Ranking Gestalt Multiclass Mixes

[dmhelp]

Just looking at tier 1-2, what would you rate as the top 5 class mixes when playing gestalt multiclassed characters? Make note of if you are letting a double caster get double slots (8 6 6 4 for sor/wiz) or if you use the best spellcasting table instead of stacking slots (4 3 3 2 for same sor/wiz, which gives a big advantage to warlocks mixing with full casters).

Example with non stacking spell slots:
1. Sor/war (long rest/short rest slots, agonizing blast, and metamagic)
2. Pal/sor (smite and metamagic)
3. Pal/war (double smite, half long rest slots, and full short rest slots)
4. Fig/sor (action surge and metamagic)
5. ???

[Kane0]

Nonstacking slots, in no particular order

Bard|Lock
Sorc|Lock
Pally|Lock
Rogue|Monk or Fighter
Fighter|Cleric or Wiz

Im probably missing some combos (namely with artificer) but those are the notably good ones off the top of my head

[dmhelp]

Nonstacking slots, in no particular order

Bard|Lock
Sorc|Lock
Pally|Lock
Rogue|Monk or Fighter
Fighter|Cleric or Wiz

Im probably missing some combos (namely with artificer) but those are the notably good ones off the top of my head

Do you think in a non stacking slots game the bard/sorc/pal combined with warlock is too good (ie you should either let slots stack or restrict warlock gestalt options) or do you think it is comparable to the fighter and rogue combos you listed?

[LumenPlacidum]

I would think that a Fighter Wizard would be effective almost to a silly degree.

It doesn't do you a world of good to stack spell slots from pact magic and regular spellcasting, because you still only have so many actions and you can still only concentrate on one thing at a time. Far better would be to have orthogonal characteristics that complement one another well.

Rune Knight plus really any wizard would be stupid-good. Wizard provides superb utility, the ability to respond to groups of opponents, and excellent self- and party-buffing capability and mobility. These are all of the things that Rune Knights lack. On the other hand, Rune Knight provides a great level of toughness through high hitpoints, heavy armor, and the hill rune. It provides great uses of your reaction and bonus action (to set the rune up). Rune Knight provides excellent nova ability thanks to the ability to use Action Surge in so many different ways.

Then there's the fact that the two together are greater than the sum of their parts. Wizards have buffs that are only even remotely balanced from the perspective that you'll never be able to combine them with high levels in a martial class. Tenser's Transformation is a great buff, which is not supposed to be possible layered atop a fighter chassis. 50 extra HP, advantage on all attacks, and an extra 2d12 damage per attack is ridiculous.

A level 11 gestalt Rune Knight/WarWizard with Tenser's up could easily have four attacks in a round, each dealing 2d6+2d12+5. Once per turn, they could add their 1d8 from Giant Might (almost a hundred damage a turn). They have an AC of 21 and Mirror Image up. They have resistance to physical damage. They can spend their reaction to Shield, Absorb Elements, provide advantage or disadvantage to an attack, check, or save of someone nearby, or just redirect a crit to a new target. Think you can break his concentration? He has something like a +9 to Con saves, with the ability to spend a reaction for another +4. This doesn't even account for feats.

[traskomancer]

From personal experience, sorcadins are very powerful if you build them right. I wonder if there'd be a benefit to fighter/rogue in that you'd have very few resources that need a long rest to recover. Barbarian/fighter could make a good big meathead melee character.

[Kane0]

Do you think in a non stacking slots game the bard/sorc/pal combined with warlock is too good (ie you should either let slots stack or restrict warlock gestalt options) or do you think it is comparable to the fighter and rogue combos you listed?

Being able to stack Pact Magic and Spellcasting is definitely the common point between these that makes it better than the rest. All the other things those classes get also contributes of course but getting two sets of casting in addition to all that is the tipping point IMO.

Fighter and Rogue just blend really well into a lot of other classes, including casters, but it's not the same kind of huge jump in available resources that Warlock|Cha-Caster is.

[CTurbo]

I think the Paladin is the single strongest class so combining it with any of the 3 full Cha casters would be bonkers. Paladin/Fighter would be pretty amazing too.

While less popular than the Cha casters, a Druid/Monk, Druid/Cleric, or Monk/Cleric would be great too.

Wizard/Fighter, Wizard/Rogue, Wizard/Artificer, or Wizard/Sorcerer would all be really powerful.

