Gestalt Monsters: A Question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Gestalt Monsters: A Question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Platonix
06-08-06, 11:22 PM In my games, we've been using Gestalt and letting people take monster races. I've been using the "monster class" rules from Savage Species and letting people gestalt the monster classes with other things. For example, a pixie is ECL 5, so at fifth level under gestalt rules a pixie cleric would be CLR5/PIX5. I haven't seen anything saying monster classes take up both halves of a gestalt level; if I'm mistaken that this is possible, please correct me.

The problem you run into with this, and the question I'm here to ask, is how many hit dice does that pixie cleric have? Pixies only have one hit die for the entirely of their five levels in their monster class, because pixies have a +4 level adjustment. But, as a cleric, the character would have been getting hit dice at each level.

Do we treat this the usual gestalt way, saying "a Gestalt Fighter/Wizard gets the Fighter's d10 rather than the Wizard's d4, so a Cleric/Pixie gets the Cleric's d8 rather than the Pixie's nothing"? This strikes my players as unbalancing, even in the context of a gestalt campaign. A compromise has been proposed where you only get half as many extra hit dice; so a CLR5/PIX5 would have three hit dice.

Opinions?
FatMonkey13
06-09-06, 12:56 PM I think "a Cleric/Pixie gets the Cleric's d8 rather than the Pixie's nothin" is the way to do it (Though Racial HD is still racial hit die so abilities that are dependant on racial hit die do not get this bonus). After all a Wizard Barbarian gets d12 instead of d4
strenoth
06-09-06, 07:12 PM No official word, but I do it the way you describe too.

soem people cut the total LA in half, but then make the LA count against both sides. Thus a gestalt Drow (normally LA+2) woudl be LA+1, so at level 4, woudl ahve 3 gestalted class levels and 1 level of LA
Korone
06-09-06, 09:01 PM I personally use full LA, but I let them have HD at each level.
That's making strong character, sure, but it's gestalt after all.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Platonix 06-08-06, 11:22 PM	In my games, we've been using Gestalt and letting people take monster races. I've been using the "monster class" rules from Savage Species and letting people gestalt the monster classes with other things. For example, a pixie is ECL 5, so at fifth level under gestalt rules a pixie cleric would be CLR5/PIX5. I haven't seen anything saying monster classes take up both halves of a gestalt level; if I'm mistaken that this is possible, please correct me. The problem you run into with this, and the question I'm here to ask, is how many hit dice does that pixie cleric have? Pixies only have one hit die for the entirely of their five levels in their monster class, because pixies have a +4 level adjustment. But, as a cleric, the character would have been getting hit dice at each level. Do we treat this the usual gestalt way, saying "a Gestalt Fighter/Wizard gets the Fighter's d10 rather than the Wizard's d4, so a Cleric/Pixie gets the Cleric's d8 rather than the Pixie's nothing"? This strikes my players as unbalancing, even in the context of a gestalt campaign. A compromise has been proposed where you only get half as many extra hit dice; so a CLR5/PIX5 would have three hit dice. Opinions?
FatMonkey13 06-09-06, 12:56 PM	I think "a Cleric/Pixie gets the Cleric's d8 rather than the Pixie's nothin" is the way to do it (Though Racial HD is still racial hit die so abilities that are dependant on racial hit die do not get this bonus). After all a Wizard Barbarian gets d12 instead of d4
strenoth 06-09-06, 07:12 PM	No official word, but I do it the way you describe too. soem people cut the total LA in half, but then make the LA count against both sides. Thus a gestalt Drow (normally LA+2) woudl be LA+1, so at level 4, woudl ahve 3 gestalted class levels and 1 level of LA
Korone 06-09-06, 09:01 PM	I personally use full LA, but I let them have HD at each level. That's making strong character, sure, but it's gestalt after all.