Favorite multiclass dip in PFS?

What's your favorite class to dip into when playing in PFS? Do you dip for the power, the flavor, or both?

Honestly, none. My preference is to play casters in PFS which makes multiclassing right out and I don't think there is a PrC I would consider for any of them. Bloatmage maybe on a Wizard but even then it is iffy.

I'm thinking of dipping this Summoner into Sorcerer (Djinni bloodline) for the flavor. People generally seem puzzled or aghast that I'd consider it. Why?

Two levels of Urban Barbarian is great for a fighter. You get:

3 extra hit points
4 extra skill points
Uncanny Dodge
Good class skills: Perception, KN: Local, Diplomacy, Linguistics
Crowd Control
(Controlled) Rage for 6 + CON Bonus rounds
1 Rage Power
The ability to use a Furious weapon

In return, the fighter gives up one bonus feat.

In PFS, you might consider joining the Taldor faction and taking the Expert Duelist campaign trait.

I mainly do this because I like the role-playing potential of the class skills.

For non-full casters it depends on what you want. Two levels of Ranger lets you ignore some stat dependence and get a feat you want. Likewise some monk varieties.

I'm still wondering to myself if the benefits one level of Sohei on a divine caster + feather domain can justify the spellcasting you lose...and that's one of the strongest I can come up with.

Sohei->Empyrean (WIS)Sorceror->Eldritch Knight makes for a nifty arcane ninja that casts with wisdom.

Hey ogrebattle, I play one of those guys!

Lets see, favorite dips....

Monk, usually sohei/master of many styles, but sometimes neither. Nice boosts to all saves, unarmed strike (useful a few times a career, but nice with reach fighters too - guy in full plate, ya I reach out and kick the dude, ya I'm a monk gm!), always act in the surprise round(one of my favorite abilities ever!) and bonus feats. I have this on a few characters. Even second levels pretty useful but I nearly always only dip one.

Cavalier (gendermae) - if I'm feat starved and need a feat.I'll take a one level dip here.for power attack. Its like a fighter plus for dipping assuming you need power attack. 4 skill points, more (somewhat customizable) class skills, an animal companion (which quickly becomes meat fodder) and a challenge. Not a bad upgrade!

Paladin 2 - I actually haven't done this but I have several characters its very tempting on, and I've seen others use it. The problem is the characters I'd want to do this on lose a lot with 2 levels, but the saves and smite are epic for them!

Monk (zen archer) - this is almost outside the realm of dipping as three levels is where it really kicks in, but I'm seeing this with an inquisitor or war priest to awesome effect, especially a warpriest! My zen archer is pure monk though.

Rogue (thug)- this archetype should probably be banned! By 5th or 6th level you can have most the battlefield running in fear each round.

Diabolist - seriously, the imp animal companion is amazing, and no loss of casting level. You can take the second level.for a feat if you want, but an imp animal.companion is soooo much better than a familiar its unreal! Its pretty late entry in pfs (especially for arcane casters) but just totally worth it.

Living monolith - if I have some way to get endurance free (halforc/ranger/unbreakable fighter) a swift action enlarge can be very useful. My halforc skulking slayer is basically a cleave fighter, and reach+large+lunge+cleave line can sometimes work out very well.

I have a buddy who got challenged to play the every man (no more than one level of any class) and he's done it. I believe the character was 8 or 9 last I saw him. The character is actually pretty efficient, so I bet he knows even more on dipping!

Cavalier-Cleric make nice fondue.

Richer flavor than plain Paladin.

Rng 3 for FE1, a free combat feat, endurance, 3 BAB and 3/3/0 on saves.

FTR 1 and/or FTR 2 for 1 bab and a feat each.

Well, I have gotten enamored with the idea of dipping archaeologist bard...although you really need to devote some extra resources to pull it off.

The idea is to make archaeologist's luck as useful as possible. Take the fate's favored trait, which gives +1 to luck bonuses (meaning you get a +2 to attack, damage, saves, and skills from just a 1 level dip). And you also need the lingering performance feat in order to make this into anything useful, since it lets you take that 4+CHA base rounds and effectively triple it. Even if you have absolutely no investment in CHA, that lets you get that nice, rage like bonus for 12 rounds per day.

The other benefits of going bard are just tertiary to the luck. The bonus to reflex and will saves are nice, since I usually look to this dip for martials, the skill points are ok, spells can be pretty much forgotten with only 1 level (although cantrips can be nice, even if you are in full plate, since you can spam them until they work). You do gain access to some decent wands though, which can be nice.

