Followers: What Makes Them Different

A follower is an NPC who takes orders from a PC and follows their lead. Usually people, but well-trained beasts, bound spirits, and sentient artifacts qualify too.

Three things distinguish them from other NPCs:

• They generally do as their PC says
• They can accumulate Loyalty that makes them easier to lead
• When directed to act, they can trigger player moves on the PC's behalf

Followers have a full sheet, much like monsters: tags, HP, armor, damage die, instinct, optional GM moves. Plus two unique stats:

• Cost — what keeps them following. A few words like coin, recognition, affection, training, amusement, progress toward a goal. When the PC pays it, the follower holds +1 Loyalty.
• Loyalty — currency the follower holds, the PC spends. Max 3.

When you direct your follower to do something that would trigger a player move, and they do it, they trigger the move. You roll for them. Instead of +STAT:

• +1 if a relevant tag or move applies (+2 if also exceptional)
• +0 if no tag or move applies
• disadvantage if any tag would actively get in the way

When a follower acts on their own or without orders, the GM decides what they do and how it goes.

Followers don't have access to the PC's playbook moves. The Marshal can order their crew to give a rousing speech, but it won't trigger We Happy Few.

When you pay your follower's cost and you haven't done so recently, they hold +1 Loyalty. Spend 1-for-1 to have them overcome fear, resist their instinct, or do something they don't want to do (as long as it's not abhorrent or suicidal). The player spends; the player narrates what it looks like — a hand on the shoulder, a shared look, the follower just swallowing hard and doing it.

The "haven't done so recently" matters. A meaningful on-camera scene needs to happen between bond-strengthenings; otherwise paying the cost over a stretch of downtime grants only +1 total, not +1 per day.

For some followers, it is — "I paid you, you owe me." For most, Loyalty represents trust, respect, fondness, or just habit. The PC and follower's relationship determines how spent Loyalty actually manifests.

When no stats exist yet, follow the steps: create as an NPC, then assign tags (2-4, mix of useful/problematic/mixed-blessing — save exceptional for the truly outstanding), calculate HP (weak/able/tough plus tiny/large/fated modifiers), calculate armor (gear plus shield/skill/no-organs modifiers), pick damage (d4 not very, d6 can defend, d8 veteran), write an instinct that troubles their PC, optionally write up to 3 GM moves, pick a cost, and equip them.

A monster becoming a follower keeps its stats — just add tags, cost, and a Loyalty track.