He can remain as an equal if its RP correctly but it should the NPC choice.
Like what happened between Mord and Otto: once otto was an apprentice (follower) of Mord but he struck out on his own. Still cooperates from time to time but as an equal.
Be careful not to make the "indepenence" a rule per say; once those dastardly PCs catch on. I wouldn't be surprised if those followers close to "independence" get left behind on "guard duty" (wink wink) to keep them in the service of the PCs.
I have always played NPC followers as PCs rewards; if the PCs behave and are rational to them - they remain but no one likes to be abused or used as disposable canon fodder regardless of an arbitrary rule - if he is treated badly - he leaves.
Note: I tend to think in terms of Unlimited Adventures. So, I'm not really thinking in tabletop terms, but in mathmatical / computer game terms.
I would say that the ranger follower stays, and his followers get added to the party. The only thing that would make a follower leave would be some kind of a Loyalty issue (see DMG 36-37).
For tabletop play, this becomes a logistical problem, but if it's a computer game, then there's no problem. However, for both, you're going to have a lot of follower deaths (par for the course), unless you're leaving them home to mind the fort. Then again, everyone dies at the End of the World, or the End of the Campaign (Demonweb Pits?). Thinking in metagame terms, followers would probably be more useful for the Tomb of Horrors.
But not as useful as .... chickens!
They only cost 3 cp each, and they don't do much damage, but heck ... they sure can absorb it!
If you can visualize the UA combat screen, each chicken takes up 1 square, and there's no real limit to the number of chickens that you can have in your party.
(However, like other animals, they tend to go bonkers whenever someone casts a Fireball. One of the advantages of followers over animals. See WSG.92. I know, some people have (justifiable) (tabletop) issues over the WSG)
(*footnote(phpBB:ifonly!)* personally, I think that there is no way that Gary would have let the WSG see print (see DMG.9.ATPADAD) if he was still with TSR : some of the Greytness of D&D died when he left ... it's up to the fans (Canonfire), to keep it alive, and make it Greyter!)
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However, before you SHOP at the Livestock market, or before you decide to ADD all of your followers to your party, keep this in mind.
If you have 10 figures in your party, XP total is divided by 10.
If you have 20 figures in your party (including horses), XP is divided by 20
If you have 100 (including followers and chickens), XP is divided by 100.
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If I've got it wrong, let me know, but I am pretty sure that is how it works.
(Example: 10 figures, 1000 XP. One of the figures is a henchman. He gets 100 XP / 2 = 50 XP. From memory. Can someone quote this?)
I would love to see Unlimited Adventures decompiled and made Open Source, so that it could live to it's full potential (ie. including every single number in the DMG, for a start: personally, I would like to see all of the 11 First Edition books in functioning source code, but's that's just me). Continue in another thread
I tend to go with the idea that the NPC stays until with the PC indefinitely...or until the DM determines that said follower wishes to branch out on his own, for whatever reason - be it a wish for independence, perceived lack of appreciation, whatever.
As Crag said, though, the inclination of PCs to leave their followers behind on 'guard duty' or to 'look after the castle while the boss is away' would be strong, and might provide interesting moments for a DM...
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