An Optional Rule Breakdown for the Stuff of Legends
So you don’t got a lot of players, but you still want big bad brawls rated for a higher number of players.
If you can’t do more players, do more Player-Characters. Or perhaps… more powerful Player-Characters.
Enter: Gestalt.
With its roots in early D&D Unearthed Arcana, it’s a great way to add more options, power, or breadth to a PC without breaking the game.
It’s especially great for when you’ve got 1~3 PCs and you want them to have more impact than just 1~3 PCs. That, or you’re not worried about player count and you want to put up some really world shattering threats that regular, non-gestalt heroes can’t handle. Or maybe just because your players want to use some really broken ideas.
Regardless of why, this is how you can do this with The Stuff of Legends.
Be warned; Gestalt PCs will always be something special, even moreso than a regular PC in The Stuff of Legends.
Method 1: Gestalt Lite
When a Gestalt PC is built, they pick Two Major Tracks and Two Minor Tracks. When they advance their major track on level up, they advance both selected majors, and same for minor tracks. They get the Perk Points of both Facets combined.
This does not give an Extra Major or Minor Action – it does give More Options for their existing Major and Minor Actions.
Expect PCs to be more effective in combat not by virtue of power, but by having increased options under their belt to use round-to-round. That said, 3 PCs are still only 3 PCs, and will get trashed in an encounter challenge rated for 4 PCs.
Gestalt PCs will have approximately 50% more Perk Points. Expect them to have a lot more impact in the world and be much more competent outside combat as well.
NOTE: Using this method, Innate Tracks cannot be gestalted without breaking system math and assumptions.
Method 2: Legendary Gestalt
To build a Legendary Gestalt PC, pick two Major Tracks, two Minor Tracks, and two Innate Tracks. They get two Major Actions and two Minor Actions per round, and their base HP is doubled.
Their Major and Minor actions can be used for either of their Major or Minor Tracks.
As Gestalt Lite, they will get more Perk Points from their facets. Legendary Gestalts will get approximately double with the extra Perk Points from their Innate, as well.
All of the same considerations from Gestalt Lite are the same, but in addition, they fully count as two characters of their tier in combat and calculating encounter strength.
NOTE: Legendary Gestalts cannot use Last Stand.
Let us know in the comments what kind of crazy new concepts you’ve got using Gestalt builds!
