Multiple PCs per playe

Just gestalt instead

>>52774051
What do you mean?

In our group, players regularly get a few NPCs to control in battle, in additon to their characters. The GM already has enough shit to do, so that makes managing combat a lot easier. It works fine and gives players more stuff to do, especially if somebody plays a less combat-oriented character.

Worst case scenario It doesn't work, anything other than that you at least have a game to run instead of nothing.

>>52774081
Good to hear this idea works in practice. I've been thinking about this a lot, and one of the benefits I see is that players could adjust to player death easier. I mean they already have another character ready to go.
>>52774113
Good point.

>>52773961
In the games we play it's not weird for a player to take control of a retired character if he makes a brief appearance as a NPC. Although the said retired characters never or rarely go adventuring with the actual PCs, so maybe it's not what you're asking for.

>>52775086
So here's a scenario.

Half your players call out or simply miss the session. You have 2 players (or 3), and they still want to play, but since your party was in a high level area, they don't want to fight at half strength.

They take over the characters of the missing players and have a good time.

Now they like playing with multiple characters. Would it be a pain to continue this play style or something you'd think would be worth a second go?

>>52774064
In 3.X there was a variant rule where you could create gestalt classes. Basically 2 classes fused together. Like a level 1 gestalt fighter cleric would be one PC that had everything a level 1 fighter and level 1 cleric had.

>>52775234
We don't often play games where this would happen since I actively dislike the kind of game you're suggesting with terms like "high level area".

That said, I have two points to make.
1) If the players like it, this kinda awnsers your question already.

2) The problems with having multiple characters for player often are related with roleplaying and interpretation, but that doesn't seem to be a priority (or at least not the only one). I imagine it would be great to introduce this new mechanic if what you/they care about is strategies to fight monsters, combos, etc.

>>52775304
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm

>>52773961
1 dm
1 player

Best possible game.

>>52773961
I once played a game where each player controlled a pair of characters who were "soul bonded" to each other, one caster and one martial, who basically shared one character's worth of HP and suffered the same status effects or buffs as the other

Intelligent enemies would exploit this by targeting the member of the pair that was more susceptble to their attacks, forcing the player to move the first character and defend the partner.

It only really worked because we only had three players in the group though, and combat with six characters and appropriate challenges for six players was bad enough as it is.