Followers

In several games (particularly D&D and it's clones), as you advance in levels, you obtain followers.

This, I think, is a great idea. It gives you a new "toy" to play with, ties you explicitly to the setting, and is literally a game changer. You're no longer a schmuck delving dungeons, you're a lord or lady with new problems and new abilities. The rules are telling you, "Good job! Let's change it up!"

The problem with this is that it's just not supported in the materials. How many 9th+ level published adventures have you seen where you're already established in a keep, have followers, and are expected to use them to complete the module? I haven't seen any. I'm sure they exist, but I doubt that WotC (or TSR before them) or even the more prominent 3rd publishers wrote them.

Instead, what you get are bigger monsters, harder puzzles, and save or die traps.

Don't get me wrong, I think there's a time and place for that. But I think those types of adventures should be saved to change up the domain style adventures, not the other way around.

I get that it may be tough to write something like this. You've already (theoretically) carved your place out in the world. You may have resources (or not) that make it hard to plan for.

But you get the same thing with lower levels and dungeon delves. Who cares where the adventure takes place? You're all just hanging out in an inn anyway. And the adventure can't know that you got that ring of wishes (or staff of the Magi or vorpal sword) 3 adventures ago and it's going to give you a shortcut to the end (or a magical tool that renders the adventure moot).

Surely there's a domain equivalent of "so you're all in a bar when..." Can't we just say "as you're feasting on owlbear quiche for the third time today, you receive word of a..." and get on with it? Can't we provide threats to a domain (or group of domains) that are generic enough that they could be set anywhere? Treason? Invasion? Rebellion? Disease? Famine? The dead rising from the grave? Something that you can't face alone, or as a party?

Yes, there are occasionally large scale battle rules. And these are nice when needed. But what about problem solving? What about wizard spells that explicitly reshape the world around you? Or cleric spells that protect the masses from widespread disease, sin, and possession?

So here's my question, folks. It's in three parts. A) Have you ever seen a published module/adventure written with followers in mind? B) Have you ever played or run an adventure (published or otherwise) where you used your followers. C) How did/do you use them?