Evening out class power levels a surprisingly easy way.

[Dieuoffire]

This idea just came to me. if all the non-full spell casting classes are so much weaker than the others, could you just allow PCs to play Gestalt characters when playing non-full casters? By combining even the simplest non-full casters you end up with something worthwhile. Used as a general rule this is simple and balances a lot.

Could i get some feedback on this? I am actually think this has some merit.

[JNAProductions]

It's called Tier-Based Gesltalting.

The usual way I've seen it is that T4 gets a T6 gestalt, and T5 gets any equal or lesser class gestalted.

And no, it doesn't fix everything-a sexstalt Fighter//Monk//Barbarian//Ninja//Rogue//Expert is, at the mid to high levels of optimization, far, far worse than a straight Wizard.

[Zman]

Gestating lower tiered characters isn't a new idea, but it does not fix it he overwhelming problem that power differences in tiers represents.

[Dieuoffire]

Ah i see. I knew I wa not the only one to think of this but why a 4/6? or 5/5? I could see alot of good 4/5 combinations that would be tier 3.

and is there a gestalt tier chart that shows where they land? (Fighter/Rogue tier 3? etc.)

[Jormengand]

My rough guess for the PHB and XPH classes is:



X

Brb

Brd

Clr

Drd

Fgt

Mnk

Pal

Psi

PsW

Rgr

Rog

Sor

SlK

Wil

Wiz



Barbarian

4

3

1

1

4

4

4

2

3

4

3

2

4

3

1



Bard

3

3

1

1

3

3

3

2

3

3

3

2

3

3

1



Cleric

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1



Druid

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1



Fighter

4

3

1

1

5

5

4

2

3

4

3

2

5

3

1



Monk

4

3

1

1

5

5

4

2

3

4

4

2

5

3

1



Paladin

4

3

1

1

4

4

4

2

3

3

3

2

4

3

1



Psion

2

2

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

2

2

1



Psychic Warrior

3

3

1

1

3

3

3

2

3

3

3

2

3

2

1



Ranger

4

3

1

1

4

4

3

2

3

4

3

2

4

3

1



Rogue

3

3

1

1

3

4

3

2

3

3

4

2

4

3

1



Sorcerer

2

2

1

1

2

2

2

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

1



Soulknife

4

3

1

1

5

5

4

2

3

4

4

2

6

3

1



Wilder

3

3

1

1

3

3

3

2

2

3

3

2

3

3

1



Wizard

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1




Normally, I think that two martial classes strapped together just gives you the higher of the two tiers (though the boost that eleven bonus feats gives to a barbarian is not to be sniffed at), and so does two caster classes (the exception is that the sheer additional number of psion powers is enough to drive a sorcerer into tier 1; rare is the day when the sorcerer/psion doesn't have a T1-appropriate response to the situation). Rogue is the great equaliser, allowing you to combine powerful skills with powerful whatever else you were doing so that you have a response worthy of a T3 both to fighting (which is augmented by however many d6s of nastiness the rogue's giving you, allowing someone who might previously have fought at a T5 level to have a chance of fighting at a T4 level) and to skills.

Really, though, a better answer is just to get people to choose appropriate-tier classes in the first instance. If your party wants to play wizard, cleric, fighter and monk, they might be more internally-balanced as truenamer, healer, barbarian, rogue (with SUAS, monk's belt and monk's tattoo). They might also be internally balanced as magewright, adept, fighter, monk or wizard, cleric, sword of the arcane order/battle blessing mystic fire knight and tashalatora psion, of course. That's far easier than trying to mash together classes in the hope they'll manage something near to what a caster can do.

[Lazymancer]

This idea just came to me. if all the non-full spell casting classes are so much weaker than the others, could you just allow PCs to play Gestalt characters when playing non-full casters? By combining even the simplest non-full casters you end up with something worthwhile. Used as a general rule this is simple and balances a lot.

Could i get some feedback on this? I am actually think this has some merit.
Your idea works for improving "bad" classes to the level of competence, but leave casters out of this.

Full-casters are not more powerful. They are qualitatively different. Gestalting together T3 classes does not make T1 class.