Cohort Motivations (2016)

From publisher blurb:

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.

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.