Meichrob7
2020-11-27, 03:23 PM
Gestalt Rules:
To make a 1st-level gestalt character, choose two standard classes. Build your character according to the following guidelines.
Hit Dice Choose the larger hit die. For example, a ranger/rogue gestalt would use the Ranger’s d10 hit die instead of the Rogue’s d8 hit die, and as such would have 10+Con hit points at level 1.
Proficiency Bonus Your proficiency bonus is based on your character’s level as normal.
Skill Proficiencies Choose your skills from the skill lists of both classes. Whichever class gives the greater number of skills, you choose that number of skills. For example, a fighter/ranger can choose 3 skills, picking from both the Fighter skill list and the Ranger skill list.
Proficiencies You gain the armor, weapon, tool, and saving throw proficiencies of both classes.
Starting Equipment Rather than using the starting equipment under the “equipment” section of your class description, instead refer to the starting wealth table on page 143 of the Player’s Handbook. You have the maximum amount of starting wealth of the wealthier of your two classes. For example, a barbarian/rogue would start with 160 gp (the maximum amount of money a Rogue can start with at level 1).
Class Features You get the class features of both classes. A 1st-level monk/ranger, for example, gets both the Monk’s Unarmored Defense and Martial Arts features, and the Ranger’s Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer features. Class- and ability-based restrictions (like a druid’s inability to wear metal armor) apply normally to a gestalt character, regardless of what the other class is.
Ability Score Improvement The Ability Score Improvement feature gained at class levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19 can increase only one ability score by 1. Gaining a feat requires exchanging two instances of the Ability Score Improvement feature as opposed to one. The Ability Score Improvements gained at fighter levels 6 and 14 and at rogue level 10 are unaffected by this change and function as normal.
Extra Attack If you gain the Extra Attack feature from more than one of your classes, they don’t add together (except for the Fighter’s Extra Attack adding to itself). Instead, if you gain the Extra Attack feature from both of your classes, you may exchange one instance of Extra Attack for a feat. Additionally, the Warlock’s eldritch invocation Thirsting Blade doesn’t grant an additional attack if you also have Extra Attack.
Spellcasting Treat both classes of the gestalt separately when it comes time to determining spell slots, spells known, and cantrips known, and add them all together. For example, a 5th-level Ranger/Wizard would have from the Ranger class four 1st-level spell slots and two 2nd-level spell slots, and would know 4 Ranger spells. From the Wizard class, he or she would have four 1st-level spell slots, three 2nd-level spell slots, and two 3rd-level spell slots, knowing four Wizard cantrips and having 14 spells in his or her spellbook from leveling. These spell slots would be added together, and this character would end up with eight 1st-level spell slots, five 2nd-level spell slots, and two 3rd-level spell slots, which can be used to cast any of the 4 ranger spells he or she knows, or any of the 6+their Intelligence modifier wizard spells he or she has prepared.
Multiclassing Multiclassing functions normally, with each "side" of the gestalt being treated separately. For example, if the aforementioned 5th-level Ranger/Wizard wanted to multiclass to Cleric and Fighter upon reaching 6th level, he or she would have to decide which “side” of the gestalt to apply the new classes to. If this character became a Ranger 5/Fighter 1//Wizard 6, the regular multiclass spell level rules apply, and the Ranger/Fighter half would have four 1st-level spell slots and two 2nd-level spell slots, and the Wizard half would have four 1st-level spell slots, three 2nd-level spell slots, and three 3rd-level spell slots. This has the side effect of restricting characters from later on leveling only one “side” of the gestalt. The Ranger/Fighter//Wizard, upon reaching 7th-level, would be prohibited from leveling both the Fighter and Ranger classes because they are on the same “side” of the gestalt.
Tldr: Gestalt characters get two classes and get the features of both as they level. You only get the hit points of the highest hit die class and can’t stack “Extra attack” features.
My character for this is gonna be a custom lineage Kobold, mostly because I don’t need pack tactics (were using flanking rules) and don’t want sunlight sensitivity (were gonna be outside a lot), but want to play a kobold for roleplay reasons.