Fighter/Barbarian would be unparalleled in battle. Monk/Rogue would be a lot of fun though.

[Kane0]

Oddly enough I don't think fighter|barb, fighter|pally or barb|pally really add that much to each other, especially since extra attack won't stack any more than spellcasting would (unless of course the gestalt rules say they do). Same with ranger sadly.

Oh yeah totally forgot Monk|Druid/Cleric, that's a good choice.

[Sorinth]

Not sure it's the "best" especially since it's only late Tier 2 but Arcane Trickster/Wizard is dominant thanks to Magical Ambush while having full spell casting levels is dominating.

[dmhelp]

Being able to stack Pact Magic and Spellcasting is definitely the common point between these that makes it better than the rest. All the other things those classes get also contributes of course but getting two sets of casting in addition to all that is the tipping point IMO.

There are so many good options to play in gestalt and there doesn’t seem to be a large amount of consistency in people’s answers as to what is best. I think with warlock being more of a splash class normally there is less excitement at committing to the full class, even if it was the only way to “double your slots”.

I’d rate sorcerer/warlock and maybe paladin/warlock (due to double smites and stacking slots, esp w hexblade) as possibly too good.

I think paladin/sorcerer suffers a little bit of a proxy nerf if you aren’t stacking slots since the paladin levels don’t add to your slots and there are so many good alternatives that you don’t normally have as options.

I think phb only gestalt would add some balance to things though. Because when you start freely taking the best of xge and tce subclasses the examples become a bit much.

[kazaryu]

There are so many good options to play in gestalt and there doesn’t seem to be a large amount of consistency in people’s answers as to what is best. I think with warlock being more of a splash class normally there is less excitement at committing to the full class, even if it was the only way to “double your slots”.

I’d rate sorcerer/warlock and maybe paladin/warlock (due to double smites and stacking slots, esp w hexblade) as possibly too good.

I think paladin/sorcerer suffers a little bit of a proxy nerf if you aren’t stacking slots since the paladin levels don’t add to your slots and there are so many good alternatives that you don’t normally have as options.

I think phb only gestalt would add some balance to things though. Because when you start freely taking the best of xge and tce subclasses the examples become a bit much.
Thing is, if the 'spellcasting' feature doesnt stack, but 'spellcasting' and 'pact magic' do, then lock+caster is the only way to get extra spell slots. Which is especially improtant when you break level 10. Every odd level after 10 youre effectively gaining 2 spell slots of the highest level you can cast instead of 1.

Edit: realized as soon as i pressed 'submit' that this is a bit of a tangeant. As op was about tier 1/2.

[TyGuy]

Stacking spell slots

Gish (tied)
Paladin + Sorcerer
Fighter + Sorcerer

Martial bruiser/tank
Barbarian + Fighter

Magic blaster
Sorcerer + Warlock

Magic Support (with skill support)
Bard + Cleric

Martial controller
Fighter (battlemaster) + Monk

[Man_Over_Game]

I would think that a Fighter Wizard would be effective almost to a silly degree.

It doesn't do you a world of good to stack spell slots from pact magic and regular spellcasting, because you still only have so many actions and you can still only concentrate on one thing at a time. Far better would be to have orthogonal characteristics that complement one another well.

That's why you find ways to use those spell slots in ways that don't require Concentration.

Which is why the Sorcerer and Paladin come up a lot when it comes to multiclassing. Sorcerers can sell their excess spell slots for sorcery points (which are essentially buffs to spells you are casting), and Paladins can sell spell slots for Divine Smite (which is essentially guaranteed damage).

Not to mention other spells that are almost always worth it and don't get in the way, like Find Steed or Shield.

You can give those classes 100 spell slots, and they'll find a way to burn them up in a single fight. Which is why Warlock comes up a lot (essentially serving as an infinite-spellslot-battery with some nice utility features on the side).


Unfortunately, Fighter doesn't really add much more than Action Surge and some armor (which is redundant to Paladin). And if you're a cantrip caster (Booming Blade has only slightly less scaling than Extra Attack), Sorcerer's Quicken Spell is a lot more spammable than Action Surge.

Unless you're some kind of blaster trying to cast Fireball twice in one turn (which means you're probably not actually planning on leveling Fighter past level 2, where the Paladin shares no such limitation), there's no perceivable reason for a Fighter/Caster to outperform a Paladin/Caster (unless you're really wanting that Con save from starting as a level 1 Fighter).

