Talya
2011-06-19, 10:39 AM
I've had something like this idea in my head for some time, and I can't think of a way to make it work.
I think some of the tier 5 and tier 4 classes offer things that cannot easily be replicated by just "taking another class." The fighter, as a simple example, is the only class that is going to be able to take advantage of the numerous feat chains that offer so many neat options...but it isn't enough to really make a straight fighter viable. Similarly, I find a lot of a monk's abilities thematicly pleasing in ways that an unarmed swordsage adaptation doesn't do, but monks are terrible
I've had this idea in my head of a "limited gestalt" houserule, for some time, where every tier 2 and lower class is assigned a gestalt pair in a game. In some cases, this is easy. For instance, Crusader//Paladin or knight, Warblade//fighter, swordsage//monk, Bard//Marshall, Rogue//swashbuckler.The idea would be to ensure the classes actually have a fair bit of redundancy and are not shoring up all of each others weaknesses...usually similar BAB and hit dice. A tier 2 class might only get an NPC class to add a little versatility. Sorcerer//expert, for instance. Tier 1 classes wouldn't need the gestalt at all. (Perhaps, for consistency, they all get //commoner. This also allows for a chicken-infested cleric, which is all kinds of amusing.) I don't want people cheesing to stack synergistic abilities like in a normal gestalt game, so one side of the gestalt would need to be entirely out of the player's control. This could allow me to give people a lot more flexibility in their character builds, while at the same time giving me a bit of control over their relative balance. I could also favor gestalt classes that fit the concept. A more martial oriented sorcerer might get warrior instead of expert. (Any sorcerer even considering the battle-sorcerer variant might get this instead.)
Trouble is, while this sounds easy, it gets complex when they start multiclassing. The law of unintended consequences ensures that someone somewhere may find some PrC that stacks with something in a way I didn't forsee. Another problem is coming up with something similar for all the variations of class combinations people might pick.
Thoughts, suggestions?
I think some of the tier 5 and tier 4 classes offer things that cannot easily be replicated by just "taking another class." The fighter, as a simple example, is the only class that is going to be able to take advantage of the numerous feat chains that offer so many neat options...but it isn't enough to really make a straight fighter viable. Similarly, I find a lot of a monk's abilities thematicly pleasing in ways that an unarmed swordsage adaptation doesn't do, but monks are terrible
I've had this idea in my head of a "limited gestalt" houserule, for some time, where every tier 2 and lower class is assigned a gestalt pair in a game. In some cases, this is easy. For instance, Crusader//Paladin or knight, Warblade//fighter, swordsage//monk, Bard//Marshall, Rogue//swashbuckler.The idea would be to ensure the classes actually have a fair bit of redundancy and are not shoring up all of each others weaknesses...usually similar BAB and hit dice. A tier 2 class might only get an NPC class to add a little versatility. Sorcerer//expert, for instance. Tier 1 classes wouldn't need the gestalt at all. (Perhaps, for consistency, they all get //commoner. This also allows for a chicken-infested cleric, which is all kinds of amusing.) I don't want people cheesing to stack synergistic abilities like in a normal gestalt game, so one side of the gestalt would need to be entirely out of the player's control. This could allow me to give people a lot more flexibility in their character builds, while at the same time giving me a bit of control over their relative balance. I could also favor gestalt classes that fit the concept. A more martial oriented sorcerer might get warrior instead of expert. (Any sorcerer even considering the battle-sorcerer variant might get this instead.)
Trouble is, while this sounds easy, it gets complex when they start multiclassing. The law of unintended consequences ensures that someone somewhere may find some PrC that stacks with something in a way I didn't forsee. Another problem is coming up with something similar for all the variations of class combinations people might pick.
Thoughts, suggestions?