Pondering Gestalt -- advice?

[Mercule]

So, we're starting up Age of Worms on Eberron. One of the players asked if Gestalt was an option. My initial reaction was, "No". But further thought leads me to ask myself, "Why not?" This'll be something of a beer-and-pretzels game to give me some space in my normally intensive prep-work for my homebrew. I don't know that I really care if the game is deep or serious. Just fun and easy.

So, I come here to ask: Why (not) use gestalt?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Gesalt classes are certainly more powerful than the regular classes. So the reason why not is because they'll kill the monsters faster and easier than a non-gesalt class. Kind of like letting everyone play a drow character for free with no ECL penalty.

But if the game is for fun, I say go for it. In fact, I say make everyone a monk Gesalt class. By 7th level you'll have everyone doing matrix jumps and all kinds of cool stuff like that.

 

[Karl Green]

Well I don't think Gestalt are that much more powerful... just more versatile is all. They still only get 1 standard action, they still only have so many hit points, and BAB, etc. Some combos are better then others AND I don’t like lots of multiclasses (in fact, when I have run them I have either said no multiclassing and allowed some Prestige Class Features to be taken as Feats, with all pre-requisites OR I have said “one class is ‘fixed’ and you can’t multiclass with it, consider it your ‘core’ class. The other class, your ‘secondary’ class, you can take the class(s) that you wish”)

They are good for smaller parties also... to get a range of the different class abilities

 

[demonpunk]

re

Just read over the "adjusting CR" section in the Gestalt article in UA. You may need to bump up some monsters, which is a little more work.

That, and slowing down play during the first few sessions figuring out how things work when class abilities collide.

Remember, wizards still can't wear armor.

 

[Mercule]

They are good for smaller parties also... to get a range of the different class abilities.

It's five PCs. We haven't created characters, yet, but it looks like: Scout, Psion, Warmage, Conjurer, and Barbarian or Fighter.

You may need to bump up some monsters, which is a little more work.

I'm not changing the modules significantly. This is supposed to be low-maintenance for me. If the players want to do extra work, that's fine, but I'm not doing it.


General note: I'm planning on being something of a "killer DM" and letting dice kill the PCs pretty quick, if they mis-step. Normally, I'm rather nice about "are you sure" and the like, and my games have high survivability even without fudging for the PCs. The players have been warned that I'll being GMing as tough as I can without fudging or being a total prick.

 

[Crothian]

Gestalt are fun. THe characters gain a lot more abilities and can do so much more it keeps them involved in the adventure more.

 

[Karl Green]

General note: I'm planning on being something of a "killer DM" and letting dice kill the PCs pretty quick, if they mis-step. Normally, I'm rather nice about "are you sure" and the like, and my games have high survivability even without fudging for the PCs. The players have been warned that I'll being GMing as tough as I can without fudging or being a total prick.

Well just a note, if Age of Worms is similar to the Stacked City, I think the adventures are very ‘killer’ without any help In fact, I ran one of them with Gestalt characters at the level they suggested (four players, which is also what they suggested) and killed four characters in it… the mods are beefy if you ask me, unless characters get a LOT of rest in between fights.

It was the one where they go to an inn looking for some Wands of Water Control and find everyone dead and then go underground to find them and run into the three factors of the Triad cult. At the Inn, the Werebaboon killed the Monk/Rogue character. Underground the normal guards surround and hatched the Barbarian/Bard to pieces and then later the Ranger/Druid died to the spiders and endercaps. Finally in the last battle, the undead Gnoll killed the Swashbuckler/Wizard

 

[Thanee]

Partially to try it out and partially, because there will usually be only 3 players, I had started a small campaign with Gestalt a while ago.

What I did is to keep it simple, I completely removed multiclassing, that is, you choose two classes to start with and stick to them all the way. Oh, and I didn't allow two full spellcasting classes to be combined.

Works fine. The characters are more all-rounders, which was the intention.

Characters are a Dwarven Cleric/Fighter, a Human Ranger/Warmage and a Human Scout/Warlock.

I simply figure out EL (not that I really use them, just as a rough estimate) as if they were one level higher (and as they advance in level, this 'hypothetic LA' will increase somewhat, too).

Just try it, if you are curious. If it doesn't work well (with 5 players, it might be a bit much ), then you can always start anew... just make sure, that everyone is in the same boat...

Bye
Thanee

 

[DaveMage]

I'm playing in a gestalt campaign now. It's been a blast.

There are 3 PCs:

Sorcerer/Rogue
Monk/Wizard
Fighter/Psychic Warrior

We've advanced from 10th to 23rd level.

At 10th level, an adversary of CR+1 was a good fight.

Atr 20th level, an adversary of CR+4 was a good fight.

One thing that is very deadly is Monk/Wizard and Shapechange. When he's shapechanged into a Pit Fiend - and gets to use all of his monk abilities, it's a very frightening thing...

His AC gets near 60.

Sorcerer+rogue is very effective with sneak attacks.

Fighter/Psi Warrior is loaded with feats - a combat behemoth.

I think if you have *5* gestalt PCs they will wipe the floor with any published module if it's run as written.

 

[dagger]

In my Gestalt game, I made them pick two base classes, and they are stuck with those forever. I am also limiting them to 1 prestige class (campaign relevant) for the life of the character.