Gestalt Rules Help

[Xaragos]

As you are leveling up your character, lets say you have a character who can cast spells. But you also level on the opposite side a PRC that increases caster level. How does that work?

To clarify something like this:

Caster lvl Class (Sorc)/PRC that has +1 level of existing spellcasting class

Would that net the character +2 to his casting level with the associated spells, spells per day, etc that would result from that?

So if the sorc alone would have been a level 8 sorc, does the addition of the PRC at the same time now make him effectively a level 9 sorc with regards to spells?

[GenericMook]

From my understanding of things, you progress each side independently. Otherwise, gestalt would be more fondue and less double-character-stuff.

Here's an example: Say you're a Wizard 5//Beguiler 5. You want to take Incantatrix to progress your Wizard spellcasting, while dipping into Fighter for a bonus feat.

So, you're now a Wizard 5/Incantatrix 1//Beguiler 5/Fighter 1.

Incantatrix does not progress your Beguiler spellcasting. From this example, you'd be casting as a 6th-level Wizard and a 5th-level Beguiler. And if you wanted to continue progressing with Incantatrix, you'd continue progressing your Wizard spellcasting, not your Beguiler casting.

That's my understanding of it, at least, but remember that a lot of things with gestalt are ultimately up to DM fiat.

[ahenobarbi]

No, it doesn't. You can't get the same thing (bab, HD, casting progression, skills, bonus feats, ...) twice from one level from gestalt.

Also DM should be very careful with Gestalting PrCs (think Wizard / Mystic Theurge // Cleric / Whatever - getting full Wizard and Cleric casting and Whatever on top of that...)

[Vaz]

You specifically cannot use Dual Progression PrC's; Mystic Theurge is called out as such.

However these are variant rules, so can be adapted as much as you like if the DM is willing to have his Game broken by 6levels in.

[shaikujin]

Gestalt says you pick the best ability from each of the 2 classes.

Imho, that means if the standard class increase Sorc spellcasting by 1, and the PRC also increase Sorc spellcasting by 1, you get only 1 increase in Sorc spellcasting.

However, if you apply the PRC increase to a different spellcasting class (say cleric/Bard/Druid etc), then that should increase both.

That said, there might be a way if you have racial spellcasting -

Using a dragon for example, apply the PRC spellcasting increase to your dragon casting, and for the standard class, pick up sorc.

Dragon spell casting increases by 1, which then stacks with the sorceror level.

[Vaz]

Not really, no.

Racial Spellcasting is usually listed as a "caster of X level".

If you take a Prestige Class which advances Spellcasting, it states "+1 level of existing spellcasting class". If you have no spellcasting class, regardless of racial casting there is no spellcasting to advance; using the min-maxes favourites of a Solar, it states;

"Solars can cast divine spells as 20th-level clerics". Doesn't mean that they have 20 levels of Cleric.

For a dragon

"A dragon knows and casts arcane spells as a sorcerer of the level indicated in its variety description"

Doesn't actually mean it is a Sorcerer, and cannot advance with a Spellcasting class without actually advancing its spellcasting. A Dragon can take a level of Sorcerer, at which point they become a Sorcerer 1, and even though a Great Wyrm Black Dragon may be able to know and cast as a 15th level sorcerer, the only benefit that has is that it is able to gain "early" entry for spellcasting Prestige Classes ("early" in the sense that it needs to progress to Great Wyrm Age Category) like the Archmage (requires 7th level spells). It can "qualify" for a Spellcasting progression Prestige Class that requires Spellcasting Pre-entry without a level of Sorcerer, but you gain no benefit of it's Spellcasting Progression without it.

In the above example, a Great Wyrm Black Dragon Sorcerer 1/Archmage 5 would have Spellcasting as a Sorcerer 6/Sorcerer 15, while a Great Wyrm Black Dragon Archmage 5 would have Spellcasting as a Sorcerer 15 only.

Anyway.

Dual 9ths can be achieved without Gestalt. If you go for Quad 9ths, it sounds excellent, but the action economy is not going to allow you the opportunity to use all those, even if you can get them all keyed off the same ability (Wiz/Ur Priest/Erudite/Warblade, say). Focus instead of getting more spells/powers available, then get some interesting features elsewhere.

Gestalt is a lot more forgiving, I've found so far, so have fun with some less well known Prestige Classes.