Gestalt Characters from a DM point of View

[Whitemage Bishieboy]

the combos to worry about.

monk/druid-the monks flurry,wis bonus to AC,higher attack damege and a druids wild shape and spells.oh they both use wisdom to uberness too.

monk/cleric-almost as good as above

those are the only truly broke ones.just expect every charecter to be a full caster.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

Why has this thread degenerated into: some gestalt characters = broken?

Isn't that kinda the point? I mean, in the basic rules, no one would be silly enough to play a wizard with a 4 int. Perhaps a gestalt bard/wizard with a crossbow is the same sort of suicide as an idiotic wizard in normal DnD. Just because some combinations are stupid doesn't mean that you should nerf the good ones.

You can't cover your players in styrofoam. Let them play the twinky combinations. Afterall, isn't that fun for them?


I think that regardless of whether the PCs are gestalt, the DM can always find ways to challenge the PCs. Even a druid/monk or a barbarian/frenzied berserker/cleric.

More power than typical DnD. Certainly. Broken? Nay.

 

[jodyjohnson]

We are currently running a gestalt campaign.

Some things off the top that we watched for/changed.

Saves: you only get the +2 save bonus for a good category once no matter how many classes with good saves you take. Then it follows the fractional save rules (every save ends up between +6 (poor) and +12 (good) at 20th).

BAB: use fractional but this doesn't get an artificial bonus like saves so it stays between the extremes of +10 to +20 BAB at 20th easier.

Classes: Limit the number of classes available per character - our limit is 4 total at 20th (and no more than 3 full progression classes). So basically 2 Prestiges and 2 regular or 3 regular and 1 prestige. Mostly so that each character would have some sort of coherent archetype.

Disallowed non-core full classes since they tend to focus more on a character's strengths and increase weaknesses - usually these weakness are countered and more with the other half of the gestalt (main case - cloistered cleric). Plus gestalt as a whole is already like 100+ core classes.

Obviously dis-allow PRC that duplicate 2 classes simultaneously (Mystic Theurgist, Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, etc.) as stated in UA. Limit access to other PRC based on character concept and whether they would essentially allow 'triple' gestalt.

Treat abilities as sequences rather than just tied to a certain level. The main point would be that a 20th level gestalt would not have an ability in a single category higher than a non-gestalt of the appropriate classes (i.e. +10d6 sneak attack at 19th, +12 save max at 20th, Turning 3+Cha/day, CL20 spells at 20th, +11 Fighter feats, etc)


So far the gestalt has mostly just replaced the use of Cohorts to increase the options available to our party of 4. It also tends to dilute the focus on any one game aspect.

 

[two]

Interesting

Hm... interesting.

I wonder if anyone's tried a half-gestalt class, i.e. pick another class and every EVEN level (but only even levels) you level up in both. So, at 4th level, you might be a :

Fighter4/Sorcerer2

And at 20th level you might be a:

Wizard20/Fighter5/Rogue5

Using Gestalt rules for what happens when both classes increase in the same level.

Opens up options, without allowing one half of the gestalt to keep up with the other. So, the dedicated Wizard20/other stuff10 will be the pre-eminant Wizard, even if there are a lot of other spell slingers around (Barbarian20/Wizard10, etc).

Keeps characters focussed, but allows for a lot of flexibility too.

I just feel something like a Wizard20/Cleric20 would hurt my brain too much -- both to play and to GM.

 

[Anubis]

Paladin/Bard is impossible. Paladins must be Lawful Good, and Bards can't be Lawful.

 

[rich]

has anyone tried this with a monster PC? For example, a Minotaur -- has (I think) 6 Monstrous Humanoid HD and a LA +2... would a gestalt Minotaur start out as Monstrous Humanoid(6)/Barbarian(6) or something? then maybe add on Rogue levels to the Monstrous Humanoid side, and have MH(6)Rogue(2)/Barbarian(8)... does this work?
do you keep the LA +2? or maybe start MH(6)Barb(8)? maybe too complicated...

 

[Krafen]

We are currently running a gestalt campaign.

Some things off the top that we watched for/changed.

<snip>

Treat abilities as sequences rather than just tied to a certain level. The main point would be that a 20th level gestalt would not have an ability in a single category higher than a non-gestalt of the appropriate classes (i.e. +10d6 sneak attack at 19th, +12 save max at 20th, Turning 3+Cha/day, CL20 spells at 20th, +11 Fighter feats, etc)


So far the gestalt has mostly just replaced the use of Cohorts to increase the options available to our party of 4. It also tends to dilute the focus on any one game aspect.

I like a lot of your ideas. They eliminate some of the possible silliness while still maintaining the concept of Gestalt.

I have recently started playing in a Gestalt campaign. Our experience has been similar to yours, we have a few more options than we otherwise would and the characters are more survivable, but the DM has certainly not had any trouble challenging us.

 

[Goobermunch]

How about a Ranger/Druid? One of my players is really interested in going this route.

--G

 

[mikebr99]

How about a Ranger/Druid? One of my players is really interested in going this route.

--G

Perfectly legal, and a good idea for a character.

Mike