Over the summer, I'll be running a short few-session campaign for some friends who are coming into town. I want the game to be memorable, something none of the players have ever experienced or will likely again. Now I could write a campaign full of brooding pathos and daunting spectacle, but frankly I'm not that great a writer. I can spin a solid meat and potatoes yarn, but the sort of transcendent storytelling described in the pretentious GM advice sections of White Wolf games is beyond me. Even if I could, it's hard to care about your character in just a few sessions, let alone have any kind of arc.
So how do I make this memorable? Well, gestalt is cool, everyone always talks about wanting to play in a gestalt campaign, but what if I take this one step further? What if I throw all caution and good taste to the wind and let players make gestalts of not two, but three classes? I started getting excited excited just thinking about it. Gunslinger/inquisitor/monk? Wizard/alchemist/barbarian? Summoner/bard/paladin? Not only do all those sound awesome to play mechanically, each already has a distinct identity based on the characteristics of each of the classes they chose. You're a bard? Doesn't tell me much. Now, a summoner/bard/paladin? That's a story I'd like to hear.
So essentially I'm wondering, (1) is this a terrible idea, (2) what level should the game be so that the players have cool powers but aren't swamped with complexity, and (3) how should I modify the challenge rating of encounters? Thanks a bundle.
I've played in a game very similar to this before. It was an evil campaign in which I played a Magus/Inquisitor/Anti-Paladin of Hextor.
We were crazy powerful, to say the least.
The Zen archer monk/archery fighter/marksman (DSP psionic class) was the sickest.
They could rescue santa claus from the iron city on the second layer if hell.
No, we didn't rescue people...
That was for the OP. :)
oops :)
Oh, to actually answer your question...
Even gestalted, you only have so many actions you can take in a round. The power the characters will have is versatility, if made correctly.
The biggest problem I had with the magus/inquis/anti-paladin was deciding which class ability I used my one swift action per round on.
That having been said, we were killing things 2 to 3 times suggested CR for our level. Just play your creatures smart, and give them good gear and class levels, and it will be a challenge.