Fun skillmonkey builds?

[Lord of Syntax]

A friend wants to play in a game, we need a skillmonkey, what sort of build should I make?
He is rather new, with 1 game under his belt.
He wants to play a spellcaster.
I was making a Wizard with all sorts of skillmonkeying spells, but then we would be a all-caster party.

[Prodan]

Play a Beguiler.

[Reynard]

And mix in 1 or 2 levels of Factotum.

If you need a skillmonkey, you need someone who treats all skills ever as class skills.

[Kylarra]

Play a Beguiler.

This is pretty much what I was going to say.

Either that or Factotum.

[Amphetryon]

Snowflake Wardance Bard.

[nargbop]

Factotum 1 \ Changeling Rogue 3 and then the rest of your build. Make it Exemplar, get a friend who casts Animate Objects, and you've got the Nanite skillduggler, who gets supermassiveawesome bonuses to his endeavors by lots of Assist Other checks from his animated friends.

[holywhippet]

Snowflake Wardance Bard.

Even a regular bard is a decent skillmonkey and is pretty versatile.

[Thurbane]

It's pretty hard to go past Beguiler for a skillmonkey/caster combo.

[DragoonWraith]

Factotum 1 \ Changeling Rogue 3 and then the rest of your build.

A reasonable DM would allow Changelings to qualify as Dopplegangers for the sake of Able Learner, too, which would be pretty slick.

Can you only get the 10+Int skill points on the levels that specifically have the Racial Substitution features?

[LibraryOgre]

Which game?

1e, I'd suggest a thief. Not a spellcaster, but definitely Indiana Jones.
2e, I'd say a thief or a bard. Thief is still more Indiana Jones, Bard can skill-monkey and is a caster.
3.x, I'd probably still say a bard. 'Cause they're awesome, and it's easy to select spells that will help the skillmonkey aspect.

[Kylarra]

Which game?

1e, I'd suggest a thief. Not a spellcaster, but definitely Indiana Jones.
2e, I'd say a thief or a bard. Thief is still more Indiana Jones, Bard can skill-monkey and is a caster.
3.x, I'd probably still say a bard. 'Cause they're awesome, and it's easy to select spells that will help the skillmonkey aspect.

Clearly you're losing your touch since you suggested options for 1e and 3.x.

[Kosjsjach]

A reasonable DM would allow Changelings to qualify as Dopplegangers for the sake of Able Learner, too, which would be pretty slick.

Can you only get the 10+Int skill points on the levels that specifically have the Racial Substitution features?

From the Adaptation section following the Chameleon PrC in Races of Destiny:

If you’re using the EBERRON Campaign Setting, the chameleon prestige class should be available to changeling player characters as well as humans and doppelgangers. In this case, the Able Learner feat extends to changelings as well.

So yes, Able Learner should be all rights extend to the Chameleon.

As for the skill points, I asked exactly that question here a while back, and the answer was yes, you only get the improved skill points for the levels you take the racial substitution.

To answer the OP, for an all-caster party, Beguilers are indeed skillmonkey-tastic. However, the ultimate skillmonkey (as has been said) is the Factotum (especially at level 3, when they add their Int to all their Dex- and Str-based skills and skill checks (including Initiative, arguably)).

[term1nally s1ck]

Factotum.

Simply the best skillmonkey.

[Deth Muncher]

-casts Summon Person_Man-

I think Person_Man had a thread on this a while back. Find it, and you will be rewarded.

[The Rabbler]

just to overemphasize this (along with everyone else):

changeling factotum with able learner. you now have all skills as class skills forever. by level 1. when you hit level 3, you add your into modifier to all str and dex skill checks, for even more fun.

from there, you can pretty much do anything (though your CL might be hurting a bit).

I'd go into master of masks and chameleon for fun up the wazoo, but that's a personal choice. with a pair of kusari-gama, the TWF feat chain, quick draw, quick sheath, improved trip, and a maxed out iaijutsu, you'd be laying down the hurt.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Beguiler is amazing, especially if your DM agrees that Versatile Spellcaster gives you early access to the next level of spells. Dip a level into Mindbender and get the following spells for Advanced Learning: Ray of Stupidity, Shadow Form, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Superior Invisibility, and Greater Shadow Evocation. Human, Gnome, Grey Elf (MM), Whisper Gnome (RoS), and Water Halfling (UA) are some of the better choices for race.

