Skill Ranks record?

[Pippin]

Hello Playground.

What are the best TO tricks to get as many skills ranks as possible by level 20?

I once had the idea of becoming a Prismatic Great Wyrm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?428233-How-would-you-guys-do-to-successfully-manifest-Fusion-on-a-Prismatic-Great-Wyrm), but that requires different things and I'm not sure this could be done early (UMD as class skill to use a scroll of Greater Planar Binding that calls out a Gray Linnorm (MM2 p. 141-142) that uses Consumptive Field shenanigans to raise its CL to 39+ then casts Gate to bring a Prismatic Great Wyrm; UPD as class skill to use a power stone of Fusion, then a power stone of Astral Seed).

I've always thought it could be nice to literally know everything (all Knowledge skills to MAX).

[noob]

Omniscifer?

[Pippin]

Omniscifer?
Okay. Could you be more specific?

[AvatarVecna]

Pun-Pun has infinite ranks in infinite skills.

Oh, did you want a serious answer? I don't know what the record is, but it's got to be enormous even without going to extremes like that. I could try and come up with one, if you want.

EDIT:

The Khepri build in my signature can take a level in Exemplar after setting up her mega-swarm, and then she has two times (HD+3) ranks in every skill from her NI extra skill points per hit die, as opposed to literally infinite.

Why two times? Because Item Familiars are broken bull****, that's why.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Omniscifer?
That's just a bonus, not actual ranks. For that, you'd need something like a Dusk Giant that can give you bonus hit dice.

[Telonius]

Isn't there some trick to get NI-bonus feats? If so, you could just Chaos Shuffle them all into Open Minded.

[Kraken]

Thanks to reincarnate being stupid, with the aforementioned dusk giant you can get a huge permanent boost in ranks to all your skills. Reincarnate explicitly says you keep all the ranks you had when you died. So true mind switch yourself into a dusk giant (or however you want to obtain the form), eat stuff and load up on skill ranks with the HD you gain, then get killed and reincarnated by the spell last breath (Spell Comp., basically reincarnate with no level loss), and boom, all (2+int)*24 ranks ranks from your dusk giant HD are still there. Assuming you're doing this at level 20, and are willing to repeat the process multiple times, you can get your way to 47 ranks in each skill. There's probably a way to make this work with feats too, though, true mind switch explicitly says you don't get those.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Isn't there some trick to get NI-bonus feats? If so, you could just Chaos Shuffle them all into Open Minded.
Probably, but it's the HD cap that's the issue.

[Kraken]

Actually, I'm just now realizing that reincarnate all on its own allows for goofy amounts of skill points and feats. You die, you explicitly keep your skill points and feats, but you also lose a level. Let's say you go down to level 11. You get reincarnated, level back up, and as a result of hitting level 12 get more skill points and a feat. The wording of reincarnate would seem to allow you to hit 12 over and over again, functionally granting you unlimited feats and skill points up to your HD cap. Perhaps there are some shenanigans involving something like primary contact (Cityscape feat) that would allow you to parlay your unlimited feats and skill points into breaking the normal HD based limit on skill ranks?

[Ruethgar]

An Awakened fully advanced Monkey with all bloodline levels and Laborious training.

That is a potential 74 ranks in any skill +2 in Int skills. ECL 0 no XP used.

[OldTrees1]

Probably, but it's the HD cap that's the issue.

Illithid Savant can break the HD cap but is limited by the brain they eat.

[daremetoidareyo]

Illithid Savant can break the HD cap but is limited by the brain they eat.

Changeling with racial emulation emulating an incarnate effigy mindflayer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-254589.html) is a start. I always saw this as the ultimate truespeaker class. If you can just eat a 19th level truespeaker's brain...

[elonin]

The OP was asking about skill ranks. Is this about early entry for a prestige class? If not there are many options from skill focus (does not qualify as actual skill ranks), magic items that enhance skils etc.