Honestly, I'm not sure that it's a good idea, or that an alteration of experience accurately balances the class.

The fact is, with all the additional base classes and prestige classes in existence, it is entirely possible to create a near-gestalt character who uses the normal progression. I'm not aware of any reasonable combination that isn't represented in some way.

The issue is that gestalt doesn't only introduce a new element by which power increases, it introduces an entirely new range of power. A barbarian//sorceror and a warblade//wizard fill the same role but are radically different in ability.


My general rule is that all characters should be made by essentially the same rules. If experience penalties for gestalt characters does work, I'd be interested in learning how well.