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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Viktyr Gehrig" data-source="post: 1646076" data-attributes="member: 9249">One of the more fascinating rule variants presented in Unearthed Arcana is the Gestalt Character-- reminiscent of 2nd Edition multiclassing, it allows characters to advance in two classes at once, retaining the best class features of each. This allows for deeper, more complicated characters, and helps make for finer distinctions between different archetypes that may have previously been either poorly represented or overlapped with another class. (The wealth of Knight and Samurai variants is evidence of this.) While fascinating, however, it does not seem to integrate well with the existing multiclass rules, especially the Favored Classes of non-human races. They also allow characters to become incredibly complicated when more than one or two Gestalt combinations are used. In order to better integrate the Gestalt Character variant into the D&D 3.5 rules, I've made the following changes to the multiclassing and Favored Class rules:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Each race, instead of a Favored Class, has a Favored Gestalt combination.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Each character may have levels in their Favored Gestalt and one other combination without XP penalty. (Certain combinations are exempt; see below.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Each character may have levels in a Gestalt of one element of their Favored Gestalt (or their other exempt Gestalt) and one Prestige Class.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> As advised in Unearthed Arcana, "combination" Prestige Classes (such as the Arcane Trickster, Eldritch Knight, Mystic Theurge, and Cerebromancer) are banned.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Classes with multiclassing restrictions (Monk and Paladin) have those restrictions lifted.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Because of both classes' huge number of bonus feats (and their overlapping bonus feat lists), Fighter and Psychic Warrior cannot be combined.</li> </ul> The Favored Gestalts for each of the core races (and a couple non-core examples) are as follows:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Dwarf: Fighter/Expert (Expert PC rules given below)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Elf: Ranger/Wizard</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Orc: Ranger/Barbarian</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Gnome: Bard/Illusionist or Bard/Druid (chosen at character creation)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Halfling: Monk/Rogue or Barbarian/Rogue (chosen at character creation)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Drow: male, Rogue/Wizard; female Cleric/Rogue</li> </ul> Humans and human hybrids are more flexible.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Humans may select any two classes as their Favored Gestalt.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Half-Elves may select any one class, combined with either Ranger or Wizard, as their Favored Gestalt.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Half-Dwarves may select any one class, combined with either Fighter or Expert, as their Favored Gestalt.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Half-Orcs may select any one class, combined with either Barbarian or Ranger, as their Favored Gestalt.</li> </ul>(Half-Elves and Half-Orcs, if they choose Ranger, may also replace it with the Urban Ranger variant.) To accompany these changes, I've had to update the Expert to a PC-level class. I will detail those changes (and my upgraded Aristocrat) in another thread. Because my campaigns make extensive use of Savage Species rules, and I typically allow a wide variety of monstrous races for use as PCs, I've also had to adapt the rules to include them. I've made the following changes:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Races which have monster HD may combine them with one class from their Favored Gestalt (same class for each HD), except races with Dragon or Outsider HD, which are already superior to any single classes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Because class levels are so much more powerful now, races with a Level Adjustment of +3 or higher may subract 1 from their LA for every three full levels of LA.</li> </ul> The combination of monster HD with a single class is, of course, exempt from the multiclassing penalty. To reflect the common themes of the planetouched, they all keep their original Favored Class (except the Genasi), adding either Favored Soul (for Outer Plane planetouched) or Shugenja (for Inner Plane planetouched) to form their Favored Gestalt. I've also adjusted the Genasi's Favored Classes to reflect differences in their elemental natures.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Aasimar: Paladin/Favored Soul</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Tiefling: Rogue/Favored Soul</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Zenthyri: Monk/Favored Soul</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Chaond: Barbarian/Favored Soul</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Air Genasi: Rogue/Shugenja*</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Earth Genasi: Fighter/Shugenja*</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Fire Genasi: Barbarian/Shugenja* (add Perform to class skill list for both classes)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Water Genasi: Monk/Shugenja*</li> </ul> * Similar to their Cleric restriction (which is thus removed), Genasi must select the element of their heritage for their Shugenja class. Also, to balance the planetouched against each other, and in general, I've removed the Charisma penalty from each race that receives it. (I'll detail these changes in another thread.) Unlike members of normal races, planetouched need not select a specific deity for their Favored Soul because of their inborn connection to the divine-- agnostic Favored Souls use the alignment component of their heritage to determine their weapon bonuses. Player characters with templates replace one element of their Favored Gestalt with one associated with their template.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Draconic or Half-Dragon: Sorceror</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Feral: Barbarian</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Celestial, Fiendish, Half-Celestial, or Half-Fiend: Favored Soul</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Half-Elemental: Shugenja (of appropriate element)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Lycanthrope: Ranger</li> </ul> A PC with two such templates would therefore replace both elements of their Favored Gestalt-- the templates more or less overriding the tendencies inherited from their more "normal" race.</blockquote>

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