Would Gestalt characters balance out Stone Age technology? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Would Gestalt characters balance out Stone Age technology? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
SmiloDan
09-28-04, 01:50 PM I'm thinking of running a Stone Age campaign, which will seriously reduce the material wealth of the PCs. They will have to build or make every item they want, and the weapons and armors are going to be severely limited.

Would making the PCs Gestalt balance this out? Or would I still have to adjust the CRs of encounters? They will mostly be dealing with animals, giants, goblinoids, reptilian humanoids, and vermin, with the occasional dragon, elemental, or magical beast. Their competition would also be stone age, but that won't affect an animal or worg much.
Thorak
09-28-04, 03:30 PM My response, as a player, to this concept would be "Righto, monk/sorceror it is!"

Or Vow of Poverty Druid/Barbarian. Dire bear go RAAAWR.

There's plenty of characters to whom technology is more or less irrelevant. They will cause you problems if your players are smart, because they'll stack a no-gear-needed combat class (like the monk) with a no-components needed (with Eschew Materials) caster like Sorceror. Or the druid, whose already good combat abilities would become absolutely sickening combined with Rage and Vow of Poverty. Though I suggest you disallow VoP for the game no questions asked. But a Druid/Barbarian would still be gross.

In essence, you'll end up punishing those who need items while ineffectually restricting their equipmentless friends. Who will only get stronger with Gestalt. I'm not saying the setting's a bad idea, I'm just saying Gestalt, combined with smart min/maxing players, won't be offsetting any penalty.
SmiloDan
09-28-04, 06:18 PM I wasn't thinking of that. Definitely no VoP. It would be 3.5 Core, and maybe some Complete Warrior and Divine.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
SmiloDan 09-28-04, 01:50 PM	I'm thinking of running a Stone Age campaign, which will seriously reduce the material wealth of the PCs. They will have to build or make every item they want, and the weapons and armors are going to be severely limited. Would making the PCs Gestalt balance this out? Or would I still have to adjust the CRs of encounters? They will mostly be dealing with animals, giants, goblinoids, reptilian humanoids, and vermin, with the occasional dragon, elemental, or magical beast. Their competition would also be stone age, but that won't affect an animal or worg much.
Thorak 09-28-04, 03:30 PM	My response, as a player, to this concept would be "Righto, monk/sorceror it is!" Or Vow of Poverty Druid/Barbarian. Dire bear go RAAAWR. There's plenty of characters to whom technology is more or less irrelevant. They will cause you problems if your players are smart, because they'll stack a no-gear-needed combat class (like the monk) with a no-components needed (with Eschew Materials) caster like Sorceror. Or the druid, whose already good combat abilities would become absolutely sickening combined with Rage and Vow of Poverty. Though I suggest you disallow VoP for the game no questions asked. But a Druid/Barbarian would still be gross. In essence, you'll end up punishing those who need items while ineffectually restricting their equipmentless friends. Who will only get stronger with Gestalt. I'm not saying the setting's a bad idea, I'm just saying Gestalt, combined with smart min/maxing players, won't be offsetting any penalty.
SmiloDan 09-28-04, 06:18 PM	I wasn't thinking of that. Definitely no VoP. It would be 3.5 Core, and maybe some Complete Warrior and Divine.