Similarly, there's hardly any benefit for a Rogue to mix with spellcaster levels, as the primary features of the Rogue (Stealth, Sneak Attack) do not scale with most spells without levels into Arcane Trickster (a 9th level feature).

Personally, I'm of the opinion that they should have just gone the Ranger/Paladin/Sorcerer route and make every class have a feature that allowed you to expend spell slots for some non-spell-related gain. This would mean that every class has a valid reason to mix with spellcaster levels and would cut down on weird nonsense like why Rangers and Eldritch Knights use spell slots when the Arcane Archer doesn't.

[CTurbo]

Yeah if we're strictly talking about tiers 1 and 2, I agree that mixing 2 martials won't add much.

Sorcerer/Warlock, Paladin/Warlock, or Sorcerer/Paladin are probably best.

Monk/Moon Druid would be pretty awesome at tiers 1 and 2 too though.

If we were talking about tier 4, even the base Fighter chassis of Action Surge, 2 extra ASIs, Indomitable, and 4 attacks adds a whole lot to both the Paladin and Barbarian.

I'll take a Champion/Zealot 20. It'd be easy to have 24 Str, 20 Dex, 24 Con and still have GWM and even Res(Wis). 4 attacks per turn, Brutal Critical AND crits on 18-20. Also, regen 12 hp at the start of every turn makes this character nearly impossible to kill while dishing out a silly amount of damage.

[Man_Over_Game]

They might not be able to compete to the same level as the endless Paladin/Sorcerer/Warlock combos, but Land Druid: Coast/Monster Slayer and Ancestral Guardian/Drunken Master would do really well.

Barb/Monk uses Strength for damage, Rage for defenses, dashes in to hit everything, taunt them, and run away to make counterattacks difficult. Go dwarf, pick up the self-heal on dodge feat, now you can heal a Barbarian Hit Die (1d12+CON) and Dodge at the same time as a bonus action.

Druid/Ranger has a ton of concentration and self-buff spells that would augment their combat abilities, comes with things like Mirror Image and Water Breathing for a lot of utility for a martial combatant.

You could also do something like Long Death + Coast Druid. Stack mostly Wisdom, get tons of THP from nearby enemies, hit enemies with Shilelagh or Magic Stone, still have a ton of AC, get mobility buffs like Jump (which works multiplicative with Step of the Wind, for x6 jump height), maintain Concentration for things like Moonbeam to bottleneck enemies into bad situations.

One of the benefits of mixing Concentration with Martial characters is that it's one of the few situations where your spellcasting isn't mutually exclusive against the Attack Action.

[Bloodcloud]

Tier 1, Probably Moon druid/Monk, AKA Kung fu Panda. Bear form is OP enough as it is, add a martial art attack, better AC, and eventually stunning strike to make it completely OP. Oh and you got spells too.

Fighter EKnight/Warlock can net impressive results. You get some low level spell slot to pad your warlock ones, stellar defenses, action surge... At level 5 going Hex + action surge is gonna get you some brutal damage. Down the line you get to add cha to weapon attacks too, and avoid extra-attack overlap. Cantrip + weapon attack is also quite damn good. Don't even really need to go SAD with Hexblade, Infernal pact temp hp on kill is really good too.

Eknight/Sorcerer too, just to truly break the action economy.

Otherwise, Sorcadin of course.

[Man_Over_Game]

It's worth noting that the rules don't support animal attacks to be considered unarmed strikes, but are eligible to be replaced with unarmed strikes:

From Melee Attacks (p. 195):
"Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike"

And on the Monster Manual (p. 10):
"The most common actions that a monster will take in combat are melee and ranged attacks. These can be spell attacks or weapon attacks, where the "weapon" might be a manufactured item or a natural weapon, such as a claw or tail spike."

So you can only use your bear attacks as unarmed strikes if you opt into replacing the damage rolls with martial arts dice.

[Bloodcloud]

It's worth noting that the rules don't support animal attacks to be considered unarmed strikes, but are eligible to be replaced with unarmed strikes:

From Melee Attacks (p. 195):
"Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike"

And on the Monster Manual (p. 10):
"The most common actions that a monster will take in combat are melee and ranged attacks. These can be spell attacks or weapon attacks, where the "weapon" might be a manufactured item or a natural weapon, such as a claw or tail spike."

