For those who don't know what a Savant is, it is a class from the New Paths Compendium (updated in Expanded) that can mimic abilities by invoking the spirit of legends of their own invention for short periods of time.
What would be some interesting combos? Accepting all class ideas, though I have a hard time understanding psionic classes.
So it's like a spirit dancer medium, but with more options? No, I don't own that book and IIRC the last time something from it came up it proved not to be free online. I'm guessing its base stats are like a medium.
Assuming that's how it works then you'd want a class which doesn't use swift actions much and which has a fairly flexible fighting style. A brawler springs to mind, maybe a phantom blade spritualist (depending a bit on point buy/the stat(s) used by the savant), or a ranger (dandy if cha-based). It's not impossible that a standard medium would work well with it depending on the exact mechanics.
Savants have a similar stat block to Mediums, but instead uses a notebook to record aspects like stat boosts, proficiencies, feats, and spells to use when channeling personae. I'm using the old version, which is a super-versatile, Charisma-SAD, happy mess of a class, with infinite storage of notes and getting to summon from a set list of NPCs that function as cohorts fairly early on, but can only add one note per day and limited in channeling personae to minutes per day.
Does this affect anything?
Not a lot - what action type is used to channel personae is the big one. Swift like a spirit dancer, varying by level as a bard, or standard like the action default? Do they get spells like a medium? 20 point buy?
Channeling personae is a full-round action that doesn't provoke an AoO. Ending the channeling is a free action.
They don't get spells, per se, but they can note any spell, up to 5th level, that they see being cast, denoting spell type (arcane, divine, or psychic) and spell level corresponding to the spell's caster. They may then use one of up to 8 slots they get when they channel a persona to use the spell as a spell-like ability once.
I'm doing 30 point buy (crazy DM).
30 point buy means that MAD isn't a big deal then. If you want a couple of classes with different casting stats, no problem. Still easier if there's overlap of course.
OK, so you only need to channel personae once in a fight max but you can't do anything but a swift action when you do.
Spirit dancer medium might be an interesting mix. Select all your gestalt class abilities at once! Have no class abilities to speak of when you're surprised!
Since you're giving up everything including movement that first round, having a way of moving better later would help with catching up. Unchained monk for fast movement and flying kick, or magus for spell combat + bladed dash, or some sort of mount to carry you about even when you're busy channeling that personae (summoner, sylvan sorcerer, cavalier, hunter, whatever), The monk might be scaled fist and the magus might be eldritch scion to double-dip on charisma but neither's essential as I noted.
Anything with Charisma would be a good pairing: Paladin, Oracle, Sorcerer, or Wilder (Psionics).
It sounds like you're allowed to use 3rd party material like Psionics in this, so I'd highly recommend playing a Wilder. They increase their Manifester Level to cause lots of extra damage and allow for a lot of extra augmentation to the power they're manifesting.
Wilder is probably the funnest class I've ever played. They don't have a lot of versatility in the number of Powers they can know, but they have a lot of flexibility over the powers they DO know.
Jeez, now the GM bumped it up to three class gestalt.
Hmm...I kinda wanna try Spheres of Might. Make some kind of vicious close-quarters martial artist, and use the Savant as a wild card. How's a Savant/Conscript/UC Rogue?
Any other good three-class Savant combos?
With a 30 pt buy, you'll be fine with MAD. Savant/Fighter/UC Rogue would be pretty deadly. You'd be a Rogue with lots and lots of feats. A Stealth-focused Dirty Trickster build would be pretty sick.
Or if you want to try one of the psionic classes, instead of Fighter you could go Psychic Warrior.
Tristalt? You can easily have trouble trying to keep track of your options there. Also no bets on the game lasting long, aim for something which works immediately. You've got your one complicated class, savant, keep the other two simple. Ryze's savant/fighter/rogue could work, or conscript or UnMonk could replace fighter there.