The skilliest skill monkey to ever skill

[Naez]

I was thinking of a build to get as many skill proficiencies, as well as bonuses as possible. I came to the following build.

Race: Half-elf Any 2 skills

Background: Any 2 skills

Starting class: Rogue 4 rogue skills, go 6 for 4 expert skills or 3 and thieves tools

Multiclass: Bard any 1 skill, choose Lore for 3 more any skills and go 10 to get 4 more expert skills.
Edit: Dip in Ranger for 1 ranger skill.
Edit 2: Knowledge Cleric dip for 2 knowledge skills and expertise in them.
2 levels of warlock for invocation for deception and persuasion.

End result: 17 proficiencies, 10 expert skills or 9 and thieves tools.

Alternative: go 11 rogue for reliable talent but lose out on 2 expert skills.
Edit: and the ranger skill.

Edit: Build 2.0
Race: Variant Human (Skilled), 4 skills
Background: Any 2 skills
Starting class:
6 Rogue, 4 rogue skills, 4 expertise
Multiclassing:
10 Lore Bard, 4 skills, 4 expertise
1 Knowledge Cleric, 2 Knowledge skills with expertise
2 Warlock, invocation for deception and persuasion.

Final tally: Proficiency All skills, 10 expertise or 9 and thieves tools.

Suggested progression Rogue 1/Bard 3/Cleric 1/Warlock 2/Bard 7/Rogue 5/Bard 1

Haven't really thought of a stat spread or exactly which skills they would be or which rogue archetype to use with it. What do you guys think?
Edit: Purposely avoiding feats from ASIs as much as possible.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Don't forget about the Skilled feat. Three more ain't bad.

[Potato_Priest]

The UA feats for skills are also great, to get more expert skills, as you refer to them.

[Desteplo]

Halfelf(2), background (2) rogue1 (4), lore bard 3 (3), knowledge cleric 1 (2), warlock invocation (2)skilled feat (3)
-18 skills

Point buy
Str10
Dex14
Con12
Int12
Wis14
Cha16

Then mostly warlock or bard

[Hrugner]

You can grab four proficiencies with warlock by grabbing both proficiency granted invocations. Caiphon's beacon http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/20170213_Wizrd_Wrlck_UAv2_i48nf.pdf and beguiling influence from the basic book. Mystic nomad 1 is probably better though since you probably don't need all your skills active at once, and it lets you grab languages and tools as needed.

[Lombra]

Started a similar thread some time ago filled with lots of good answers if you are intreasted (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?521040-Proficiency-in-every-skill)

[Naez]

You can grab four proficiencies with warlock by grabbing both proficiency granted invocations. Caiphon's beacon http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/20170213_Wizrd_Wrlck_UAv2_i48nf.pdf and beguiling influence from the basic book. Mystic nomad 1 is probably better though since you probably don't need all your skills active at once, and it lets you grab languages and tools as needed.

3 skills, caiphons gives deception and stealth, beguiling is deception and persuasion. Still thanks though, that would allow you to get all 18. I almost never read UA since the people I play with rarely allow any of it.

[Dudewithknives]

Scout rogues get 2 more skills and the expertise to go with them.

If I was making a skill monkey I would go 11 into rogue just for reliable talent.

Half elf 2 skills
Background 2 skills
Rogue 11 4 skills 4 expertise
Scout subclass 2 skills 2 expertise
Bard 1 Skill 2 expertise
Lore subclass 3 more skills
Skilled feat 3 skills

By level 14 that is 17 skills and 8 expertise and can't roll under a 10 on any of it.

Take rogue 12 and bard 4 to get 2 more feats

1 feat for friendly face half elf feat and then whatever skill feat is left.

Solid character too.

[Khrysaes]

Hmm...

Many fighter subclasses give skills. Scout gives 3, and if you can use the Revised ranger's natural explorer it is pretty good.

Rogue of course, scout again gives 2 skills, and expertise in them.

I also like the Satire Bard, 2 skills. Well it is two skills if you are already proficient in slight of hand and thieves tools. 1 for each you are already proficient in. I also like their level 3 feature. As a bonus action gain dash AND disengage, a climb speed, and reduced falling damage. Pretty useful.

Half elf feat Everybody's friend can get 2 skills, or expertise in those skills if you already are proficient.

2 in Lore wizard will get you expertise in all 4 knowledge skills. but not proficiency.

Squat Nimbleness, a feat for Dwarves, Halflings and Gnomes can give expertise in 2 skills as well. it is mutually exclusive with the Half elf one. Half elf is likely better.

