Gestalt LA question

[FuryOfMetal]

I know that you can have RHD down one side, but can you also have LA down one side?

Example:
You could be an Aasimar, would your gestalt levels look like this...
LA // Class x
Class y // Class x

So does it work the same way as RHD?

[Zaydos]

I don't think there is an official way to do it; I think it is up to the DM of any specific game how LA is handled (100% on each side, 50% on each side, all on one side). Personally I prefer to put it and RHD on one side and a class on the other.

[HunterOfJello]

If you're already doing a gestalt game, try to get a LA buyoff at level 3. OR get your DM to let each player start with +1 LA.

[PinkysBrain]

IMO LA should be halved and then put on both sides, with LA buy-off later on ... this makes LA up to about +4 playable, without being completely overpowered at low level (which is something which is easy to achieve with LA on only one side).

[ffone]

LA is one of the silly things about gestalt:

- If you apply it to both sides, it's harsher than normal levels, since you're passing up a gestalt level instead of a regular level.

- If you apply it to one side, it's often much better than normal levels, as LA 'levels' don't have most of the things that gestalt takes-better-of-rather-than-adding (BAB, saves, skills, HD).

I was in a gestalt game where the DM announced it was the latter, and so of course everyone chose a monstrous character and-or piled on random templates.

Since a gestalt level is worth between 1 and 2 regular levels, you could houserule that LA applied to both sides, but is reduced by 1 for every 3, or something.

[FuryOfMetal]

Hmm ok, I'll discuss it with the DM. Personally I'd be inclined to put half on each side to reduce the abuse, although character levels are still more powerful than LA of equal amounts. But if you had an odd number for your LA have 2 on one side and 1 on the other for example

[Morph Bark]

IMO LA should be halved and then put on both sides, with LA buy-off later on ... this makes LA up to about +4 playable, without being completely overpowered at low level (which is something which is easy to achieve with LA on only one side).

This is the way I'd do it. In the Gestalt campaign I've done we did this, though we basically said "screw buy-off, let's pretend we've already done it", so LA up to +3 would be gone since that can be bought off before level 20. Meaning races plus templates together could go up to +6 (or +7, but we dinna do that).

[Zhalath]

"The first step in playing gestalt is admitting that you're going to be overpowered."

Seriously, I tend to put it on one side, but put a cap on how much LA you can have on one side. If you go over the cap, it starts adding up on the other side. Confused?

Well, let's say I make the cap +2, because I hate my players. We start at level 3. If one wants to play a +3 template (half-dragon, every time), that's over the cap, so the next level will be all LA. Let's say he's a barbarian, the smug bastard sword, so his levels will break down as:
Barbarian 1/LA 1
LA 2/LA 3
Barbarian 2/Sorcerer 1 (because I'm bored)

It's not the best, but it can work, if you think about it. And that's what gestalt is all about.

Makes me want to whip up Wizard/Druid, and flip my DM the bird...