Three suggestions for cohort motivations

The cohort is a round, full non-player character, with motivation and personality, but unlike most other NPCs, he remains with the party all the time. The cohort is under the control of a specific player, and in terms of the rules, he is an extension of that player’s character – he only exists because the character has an ability that says so. There are several games that offer such an ability, most prominently fantasy d20 games.

The cohort is one step above hirelings such as healers, bodyguards, scouts, etc. These hirelings are usually given very little personality, if at all, and serve mostly a technical role. At the same time, he’s not an actual NPC, being at least in part under the control of the player who “owns” him.

Why would a person with their own personality be, on the one hand, part of the group, and on the other hand, under the authority of a specific player character? It’s a strange position to be in, and maybe that’s one of the reasons cohorts are somewhat rare in roleplaying games. Here are a few ideas you can try.

Includes a new compendium class for Dungeon World: Custody of a Cohort.