Expansion on starting options:

If you can start as gestalt, but we don't presume people will continue on as gestalt advancement.  Instead, the number of potential gestalt advancements would be limited in some manners.  Also Gestalt choices would be limited, as would taking on a first gestalt level after first level.

Acquiring your first Gestalt level after first level.  To take a Gestalt level, after first level, the character must have at least one level in each class which is a part of the Gestalt build.  You are not allowed to learn a new class while taking a Gestalt, with the exception of character creation.

Prestige classes are not allowed to be a part of a Gestalt advancement.

Depending on the scope of Gestalt advancement desired, rules would be put in place to limit the number of Gestalt levels allowed according to their character level.  Options include 1/4 or 1/5th character level (min 1) or 1+ 1/4 or 1/5 character level, or Level:Gestalt 1:1, 2:2, 4:3, 8:4, 16:5 all being examples of how it could be divided up.

Advancing your gestalt levels, two potential requirements.  One, being very strict.  Your advancement of any gestalt levels, both classes must remain the same for all gestalt levels.  Of note this reduces options, and also reduces the effectiveness of using Gestalt options as a way to offer options for players to potentially pick a race that might be more powerful and might be characterized as potentially requiring a Level Adjustment.  The other option would be to simply require that one of the two classes must remain the same throughout all gestalt levels.  An even less stringent requirement, would be to require that at least one of the two original classes must always be involved in any gestalt advancement.

Attempting to cross interperate the rules so characters can learn their "home" systems rules but make translating between them easier for the DM, the issue of multiple Heroic Classes and the their translation is an issue.

First edition is required by the systems to have racial restrictions on multiclassing.
   Per First Edition the GMs job to the Gaming Community is;
 One. To teach the "RAW" for the "Rules School" via Beginners, Wanderers, and Tournamentalists.
 Two. To allow Players of the Guidlelines School to stretch their experiances by creating boundries in the campaign which when the Players choose to go beyond the translation of the character is totaly up to the disgression of the DM subject to the survival of the characters. And allow experiancing alternative sets of Rules, Guidelines, and "Suggestions" [house rules]

One such rule difference between is First Edition racial and other restrictions on multi-classing on

The use of Demi-talent Heroes to allow experianced players to join a higher level party in progress by playing a mundane of a powerful race with an organization position that allows one level of a class to  join a party as a first level in class but equal power level.

Start an experianced player with one level of gestault but when the second level is gained the character recieves the full advantage of both melded classes instead of a second gestault.  This in campaign terms might be because the Character had no guild training and developed as a Wilder. This might allow a Start with less background resources and more powerful getault.






   Gestalt: "Wilder" takes a Hero class melding two different classes.  refuses to affiliate with a guild or other organization, as such can't gain prestige class.  This under 1st ed. is still concidered a single class

   Semi-gestault; ?"Wildroot" (single level of gestalt but affiliates with the guilds at second level gaining one proper level of each class.

   Pseudo-gestalt: ?"break away?" Starting a gestalt path after first level [turn away from guild training and support at some level?]

   Racial gestalt: a Runt Hero taking both a "Race Class" and a Hero Class, gaining some racial abilities along with some hero abilities. [such always takes the lowest hit dice, to balance choice in powers?? what do you think]
       I also had another notion of allowing all runts who gain hp above the one per hit dice to gain racial powers and abilities at some point along the scale as this is not messured by level...?





Dual-class Start Gestalt
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:20, Tue 02 Feb 2016.

   I was thinking of how to use the rules for heroic Monsters in "Savage Species" an could understand why the monster class couldn't start at first level with a hero class and the monster class. I still don't see a balance reason to force the player to go through the whole Monster racial class before multiclassing.  But anyway
 I then thought of a Gestalt technique, give the Player's character everything they are supposed to get for two classes.  but hit them with the set of Negative Level Adjustment Modifiers below.

Negative adjustment levels:
Players Guide to Faerûn
Powerful Races at 1st Level P190
  -1 on skill and ability checks
  -1 on attack  and saving trows.
  -1 on level checks (including caster level checks)
  -1 to the DC for any spell he casts or any ability he uses that allows a saving throw.
  -1 to any constant Armor Class bonus granted by race, such as the Svbirfneblin's constant dodge bonus.
  -1 to racial level adjustment (to make character effectively 1st level)

Then would you have them choose at their next level to either level up one of their two existing classes or buy off the negative level, effectively ungestalting the two classes.  Or alternatively offer the other races to begin with a pseudo-gestalt start, and make that a standard, and you don't need to worry about implementing a negative level.

After the first level, they choose a single class to advance at a time.

Frustrating enough the RAW at least in on spot requires that the player run the Character all the way up to max monster level. then switch.  which if one is playing a runt Astral Deva: a listed monster class you are going to be really high level before your first thief level.



But if you are paying a Negative Level Adjustment on your rolls to get the benefits hopefully this will balance them out.

There is another place that lets you get rid of excess monster LA by buying it off with xp if you had a monster with +2 La you pay off the first at the third level and the second at sixth.  But except for dropping the first monster level to zero Monster classes should add the expense into the progression.  since the classes have levels where no dice are added.
So I would assume at third level you could pay of the penalty the same way.

https://www.rpgcrossing.com/srd/unearthedRaces.html
This message was last edited by the player at 09:04, Sun 08 Jan 2017.