[F. Gottwald]

i cannot comment on tob, but as far as soa goes a ranger dual-classed to cleric (probably around lvl 8) is one of the strongest characters in the game.
the one thing that keeps this char from perfect is their inability to wield the secondary weapons in the game (belm or kundane) so they aren´t really the fast killing machines fighter/mages can be... but they can tank with the best of them.
with access to both cleric and druid spells, the problem of both classes that some spell levels just don´t have any truly useful picks no longer exists and you have access to both the druids ironskin and impressive anti-caster arsenal (insect plage especially) and the clerics high-level offensive capabilities (gate, fire storm, flame strike).
in terms of casting, a ranger/cleric would be on par with or superior to a wizard if it wasn´t for the following:
- worse casting speed
- no sequencers
- no project image/simulacrum
tbh, those drawbacks ARE pretty hefty... but as i see it, project image and sequencers are so horribly overpowered as to make soa too easy.

if you don´t want gamebreaking abilities but a rock solid performer with a good variety of spells and excellent tank capability, i don´t think you can get better than a range/cleric.