I have an opportunity to make a gestalt character, and always wanted to make good use of the Arcanists Dimensional Slide ability to maneuver in combat, but I am struggling to work out what I should take as the second part of the gestalt.
Essentially I am looking for some means of boosting my survivability. I could grab Arcane Armour Training and gestalt with a more martial class, ending up with Mithral Chain Shirt, or I could go unarmoured and concentrate on spells (Mage Armor, Shield, Mirror Image, etc.) to keep me alive.
I also need to decide what attack modes I will be using. If I pick up Eldritch Archer, I can use Dimensional Slide to get out of Dodge or move to a better position. Or I could go with Kensai, Dimensinal Slide into position and go to town. Or I could go with something else (Slayer? Brawler? Fighter? Ranger? Swashbuckler?)
I am allowed any paizo class except Gunslinger (but Bolt Ace is allowed). I am also allowed Dreamscarred Press' psionic classes, but for background purposes I would find them difficult to rationalise.
The question is, how should I go about developing this character without becoming too MAD?
The points to use dimensional slide come out of a pool based on charisma, so I'd look first at classes with some use for that. Swashbuckler isn't a terrible idea in gestalt - you could even go with flying blade swashbuckler if you want a ranged option. Their parry and/or disrupting counter could definitely help with keeping you alive.
No its not. DCs are based on Charisma, but not the Arcane Reservoir, which is simply 3 + level (max) and 3 + 1/2 level at the beginning of the day, otherwise I would have picked up paladin and have done.
I did consider swashbuckler (inspired blade), but I gather its generally not considered worth more than a few levels. While I might still go that route if I go for a DEx based finesse style, I'd still be looking for another class (possibly kensai in that case).
Slayer would be good. Full BAB, good skills, good saves, and can get almost as many bonus feats as a fighter - including some ranger-style skip-the-prereq feats. The dimensional chain is interesting, but a lot of feats without bonus feats.
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You're right, but it's more than DCs of terrible exploits that makes Cha matter for an arcanist. Checking it on AoN now - right, it's the number of times/day you can use consume spells or consume magic items (hence indirectly the number of arcane reservoir points), and if you get bloodline development or school understanding the uses/day is 3+Cha & the duration of the full power effect is Cha rounds.
I'd take swashbuckler for 1 (parry), 3 (disrupting counter if flying blade, +1 AC, precise strike) or 5 (improved critical, bonus combat feat@4 & +1 hit/damage) levels but not more. Beyond that - kensai or eldritch archer could work. The eldritch archer could use thrown daggers like a flying blade if desired.
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Several Oracle Mysteries grant abilities that get you a long-duration, stacking AC bonus. Could work for what you have in mind, plus it gets you another pool of spells, based on an ability you want to be decent anyways. Magus is another decent choice. You mentioned Kensai, which is a BRUTALLY effective choice. Strap on a Mithral Heavy Shield and all of a sudden you get REALLY tanky, even with just Mage Armor, plus you get the Magus Arcane Deflection (which you will have plenty of thanks to your amazing Int. score). In fact, the more I think about it, Kensai combined with any Int-based spellcaster seems crazy good.
Slayer has full BAB, Good Fort and Reflex, 1d10 HD, and 6+Int skills, so its chassis is great for gestalting with a 1/2 BAB, Good Will, d6 HD, 2+Int spellcaster.
You can add sneak attack to melee and ranged spell attacks and cantrips.
You get lots of bonus feats, so you can use your regular feats for spellcaster stuff, and the bonus feats for combatant stuff.
The Slayer class is pretty easy to run, so you can concentrate your brain power on spellcasting.
On the other hand, an alchemist might work too. +3/4 BAB, Good Fort and Reflex, 1d8 HD, and 4+Int skills. Plus Int-based casting (and healing!), mutagens (and/or cognatagens), and the choice to bomb or sneak attack, plus lots of neat discoveries. A Dex mutagen gives you +4 AC, +2 to ranged (spell) attacks and initiative and Reflex saves, and only gives you a -1 to Will and Perception. Not too shabby for an arcanist. I also like the Master Chymist PrC, but I've never seen it in action.
Magus would be super fun too.
What about a skald or bard? They're Charismatic know-it-alls....
Ok, I accept that I could use CHA, but I really wanted to go for a gish build and I can't see that I would need to use consume spells much (unlike a blaster build).
I am seriously looking at slayer; the only issue I have is that studied target is a move action which will conflict with dimensional slide. There are some ways around it such as using dimensional slide to instigate a sneak attack and get it as an immediate action, or concentrate on sniping, but as I am 2nd level I will be a level away from the former and I'm wondering if eldritch archer would be better at archery.
Kensai is a favourite of mine, but at 2nd level is a long way from coming into its own, and since arcanist is not too great at this stage I would be stuck with a poor character for several levels.
fighter might work, but I'm not a great fan of pure fighters.
Barbarians have the problem of not being able to cast spells while raging, and bloodcasters rely on CHA, making it too MAD. So do Oracles.
So at the moment, it's between some kind of Magus and slayer, with fighter still a possibility.