Gestalt characters

[Grizzled Gryphon]

Anyone have any good combos using this method? I have thought up and found a few, myself.

Monk/Caster. More useful with cleric than the others, this is a good combo, especially if you take a lot of touch spells. Duskblade is another really good one for this combo, too.

Fighter/Rogue This is one of the best gestalts, in my opinion.

Dragonfire Adept/Monk can be pretty good, too.

Warblade/Swordsage is really good, if you don't mind having all good saves, best BAB, D12 hit die, and a HUGE amount of manuevers. Oh, and access to all the disciplines except devoted spirit.

Barbarian/Fighter is pretty sub-optimal for most optimizers, but they really do work together well.

Scout/Rogue is great for that fun sneak attack skirmish nastiness. However, the class abilities overlap so much, it isn't a good one.

Hexblade/Warlock This combo of classes seem to be made for each other. Almost like they planned it that way...

[its_all_ogre]

druid//scout
paladin//sorcerer(obviously) change paladin to dragon disciple asap(level6)
psion//fightery type prestige the fighter
wizard//ranger prestige the wizard

[Viscount Einstrauss]

Scout//Rogue is useless in gestalt, UNLESS you use the feats from Complete Scoundrel, and then instead take, say, one level of rogue, then the rest in scout, or vice versa.

Swordsage//Fighter is awesome for a melee lover. If you're a human, take Able Learner with your first feat and then you also double as a very good (and only slightly depowered compared to a rogue) skill monkey.

Monk is just a generally solid secondary for anyone, but is especially potent if point buy lets you get lots of high attributes all around. The only time when it's not so good is when you're planning on wearing armor. Crusader//Monk is incredible, and I highly reccomend it.

Druid//Cleric is the single most powerful gestalt build there is, I feel. So much so that I ban this choice from my games (literally the only thing I ban). But hey, if you can get away with it, you will become a terror that makes DM's weep.

Wizard//Rogue/Scout is perfect for those that love both skills and arcane magic. As you pump your intelligence, watch as your skill points go cosmic and your powers become legendary.

Ranger is a good compliment to nearly any class. It'll aid your martial prowess and get you a few spells, as well as some nifty outdoors stuff. Add in the high skillpoints, full BAB, and two good saves, and you've got a pretty competent addition to nearly every gestalt build there is.

WARNING- if you aren't playing a full caster on either half of your build, you have only two options for not being useless during the late game. One is to be a skill monkey. The other is to use ToB. Remember this. Dead serious, you will become a pale shadow to the casters otherwise.

EDIT- Oh, and yes, Swordsage + either Crusader or Warblade will create the ultimate melee combatant. You will be able to stand toe to toe with casters and wreak some serious havoc.

[AtomicKitKat]

Hex/Duskblade. :P
Wizard/Swashbuckler.
Barbarian/Rogue going into Frenzied Berserker/Fang of Lolth. With pouncy equipment. :P

[dead_but_dreaming]

warmage/swashbuckler or warmage/hexblade I suppose. Haven't analyzed in depth, but it sounds cool.

[Emperor Tippy]

Wizard//Monk with Kung Fu monk as your feat level feat

[Maxymiuk]

How about Wizard/Specialist Wizard for twice the fun?

[NEO|Phyte]

Barbarian/Rogue going into Frenzied Berserker/Fang of Lolth. With pouncy equipment. :P

I'm actually planning something like this out for a game that might be starting back up.
Its currently sitting as a WereDeinonychus/Ninja//Barbarian/Frenzied Berserker/Warshaper, though I'm kinda looking for something to change the ninja out for.

Use Warshaper to give myself an extra natural attack at some point while in animal form, swift action Ghost Step to be invisible for 1 round, Free actions to activate Rage and Frenzy, then Pounce on something up to 140 ft. away with 6 attacks at or near your full attack bonus, dealing lots of STR/Power Attack damage, and 7d6 Sudden Strike each if applicable.

Probably not nearly as powerful as it could be, but the mental image of a raptor disappearing with a screech to reappear next to a suddenly eviscerated foe a few seconds later is much awesome.

[PinkysBrain]

Artificer 12/X 8//whatever
Cleric 20//whatever.

The big problem with Gestalt is that you can't use combo classes, which actually makes some combination less suited than they are in non gestalt. In non gestalt a monk/wizard is great because enlightened fist is an amazing PrC ... in gestalt it's only a so so combo.

[its_all_ogre]

for damage barbarian/scout. barbarians normally do not have the feats to make full attacking really worthwhile and normally go with power attack/leap attack with two handed weapon. scout gives a few bonus feats and skirmish.
plus you get a 50 foot speed at level 2(i think) so you are as fast as a horse!

i think the duskblade cannot channel non-duskblade spells argument is about to get a seriously aggressive debate about now.....

[Viscount Einstrauss]

You can't do wizard//specialist wizard, because you're only allowed to take wizard once, and you can only choose your specialization then.

[PinkysBrain]

Oops, nevermind ... don't know what I got that mixed up with.

[Emperor Tippy]

Wizard//Monk with Kung-Fu Genius gets all good saves, 3/4ths BAB, Evasion, Int to AC, a speed boost, better HD, and has little mad.

The wizard's spell casting makes up for the monks sucky offense and the monk levels make the wizard much more survivable. And the only stat you need to pump for it is Int.

