I was playing around with character creation to see just how many skills I could get on one character without using a Feat. I went with a multi-class Half-elf Bard/Rogue/cleric. I ended up with 14 skills from this build; 8 Rogue, 8 Bard, 4 cleric. Half-elf gives you 2 skills, then you get 2 skills from your background. With Rogue at 1st level you get 4 skills. Bard was next and gives 1 skill and 1 musical instrument. As a Bard, I went with college of lore to get 3 more proficiencies. Then when I took cleric, I chose the Knowledge domain, which gives you 2 more skills and the proficiency bonus for these 2 are doubled. You also pick up Expertise (which doubles proficiency bonus) from Bard on 2 skills and again from Rogue on 4 more skills. In the end you get 14 skills, which 8 of get double proficiency bonuses and the others get half of your proficiency bonus due to Jack of all Trades ability from Bard. As an extra bonus this build also gives you 6 languages; 3 from Half-elf, 2 from Knowledge domain and Thieve's cant from Rogue.
While making this character, I saw him as an Indiana Jones type with a criminal background in fencing goods. He seeks out magical artifacts as a dungeon delver and wheels and deals buying a selling goods all in the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment while worshiping Gond, the god of Craft.
For feats, I took Actor, Observant, War caster and Dungeon Delver. These totally add into the Indiana Jones character type.
If you can think of any other way to gain more skills without spending a feat let me know.
One ranger level adds a skill, and two warlock can add persuasion and deception from the beguiling influence invocation.
I think by level 7 you can have all skills trained.
Race: half elf
class levels in order:
rogue 1
bard 3 lore college
ranger 1
warlock 2
feat at level 4: skilled
dont have the book in front of me so may have missed some but this should give 18 skills as shown. Also you have half proficiency on all ability checks and double prof bonus on 4 skills.
Veleria wrote:
IMO:
Half-elf
Str 10, Con 14, Dex 13+1, Int 9, Wis 13+1, Cha 14+2
Rogue 1
Knowlage Cleric 1 (medium armor + shield)
Warlock 2 (agonizing blast)
Bard 4+
(maybe rogue 2).
It's 8 levels instead of 7, but it's solid in combat (hex +eldrich blast), in support (bless, and all the bard buffs), as well as out (all skills, and several expertise).
Ohh, good ones, I did not even look at the bequiling invocation under the warlock.
So in 8 levels you can get 17 skills without using a Feat
Class/other Levels in class # of skills
half-elf auto 2 skills
background auto 2 skills
Rogue 1 4 skills
Ranger 1 1 skill
Cleric/knowledge 1 2 skills
Warlock 2 2 skills
Bard/lore 3 4 skills
Thanks for the insight everyone.
Brige wrote:
Psst. We already did this thread 
And it's active. Come on over!