Mixing Gestalts in a standard campaign? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Mixing Gestalts in a standard campaign? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DevaNinja
02-20-04, 03:29 PM Has anyone come up with a way to mix gestalts with non-gestalts in the same game? An experience penalty? More XP to advance? Anything?
stone_dog
02-20-04, 03:35 PM I wouldn't penalize the Gestalt character, but I would instead give standard characters a bit of an edge. Free improved toughness, 10% more XP, bonus skill feats, that sort of thing.

It might seem like the same mechanical difference to award normal PC's as penalizing Gestalts, but it is a bit easier to swallow in the games I've noticed.

Birthright did something like that. If you weren't a blooded character you just got more XP to make up for it.
aldymnor
02-20-04, 03:47 PM Kaya Kenobi suggests taking experience as if your level were two higher than it actually is. Ergo, when you're level 5, you are judged as level 7 when receiving your share of the exp. Well, that's what I got from her explanation.

The book suggests one or two ECL adjustments, depending on the combination. That actually should balance it. You still have normal hit points, skill points and the same number of actions per round.
Salla
02-20-04, 04:01 PM I, personally, wouldn't do it. I figure there's a reason the section on Gestalt Characters has more warnings than a pack of cigarettes.
Myztek
02-20-04, 04:36 PM You'll never make it balance. The best you can do is have multiple imbalances that cancel each other out some of the time, but result in imbalances on both the too strong and too weak sides during other times, just like the LA system.

If you want the effect of gestalt characters in a typical game, but want their abilities to be balanced, try multiclassing. :)
stranger59
02-20-04, 05:04 PM I don't yet own UA, but from what I've heard about Gestalts, I want to work them into a very specific part of my game world. I want to make a secret organization of special individuals who could take the intense training to become a gestalt. I'd increase the xp to advance each level by 30-25 percent, just so the players could properly savor their class abiltes. I'd be much harder on the characters than normal, but not so much were I'm sure a normal party would die in same encounter. I think with a minor xp penalty, it won't unbalance a game unless your players are a complete bunch of power mongers. Until I personally try them out normally, I won't be mixing gestalt with non-gestalt PCs.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DevaNinja 02-20-04, 03:29 PM	Has anyone come up with a way to mix gestalts with non-gestalts in the same game? An experience penalty? More XP to advance? Anything?
stone_dog 02-20-04, 03:35 PM	I wouldn't penalize the Gestalt character, but I would instead give standard characters a bit of an edge. Free improved toughness, 10% more XP, bonus skill feats, that sort of thing. It might seem like the same mechanical difference to award normal PC's as penalizing Gestalts, but it is a bit easier to swallow in the games I've noticed. Birthright did something like that. If you weren't a blooded character you just got more XP to make up for it.
aldymnor 02-20-04, 03:47 PM	Kaya Kenobi suggests taking experience as if your level were two higher than it actually is. Ergo, when you're level 5, you are judged as level 7 when receiving your share of the exp. Well, that's what I got from her explanation. The book suggests one or two ECL adjustments, depending on the combination. That actually should balance it. You still have normal hit points, skill points and the same number of actions per round.
Salla 02-20-04, 04:01 PM	I, personally, wouldn't do it. I figure there's a reason the section on Gestalt Characters has more warnings than a pack of cigarettes.
Myztek 02-20-04, 04:36 PM	You'll never make it balance. The best you can do is have multiple imbalances that cancel each other out some of the time, but result in imbalances on both the too strong and too weak sides during other times, just like the LA system. If you want the effect of gestalt characters in a typical game, but want their abilities to be balanced, try multiclassing. :)
stranger59 02-20-04, 05:04 PM	I don't yet own UA, but from what I've heard about Gestalts, I want to work them into a very specific part of my game world. I want to make a secret organization of special individuals who could take the intense training to become a gestalt. I'd increase the xp to advance each level by 30-25 percent, just so the players could properly savor their class abiltes. I'd be much harder on the characters than normal, but not so much were I'm sure a normal party would die in same encounter. I think with a minor xp penalty, it won't unbalance a game unless your players are a complete bunch of power mongers. Until I personally try them out normally, I won't be mixing gestalt with non-gestalt PCs.