would like for their followers.
Follower Statistics
A follower’s statistics are determined by your heroic level, so when you take a talent that grants you a follower, you need not worry about building a character completely from scratch. Similarly, as you gain levels, the follower’s statistics improve, helping your followers stay active as your campaign progresses. When you gain a follower, you can build a full stat block for that follower by using the guidelines presented below.
Level: Your followers are considered to be the same level as your hero. Followers are considered nonheroic characters but gain none of the benefits of the nonheroic class.
Species: When you receive a follower, you can select the follower’s species, applying that species’ traits to the statistics of the follower.
Initiative: Followers do not make initiative checks. They act on the hero’s turn, as the hero must spend actions to activate them.
Hero Points: Followers do not receive Hero Points. Any effect that would give a follower a Hero Point, use a follower’s Hero Point, or otherwise interact with the follower’s Hero Points has no effect.
Languages: A follower speaks its native languages, plus it has at least one language in common with you.
Defenses: A follower has Reflex Defense, Fortitude Defense, and Will Defense equal to 10 + the relevant ability score modifier + your heroic level. Some talents and effects allow you to increase these defenses, and the basic follower templates can also include bonuses for individual defenses. Any bonus to Reflex Defense from armor does not stack with the bonus from your heroic level. If the follower is wearing armor, use the higher of these two bonuses.
Hit Points: An aggressive or utility follower has a number of hit points equal to 15 + your heroic level. A defensive follower has a number of hit points equal to 20 + your heroic level.
Damage Threshold: A follower’s damage threshold is calculated as normal.
Base Attack Bonus: A follower’s template determines its base attack bonus. Aggressive followers use the soldier base attack progression, while defensive and utility followers use the scoundrel base attack progression.
Grapple: A follower’s grapple bonus is calculated as normal.
Ability Scores: A follower’s ability scores are all equal to 10, except as modified by species and noted under each template.
Talents and Feats: Followers do not gain talents or feats unless specified by the follower’s template or talents taken by the hero. The exception to this is bonus feats granted from species, and all followers are granted Weapon Proficiency (Simple Weapons).
Skills: Followers do not gain trained skills, unless they gain Skill Training from their template, a talent taken by the hero, or a species bonus feat. Their skill modifiers are calculated as normal.
Possessions: All followers have starting credits equal to the starting credits for your first class, and may be issued gear like characters are.
Follower Templates
When you gain a follower, you must choose one of three templates for your follower: the aggressive follower, the defensive follower, or the utility follower. These follower templates provide unique skills and other mechanical benefits for your followers that not only increase their usefulness but also prevent all your followers from having identical statistics (if you choose different templates for each follower).
When you gain a follower, choose one template and apply the mechanical modifications indicated in the template to the statistics of your follower. Once chosen, a follower’s template cannot be changed.
The Aggressive Follower
Aggressive followers are focused on attacks and depleting enemy resources. They are somewhat tougher than other followers because they put themselves in harm’s way more often and are more likely attack an enemy target.
Defenses: An aggressive follower gains a +2 bonus to Fortitude Defense.
Base Attack Bonus: An aggressive follower uses the soldier class’s base attack bonus progression.
Ability Scores: An aggressive follower gains a +2 bonus to Strength or Constitution (your choice).
Trained Skills: Aggressive followers are trained in Endurance.
Feats: Aggressive followers gain the Weapon Proficiency (pistols) feat.
The Defensive Follower
Defensive followers specialize in protecting themselves from damage and, similarly, holding a defensive position. Defensive followers make excellent support fighters, laying down suppression fire or helping to hold a corridor against an invading force.
Defenses: A defensive follower gains a +2 bonus to Reflex Defense.
Base Attack Bonus: A defensive follower uses the scoundrel class’s base attack bonus progression.
Ability Scores: A defensive follower gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity or Wisdom (your choice).
Trained Skills: Defensive followers are trained in Endurance.
