Completely agree with the comment on backgrounds.. Absolutely love the freedom of character design that the background system brings, especially with the flat out core assumption of tweaking them to taste. My group had abandoned the idea of class skills in 3.X a LOOONG time ago for precisely this reason. I did some theorycrafting and realized that I could make a 2nd level fighter that could
1) scout with or in place of the rogue (really helpful with the group skill check rules)
2) find a trap on a door, disarm it, and then pick the lock on the door
3) block an attack against the squishy wizard (shield fighting style)
4) deal good damage
5) nova to do double damage via action surge (more than a 1st level wizard spell)
6) take a hit then heal it back via second wind
Aaaannnnd then take a short rest. I'm not saying he does everything better than everyone, but that he is COMPETENT in multiple areas right off the bat. Pure awesome.