If playing a Factotum, get Tactile Trapsmith from Complete Adventurer. It turns Search and Disable Device into Dex-based skills, which you would then get to add your Int bonus to anyway. You could also visit the Iron Wyrm Vault detailed in Complete Scoundrel to get that without spending a feat on it, or pay 3,000 gp and write it into your character's backstory without playing it out.

[Seffbasilisk]

Nymph-kissed Rogue with UMD and wands.

[JaronK]

Factotum definitely beats Rogue in the Skillmonkey area. Int to all Dex and Str based skills, +Level to each skill once per day, access to every skill ever, and the ability to be far more Int focused all add up to a HUGE bonus.

JaronK

[Draz74]

-casts Summon Person_Man-

I think Person_Man had a thread on this a while back. Find it, and you will be rewarded.

You're thinking of Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide.

In other news, I would mention the Factotum, but it's already getting a lot of support.

Other nifty options include the Incarnate (perhaps with a build similar to Factotum 3/Incarnate 7/Umbral Disciple 10), or Scout/Ranger with Swift Hunter. Or Rogue/Swashbuckler with Daring Outlaw, if you want to go Rogue but with a twist to it.

[Heliomance]

And mix in 1 or 2 levels of Factotum.

If you need a skillmonkey, you need someone who treats all skills ever as class skills.

He lies. 3 levels of Factotum, minimum. Brains Over Brawn is just that good.

[Greenish]

Factotum and beguiler are awesome.

However, no one has mentioned the tier 1 skillmonkey, Cloistered Cleric. Full cleric spellcasting with 6+int skillpoints per level. Trickery domain adds bluff, disguise and hide to your skill list, kobold domain allows you to find traps, magic domain allows you to use magic items as a wizard of your level (wands, scrolls, runestaves and stuff, all without having to muck with UMD) and so forth (though you only get 2 domains + knowledge before PrCs).

[onthetown]

If you're mixing in Pathfinder, then Bard is a good way to go. By level 20 they treat all skills (or at least most) as class skills. Give him a high INT and you're good to go.

[Doc Roc]

Facotum 8/Swordsage 2/Teflammar Shadowlord 4
Thick with strange tastes and unique mechanics, this build is a font of inspiration.

[term1nally s1ck]

^^Lol.

So, excellent skill monkey, nastily powerful....huge initiative bonuses, and if it goes first it probably kills at least 2 people, using shadow pounce and Iajutsu focus alongside the Inspiration points and knowledge devotion.

[Greenish]

^^Lol.

So, excellent skill monkey, nastily powerful....huge initiative bonuses, and if it goes first it probably kills at least 2 people, using shadow pounce and Iajutsu focus alongside the Inspiration points and knowledge devotion.

Also, 2d6 SA + Craven.

[LibraryOgre]

Clearly you're losing your touch since you suggested options for 1e and 3.x.

1e is AD&D. ;-)

[Human Paragon 3]

Bard with Bardic Knack and Jack of All Trades lets you use half your bard level instead of ranks on EVERY skill, including the hundreds of obscure knowledges, psionic skills, odd professions and performs... really fun IMO.

Also, as has been said many times, 3 levels of factotum is magnifique.

[Deth Muncher]

You're thinking of Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide.

DEEEEEEEEEERP. You're right. I just naturally assumed it was Person_Man, because it was a guide to awesomeness.

[Greenish]

Speaking of handbooks:

• Factotum
• Beguiler
• Cleric
• Archivist (Int-based full caster with 4+int skillpoints per level, knowledge monkey)
• Bard

[Draz74]

[*]Archivist (Int-based full caster with 6+int skillpoints per level, knowledge monkey)

Only 4+Int, actually. Though with its focus on Intelligence, it can still sort of work.