Feats: Defensive followers gain either the Armor Proficiency (light) feat or the Improved Defenses feat.
The Utility Follower
Utility followers are typically skilled in several areas, allowing them to contribute to a variety of situations where skill checks are called for. Utility followers might be demolitions experts, slicers, saboteurs, or any number of other professions that rely on skills to excel.
Defenses: A utility follower gains a +2 bonus to Will Defense.
Base Attack Bonus: A utility follower uses the scoundrel class’s base attack bonus progression.
Ability Scores: A utility follower gains a +2 bonus to Intelligence or Charisma (your choice).
Trained Skills: Utility followers are trained in one skill of your choice (except for Magery, Nanite Control, or Psionics).
Feats: Utility followers gain either the Armor Proficiency (light) feat or the Weapon Proficiency (pistols) feat (your choice at time of follower creation).
Follower Actions
Unlike normal NPCs, followers have a limited array of actions that they can perform on any given round. They depend on you, the hero, to direct them.
Followers act on your initiative count and take actions based on the actions you choose to give them. Below is a summary of actions your followers can take (along with the action cost to you), both in character-scale combat and in vehicle and starship combat.
You must have line of sight to your follower or be in communications with your follower to be able to use any of the actions below. Other talents related to followers might have their own action or range requirements, as well.
Standard Actions
You can give up your standard action to let one of your followers take a standard action of its own. On any round in which a follower does not take a standard action (that is, if you do not grant that follower a standard action from the list below or from a talent-granted ability), that follower is considered to be fighting defensively as their standard action.
As a standard action, you can cause one of your followers to take one of the following actions:
Attack: The follower makes a melee or ranged attack against a legal target. Followers can use weapons set on different settings – such as autofire or stun – as normal.
Aid Another: The follower uses the aid another action as normal.
Charge: The follower makes a charge attack against a legal target.
Fight Defensively: The follower takes the fight defensively action as normal (it can still make attacks of opportunity).
Retrieve a Concealed Item: The follower retrieves an item concealed with the Stealth skill from his or her person.
Use Special Ability: If you have a talent that allows one of your followers to use a special ability as a standard action, it can do so.
Use Spell, Power, or Nanite Ability: If your follower has the ability to use spells, powers, or nanite abilities, you can give them the chance to do so as a standard action.
Move Actions
As a move action, you can allow your followers to take one of the following actions:
Draw or Holster a Weapon: When you use a move action to draw or holster a weapon, each of your followers can do the same. You can also use the action to let one of more of your followers draw or holster a weapon, even if you do not.
Manipulate an Item: Each of your followers can pick up an item, load a weapon, open or close a door, or move a heavy object.
Move With You: When you take a move action to move, stand up, or withdraw, each of your followers can move up to their speed, stand up, or withdraw as normal. You can use the action to let one or more of your followers perform these actions, even if you do not.
Swift Actions
As a swift action, you can allow your followers to take one of the following actions:
Activate an Item: When you use a swift action to activate an item, each of your followers can do the same. You can use the action to let one or more of your followers activate an item, even if you do not.
Drop an Item: When you use a swift action to drop an item, each of your followers can do the same. you can use the action to let one or more of your followers drop an item, even if you do not.
Fall Prone: When you use a swift action to fall prone, each of your followers can do the same. You can use the action to let one or more of your followers fall prone, even if you do not.
Recover: When you use three swift actions to recover in the same round or on consecutive rounds, each of your followers can do the same. You can use the actions to let one or more of your followers recover, even if you do not.
Switch Weapon Mode: When you use a swift action to switch weapon mode, each of your followers can do the same. You can use the action to let one or more of your followers switch weapon mode, even if you do not.
Full-Round Actions
As a full-round action, you can allow your followers to take the following action:
Run: When you take a full-round action to run, each of your followers can run up to their normal run speed. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Followers in Vehicles
Followers can pilot or act as gunners in vehicles just like any other NPC ally. However, they operate under the same action restrictions as they do in character-scale combat. A follower can take on any role on a starship, including pilot, but the following must abide by the same restrictions of that role that any other character would have. For example, follower pilots must still spend a move action piloting their ships.
