Followers: Squires and Seconds

Every hero worth his salt should have a sidekick, a lackey that is a tried and true companion. In the following section, you will learn how to create your own sidekicks.

Categories of Followers
Followers come in three levels, Lesser, Standard and Greater.

• Lesser (500xp) - A follower of this level spends 180 points on characteristics with no characteristic above 30. Additionally, they may choose 4 skills to be trained in with the option of Skill Mastery (+10) at the cost of two skill selections. Lesser Followers may select five talents and three traits from the lists below. Lesser followers can start with one melee weapon, ranged weapon or armor with an Availability Modifer of +20 or greater.
  
• Standard (1000xp) - A follower of this level spends 240 points on characteristics with no characteristic above 40. Additionally, they may choose 6 skills to be trained in with the option of Skill Mastery (+10) at the cost of two skill selections. Standard Followers may select seven talents and five traits from the lists below. Standard followers can start with a suit of armor and either one melee weapon or ranged weapon with an Availability Modifier of +10 or greater.
  
• Greater (1500xp) - A follower of this level spends 300 points on characteristics with no characteristic above 50. Additionally, they may choose 9 skills to be trained in with the option of Skill Mastery (+10) at the cost of two skill selections. Greater Followers may select eleven talents and seven traits from the lists below. Greater followers can start with a suit of armor, one melee weapon and ranged weapon with an Availability Modifier of +0 or greater.
  

Talents
Talents are a vital part of a Follower and, like Traits, will really define its nature and whether it is a skilled orator, bookish scholar, or expert assassin. When selecting Talents, Followers must follow all the normal prerequisite rules; such as having a high Strength or Agility or by taking the appropriate prerequisite Talents. I may also restrict access to certain Talents for Followers if it does not fit with their background. Talents may only be taken once, with the exception of Sound Constitution, which may be taken a number of times up to the Follower’s Toughness Bonus.

Traits
More than anything else, Traits will determine the true nature of a Follower and whether it is a battle-hardened combat servitor, loyal servant or deadly hunting beast. The number and types of Traits a Follower can take is dependent on the Follower’s level of power. Some Traits also have variable levels indicated by a number in parentheses (X) denoting extra armour, multiple arms, or similar things. When taking a Trait, the number of this variable depends on the power level of Follower as noted below and, if a range of numbers is shown, the player may choose a number from within that range. Followers cannot take both Armour Plating and Natural Armour.

For some Followers none of the Traits may be appropriate, particularly if the Follower is largely human or otherwise mundane. In these cases the players may “trade in” Traits instead of taking them, adding instead +10 to a Characteristic (which cannot take a Characteristic above its normal max allowance as noted above) or an extra Talent or Skill.

• Lesser - Amorphous, Auto-stabilised, Bestial, Blind, Brutal Charge, Burrower (1-5), Crawler, Machine (1-5), Multiple Arms (1-2), Natural Armour (1-4), Natural Weapons, Quadruped, Size (Hulking)†, Sonar Sense, Soul-bound, Stampede, Sturdy, Toxic, Unnatural Senses.
  
• Standard - Amorphous, Armour Plating (1-4), Auto-stabilised, Bestial, Blind, Brutal Charge, Burrower (1-8.), Crawler, Dark Sight, Fear (1), Hoverer (1-6), Improved Natural Weapons, Machine (1-5), Multiple Arms (1-3), Natural Armour (1-6), Natural Weapons, Quadruped, Regeneration (1-2), Size (Hulking or Enormous)†, Sonar Sense, Soulbound, Stampede, Sturdy, Toxic, Undying, Unnatural Characteristic (x2), Unnatural Senses.
  
• Greater - Amorphous, Armour Plating (1-6), Auto-stabilised, Bestial, Blind, Brutal Charge, Burrower (1-10), Crawler, Dark Sight, Fear (1-2), Flyer (1-6), From Beyond, Hoverer (1-10), Improved Natural Weapons, Machine(1-5), Multiple Arms (1-4), Natural Armour (1-8.), Natural Weapons, Psy Rating 2, Quadruped, Regeneration (1-4), Size (Hulking, Enormous, or Massive)†, Sonar Sense, Soulbound, Stampede, Sturdy, Toxic, Undying, Unnatural Characteristic (x3), Unnatural Senses, Warp Weapons.
  Followers of Average Size or smaller do not need to spend a Trait selection on their size.