Artificer gets expertise in a bunch of tools, including thieves tools.

As far as a character is concerned...

I would probably go Half elf scout rogue 11, Satire bard 4, scout fighter 5.

half elf: 2 skills
Background: 2 skills and thieves tools.
Feat Everybody's friend, 2 skills or 2 expertise if you already have them.
Rogue either 4 skills, or 1 skills if you chose fighter first for the better saves.
4 Expertise.
Scout rogue, 2 skills & expertise.
Fighter 5 skills, or 3 skills if you chose rogue first for more skills.
Bard, 1 skills, 2 expertise.
Satire Bard, 2 skills.

That is 17 skills/8 expertise, or 15 skills 10 expertise. and a decent, viable character.

If you want to just focus on the skills & expertise.


Background 2 skills
Half elf: 2 skills.
Everybody's friend: 2 expertise.
6 scout rogue: 6 skills, 6 expertise.
Lore bard 3, 4 skills, 2 expertise.
Lore wizard 2, 4 expertise.
8 Scout fighter, 3 skills, and 3 feats which can be used to gain 1 skill 2 expertise, or 3 expertise.

That is 17 skills and 16 expertise, or 18 skills and 15 expertise. Both scout rogue and lore wizard get nature expertise, so there is some overlap.

I am sure there are other combinations that may or may not be better.

Edit: because I realized there is overlap with nature for scout Rogue and Lore wizard...


12 Scout Rogue(4 asi).
4 Lore Bard(1 ASI)
4 Knowledge Cleric


half elf: 2 skills
Background: 2 skills & 2 tools.
Scout Rogue: 6 skills 6 expertise
Lore Bard: 4 skills, 2 expertise.
Knowledge Cleric: 2 skills, 2 expertise.
ASI: Everybody's friend: 2 skills or 2 expertise.
5 more ASI: For skills or expertise

so 16 skills from and 12 expertise from the classes + everybody's friend.

Skilled feat would get you to 19, which is more than are in the game, maybe drop lore bard for satire bard, so you don't lose a skill, that tumble is useful.

and 4 ASI to get 4 more expertise with feats for skills.

end result. 18 of 18 skills in the game, 16 with expertise and none can roll below 10. which means minumum of 16 to 22 on the skills.

hmm.. Lore wizard or Knowledge cleric... lore wizard gets no skills, but does get 1 more expertise. so I would have 14 from classes and same ASI. so 12 Rogue/4 Lore Bard/4 Lore Wizard would get 17 proficiency and 17 expertise. There has got to be a way to get the last skill and expertise.

So.. you can either do knowledge cleric or lore wizard... or both technically. and 1 mystic.

so 1 Cleric, 2 Lore wizard, 1 Mystic. for that 4 levels would get you

2 skills
3 expertise.
And then mystic.

12 Scout Rogue(4 asi).
4 Lore Bard(1 ASI)
1 Knowledge Cleric
2 Lore wizard
1 Mystic(especially old Awakened).

half elf: 2 skills
Background: 2 skills & 2 tools.
Scout Rogue: 6 skills 6 expertise
Lore Bard: 4 skills, 2 expertise.
Knowledge Cleric: 2 skills, 2 expertise.
Lore wizard: 1 expertise(since the other 3 have overlap with cleric or rogue).
Mystic: 2 skills, maybe 1 expertise(old awakened)
ASI: Everybody's friend: 2 skills or 2 expertise.
4 more ASI: For 4 expertise

19 skills, 18 expertise.

IF you use the old 10 level version of the awakened mystic, it is 2 skills and 1 expertise, which combined with the loss of asi, and 2 skills from knowledge cleric, could get you to 18 skills 18 expertise.

If you use the more up to date mystic, many of the orders give 2 skills. I would pick nomad because they can also be tools or languages, and change daily. They also get the discipline to be proficient in a skill, tool, or language, at will. So, and this is the iffy part, you could have a skill feat like everybody's friend, that says if you are already proficient it is doubled, and choose whether that skill is doubled or not via that discipline. Would work well with lore wizard since that is guaranteed to work that way. The feats. I am not so sure.

[zminseo]

You can start as variant human and take the skilled feat to start with 10 skills(4 race + 4 rogue + 2 background.)
You might also consider taking 2 levels of knowledge cleric for the channel divinity feature.

[CheddarChampion]

Skill Empowerment can be picked up as a bard for expertise in a skill you're already proficient in.

Doesn't mesh with guidance but hey, expertise when you need it.

[Roland St. Jude]

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