The for the barbarian subclass I’m pretty locked in on the path of the beast, because the claws count as simple weapons which do 1d6 and let you make an extra attack on your action if one of the standard attacks on your action was made with the claws. Since they’re simple weapons it seems like they’d work with the monk’s dedicated weapon ability which would let them become monk weapons and scale off of the martial arts dice.
For the monk subclass I was originally thinking of the way of the ascended dragon UA, because Kobold, but the Kensei looks pretty good. The claws are part of my class feature so unless the DM is gonna fudge soem rules, there’s not gonna be a way to get +1/2/3 versions of it. However if they’re my Kensei weapon, then I can use the sharpen the blade feature with them.
For feats I was initially considering the fighting initiate ability to get unarmed fighting, as it’d increase my flurry of blows power while the dice were d4, and could be swapped out for a different fighting style once the martial arts scale up to/past it, however I’m not sure if any of the other fighter fighting styles would actually be super useful for this character.
However I’ve realized that we’re going in with two classes worth of offense, but only one class’s hit points. So we’re all going to be fairly glass cannon meaning a defensive feat might have more payoff overall.
I’m also a little torn on how to prioritize point buy and ASI increases. I need to be going full strength if I want the rage bonus damage and reckless attacks to actually work, Dex is necessary for both armor classes and Con increases health and barbarian AC calculation, while Wisdom buffs things like stunning strike and Monk AC calculation.
If all that wasn’t confusing enough, the DM is homebrewing point buy so that we have 30 points to start with, and the cap is 16 in a stat, with that costing 3 more points than taking the stat to 15. (I think 8-15 is 9 points so 8-16 would be 12).
That’s a lot to take in (which is why I can’t wrap my head around what exactly to do) but I’d appreciate any input.
Oh also while I was writing this one of the players convinced the DM to let us start with a free feat so now I’m going in with 2 if that changes anything.
Edit: Right now I’m thinking about going 14/14/14/10/15/8 before racial bonuses. Gonna add the custom lineage +2 to strength, and then since I have two feats available (a free one from the DM and one from custom lineage) I was thinking about taking crusher and slasher which would bump me to 18 strength, and let me slow enemies, push them out of engagement, and then move back so they can’t retaliate after I reckless attack.
To make a 1st-level gestalt character, choose two standard classes. Build your character according to the following guidelines.
Hit Dice Choose the larger hit die. For example, a ranger/rogue gestalt would use the Ranger’s d10 hit die instead of the Rogue’s d8 hit die, and as such would have 10+Con hit points at level 1.
Proficiency Bonus Your proficiency bonus is based on your character’s level as normal.
Skill Proficiencies Choose your skills from the skill lists of both classes. Whichever class gives the greater number of skills, you choose that number of skills. For example, a fighter/ranger can choose 3 skills, picking from both the Fighter skill list and the Ranger skill list.
Proficiencies You gain the armor, weapon, tool, and saving throw proficiencies of both classes.
Starting Equipment Rather than using the starting equipment under the “equipment” section of your class description, instead refer to the starting wealth table on page 143 of the Player’s Handbook. You have the maximum amount of starting wealth of the wealthier of your two classes. For example, a barbarian/rogue would start with 160 gp (the maximum amount of money a Rogue can start with at level 1).
Class Features You get the class features of both classes. A 1st-level monk/ranger, for example, gets both the Monk’s Unarmored Defense and Martial Arts features, and the Ranger’s Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer features. Class- and ability-based restrictions (like a druid’s inability to wear metal armor) apply normally to a gestalt character, regardless of what the other class is.
Ability Score Improvement The Ability Score Improvement feature gained at class levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19 can increase only one ability score by 1. Gaining a feat requires exchanging two instances of the Ability Score Improvement feature as opposed to one. The Ability Score Improvements gained at fighter levels 6 and 14 and at rogue level 10 are unaffected by this change and function as normal.
Extra Attack If you gain the Extra Attack feature from more than one of your classes, they don’t add together (except for the Fighter’s Extra Attack adding to itself). Instead, if you gain the Extra Attack feature from both of your classes, you may exchange one instance of Extra Attack for a feat. Additionally, the Warlock’s eldritch invocation Thirsting Blade doesn’t grant an additional attack if you also have Extra Attack.
