Best Dips? [3.5/PF]

[Tanuki Tales]

What are the best 1 level to 5 level dips for any of the Base classes printed in your opinion?

I'm partial to a 1 level dip in Factotum for everything becoming a class skill.

Edit: Heck, why not include Prestige classes too?

[sofawall]

Sacred Exorcist.

[Corbeau]

If you're arcanely inclined, a 1 level dip in Mindbender (CArc) is nice for telepathy. Combine with the blindsight feat from LoM for the win.

Otherwise, most non-prc dips should lie entirely in the realm of non-casters for obvious reasons.

[jokey665]

Base classes:

Fighter and Psychic Warrior are both good 1- or 2-level dips; the PsyWar moreso in most cases.
Swashbuckler is a great 3-level dip for a lot of builds.
A 1-level dip of any of the ToB classes at the right (initiator) level can get you some pretty neat stuff.
1 level of Barbarian is great for pretty much all melee with the pounce ACF.

Prestige Classes:

Mindbender and Spellsword are both great 1-level dips.

[JasonP]

Binder and Dragonfire Adept both make ok classes for 1-2 level dips depending on what you want to do with them.

[Gnaeus]

Cleric 1 gives
*2 domains (each can give abilities roughly as good as a feat, or be traded for a devotion)
*Turn undead (Good for powering devotions or divine feats)
*Heavy or Medium armor use
*Some spells
*Ability to use wands from one of the 3 best spell lists in the game.
*2 good saves

Cloistered cleric adds a third domain and better skills at cost of some other stuff.

[Corbeau]

Invocations from Warlock and, as Jason said, Dragonfire Adept can be real handy. Easpecially the 24 hour +6 untyped skill boosters.

[Stompy]

I love dipping swordsage in every non-caster I do at 9th level. This will give you some fun boosts, a stance (I use the 2d6 sneak attack one), as well as a boost to reflex and will and good skills, which fighting lacks.

EDIT: I also love dipping warblade, but that is entirely White Raven Tactics' and Iron Heart Surge's fault.

[sofawall]

I love dipping swordsage in every non-caster I do at 9th level. This will give you some fun boosts, a stance (I use the 2d6 sneak attack one), as well as a boost to reflex and will and good skills, which fighting lacks.

Your first stance has to be a level 1 stance.

[Stompy]

Your first stance has to be a level 1 stance.

OK, fine. Two level dip. You also get WIS to AC in light armor.

[Keld Denar]

Cloistered Cleric > Cleric. You get 3 domains (one of which you should trade for Knowledge Devotion)
Barbarian, as mentioned, mostly for the Pounce, but often for Imp Trip without prereqs.
Binder, with or without Practiced Binding, for the wide range of abilities you can pick up
Incarnate, see Binder
Factotum + Able Learner, every skill is a class skill...forever

And actually surprisingly Monk2

For the price of 1 BAB, you get +3 all saves, 3 feats in 2 levels (which with UA, can be pretty much your pick of melee feats in the PHB, including prereq-less Imp Trip) and 4+int skill points. Not bad.

[DanReiv]

For caster : Fatespinner.

1 to 4 level dips, full casting, easy but rather late (4th lvl spells, 5 ranks in Gambling) requirements.

Pretty cool abilities focused on rerolls/better spell DC (this is life saving and worth a 4th level dip alone for self reroll)

Mentionned earlier but the Mindbender 1 dip is so silly combined with mindsight feat that it's probably going to get ban in most normal games

[gallagher]

For a full caster who has the available skills and skill points, a few levels in Unseen Seer is priceless. sneak attack damage and full casting and a better BAB? that is a good selling point in my book

[Vizzerdrix]

Cleric-1
Fighter-1~4
Barb-1
Monk-2
Scout-3

[Coidzor]

What's the scout 3 dip grab you again?

[Vizzerdrix]

What's the scout 3 dip grab you again?

Cleric-1/Scout-3/Fighter-1/PrC Ranger-15

Just need to be using fractional BAB.

[Glimbur]

Paladin is a nice dip due to full BAB and getting the ability to use some decent wands with no UMD. Shame about that alignment restriction...

[Hague]

Not really a dip, since it's not a PrC, but getting the first level of Favored Soul nets you +2 to all your your saving throws, which by itself is pretty handy. You take a BAB hit though. Hexblade is a nice multi-class for warrior-type classes. You don't lose any BAB, at 2nd level you get +Cha to saves against spells, and at 3rd level you get Mettle. Combine that with a Barbarian (for evasion and will bonuses from rage) and you won't fear a saving throw for a good long time. Pick up a few feats from the Mageslayer path and spell-casters will quail before you.

[Greenish]

I'm partial to Cleric (standard or cloistered, depending) with Travel Domain swapped for the feat and Magic domain taken for the granted ability. With that one dip, you can use all cleric and wizard/sorcerer spells from wands without UMD. Wraithstrike hoo!

[Edit]: Totemist 2 is pretty cool too.

[Thurbane]

For any non caster, a 1-level dip into Barbarian is ususally good...full MWP, +10ft move and rage 1/day.

[Escheton]

fighter 2, psiwar 2, binder1, totemist2, incarnate 2, crusader1 swordsage 1 and warblade 1 at the right lvls. Ranger2, factotum3, or 1 for skills, monk 2, barb1, warlock1(devils sight), spellthief1 (armored gishwizardbuild), pal2, dragon shaman1.

sticking with base classes at the moment.

[Critical]

Dread Necromancer 1, for the Cleric DMM goodness.

[Siosilvar]

For any non caster, a 1-level dip into Barbarian is ususally good...full MWP, +10ft move or pounce and rage 1/day.

There you go.

Gishes (and some fullcasters, though you need to be 10th level or up) can benefit from a 1 or 3 level dip of Spellsword to ignore some ASF.