Gestalt and Templates? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Gestalt and Templates? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lord Otaku
06-28-07, 09:59 PM How would you run Templates in a Gestalt game? Would you allow the Class Hit Dice and Skills to layer on the LA? Would that defeat the whole point of the LA penalty?
Part-Human2
06-28-07, 10:36 PM LA first only on one side unless it's from multiple sources. So Half-Ogre (+2 LA)//Fighter 2 but a Celestial (+2 LA)// Half-Ogre (+2 LA) has no Class levels.

+1 LA = 1 Class level. A Gestalt level ~= 1.5 Class levels.

Having LA replace a Gestalt level (both "sides") would mean the PC would be missing out. On the other hand, having LA with Class levels would be a little overpowered but Gestalt is a high-power campaign option.
Erato
06-28-07, 11:06 PM It doesn't say in the book.
But I would think that allowing LA on one side would be broken, because it allows for the one thing that LA denies you: HD (meaning higher max. skill ranks, higher potential CL, getting you CON to hp more times, being less vulnerable to HD-based effects ect. - all which doesn't improve creatures without LA).

Whenever someone allows LA to take up one side of gestalt, everybody usually decides to play creatures with LA. On the other hand, gestalt is meant for powerplay, not balance, so you could easily decide just to go with it ;)

I could actually see a version were you were allowed fill both sides of your gestalt with the same LA, so a half-celestial would take two gestalt levels (instead of 4 regular ones). Of course that still leaves a problem with uneven LA :thinks:
TaiSharShaidar
06-29-07, 09:03 AM I’ve played a lot of gestalt games, my dm is fond of them, and he came up with a ruling that has worked well for us. He doesn’t allow LA templates for either side, instead he allows us to use the monster class system from savage species as one half our PC. It seems to work ok and not create PC’s that are any stronger then the normal gestalts.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lord Otaku 06-28-07, 09:59 PM	How would you run Templates in a Gestalt game? Would you allow the Class Hit Dice and Skills to layer on the LA? Would that defeat the whole point of the LA penalty?
Part-Human2 06-28-07, 10:36 PM	LA first only on one side unless it's from multiple sources. So Half-Ogre (+2 LA)//Fighter 2 but a Celestial (+2 LA)// Half-Ogre (+2 LA) has no Class levels. +1 LA = 1 Class level. A Gestalt level ~= 1.5 Class levels. Having LA replace a Gestalt level (both "sides") would mean the PC would be missing out. On the other hand, having LA with Class levels would be a little overpowered but Gestalt is a high-power campaign option.
Erato 06-28-07, 11:06 PM	It doesn't say in the book. But I would think that allowing LA on one side would be broken, because it allows for the one thing that LA denies you: HD (meaning higher max. skill ranks, higher potential CL, getting you CON to hp more times, being less vulnerable to HD-based effects ect. - all which doesn't improve creatures without LA). Whenever someone allows LA to take up one side of gestalt, everybody usually decides to play creatures with LA. On the other hand, gestalt is meant for powerplay, not balance, so you could easily decide just to go with it ;) I could actually see a version were you were allowed fill both sides of your gestalt with the same LA, so a half-celestial would take two gestalt levels (instead of 4 regular ones). Of course that still leaves a problem with uneven LA :thinks:
TaiSharShaidar 06-29-07, 09:03 AM	I’ve played a lot of gestalt games, my dm is fond of them, and he came up with a ruling that has worked well for us. He doesn’t allow LA templates for either side, instead he allows us to use the monster class system from savage species as one half our PC. It seems to work ok and not create PC’s that are any stronger then the normal gestalts.