So you can only use your bear attacks as unarmed strikes if you opt into replacing the damage rolls with martial arts dice.

Indeed, but you still get to take the attack action with your animal attack, and then a bonus action unarmed strike. Still good damage. And extra attack can double your animal attack I believe. Not great on an animal that already has multiattack, but there is some serious potential there.

[x3n0n]

Indeed, but you still get to take the attack action with your animal attack, and then a bonus action unarmed strike.

Under rule of cool, probably. Under strict RAW:


When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.

So, with Extra Attack, you could:
* make one beast attack,
* replace the second attack with a martial-arts-die unarmed strike, then
* make a bonus action martial-arts-die unarmed strike.

[Bloodcloud]

Under rule of cool, probably. Under strict RAW:



So, with Extra Attack, you could:
* make one beast attack,
* replace the second attack with a martial-arts-die unarmed strike, then
* make a bonus action martial-arts-die unarmed strike.

Ooohh good point.

But that's where Tasha's Ki-fueled strike begins to shine HARD, especially once you get Stunning strike and focused aim. Flurry of blows is also compatible with animal attack.

So, not quite as good as I first thought but not bad at all!

(Also, Mammoth Kung-fu must be something to witness. 3x 4d10+7 attacks, with stunning strike on top... avg 87 damage if everything lands)

[Darthnazrael]

I feel like folks are sleeping on the Rogue, and martials in general. Stacking full Sneak Attack progression onto a martial character is going to pay out a ton of damage.

Just take Ludic's Gunner Samurai build, and slap on your favorite flavor of Rogue (a couple don't line up weapon/range-wise, namely Soulknife and Swashbuckler, but the rest work. Phantom is limited to range 30, so you'd have to play close, but it works).

Gloomstalker|Assassin is honestly just not gonna be fun for anyone else at the table, when you delete 2-3 creatures before then can activate.

And of course, the Gunner Samurai would love to have another attack in their turn 1 nova, so Samurai/Gloomstalker also pairs very well. Sure there's anti-synergy at level 5, but the rest lines up very well.

[HPisBS]

Yeah if we're strictly talking about tiers 1 and 2, I agree that mixing 2 martials won't add much.

Generally true, but Barbarian // Rogue synergizes pretty well. Decent AC with a shield, Reckless provides advantage for sneak attacks, no spells for rage to interfere with, and Uncanny Dodge reaction to cut your resisted damage in half a second time.

– Speaking of Barbarians, Tasha's gives Rangers "Tireless" at lvl 10, which could make Berserkers not suck so much. So there's that. A nice DM may even let you use Favored Foe while raging, since it isn't a spell.


Other than that, I like:
- Bard // Rogue for all the skills.
- Sorcerer // Warlock for the extra slots / sp
- Artificer // Wizard to make your own mythical undead army (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/overlordmaruyama/images/7/7e/Nazarick_Master_Guarders.png/revision/latest?cb=20180131103246) (needs Artificer lvl 10)
- Shadow Monk // Assassin Rogue / Gloomstalker Ranger to be a true ninja

Edit:
- Rune Knight Fighter // Arcane Trickster to really lean in to the whole trickster giant motif. Mechanically, Storm Rune lets you burn your reaction to get advantage for sneak attack (unnecessary by lvl 13), Fire Rune lets you restrain an enemy for sneak attack, and Frost Rune gives you +2 to Con saves.

Between that and all of the extra ASIs, you should have no problem keeping concentration up – which is great because, most importantly of all, you get to stack Enlarge/Reduce on top of Giant's Might, ultimately fighting as a Gargantuan juggernaut, dealing... uh... +1d4 on all weapon attacks, and an extra +1d10 once / turn. 😆😆😆

But hey, there's finally a good reason to be a Goliath or Orc! Add even more to the size-shenaniganry!


--- Alternatively, Rune Knight // Paladin with the Simic Scientist background to add Enlarge/Reduce to your spell list. Let your extra size indirectly increase the radius of your auras while you use runes to crit fish for smites instead of sneak attack.

If Ravnica backgrounds aren't allowed, then choose Duergar to be a dwarf that's nearly as tall as a human (~5') before using Giant's Might or Enlarge/Reduce. Sadly, Duergar only gets you Enlarged to gargantuan once / day, though.


