Benchpressing In Parhelion

Due to the nature of both Pathfinder and Gestalt it can be an exciting process to balance a game. Below is a tool for Games Masters and Players when deciding on if a game is suitable for their character.

Creating a Game

To help with making sure the right players find the right game the GM can use the following information when creating it. These are simply suggestions and not a requirement.

Expected Pace

Games can take varying lengths, so this is a rough guide for fast the GM is hoping to keep things.

Slow-paced: A few posts a day, probably less than ten. It'll probably take a day or two to complete a scene or fight.

Average Paced: Somewhere less than fifty posts in a day. A scene or two might be completed each day.

Fast-paced: In excess of fifty posts a day, the sky is the limit. These games can see two or three scenes or fights done a day, and are often due to a group of players in the same time zone bounding off each other.

Expected Duration

In the same way that games can progress at different speeds they will last different durations. Please mention how long you anticipate a game taking, but don't feel beholden to this number: life happens.

Game Style

Not every game is for every player, and below are some possible options for labelling the game. Of course, a game need not be just one thing...

Narrative: A game focused mostly on story, character interactions and a social focus.

Explorative: A dungeon crawl or other explorative game.

Skill Based: Rather than a combat focus skills are the name of this game.

Combat Focused: A heavy focus on combat and battling is at the core of this game.

Combat Level

The level of combat prowess expected within the game.

Low: A relatively minimal degree of difficulty is expected.

Moderate: A challenging game, especially if two or three combats occur and resources start to get low.

Difficult: Either a single significant combat where the enemies are very dangerous, or several combats each of which is a significant drain on the party's resources.

Character Strength

This is the category of combat prowess the average character on this quest. See the table below to see where your character likely falls.

Mellow: These characters are primarily not concerned with combat.

Practical: Often more allrounders, they can fight but it's often not the character's main focus.

Potent: Characters created with a strong combat focus.

Benchpressing: How powerful is your character?

The below tables are a rough measure of just how powerful a character is. If you tend towards the higher end of these numbers we ask that you either avoid lower-powered games or respect that the idea isn't to dominate it on your own. Equally, be aware if a GM says it will be extreme you may not have a character well-suited to it.

It should be noted that a character focused on something may well be in the 'Potent' category without being overly powerful, especially if some of their other abilities are below average too. A fighter should be good at doing damage, hitting things and having good AC, after all. Typically, if three or more of these categories end up in the 'Potent' area your character is probably on the higher end of our power spectrum. Being Mellow or Practical doesn't affect this - Potent characters tend towards being focused and often don't have a need for those other categories.

It should also be noted that these numbers represent what a character can do on their own, as a rule, but if they are able to reliably increase these numbers - such as through a Barbarian's Rage or with an Animal Comapion, Eidolon, Phantom or other assistant - then that should be noted too.

Finally, don't worry if an area your character doesn't focus on is below the 'Mellow' numbers - it just means that area isn't something they're focused in, and no character should be capable in every area. Part of Roleplaying is having other players and their characters covering for your weaknesses.

Check your character's numbers below to see where you are. Don't be too surprised if you change which category you're in over your career.
Mellow: This most likely means your build does not need this aspect, or you have chosen to focus on another area. Having a score be Mellow is not a negative or bad thing, and does not reduce your score in any way.
Practical: This number and up is roughly average in this category for a Gestalt character of that level that is focused on.
Potent: This means your character is very good at this area. Being Potent three times makes your character as a whole.

To Hit

The chances to hit with a character is especially vital to a martial character. If your character tends to hit Touch AC instead of normal AC then it should probably be lower than this.

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	6	8	10
4th	8	10	12
5th	10	12	14
6th	12	14	16
7th	14	16	18
8th	16	18	22
9th	18	21	24
10th	19	22	25
11th	20	23	26
12th	22	25	28
13th	23	26	29
14th	24	27	30
15th	25	28	31
16th	26	29	32
17th	27	30	33
18th	28	31	34
19th	29	32	35
20th	31	34	37

Average Damage

Average damage represents the total amount done per round, on average, rather than per hit. For some builds these may be the same thing.
As a note, it is possible to gain more than one 'Potent' point in Damage, each time you exceed the Potent category. For example, a fifth level character doing 43 points of damage would get one point, while one that managed on average to do 86 damage a turn would gain two points.

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	7	14	21
4th	10	20	30
5th	16	27	41
6th	17	35	58
7th	22	43	62
8th	25	50	75
9th	28	57	80
10th	32	65	91
11th	36	73	105
12th	40	80	120
13th	45	90	135
14th	50	100	150
15th	55	110	165
16th	60	120	180
17th	66	135	195
18th	75	150	220
19th	82	165	240
20th	95	185	280

Average Armour Class

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	12	18	20
4th	14	20	22
5th	14	22	24
6th	15	24	26
7th	16	28	30
8th	16	31	32
9th	17	32	35
10th	17	33	38
11th	18	34	40
12th	18	35	41
13th	19	36	43
14th	19	37	44
15th	20	38	46
16th	20	39	47
17th	21	40	49
18th	21	41	50
19th	22	42	52
20th	23	43	53

Average Saves

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	3	7	12
4th	4	8	13
5th	4	8	13
6th	5	9	14
7th	6	10	15
8th	7	11	16
9th	7	11	16
10th	8	12	17
11th	9	13	18
12th	10	14	19
13th	10	14	19
14th	11	15	20
15th	12	16	21
16th	13	17	22
17th	14	18	23
18th	15	19	24
19th	16	20	25
20th	17	21	26

