Gestalt Prestige Class question

[Cogidubnus]

By RAW, not custom, can you take prestige class on the opposite side of your gestalt from the one you qualified for it with?

[ShneekeyTheLost]

By RAW, not custom, can you take prestige class on the opposite side of your gestalt from the one you qualified for it with?

This is a more complicated answer than yes/no...

You see, the problem with Gestalt is that the same type of progression does not stack with itself. Thus you can't go Rogue//Rogue for +20d6 SA.

Most PrC shennanigans try to do things like Wiz20//Something5/WizPrC10/WizPrCb5. However, the PrC's simply advance the Wiz casting, in this case, which means they don't stack. So at each given level, you may only advance Wiz casting once.

Now, this does have some uses with PrCing. If you have a class which has less than full casting progression, but otherwise very strong (Swiftblade, for example), you can put the casting class opposite those specific levels which do not advance casting, to ensure you have full casting anyways.

So in answer to your question: Yes, you can, but it doesn't do what you think it does.

[Zaydos]

By RAW there's nothing to stop you from doing it. The trick is to either take a PrC that grants full casting on your wizard side or take wizard alongside one that grants partial casting, swapping out wizard for something else on the levels your PrC grants wizard casting.

For example with Pale Master you'd take
Wizard X//Something else X
then
Wizard X+1//Something Else X/Pale Master
Wizard X+1/Something else Y//Something Else X/Pale Master Y+1.

[Person_Man]

As others have opined it depends on the specific build. But in general, if it feels abusive you shouldn't do it. For example, if you want 9th level divine and arcane casting, go:

Wizard 5/Full Arcane PrC 10/Arcane PrC 5//Cleric 5/Divine PrC 10/Divine PrC 5

And not:

Wizard 5/Divine PrC 10/Divine PrC 5//Cleric 5/Arcane PrC 10/Arcane PrC 5

Even if the latter option is more powerful for a build specific reason. You're already going to be playing a demi-god anyway.

[RMS Oceanic]

Person Man, I thought the rules expressly forbade progressing two prestige classes at once. Your proposed build cannot evade this.

[Kaww]

From what I know RMS Oceanic is right. You can't advance in two PrCs at the same time in gestalt. So straight caster/AniceabilityPrC it is...

[Person_Man]

Person Man, I thought the rules expressly forbade progressing two prestige classes at once. Your proposed build cannot evade this.

Whoops, you're right. Sorry.

[Draz74]

As others have opined it depends on the specific build. But in general, if it feels abusive you shouldn't do it. For example, if you want 9th level divine and arcane casting, go:

Wizard 5/Full Arcane PrC 10/Arcane PrC 5//Cleric 5/Divine PrC 10/Divine PrC 5

And not:

Wizard 5/Divine PrC 10/Divine PrC 5//Cleric 5/Arcane PrC 10/Arcane PrC 5

Even if the latter option is more powerful for a build specific reason. You're already going to be playing a demi-god anyway.

To respond to both this and the OP ...

Technically, even dividing Gestalt into two "sides" is an artificial construction for convenience. The Gestalt rules say nothing about having two separate "sides" of your build, merely that you take a level in two classes each time you level.

There is absolutely no difference between

Wizard 2 // Swashbuckler 2

and

Wizard 1 / Swashbuckler 1 // Swashbuckler 1 / Wizard 1

except that the former is easier to read and mentally process.