Specific questions concerning Gestalt characters

[Edena_of_Neith]

Ok, I'm going to ask what sounds like a totally demented question here (perhaps because it IS a totally demented question) but ...

I start with a gestalt barbarian/ranger. He's a real loner, raised out in the woodlands to adulthood.
My gestalt barbarian/ranger rises to 3rd level (that is, a 3rd level character, with a total of 6,000 experience points.)

At this point, my character goes and studies at the Prestigious Magical Academy (or, whatever other lame excuse I can think of ...)

At this point, my character learns all about magic, right?

So ...

When my character gains enough experience points (10,000 experience points) to make 4th level, can't he multiclass, taking a SECOND CLASS OF WIZARD/SORCERER?
After all, he studied at the Prestigious Magical Academy!

So, he would be a 4th level character.
He'd be 3rd level as a barbarian/ranger. He'd be 1st level as a wizard/sorcerer (and since there is more than one level difference, he'd take the usual penalty of receiving only 80% of his normal experience, until his 'class' of wizard/sorcerer reached 2nd level.)

Can I do that?

And if I can do that, can my character later take a third 'class' of cleric/monk (the monks kidnapped him and forcibly trained him!)

Thus, couldn't I have, say, a 12th level gestalt character who was 4th level in his 'class' of barbarian/bard, plus 4th level in his 'class' of mage/sorcerer, plus 4th level in his 'class' of cleric/monk?

Couldn't I do that?

 

[sukael]

Something like:

1: Barbarian / Ranger
2: Barbarian / Ranger
3: Barbarian / Ranger
4: Barbarian / Ranger
5: Wizard / Sorcerer
6: Wizard / Sorcerer
7: Wizard / Sorcerer
8: Wizard / Sorcerer
9: Cleric / Monk
10: Cleric / Monk
11: Cleric / Monk
12: Cleric / Monk

Sure. You'd actually be better off spreading out the more martial classes--Barbarian and Ranger--to fit them with the /least/ martial classes, so as to get the maximum benefit of BAB (good from martial classes) and saves (Fort and Ref good from martial classes, Will from non).

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

... Anyone else ...

 

[Jack Simth]

Valid, and depending on Favored Class/Gestalt rules interpertation, yeah, you get those XP penalties (possibly worse) under most circumstances, and definately a lower-power build compared to most gestalts.

If you're going with a spellcaster, you probably want to keep one side "pure" for it - say,
1: Wiz/Barbarian
2: Wiz/Fighter
3: Wiz/Ranger
4: Wiz/Barbarian
5: Wiz/Fighter
6: Wiz/Ranger
7: Wiz/Barbarian
8: Wiz/Fighter
9: Wiz/Ranger
10: Wiz/Barbarian
11: Wiz/Fighter
12: Wiz/Ranger

for the full spellcasting.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Ok, that's fine, but how do you explain this:

It takes 10 to 20 years for a person to learn to become a warrior, classically.
It takes 20 years for a person to learn to become a mage, classically.
Ditto the other classes.

So, my hypothetical character spent, say 20 years becoming a barbarian/bard (wonder of wonders!)
Over the next 4 years In Character, he advances to 12th level and is now 4th level in the 6 classes I described.

In other words, he has crammed 120 YEARS of training and learning into a span of 24 years.

In 1st and 2nd Edition, the greater life spans of demihumans explained their ability to multiclass (and they could not multiclass to this extent, even then.)
But now, anyone can do it. Even a half-orc whose life expectancy is about 50 to 70 years.

A human barbarian/bard could start as young as 15 years of age (most favorable age of barbarian/bard starting ages.)
So, this 12th level human could be NINETEEN (4 years of adventuring) and have the equivalent of 120 years worth of training and learning experience!

How exactly can anyone justify this?

Is there a University of Everything out there for characters to go to?

 

[sukael]

Ok, that's fine, but how do you explain this:

It takes 10 to 20 years for a person to learn to become a warrior, classically.
It takes 20 years for a person to learn to become a mage, classically.
Ditto the other classes.

So, my hypothetical character spent, say 20 years becoming a barbarian/bard (wonder of wonders!)
Over the next 4 years In Character, he advances to 12th level and is now 4th level in the 6 classes I described.

In other words, he has crammed 120 YEARS of training and learning into a span of 24 years.

In 1st and 2nd Edition, the greater life spans of demihumans explained their ability to multiclass (and they could not multiclass to this extent, even then.)
But now, anyone can do it. Even a half-orc whose life expectancy is about 50 to 70 years.

A human barbarian/bard could start as young as 15 years of age (most favorable age of barbarian/bard starting ages.)
So, this 12th level human could be NINETEEN, and have the equivalent of 120 years worth of training and learning experience.

How exactly can anyone justify this?

Is there a University of Everything out there for characters to go to?

By the RAW of 3.x, you don't need any training to take levels in a class. Just the requisite experience points (and possibility other limiters like alignment, skill ranks, etc).

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

The RAW?

 

[sukael]

The RAW?

Rules As Written.

 

[Dark Psion]

When I have used Gestalt Characters, I use a Primary/ Secondary class design. The secondary class is static, 1st -20th level. You can multi-class your primary class all you want, but the secondary class remains the same because it represents something personal in your background, history or bloodline.

Sorcerer, Psion and Favored Soul are good "bloodline" choices. If you were raised on the streets, take Rogue; in the wild, then Ranger is good or had to fight your way, go with Fighter.

Race can also play into it, Elves are "magical" so secondary Wizard works good for them and Elan are literaly made from psionics, so a secondary psionic class is almost mandatory.

 

[Herobizkit]

Geez, judging by the above responses, I've been doing Gestalt all wrong.

I was under the impression that you had to keep the same two classes until you had the option to add a PrC, at which time you chose which of the "other" classes you levelled alongside your PrC.

Mind you, we've never considered adding PrC's to Gestalt, as we found we didn't need to - the Gestalt option made the characters interesting enough.