For me leader is not exactly a spokesman, so even if I put Safana in front to let her do talking, I don't consider her to be leader. I always roleplay that a leader is CHARNAME, as a guy who plans strategy, tactics, etc. So, for those qualites, even if I play warrior I roll intelligence, wisdom and charisma to be high enough for that.
I put my Charname as the leader of the party. I Role play each character to a set personality I have picked or them. My Cleric/Ranger would be different than my Bard or my Thief.
Mechanics-wise, the 1st slot is almost always the bard, high charisma, social skills, yadda yadda.
RP-wise, many times the bard is the overall leader of the group, it sorta works that they might be directing the flow of battle while attempting to inspire the troops with song ect.
Other times, if there is a certain PC or concept I'm building around, the bard is still in the first slot but acting more as a majordomo / public relations consultant for the actual leader.
There are many reasons for someone to be the party leader, I suppose:
1- The leader is the most charismatic person.
A party that has a bard, a silent monk, two half orcs and a dwarf might consider prudent to elect the bard as their leader , while the monk and the dwarf (wise and more experienced) may be the spiritual force and take the most serious party decisions.
2- The party's prestige depends on the leader or the party has great respect for him
I fellowship cannot exist without Frodo, and the french army without Joan of arc is but a bunch of average soldiers. In D&D it's common for a paladin to be leader not only be he's got the charisma, but also because he's the one who's blessed by the gods and has a greater chance increasing the party's reputation.
3-The leader has got the the brain and the power
Very common in evil parties, the leader exists because he's the strongest or the smartest.
I believe that you can find several reasons for a character to be a leader, as long as it makes sense that the rest of the party respects or admires or needs him or her.
For my games where roleplaying is not the main point, the party leader is determined by the battle formation.
When playing with 6 characters in 2 columns/3 rows formation, the characters on the first row are usually melee fighters, the archers are on the second row, and magicians an bards on the last row. Sometimes I find it good to gather a melee character and an archer in a row - this way I can use the 7 hotkey to attack one enemy with the row, and the 8 hotkey to attack another enemy with the second row. For smaller formations the situation is similar, and the party leader is usually the strongest melee fighter.
I've tried playing with a party leader that is with high CHA but not good at melee. While useful for trading, it becomes uncomfortable to hide the leader at the back for every fight. There are high CHA exceptions like Paladin or Fighter/Druid, where I find it OK to use them as party leaders.
When it comes to buying stuff cheaper, it seems to me it is only useful in the beginning of IwD. Somewhere in the middle of the game one usually has more than enough gold, and even a character with a low CHA can buy anything.
I usually use roleplaying reasons to appoint my leader. Paladin is beacuase the spirituality, choosen status, high charisma, exemplary life, mainly in good parties. In evil parties i usually start the strongest fighter type as leader, and after the mages and clerics go stronger, change the leader to the strongest and most charismatic magic user. The other naturally good candidate is druid, the sage type like Gandalf(i know he is wizard but you know ) or Merlin is good leader type.
Yulaw9460
Member Posts: 634
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So, for those qualites, even if I play warrior I roll intelligence, wisdom and charisma to be high enough for that.
RP-wise, many times the bard is the overall leader of the group, it sorta works that they might be directing the flow of battle while attempting to inspire the troops with song ect.
Other times, if there is a certain PC or concept I'm building around, the bard is still in the first slot but acting more as a majordomo / public relations consultant for the actual leader.
1- The leader is the most charismatic person.
A party that has a bard, a silent monk, two half orcs and a dwarf might consider prudent to elect the bard as their leader , while the monk and the dwarf (wise and more experienced) may be the spiritual force and take the most serious party decisions.
2- The party's prestige depends on the leader or the party has great respect for him
I fellowship cannot exist without Frodo, and the french army without Joan of arc is but a bunch of average soldiers. In D&D it's common for a paladin to be leader not only be he's got the charisma, but also because he's the one who's blessed by the gods and has a greater chance increasing the party's reputation.
3-The leader has got the the brain and the power
Very common in evil parties, the leader exists because he's the strongest or the smartest.
I believe that you can find several reasons for a character to be a leader, as long as it makes sense that the rest of the party respects or admires or needs him or her.
When playing with 6 characters in 2 columns/3 rows formation, the characters on the first row are usually melee fighters, the archers are on the second row, and magicians an bards on the last row. Sometimes I find it good to gather a melee character and an archer in a row - this way I can use the 7 hotkey to attack one enemy with the row, and the 8 hotkey to attack another enemy with the second row. For smaller formations the situation is similar, and the party leader is usually the strongest melee fighter.
I've tried playing with a party leader that is with high CHA but not good at melee. While useful for trading, it becomes uncomfortable to hide the leader at the back for every fight. There are high CHA exceptions like Paladin or Fighter/Druid, where I find it OK to use them as party leaders.
When it comes to buying stuff cheaper, it seems to me it is only useful in the beginning of IwD. Somewhere in the middle of the game one usually has more than enough gold, and even a character with a low CHA can buy anything.