Much of the first few pages is a repost from the old boards (
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=8281.0)
I intend to get back into updating this, especially now that my group has changed up quite a bit, and I have much more competent players (which always makes it more fun for the DM).
So I've been running a real-life gestalt game sporadically for the last several months. I'm encountering some interesting issues as the DM, that I thought would be informative for any other DM's who are thinking of running gestalt.
The setting is a Norse/Viking world that also draws heavily from the Forgotten Realms country of Rashemen (I'm also running a game on the play by post boards, titled Mythic Sagas, if you are interested in more background). I have four players, three of which are somewhat experienced, and one who is a total newbie, who we have to hand-hold through every die roll. Their characters are:
Male Human Druid 2//Fighter 2
Female Half-Elf Cleric 2//Rogue 2
Female Human Paladin 2//Sorcerer 2
Male Half-Elf Druid 2//Ranger 2 (Archer - newbie)
Now, one of the interesting aspects of Gestalt is that the characters have more class abilities at their disposal. They should have at least some of the following: More hit points, more feats, more spells, more skill points, better saves, better attack bonuses, more damage potential (via class abilities). Now, for this increased versatility, the PC's should be able to face off against harder monsters, and the gestalt rules suggest pitting them against creatures of a CR one higher than the party level (or two levels higher if the monster is mostly dangerous due to abilities that allow saving throws). Mikey likes this, because as a DM I can't wait to use things like trolls.
Perhaps it is the fact that I can see at least the obvious optimization potential in the foes my PC's meet, and have a better grasp of the rules than them, but my PC's are having a hard time holding their own against what should be Gestalt CR (GCR) appropriate encounters.
A couple weeks ago two of my players didn't show, so it was only the Druid//Fighter and the Cleric//Rogue (at the time, first level), along with me occasionally throwing in an arrow shot from the archer, who was "hanging back" (I was winging his shots if the two PC's needed a little help). I pitted these two PC's against a Taer, which is a CR 1 [GCR 1/2] Medium Giant from Unapproachable East with a climb speed. It wields a greatclub, and also gets a bite attack (at -2), and can have 2 slams if it drops its club. It's about on par with a single-classed "elite" Barbarian 1 (14 HP's, Greatclub +3), but I took away it's Hide armor, giving it an AC of 12.
The Taer won initiative, but I had it spend its first round climbing up the edge of the cliff and moving 5-ft toward the PC's, putting a little distance between itself and the ledge, and then it smeared a stench oil on itself (would have sickened the PC's, but they both made their saves).
The Druid//Fighter moves in and misses with a sickle attack.
The Cleric//Rogue moves in and... doesn't flank; she also misses.
The taer misses the druid with his club, but nails him with a bite for 5 damage.
The druid misses, the rogue hits for one damage, still not flanking.
The taer knocks the cleric//rogue down with a bashing strike from his club, putting the rogue at -2 HP's or so.
The Druid CLW's the Rogue, and someone damages the taer for 4 points.
The taer deals some more major hurt to both PC's, and I have the archer wing an arrow in from the back (he was "watching the back trail"), and it rolls a nat 15, hitting for 5 and dropping the taer to 4 HP's
The taer retreats back down his cliff-side.
Now, I realize the PC's did have some crappy rolls, and the Taer had one really good damage roll, dropping the Cleric//Rogue from full health to dying in one hit, but they seemed to have quite a hard time with what should have been a level-appropriate encounter. It actually was their second encounter of the day, but the first one didn't use up any resources except perhaps an arrow or two. I'm starting to worry about pitting my PC's against more than a single gestalt-level-appropriate battle in a given game day.
Which brings us to last night. Three Players show, with me half-assing the Druid-Fighter's sickle attacks, along with a Lesser Vigor or two, and a Produce Flame. They are second level characters by now. So, four 2nd level gestalt characters up against an Uthraiki (a Large, ape-like, CR 3 [GCR 2] shapechanger than can assume the form of medium and small humanoids). They come across a boy crying in the woods beside his parents' corpses. He says a troll killed his parents and ripped off their arms. The PC's see the trolls tracks cross paths with the unfortunate travelers, but don't investigate off the roadway. They decide to take the boy with them, and a few hours later set up camp. Watches are kept, and when the near-midnight-sun does finally descend below the horizon, the child sneaks up behind the one on watch, but snaps a twig under his feet.
He claws at the Ranger, but misses.
The Ranger screams for everyone to wake up, steps back and hits the boy with an arrow for 2 damage.
The Paladin stands up and detects evil - the boy is evil.
The Cleric fails her listen check while sleeping, so I only give her a standard action; she stands.
The Druid//Fighter stands and then draws his sickle as he closes with the boy.
People miss, but the Paladin smites evil. After walking her through adding her relevant bonuses, she hits the boy's AC of 10.
The "boy," now pissed off, resumes his natural form as a free action, a large clawed ape-like creature with improved grab, rend, and all-around vision. His fast healing 2, which only functions at night, heals 2 damage. He attacks the Paladin, hitting for 10 damage or so. He also claws the Fighter, connecting for 6 damage, and starts a grapple as a free action (+14 grapple check), again inflicting claw damage.
The Rogue attacks the grappling Uthraiki, and scores a sneak attack for 5 damage.
The Ranger steps back and hits with an arrow for 2.
The Fighter escapes the grapple.
... followed by several rounds of back-and-forth, with the Large Uthraiki getting Attacks of Opportunity, but now always trying (and failing) to improved grab-grapple at -20, so as to keep the rogue from sneak attacking. It never uses its rend ability, because I feared it would outright kill one of my PC's.
They get it down to 1 HP, and it runs off, leaving a backpack behind. They decide not to pursue. Within the PC's find two wands and a letter. They detect magic and through spellcraft determine one is of the conjuration school. The letter is read, potions are imbibed. The Druid//Fighter notices the creature's eyes glinting fire-light back in the forest (I had said straight-out during the fight that some of its cuts were healing....)
I play the creature's tactics a little dumb, because they either kill it now, or it will just run off, fully heal again, and then demolish the party. They get it down to 0 HP's, and while it tries to maneuver out of their threat ranges, they take it down.
Again, I held back with the gestalt-level-appropriate encounter, the only encounter of the whole day, because my PC's seem... inept?... and I don't want to just slaughter them. I'm seriously thinking I can only use normal CR-levels with these Gestalt PC's, and even then I fear I'll kill them. I honestly think I could have wiped the floor with them with that Uthraiki, even if they had been level 3 gestalt characters....