1 Player Campaign Gestalt Question

[BloodyAx]

I am running a 1 player campaign, and the player is currently a ftr, but I am converting it into a getalt. My question is this: Should I make the enemy bosses gestalts too? Some people say this is the only way to keep things blanced, but I think that doing this beats the purpose of making the character a gestalt. After all, this is only one player.

 

[DragonTurtle]

With one player you are attempting to balance the game against the fact that a creature's CR is balanced against four characters not one.

There is no reason to gestalt anything else in the campaign, unless you are attempting to create a rival.

 

[BloodyAx]

Yah, thats what I though, but some people thought that its only "fair" if I make opponents who have pc class levels into gestalts.

 

[DragonTurtle]

For the BBEG it may work out to have them occasionally be gestalts. Pretty much with one person, it will take a while for the campaign balance to emerge, I wouldn't worry about things being fair until you have worked out your PCs limits.

 

[jeffhartsell]

Yah, thats what I though, but some people thought that its only "fair" if I make opponents who have pc class levels into gestalts.

It's up to you, the DM, to design if you want to gestalt villians. A rough guide we go by is if your PC is 25-points, a villian built with 28-point is about 1 CR higher than normal. And each 2 points is another CR. Gestalt makes a NPC about 2 CR higher because of BAB, saves, HP, etc.

Keep in mind that while the core rules have the class level = CR, that is not a good guide once you get use to how challenge ratings work.

An orge is 4d8+11 HD with a +8 to hit for 2d8+7 damage and is only CR 3. A level 3 monk is not even close to that CR. I'd make a level 3 monk CR 2. A level 20 fighter is not going to use up 20% of a 20th-level party's resources. However, a 20th-level sorcerer is much more challenging.

Anyway, I digress. It is up to you to decided on gestalt or not for villians. In the gestalt campaign I ran I did not make every NPC gestalt. I did make some villians gestalt because it makes a villian a good match with more options; one was an evil druid/cleric with a dire tiger companion. Pretty cool stuff.

For a one PC campaign I'd suggest starting above 1st level. Probably around level 6 or so. Start with low CR encounters to get use to what the PC can handle. I'd recommend that if you are using fighter combine it with bard, cleric, druid, monk, ranger, or paladin. They all get some form of healing. Barbarian might be a better option than fighter when combined with gestalt because of uncanny dodge, DR, and rage. Combining barbarian/monk gives insane movement to run away (handy solo) and he can rest at your option to recover X/day abilities.

Much depends on the style of the campaign; urban, dungeon, wilderness? Hack and slash or lots of role-playing intrigue?

 

[BloodyAx]

Yah, this makes sense. One more thing. I can see that a barbarian gestalt (with whatever class), but the character is really attatched to her full plate AC and her amazing Great Cleave which makes fighting even a large group of bugbears a one or two round encounter. Should I recomend that the character roll up a new character, a barbarian, or let her stay as a ftr?

 

[jeffhartsell]

Yah, this makes sense. One more thing. I can see that a barbarian gestalt (with whatever class), but the character is really attatched to her full plate AC and her amazing Great Cleave which makes fighting even a large group of bugbears a one or two round encounter. Should I recomend that the character roll up a new character, a barbarian, or let her stay as a ftr?

If you want to do a bit of retroing...

ftr/rogue + ftr/barbarian and give her mithral full plate. She keeps all of her fighter abilities plus gets barbarian abilities since it is medium armor and she keeps her AC from the plate. Rogue and barbarian levels stack for uncanny dodge. Plus she gets good skills and better reflex saves and sneak attack. Give her UMD and she can use wands/staves and scrolls at higher levels for magic. Makes her still feel like a warrior but more versatile. Maybe think about the leadership feat at some point. A decent way to play 2 characters.

Solo the sneak attack does not come into play much unless she can feint or catch them flat-footed. Although a wand of blinking does rock for a rogue.

What level are you at right now?

 

[Krafen]

Yah, this makes sense. One more thing. I can see that a barbarian gestalt (with whatever class), but the character is really attatched to her full plate AC and her amazing Great Cleave which makes fighting even a large group of bugbears a one or two round encounter. Should I recomend that the character roll up a new character, a barbarian, or let her stay as a ftr?

If she likes the character she is playing, by all means stick with it. Cleric or Favored Soul would be a good match for the character you describe.