You gain a loyal Cohort who carries your banner and follows your lead.
Initiating a Cohort
Choose your Cohort's stat block from those listed later in the class description. Following an 8-hour initiation period, which can be done during a Long Rest, that creature becomes your Cohort until you initiate a new Cohort to replace it. You can have only one Cohort at a time.
Cohort in Combat
Your Cohort is Friendly to you and your allies and obeys your commands. In combat, your Cohort takes its turn immediately before or after your turn each round (your choice). Your Cohort uses your Charisma for its attack and damage rolls.
Cohort Save DC
If your Cohort forces a creature to make a saving throw, the DC is 8 plus your Charisma modifier and your Proficiency bonus.
Features
Your Cohort improves and gains new features when you reach certain Captain levels, as shown on the Captain Features table.
Proficiencies
Your Cohort has proficiency in skills and saving throws listed in its statistics. Your Cohort uses your Proficiency Bonus instead of its own. Because Cohort statistics already include a +2 Proficiency Bonus, you need only adjust skill and saving throw proficiencies starting at level 5.