Combining Gestalt and E6

[Rolzup]

I've got the opportunity run a D&D campaign for a new group, and I'm trying to determine if it's a good idea or not. My brain's not been at its best these past few months, but this might be just the thing to kick-start it again.

On the other hand, running for seven people is sort of pushing my comfort level....

Of course, these are all adults with families, so based on past experience it probably just means that we'll be seeing four or five people at a given session.

These people all have 3.5 experience, so that's what I'm thinking of using. And, assuming that they'd be in agreement -- not necessarily a safe assumption, but that's what pre-game e-mails are for -- I'd want to use the E6 variant. That's the level that I'm most comfortable with as a DM, and where my own personal strengths lie.

I'm wondering, however, about the possibility of combining E6 with the Gestalt rules. Add more variety, make the power-gamers happier, and generally be an interesting experiment.

So.

Given an open-ended E6 game, with all (or at least most) WoTC sources allowed, are there any Gestalt combinations which are likely to be particularly problematic? Or will the level limits keep things from getting out of hand?

 

[Salthorae]

At that level limit you should be fine with pretty much any class combinations or anything.

I'd be more worried about have 7 people around the table and still being able to challenge them whether Gestalt or not.

My current game group has bloomed to 8 PCs and we just tear through encounters like nobody's business because we basically have 2 full parties: 2 Fighter Types (1 Paladin & 1 Fighter/Rogue), 3 Arcane (1 sorcerer, 1 wizard, & 1 alchemist (PF)), 2 Rogue'ish (1 rogue & aforementioned fighter/rogue), 2 Divine (1 cleric & paladin), and a Monk/Wizard. We tear through combat encounters like they weren't even there, even if they're relatively high CR encounters...

With 7 Gestalt characters your combats are also going to take a long, long time likely.

 

[Salthorae]

@ Sekhmet - I would but we're doing an AP (Second Darkness) and he has tried increasing the # of creatures, increasing the strength of individual creatures, and both. So far nothing has really slowed us down and there are only so many ways to change up an AP before you have to adjust everything in the AP... luckily we are almost finished with it, so we'll be moving to another game soon.

 

[xigbar]

Well, my first thought was that combining a high power variant with a low power variant was self-defeating, but realistically, where else do e6 worlds find people to take on high level enemies. I'd play that game; A combo that is nasty in higher level games is Wizard with Factotum or Warblade on the other side. Not sure how it would be for e6.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I've considered doing Gestalt E6 for my next game, actually seems like a great pairing. You get the versatility of gestalt, but cut out the leveling before too many spells and temporary bonuses and other crap starts flying around that makes higher level gestalt play long and complicated.

Only thing to be wary of is certain classes or combos can do broken things in an E6 environment. I vaguely recall Artificer 6 being able to break the E6 power level assumptions with his crafting ability, for one thing...

 

[udalrich]

I can't see any problems. I can also see it limiting some of the potential problems that might other wise come up.

If a third of your players do not show on a typical night, gestalt will make it less likely that you end up with three fighters and a paladin for your party, which then dies due to the lack of magic. Four players would now represent eight classes, so while there is more chance of overlap, there is also more chance that all the basic roles are covered.

E6 also limits the ability to abuse prestige classes in gestalt. Requirements like BAB +5 and 3rd level arcane spells are much easier to reach when you can be a 2E style fighter/wizard, so you can end up with classes getting abilities several levels earlier than is possible in a non-gestalt game. If you follow the (stated or common house rule, I forget which) that you cannot enter a prestige class before level 6, then you only get the first level ability of one prestige class, which is unlikely to be too broken. If your group is a mixture of power gamers and role players, that will help keep the characters at not too different power levels. (Although gestalt is powerful in the hands of a power gamer.)