Gestalt Characters

[HellHound]

I've run a Gestalt campaign with three players from level 1 to level 12.

In my estimate, they were roughly equivalent in power to a 4 character party of one level higher.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

I've considered running a gestalt campaign but haven't followed through yet. My plans were...

I was not going to allow prestige classes. Primary Reason: Right now, we're pretty much core books only and a good portion of the DMG prestige classes are effectively class combos (arcane trickster, eldritch knight, mystic theurge) anyway.

I did intend to allow multi-classing. Primary Reason: Being locked into a class or set of classes bothers my sense of fair play and would get pretty boring for players. Again, since we're core books only, the options aren't too terribly broad or overpowering.

I was thinking about multiplying the whole xp needed for each level chart by 1.5. Primary Reason: I wasn't planning on changing the CR scale much, if at all, so the PCs would level too quickly by the standard chart. This was essentially laziness in the adventure planning stage on my part.

Quentin and Marie

 

[Krafen]

The prestige class restrictions in the description of gestalt work well. I would not limit multi-classing.

 

[Patlin]

A couple of suggestions for requirements of your players final build:
At least 2 good saves (no Wizard/Sorcerers, please).
At least d8 HD.
At least one side must be a full "caster" (Druid, Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer, Psion, Wilder, et cetera - 9th level spell type abilities) to reduce the builds that are easily eclipsed by "magic".

This is to avoid gimping a character?

Unless I misunderstand you, you are prohibiting combinations such as Warblade/Artificer or Warlock/Scout because they have no 9th level spells. Either of these could work out quite well, though.... Explain why they would be gimped, if you would.

 

[Infiniti2000]

well I had planed to use a 90 point buy from the begining but I have noticed from some of the stuff I have scean on this site and others that might be going a little high. (I have been wondering is point buy the number of points in total or number above 10. I thought it was number in total )

90 point buy is ridiculously high. It refers to a method in the DMG for assigning attributes. Each ability starts at 8 and to get it higher costs 1 point per ability point up to 14, then 2 each up to 16, then 3 each up to 18. So, for 90 point buy you could have something like 18, 18, 18, 18, 17, 17. I personally don't see the point of even playing the god-like character at 90-point buy, much less something as trivial as gestalt.

 

[Krafen]

90 point buy is ridiculously high. It refers to a method in the DMG for assigning attributes. Each ability starts at 8 and to get it higher costs 1 point per ability point up to 14, then 2 each up to 16, then 3 each up to 18. So, for 90 point buy you could have something like 18, 18, 18, 18, 17, 17. I personally don't see the point of even playing the god-like character at 90-point buy, much less something as trivial as gestalt.

I think he is referring to a flat one-for-one cost point buy. A score of 18 costs 18 points.

 

[jason_gosse]

90 point buy is ridiculously high. It refers to a method in the DMG for assigning attributes. Each ability starts at 8 and to get it higher costs 1 point per ability point up to 14, then 2 each up to 16, then 3 each up to 18. So, for 90 point buy you could have something like 18, 18, 18, 18, 17, 17. I personally don't see the point of even playing the god-like character at 90-point buy, much less something as trivial as gestalt.

no wow I like high scores but that hurts my head, the way i was thinking it worked would make that 106 point buy system. I will have to check the rules in the dmg and figure out how to get the results I want or just tell them I am useing some thing else.

I think he is referring to a flat one-for-one cost point buy. A score of 18 costs 18 points.

yup thats it. so if some one wanted to use all six even it would be 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15. or if they wanted they could go. 18, 18, 18, 12, 12, 12.

 

[Jack Simth]

This is to avoid gimping a character?

Unless I misunderstand you, you are prohibiting combinations such as Warblade/Artificer or Warlock/Scout because they have no 9th level spells. Either of these could work out quite well, though.... Explain why they would be gimped, if you would.

The Artificer does get 9th level spell-type abilities (through self-crafted scrolls and staves) just not 9th level spells per day. The Warlock likewise (with the expenditure of a feat or two on Craft Scroll and Craft Staff).

But once the Foresight + Celerity + Time Stop + Dimensional Lock + Acid Fog + Forcecage type combinations start flying around, people are kinda up the creek without 9th level spell-type abilities.

 

[Thanee]

I've been quite happy with the way I had decided to use Gestalt...

- no overly high ability scores (I used 28 PB plus some random increases afterwards for less sterile ability sets)
- no multiclassing apart from the option for a single prestige class (see below)
- when you multiclass into a prestige class, you replace BOTH sides of the Gestalt with it
- no two full spellcasting classes (= class which reaches 9th-level spells)

Effective CR is about 1-2 higher at low-mid levels.

Bye
Thanee

 

[newgrace]

We are currently playing a gestalt campaign and while the character creation is a lot more complicated, its nice to be a well rounded yet powerful character. As 4 lvl 3s, a CR4 still almost killed a party member, and a CR5 takes a lot of planning to avoid death.

Our current rules allow prestige and multiclassing. this is the second game for gestalt for me, and the 4th or 5th for the rest of the group. But our rules state that the 2 sides of gestalt are seperate. That is the class abilities of one side do not effect the other. So if you were a wu jen with fire mastery, your wizard on the other side would not gain the caster level increase. With this requirement we also made that to qualify for prestige, that one side must qualify. So the wizard//wu jen must seperatly qualify for, say archmage, if both sides want archmage. And lastly, he uses this rule sparingly, but the same class ability on both sides does not stack. So if both sides were fighter, you dont gain x2 fighter feats. Same idea with rogue and evasion, in that you dont get improved evasion because you went rogue//rogue.

while you can make overpowered characters, the biggest benefit is you dont have a wizard who cant do anything because he either ran out of spells, or doesnt want to waste it incase a bigger thing comes. Or you end up with a fighter who is great with sword and bow. A ninja rogue makes a really mean sneak attacker. And the warlock is highly beneficial.

i agree with those of you who said to make one side your "primary", and the other just compliment it. I play a dread necro//warlock, and use the warlock as a boost to the dread necro, as the warlock has some great 24hr spells. (Can you say +6 bluff, +6 diplomacy, and +6 Intimidate, for 24hrs, thank you very much. Very handy to "I am not the necromancer you are looking for", or "What zombie, oh him, no hes my brother, and hes just a little slow...") Plus the warlocks eldritch blast is a nice attack without me wasting spells or being in melee.