Gestalt Classes - How do you use 'em?

[Paka]

I was thinking that Gestalt classes would work well for an oriental adventures setting. Mix traditional core classes with either Samurai, Courtier, Ninja or Shugenja classes.

Anyone have any interesting uses for gestalt classes or tales of their use?

 

[Peskara]

Anyone have any interesting uses for gestalt classes or tales of their use?

On RPG.net, someone mentioned that they're good for games with only one player, since they increase the chances of survival a lot.

Also, I think you could make a really great non-evil necromancer with a cleric/wizard gestalt.

 

[Li Shenron]

Well, speaking of roleplay use and not necessarily powergaming use (apart that if you are using gestalt characters, you ARE a powergamer ), one thing that I could think of is to choose for each character one class in which he is advancing through adventuring and the other class in which he is learning when he is NOT adventuring. This doesn't mean to change level advancement, you just use the normal rules. Only that each character is explained as learning and improving in class 1 because he goes into action, he fights monsters, he clears dungeons, etc... Instead she improved in class 2 because when she is back in town she is part of a group which study some field, typically a spellcasting class.

So for example, class 1 should be Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian, Rogue; class 2 could be Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Bard. (Monk is a bit in the middle...) So if you want you can have a gestalt campaign where everyone has to choose everytime one type 1 and one type 2.

Whether this is a good idea, it's another thing...

 

[Paka]

I think you could really make the game's world clear through gestalt classes too.

The world oculd be one in which everyone has magical ability, so everyone is a class mixed with sorcerer, cleric or wizard.

A wilderness based game where everyone is based off of Druid, Barbarian or Ranger.

A gritty urban game where everyone is mixed with Rogue, Ranger or Fighter.

Commoner, Expert and Aristocrat?

I feel like this is an idea whose potential is just scratched.

 

[reanjr]

I think you could really make the game's world clear through gestalt classes too.

The world oculd be one in which everyone has magical ability, so everyone is a class mixed with sorcerer, cleric or wizard.

A wilderness based game where everyone is based off of Druid, Barbarian or Ranger.

A gritty urban game where everyone is mixed with Rogue, Ranger or Fighter.

Commoner, Expert and Aristocrat?

I feel like this is an idea whose potential is just scratched.

One could use a gestalt wizard/psion for Dragons in Dark Sun.

 

[Goobermunch]

I'm letting the party's ranger gestalt into druid in the next few levels. He'll be a ranger 5/druid 1. He was thinking about multiclassing into the spellcaster class, but I decided to try the gestalt thing.

I don't think it will be too unbalancing since two other players will be going into Scion classes and the other already has a greater bloodline.

--G

 

[Pbartender]

It'd be a great way to compensate for a low-magic setting.

Characters can rely more on their own abilities, rather than the equipment they collect.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

One could use a gestalt wizard/psion for Dragons in Dark Sun.

I was considering having some texts that let someone 'trade in' all but 3 defiler levels for psion and cerebromancer levels. You'd still need to have 20/20 caster levels though. Another text covers the same for Preservers wanting to be Ava-whateveryoucallits.


I could make everyone a gestalt X/Psion instead, I guess.... That's got me thinking.

Although it might be a tiny bit more powerful than the 'normal' wild talent.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

I'm in a game where there are only 2 players, and both are good-aligned werewolves. Gestalt helps suck that ECL, because we can advance in a class and a racial class at the same time.

The DM has also mentioned that it helps power-level-wise, since otherwise with just two players things would be much more difficult to scale so we wouldn't die.