Average Resistances

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	N/A	5 to one element	5 to three or more elements
4th		5 to one element	5 to three or more elements
5th		5 to one element	5 to three or more elements
6th	5 to one element	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	10 to three or more elements
7th	5 to one element	10 to one element | 5 to two	10 to three or more elements
8th	5 to one element	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	10 to three or more elements
9th	5 to one element	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	10 to three or more elements
10th	5 to one element	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	10 to three or more elements
11th	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 15 to three or more elements
12th	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 15 to three or more elements
13th	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 15 to three or more elements
14th	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 15 to three or more elements
15th	10 to one element | 5 to two or three.	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 15 to three or more elements
16th	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 20 to two elements | 15 to three or more.	Immunity to two Elements | 20 to three or more elements
17th	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 20 to two elements | 15 to three or more.	Immunity to two Elements | 20 to three or more elements
18th	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 20 to two elements | 15 to three or more.	Immunity to two Elements | 20 to three or more elements
19th	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 20 to two elements | 15 to three or more.	Immunity to two Elements | 20 to three or more elements
20th	15 to one element | 10 to two or three.	Immunity to One Element | 20 to two elements | 15 to three or more.	Immunity to three or more elements.

Average Damage Reduction

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	N/A	1	3
4th	N/A	2	4
5th	N/A	2	5
6th	N/A	3	6
7th	N/A	3	7
8th	N/A	4	8
9th	N/A	4	9
10th	1	5	10
11th	1	5	11
12th	2	6	12
13th	2	6	13
14th	3	7	14
15th	3	7	15
16th	4	8	16
17th	4	8	17
18th	5	9	18
19th	5	9	19
20th	6	10	20

Average Spell Saves

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	13	16	19
4th	13	16	19
5th	14	17	20
6th	15	18	21
7th	16	19	22
8th	16	19	22
9th	17	20	23
10th	18	21	24
11th	19	22	25
12th	19	22	25
13th	20	23	26
14th	21	24	27
15th	22	25	28
16th	22	25	30
17th	23	26	31
18th	24	28	33
19th	25	29	33
20th	26	30	34

Skills

For every three skills a character has in the Potent category, they gain one point towards being Potent.

Character Level	Mellow	Practical	Potent
3rd	5	9	15
4th	6	10	16
5th	6	11	18
6th	7	12	19
7th	8	13	20
8th	9	14	21
9th	10	15	22
10th	10	17	24
11th	11	18	25
12th	12	19	26
13th	13	20	27
14th	13	21	28
15th	13	23	30
16th	14	24	31
17th	15	25	32
18th	16	26	33
19th	17	27	34
20th	18	29	35

Debuffing

Unlike many of the abilities listed above debuffing is not limited by level, and so we'll arrange this a little differently.

If you are able to do any of the following, add one point. If you can do four or more, add two.

Reduce a single target's to hit, saves or AC by more than half your level.

Reduce a groups To Hit, Saves or AC by 1/4 or more of your level.

Decrease one of a targets attributes by 4 or more.

Decrease one of a groups attributes by 2 or more.

Reduce the number of actions a single target can take a round such by causing them to be Nauseated or Paralyzed.

Control a single target, forcing it to act on your orders.

Manipulate a group, making them act in a non-hostile fashion against there will.

If you are able to do any of the following add 2 points towards potent. If you are able to do four or more add 3.

Decrease a groups to hit, saves or AC by more than half your level.

Decrease a single targets To Hit, Saves and AC by half your level.

Decrease a single attribute for a target by 6 or more.

Decrease three of more attributes for a target by 4 or more.

Reduce the number of actions an entire group can take.

Buffing

As with debuffing we look at the number of things possible, rather than your abilities per level, as many of these are as devestating at levelo 20 as they are at level 1.

If you are able to do any of the following, add one point. If you can do four or more, add two.

Add a bonus equal to half your level to to hit, saves or AC.

Add a bonus equall to 1/4 of your levelo to to hit, saves or AC to your party.

Increase one of a groups Attributes by 4 or more.

Increase the number of actions one target can take, such as via Haste.

If you are able to do any of the following add 2 points towards potent. If you are able to do four or more add 3.

Add a bonus equal to half your level for to hit, AC or Saves to a group.

Add a bonus equal to half your to a target for to hit, AC and saves.

Increase one of a groups Attributes by 6 or more.

Increase several of a groups Attributes by 4 or more.

Miscellanious Modifiers

Below are a list of modifiers that boost a character's rank a little regardless of what level they happen to be.
+0.5 Points

Having a Initaitve modifier higher than half your character level.

+1 Point

An animal companion, cohort, Eidolon, phantom or other combat capable second being. While the damage they do is calculated with the main character's damage, the addition of another set of full turn's worth of actions is a huge boon.

The same is true of any character that can cast a Summon (Creature) spell of a number equal to half there level.

Gaining an additional swift, free or move action more than once a combat. There are a number of abilities that can work with these actions that make an additional one impressive.

+2 Points

Ability to take an additional Standard action more than once a combat.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Creating a Game

Game Style

Combat Level

How Powerful is your Character?
Table: Average To Hit
Table: Average Damage
Table: Average Armour Class
Table: Average Saves
Table: Average Resistances
Table: Average Damage Reduction
Table: Average Spell Saves
Table: Skill
Debuffing
Miscelaious Modifiers