Spellcasting Treat both classes of the gestalt separately when it comes time to determining spell slots, spells known, and cantrips known, and add them all together. For example, a 5th-level Ranger/Wizard would have from the Ranger class four 1st-level spell slots and two 2nd-level spell slots, and would know 4 Ranger spells. From the Wizard class, he or she would have four 1st-level spell slots, three 2nd-level spell slots, and two 3rd-level spell slots, knowing four Wizard cantrips and having 14 spells in his or her spellbook from leveling. These spell slots would be added together, and this character would end up with eight 1st-level spell slots, five 2nd-level spell slots, and two 3rd-level spell slots, which can be used to cast any of the 4 ranger spells he or she knows, or any of the 6+their Intelligence modifier wizard spells he or she has prepared.
Multiclassing Multiclassing functions normally, with each "side" of the gestalt being treated separately. For example, if the aforementioned 5th-level Ranger/Wizard wanted to multiclass to Cleric and Fighter upon reaching 6th level, he or she would have to decide which “side” of the gestalt to apply the new classes to. If this character became a Ranger 5/Fighter 1//Wizard 6, the regular multiclass spell level rules apply, and the Ranger/Fighter half would have four 1st-level spell slots and two 2nd-level spell slots, and the Wizard half would have four 1st-level spell slots, three 2nd-level spell slots, and three 3rd-level spell slots. This has the side effect of restricting characters from later on leveling only one “side” of the gestalt. The Ranger/Fighter//Wizard, upon reaching 7th-level, would be prohibited from leveling both the Fighter and Ranger classes because they are on the same “side” of the gestalt.
Tldr: Gestalt characters get two classes and get the features of both as they level. You only get the hit points of the highest hit die class and can’t stack “Extra attack” features.
My character for this is gonna be a custom lineage Kobold, mostly because I don’t need pack tactics (were using flanking rules) and don’t want sunlight sensitivity (were gonna be outside a lot), but want to play a kobold for roleplay reasons.
The for the barbarian subclass I’m pretty locked in on the path of the beast, because the claws count as simple weapons which do 1d6 and let you make an extra attack on your action if one of the standard attacks on your action was made with the claws. Since they’re simple weapons it seems like they’d work with the monk’s dedicated weapon ability which would let them become monk weapons and scale off of the martial arts dice.
For the monk subclass I was originally thinking of the way of the ascended dragon UA, because Kobold, but the Kensei looks pretty good. The claws are part of my class feature so unless the DM is gonna fudge soem rules, there’s not gonna be a way to get +1/2/3 versions of it. However if they’re my Kensei weapon, then I can use the sharpen the blade feature with them.
For feats I was initially considering the fighting initiate ability to get unarmed fighting, as it’d increase my flurry of blows power while the dice were d4, and could be swapped out for a different fighting style once the martial arts scale up to/past it, however I’m not sure if any of the other fighter fighting styles would actually be super useful for this character.
However I’ve realized that we’re going in with two classes worth of offense, but only one class’s hit points. So we’re all going to be fairly glass cannon meaning a defensive feat might have more payoff overall.
I’m also a little torn on how to prioritize point buy and ASI increases. I need to be going full strength if I want the rage bonus damage and reckless attacks to actually work, Dex is necessary for both armor classes and Con increases health and barbarian AC calculation, while Wisdom buffs things like stunning strike and Monk AC calculation.
If all that wasn’t confusing enough, the DM is homebrewing point buy so that we have 30 points to start with, and the cap is 16 in a stat, with that costing 3 more points than taking the stat to 15. (I think 8-15 is 9 points so 8-16 would be 12).
That’s a lot to take in (which is why I can’t wrap my head around what exactly to do) but I’d appreciate any input.
Oh also while I was writing this one of the players convinced the DM to let us start with a free feat so now I’m going in with 2 if that changes anything.
Edit: Right now I’m thinking about going 14/14/14/10/15/8 before racial bonuses. Gonna add the custom lineage +2 to strength, and then since I have two feats available (a free one from the DM and one from custom lineage) I was thinking about taking crusher and slasher which would bump me to 18 strength, and let me slow enemies, push them out of engagement, and then move back so they can’t retaliate after I reckless attack.