Edit edit:
Bard // Artificer to freely make specially programmed Magic Mouths (and a Tiny Servant?) to become a 1-man-band! Also, to make your own expertly crafted instruments. Even craft a (cheap, uncommon) Instrument of the Bards. Infuse a Hat of Disguise or use an Alter Self -Storing Item (changes your voice, too) to put on a 1-man play. Combine all of it together with a Simulacrum to make awesome 2-man performances.

- It's not groundbreaking or particularly OP or anything, but I think it's fun.

[dmhelp]

I’m not sure if it would be top 5, but I would love to play a gestalt totem barb/blade pact fiend warlock who spent all their spell slots on AoA and eldritch smite.

[Ghost Nappa]

I kind of want to try a DEX-based Rogue/Paladin and see how much pain you can dish out with Sneak Smites.

In general, mixing any martial class with a spellcaster class is strong since you get different skill sets from both. Monk is also a good Multiclassing class due to its number of features but it pairs better with Clerics and Druids for obvious reasons.

[CTurbo]

I said this before a little while ago in another thread, but I'll say it again here too.

I'd love to play a Brute Fighter/Monk. Race doesn't even matter.

At level 20, your unarmed attacks deal 2d10+Dex and you'd get 5-6 attacks per turn.

With 7 ASI, you could quickly and easily max Dex and Wis and still have room for some feats. Alert, Mobile, Lucky, Tough, Magic Initiate, Ritual Caster?

You get 2 Fighting Styles. Archery? Blind Fighting? Thrown Weapon Fighting? Mariner? Dueling?

I'm not even sure which Monk subclass. Long Death is my favorite and this combo would be nearly unkillable. Open Hand is always solid. Drunken Master could get up to NINE attacks per round.

[HPisBS]

Rune Knight Fighter // Arcane Trickster would really lean in to the whole trickster giant motif. Mechanically, Storm Rune lets you burn your reaction to get advantage for sneak attack (unnecessary by lvl 13), Fire Rune lets you restrain an enemy for sneak attack, and Frost Rune gives you +2 to Con saves.

Between that and all of the extra ASIs, you should have no problem keeping concentration up, which is great because, most importantly of all, you get to stack Enlarge/Reduce on top of Giant's Might, ultimately fighting as a Gargantuan juggernaut, dealing... a whopping +1d4 on all weapon attacks, and an extra +1d10 once / turn. 😆😆😆

Finally, a fun reason to be a Goliath or Orc!


– Alternatively, Rune Knight // Paladin with the Simic Scientist background (to add Enlarge/Reduce to your spell list). Let your extra size indirectly increase the radius of your auras while you use runes to crit fish for smites instead of sneak attack.

If Ravnica races aren't allowed, then choose Duergar to be a dwarf that's nearly as tall as a human (~5') before using Giant's Might or Enlarge/Reduce. Sadly, Duergar only gets you Enlarged to gargantuan once / day, though.


snip

Ya know, seeing you here, Ghost Nappa, I suddenly want to make a hilariously derailing one-liner.

[ragnorack1]

For tier 1-2, paladin/moon druid could be quite tasty, would recommend ancients paladin for the theming though mechanically I really like conquest for AoA and the the fear CD+aura.
Animal forms prevent MADness being an issue, aura of protection helps saves and smites help improve moon druids damage and gives a use for spells while in animal form. Druid provides more slots for smiting, shead loads of HP on tap and all the utility wild forms provide. If you make it to level 10, elemental forms provide a nice cap stone and the physical resistance will work great with AoA if you go conquest.

As others have suggested, rogue/barbarian is a great multiclass and is even better as gestalt eith great defences, decent offence and rogue giving barb a much needed out of combat boost. Bladelock/ancestral barbarian is also fun as a multiclass bit will be much more practical as a gestalt, spell slots for AoA/smites, rage to help AoA last and the taunt effect to encourage enemies to hit you.

[dmhelp]

Thing is, if the 'spellcasting' feature doesnt stack, but 'spellcasting' and 'pact magic' do, then lock+caster is the only way to get extra spell slots. Which is especially improtant when you break level 10. Every odd level after 10 youre effectively gaining 2 spell slots of the highest level you can cast instead of 1.

If you want to play with non stacking slots you could have Spellcasting dominate Pact Magic and just give the Warlock slots as a full caster when you are multi’ed with a caster.

