Two levels normally, actually.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Regardless of a character’s Leadership score, he can only recruit a cohort who is two or more levels lower than himself.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>There's a feat in Heroes of Battle that reduces the deficit to your level plus one for regular cohorts.