Nonspellcasting-only Gestalt?

[LOTRfan]

Hi, I just read about Gestalt Characters, and I want to know if this proposal was a good idea, or the worst ever: Since spellcasters will vastly overpower nonspellcasters at higher levels, would allowing nonspellcasting characters to be gestalt characters (but only in nonspellcasting combinations) balance it out a little? Or would the game remain unbalanced (either because it wouldn't matter much in the long run or that would make nonspellcasters well to powerful at the beginning)?

[Urpriest]

There's a similar suggestion in the Class Tiers thread that involves letting people gestalt based on their tier. A tier 1 class wouldn't get to gestalt, a tier 2 can gestalt with a tier 6, a tier 3 can gestalt with a tier 5, and a tier 4 can gestalt with a tier 4. Or something like that.

[LOTRfan]

Oh, I didn't know. Is that thread on this forum?

[Urpriest]

This is the original thread on the Tier system. I believe it proposes the variant I mentioned.

[LOTRfan]

Alright, thanks.

[Jack Zander]

Note that most teir 4s gestalted with another tier 4 still can't do anything compared to tier 1s. More mundane class features are just going to be more useless options for a character.

[MarkusWolfe]

What does this forum think of Gestalting with 2 different Greater Barbarian Totems?

[Greenish]

Note that most teir 4s gestalted with another tier 4 still can't do anything compared to tier 1s. More mundane class features are just going to be more useless options for a character.

Well, rogue//incarnate would be pretty nifty. Warlock//barbarian could be cool too.

[Morph Bark]

Gestalting two similar non-spellcasting classes would likely enough work together with Tier 2 casters.

If by "nonspellcasting-only" you were to mean Tier 1 and 2, then I'd totally Gestalt Spellthief and Duskblade if I could change the Spellthief's casting stat to Int.

[Dr.Epic]

I don't see how that's a bad idea.

[Greenish]

I want to know if this proposal was a good idea, or the worst ever: Since spellcasters will vastly overpower nonspellcasters at higher levels

That's not true for all spellcasters.

[Zaydos]

Assuming no-spellcasting means no to anybody with spells. I'd probably go Warblade//Binder or Warblade//Incarnate.

If it means no full casters. Duskblade//something might be really fun.

If it means nobody with a magic system variant or otherwise. I'd probably just go with a non-gestalt character or maybe swashbuckler//rogue. Depends upon if I could think up a really neat character using them.

[true_shinken]

That's not true for all spellcasters.

He probably meant full casters.

[Zaydos]

He probably meant full casters.

Even then you get Dread Necromancer, Warmage, Beguiler, and Healer which don't completely outshine other people (of these beguiler does make me sad since it replaces Rogue except as a two-weapon wielding meat-grinder).

[LOTRfan]

I meant full casters, I should've been more specific.

[true_shinken]

Even then you get Dread Necromancer, Warmage, Beguiler, and Healer which don't completely outshine other people (of these beguiler does make me sad since it replaces Rogue except as a two-weapon wielding meat-grinder).

Tier 3 does outshine the lower tiers, of course. There is a reason people say 'play an unarmed swordsage instead of a monk' so often.
9th-level spells are broken. I mean, even the Healer gets Gate.