So a level 10 Paladin/Warlock, Wizard/Warlock, and Eldritch Knight/Warlock would all have 4 3 3 3 2 spell slots per long rest. But a level 10 Barbarian/Warlock would have two 5th level slots per short rest.

[Mastikator]

A wizard (abjurer) / Artificer (armorer) might be unbelievably tanky.

[Randomthom]

I'm going to assume spellcasting doesn't stack.

My favourite pick would be
Rogue (Arcane Trickster)/Wizard (Bladesinger).
By lvl 11 you've got two attacks (can swap one with a cantrip), 6d6 sneak attack, 6th level spells, reliable talent and enemies have disadvantage on saves vs your spells if you're hidden from them.
Of the 3 best saves, you're only missing Con so Resilient Con would be a strong pick.

If Multiclassing is also allowed, I'd probably start with Sorcerer after 11 Rogue to pick up some Metamagic.

Forge Cleric / Rune Knight Fighter could make for one of the scariest front-liners you've ever seen.

[Darthnazrael]

My favourite pick would be
Rogue (Arcane Trickster)/Wizard (Bladesinger).
By lvl 11 you've got two attacks (can swap one with a cantrip), 6d6 sneak attack, 6th level spells, reliable talent and enemies have disadvantage on saves vs your spells if you're hidden from them.
Of the 3 best saves, you're only missing Con so Resilient Con would be a strong pick.
I know save penalties are big, but since Magical Ambush is basically all you're getting out of AT, I might prefer something like Phantom. Wails from the Grave+Greenflame Blade starts to really add up outside a boss fight.

[WaroftheCrans]

Maybe it wouldn't be too good till end of t2/t3 but I would love a blade lock/fighter combo. You'd no longer be locked into hexblade or have the invocation tax of thirsting and you'd have up to 4 attacks that you could eldritch smite on.

To me it just means that you could play a blade lock as it's intended in a fun way. Maybe not broken, certainly decent, but also something I would like to do. Now I just need an excuse to play it.

[Kane0]

Maybe it wouldn't be too good till end of t2/t3 but I would love a blade lock/fighter combo. You'd no longer be locked into hexblade or have the invocation tax of thirsting and you'd have up to 4 attacks that you could eldritch smite on.

To me it just means that you could play a blade lock as it's intended in a fun way. Maybe not broken, certainly decent, but also something I would like to do. Now I just need an excuse to play it.

Having played a short campaign where everybody gestalted warlock, i can say yes lock|fighter is pretty damned fun especially running alongside a lock|paladin and lock|rogue as the melee part of the party.

[SharkForce]

some general trends:

1) rogue is going to be an extremely strong gestalt with most builds that focus on dealing damage with a weapon, because it adds a new type of scaling damage progression to them at no resource cost. the fact that it *also* adds additional skill proficiencies, an ASI, excellent ways to use bonus actions, and some useful defensive abilities rounds things out nicely.

2) warlock will be extremely strong with any spellcaster, not just sorcerers and bards; pact magic is not the same feature as spellcasting, and having access to far more of their highest level spell slots will be extremely strong. it will of course add *more* strength to charisma-based spellcasters, who can use the spells known for more than utility and get a powerful damaging cantrip out of it that makes them competitive with some martial damage builds (though not the "new normal" of "X + rogue" builds which will see significant increases to their damage-dealing potential). even for those not able to leverage eldritch blast to great effect, invocations and added spells known will be a big deal. warlock will enable these gestalt builds to not hold back nearly as much in encounters.

3) rogue will still be quite useful for many spellcasters, though potentially not as valuable as adding the right other class could be. sneak attack adds less for most of them than it does for damage-dealing martials (even spellcasters that could use sneak attack are likely improving their "nothing better to do" action rather than their first choice of action), but the flexibility of using bonus actions to dodge, disengage, and hide are incredible. in addition to magical ambush being extremely strong, some may greatly enjoy the arcane trickster's access to the wizard spell list; others will have to balance the value of the subclasses on offer more carefully (but even then I suspect will go with arcane trickster). all of them will enjoy the defensive abilities.

4) charisma builds have enjoyed a lot of synergy with multiclassing. expect to see a lot of them in gestalt as well, but I don't think I can definitively predict one specific variety; sorcerer/paladin, warlock/paladin, bard/warlock, and sorcerer/warlock will likely all be quite common, and I think you'd see a lot of them.