The flavor is easier to reconcile than most bards (or even most spellcasters) too. Rather than explaining why your serious, brooding barbarian decided to take a lute into the dungeon, you can just say that he decided to go back to school, taking some night classes for some of the basics on dungeoning. He is just learning some basic cantrips and wands, as well as practicing up on some skills. Studying up on all those fallen empires whose trap and monster filled ruins you keep going through. And maybe taking up a gambling habit.

Pffft, your barbarian should be an opportunistic gambler anyway.

Samurai with 2 Levels of Paladin. Challenge/ Smite Evil + Divine Grace+Mount=HEAVEN!!!

One level of fighter for heavy armor and a feat.

Well, I have gotten enamored with the idea of dipping archaeologist bard...The flavor is easier to reconcile than most bards (or even most spellcasters) too...

No spells, use masterpieces. Better flavor!

One level of fighter for heavy armor and a feat.

You get both those things and more out of cavalier (gendermae) assuming you need power attack, or one of the other bonus feats it provides. It more limited, but since most people dipping fighter will want power attack anyway, the cavalier is a stronger dip.

When dipping fighter for 2 levels, I am a big fan of using the Lore Warden archetype; 3 bonus feats and extra class skills (and skill points) are pretty sweet.

TriOmegaZero wrote:

One level of fighter for heavy armor and a feat.

You get both those things and more out of cavalier (gendermae) assuming you need power attack, or one of the other bonus feats it provides.

I'll have to look at it, but I tend to not like the cavalier orders.

A little bit of alchemist can make any class better!

I really like Dawnflower Dervish. Martials basically never lose anything with the dip. The +2/2 more than makes up for the lost BAB. Fighter class features take like 5 levels to advance to give 1/1...

One of my favorite dips is a single level of Crusader Cleric of Erastil. Take the Plant(Growth) subdomain. Swift action Enlarge person 3+wis times per day, free weapon focus(longbow), channel energy, +2 fort and will save, and a couple of really decent spells per day (enlarge person being one of them!) are really quite handy.

Also, for ninjas, I REALLY like dipping Oracle with the waves mystery so that I can get water sight. A wand of Obscuring Mist means that my flurry of shuriken will ALWAYS be sneak attacks.

Also, for ninjas, I REALLY like dipping Oracle with the waves mystery so that I can get water sight. A wand of Obscuring Mist means that my flurry of shuriken will ALWAYS be sneak attacks.

Ya, thats a good trick. Works well with slayer/archer too, I have a player using it very effectively.

I really like Dawnflower Dervish. Martials basically never lose anything with the dip. The +2/2 more than makes up for the lost BAB. Fighter class features take like 5 levels to advance to give 1/1...

Sounds similar to my archaeologist idea (minus the part where it also improves saves).

Weapon training does have one advantage though: it never runs out, and it is always on. With just a dip of bard, your performance rounds are going to be low if you don't do the theorycrafting I suggested, and even then that number is very finite if you do not also want to put yet another feat into extra performance.

And you have to spend an action to activate it (move for the dervish, swift for archaeologist). A fighter, on the other hand, could smack the sorcerer spy in the fact with his bonuses as soon as they monologue and cast a spell. He could even charge at her in the surprise round with those bonuses since he doesn't need to spend any actions on weapon training.

Still, you are right that there are many advantages

@ lemeres

The only problem with fighter weapon training is that the "dip" is 5 levels....

@ lemeres

The only problem with fighter weapon training is that the "dip" is 5 levels....

Depends on the archetype. Some get it as early as level 3. But I meant more in general as a fairly reliable bonus, rather than as something you dip for. I was more against the disparaging of the class ability as a whole.

Yeah, I know, I was just giving you a hard time ;)

I had the idea of making a half-elf (dirge) bard with a dip into sorcerer with an undead bloodline. Both classes together (at level 3) will allow him to attack all undead with mind-affecting abilities.
The dirge bard archetype grants

1-3 levels of Rogue (Thug Archetype) for a Fighter with Dazzling Display or a Barbarian with Intimidating Glare is awesome!

Not sure about PFS, but I've grown fond of dipping straight rogue for two levels for any dungeon-crawling type of character (save full casters).

Lore oracle is a ridiculously good dip for charisma casters.

Some of the suggestions given so far have really sparked my imagination.