Standard Actions
You can give up your standard actions to let one of your followers take a standard action of its own. On any round in which an individual follower in the pilot’s role does not take a standard action (that is, if you do not grant that follower a standard action from the list below or from a talent-granted ability), that follower is considered to be fighting defensively as their standard action, although normal penalties to the attacks of gunners still apply.
As a standard action, you can cause one of your followers to take one of the following actions:
Attack: The follower makes a melee or ranged attack against a legal target, including an attack with a vehicle weapon.
Aid Another: The follower uses the aid another action as normal. The normal rules for the aid another vehicle action still apply.
Attack Run: The follower can make an attack run against a legal target, provided that follower is the pilot of the vehicle. Followers acting as gunners cannot coordinate their attacks with this attack run, since they require a standard action to ready or make attacks.
Dogfight: The follower initiates or participates in dogfight. When engaged in a dogfight, your follower can attack or disengage as normal. Follow all the normal rules for dogfighting. Followers can initiate a dogfight as an attack of opportunity as normal, but this counts as your one attack of opportunity for the round (see Attacks of Opportunity below).
Fight Defensively: The follower takes the fight defensively action as normal; it can still make attacks of opportunity. Your follower must be the pilot of the vehicle to take this action.
Use Special Ability: If you have a talent that allows one of your followers to use a special ability as a standard action, the follower can do so.
Move Actions
As a move action, you can cause your followers to take one of the following actions:
Move Vehicle With You: When you take a move action to move your vehicle, each of your followers can move a vehicle they pilot up to their vehicle’s speed. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Swift Actions
As a swift action, you can allow your followers to take one of the following actions:
Full Stop: When you take a swift action to bring a vehicle to a full stop, one or more of your followers piloting a vehicle can take the full stop action as well. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Increase Vehicle Speed: When you take a swift action to increase vehicle speed, one or more of your followers piloting a vehicle can take the increase vehicle speed action as well. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Raise or Lower Shields: When you take a swift action to raise or lower shields, one or more of your followers acting as system operator can raise or lower shields on their vehicles as well. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Recharge Shields: When you spend 3 swift actions in the same round or on consecutive rounds to recharge shields, you can also let one or more of you followers acting as system operator make a DC 20 Mechanics check to increase their vehicles’ shield rating by 5, up to the vehicle’s normal maximum. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Reroute Power: Whenever you spend 3 swift actions in the same round or on consecutive rounds to reroute power, you can also let one or more of your followers make a DC 20 Mechanics check to move their vehicles +1 step on the condition track. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Full-Round Actions
As a full-round action, you can allow your followers to take the following action:
All-Out Movement: When you take a full-round action to move your vehicle using the all-out movement action, each of your followers can take the all-out movement action for vehicles they pilot as well. You can also use the action to let one or more of your followers perform this action, even if you do not.
Attacks of Opportunity
Like a normal hero, followers that threaten can make attacks of opportunity as normal. However, any attacks of opportunity made by a follower count as an attack of opportunity made by you.
Follower Death
When a follower is reduced to 0 hit points by an attack that exceeds its damage threshold, it dies. However, you can spend a Hero Point to prevent the follower from dying just as you would prevent yourself from dying from a similar wound. An attack that reduces a follower to 0 hit points but does not exceed the follower’s damage threshold causes the follower to go unconscious (apply the normal rules for unconsciousness, death, and dying).
If a follower dies, you do not lose the benefits of the talent that granted you the follower. You can recruit another follower to replace a dead one, abiding by the normal rules for gaining a follower at that point. Recruiting a new follower usually requires 8 hours of searching and recruitment, though Gamemasters can shorten or lengthen this time based on the circumstances. However, Gamemasters should be careful to not delay this recruitment for too long because until the hero gains a replacement follower, that hero is at a disadvantage.