[PinkysBrain]

Meh, survivable ... if you want survivable put warforged juggernaut on one side ;)

[Thomas]

Frenzied Berserker/Fang of Lolth... as in taking one of each at every level?

A gestalt character can't combine two prestige classes at any level.

Morbo, does not work that way, vermin, etc.

[mikeejimbo]

Monk//Barbarian

Yeah, I know that the alignments don't match up, but I've got a DM that rules that barbarians don't need to be chaotic. That would make this viable, with the extra speed from the monk and the barbarian, full BAB with flurry of blows, DR from the barbarian and AC bonuses from the monk, and you don't even need armor!

Rogue//Battle Sorcerer

Probably your DM won't allow variants in a gestalt campaign, but this basically makes you a bard, and then some. You can cast with no arcane failure in even medium armor, you retain your roguish abilities and all you would lose are some songs.

[Viscount Einstrauss]

The chaotic monk variant actually meshes better. They operate more or less like the regular monk, just with a cooler random flavor. Yes, I've used it in several gestalt combos :)

The Rogue//Battle Sorcerer sounds like it could have some excellent merit for a lower level cap gestalt game. I'll have to toy with it some time.

[Were-Sandwich]

Fighter//Swordsage or Fighter//Warblade. The one thing ToB characters need is feats, and fighter gives them to them.

[Jack_Simth]

Depends on what sources are available.

A few things to keep in mind for your final build:
1) At least 3/4 BAB, two good saves, d8 or better HD (this is a minumum; it's not too hard to get at least two of all good saves, full BAB, d10 or better HD).
2) One side pretty much needs to be a primary spellcaster (Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, or Druid, for the Core classes) even if it's just for support for the main side (e.g., the Barbarian/Cleric who uses Clerical buffs to be a really good combatant).
3) You still only have one action per combat round. Pick a "primary" class that fills the role you want to fill (one of the classic four - Warrior, Healer, Skill Monkey, Mage) and a "secondary" class that supports it in some way (ideally with strong of passive defensive abilities, such as the Monk or Paladin, but a spellcaster for the primary Warrior or Skill Monkey).
4) Avoid MAD (this goes with the Primary/Secondary thing). The Sorcerer/Paladin needs Charisma (Spellcasting, saves) and Dex (AC - armored arcanist doesn't work so well), and con (but to a lesser extent due to the d10 HD) if he doesn't want to get into the thick of things. Charisma powers saves, healing, and spells. As a Primary Arcanist, it's great - you effectively lose the Paladin's armor proficency (can't cast in armor) and Smite (you really don't want to be in the thick of it without armor)
but makes a solid arcanist. The Paladin/Sorcerer has no more MAD than a normal Paladin - take Still Spell and spells without Somatic components, and focus on personal buffs on the Sorcerer side. Full armor in the thick of it. Non-core feats such as Ascetic Mage (for the Sorcerer/Monk - moves the Monk's Wis to AC to Cha to AC - you can drop Dex and Wis, needing only Cha and Con, in addition to other benefits) really help with this.

[Viscount Einstrauss]

I'd really reccomend the swordsage//fighter combo over the warblade//fighter combo, though. Swordsage compliments fighter with high skillpoints, high reflex and will saves, and it has the most (and arguably the best) maneuvers.

Desert Wind, Shadow Hand, and Setting Sun are really awesome schools, and are easily the best mage killers (force cage? Ha! Shadow Blink next to you, then full attack!)

[Ramza00]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31362
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1682906
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30145
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18609

[TheThan]

Duskblade/cleric
All the way, probably the best fighter/caster hybrid I can think of

Though wizard/cleric comes close. But you need a feat to be able to wear armor and cast the wizard spells. But fortunately one exists.

[nows7]

Favored Soul/Sorcerer for 6 levels, then switch to Monk (maybe fighter 2)/Mystic theuge. If you want to be realy obsene, i gues you could take the Astetic mage feat or use TOB, but I don't own that to offer any sugesstions, two levels of palidin would add in Cha to Saves as well

3/4 BAB (or more) Full arcane and divine spell casting, monk abilities, Cha to AC (and possibly to saves), all good saves (except -1 on reflex saves for palidin levels. Charisma is the primary stat, Dex and Wis are secondary.

I win. :)

[Catharsis]

I particularly like the idea of Swashbuckler 3/Ranger//Beguiler. Make her a believer of Selûne, too. ;)

Favored Soul//Paladin sounds rather flavorful, too.

[Dhavaer]

I've been wanting a Warblade//Psychic Warrior/Warmind. I don't have the Book of Nine Swords, though.

[Legoman]

Clarify if your DM will let you gain more than one spellcasting level per character level.

In which case: Archmage/Incantrix/Wizard//Sorcerer/Ultimate Magus

Glass cannon? Yes.

9th level spells at level 13? Hells yes.

[Dhavaer]

You can't get combo classes in Gestalt, so no Ultimate Magus.

[Legoman]

Define Combo class?

[Dhavaer]

Anything that combines two classes. So no Arcane Tricksters, Mystic Theurges or Ultimate Magi.

[Rama_Lei]

Someone had to say it. Druid/Cleric. Heck yeah.
I like the Wizard/ Barbarian concept. Neither needs much armor, the barbarian brings a d12 and a way to be useful once your spells are out.