D&D (2024) Best skill monky build?
- Thread starter mellored
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mellored
Legend
Some potential pieces
Humans with Skilled
Warlock 2 can get Eldritch Blast + Hex + Repelling + Lessons of the Fist One (Skilled)
Barbarian allows for Str on several skills
Soul Knife 7 is a bunch of skill dice, reliable talent, and expertise
Fighter 2, Tactical Mind, Action Surge
Lore Bard 3, 3 more skills, and cutting words is a pseudo skill boost. (Lore 14 is probably too far up)
Humans with Skilled
Warlock 2 can get Eldritch Blast + Hex + Repelling + Lessons of the Fist One (Skilled)
Barbarian allows for Str on several skills
Soul Knife 7 is a bunch of skill dice, reliable talent, and expertise
Fighter 2, Tactical Mind, Action Surge
Lore Bard 3, 3 more skills, and cutting words is a pseudo skill boost. (Lore 14 is probably too far up)
Depends on level range and if you are going single classed or multiclassed.
You would want Elf race with skilled feat. After that here goes:
Without multiclassing:
Level 1: Rogue
Level 2-8: Fighter
Level 9+: Rogue
With multiclassing here is my first cut:
Level 1: Rogue
Level 2: Fighter
Level 3: Rogue 1/fighter 2
Level 4: Bard 2/Fighter 2
Level 5: Bard 2/Fighter 2/Rogue 1
Level 6: Bard 2/Fighter 2/Rogue 1/Ranger 1
Level 7: Bard 2/Fighter 2/Rogue 1/Ranger 2
Level 8: Fiendlock 6/Fighter 2
Level 9: Rogue 1/Fiendlock 6/Fighter 2
Level 10: Rogue 1/Fiendlock 6/Fighter 2/Bard 1
Level 11: Rogue 1/Fiendlock 6/Fighter 2/Bard 2
Level 12: Rogue 1/Fighter 2/Lore Bard 3/Fiendlock 6
Level 13: Rogue 1/Fighter 2/Fiendlock 6/Lore Bard 3/Ranger 1
Level 14: Rogue 7/Fighter 2/Lore Bard 3/Ranger 2
Level 15: Rogue 7/Fighter2/Fiendlock 6
Level 16: Rogue 7/Fighter 2/Fiendlock 6/Bard 1
Level 17: Rogue 7/Fighter 2/Fiendlock 6/Bard 2
Level 18: Rogue 7/Fighter 2/Fiendlock 6/Lore Bard 3
Level 19: Rogue 7/Bard 2/Fiendlock 6/Fighter 4 - Boon of Skill
Level 20: Rogue 8/Fey Wanderer 3/Fiendlock 6/Fighter 4 - Boon of Skill
There might be better, but those are the best I think off the top of my head using only 2024 rules
If you allow 2014 subclasses, races and feats there is a lot more design space with things like Scout, Purple Dragon etc.
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FrogReaver
The most respectful and polite poster ever
It might also depend on the skills you actually care about. For example Battlemaster can be good at some skills but not all.
I think soulknife wins out.
4 starting skills and 2x expertise. An extra language as well (languages can matter for charisma skills).
At level 6 get 2 more expertise and 7th you get the crowning achievement of reliable talent. You can have a minimum of 15 and 20 on alot of skills and a 10 minimum in most everything else.
The soul knife lets you add a d6 to d12 to a missed roll and only expend it if you then succeed. Essentially his dice from that feature go a very long ways.
If you really care about the skills a Battlemaster can boost then maybe hes better, but the soul knife isn’t really giving up much offense to acquire his skill bonuses and the Battlemaster does.
Lore Bards are pretty good too. Lots of skills, expertise and cutting words. Couple that with spells and he’s great too, just less at flat bonuses.
I think soulknife wins out.
4 starting skills and 2x expertise. An extra language as well (languages can matter for charisma skills).
At level 6 get 2 more expertise and 7th you get the crowning achievement of reliable talent. You can have a minimum of 15 and 20 on alot of skills and a 10 minimum in most everything else.
The soul knife lets you add a d6 to d12 to a missed roll and only expend it if you then succeed. Essentially his dice from that feature go a very long ways.
If you really care about the skills a Battlemaster can boost then maybe hes better, but the soul knife isn’t really giving up much offense to acquire his skill bonuses and the Battlemaster does.
Lore Bards are pretty good too. Lots of skills, expertise and cutting words. Couple that with spells and he’s great too, just less at flat bonuses.
FrogReaver
The most respectful and polite poster ever
Warlock offers a lot for a 2 level dip. Can get hex, eb, agonizing, lucky feat and an additional take of skilled (can’t take more than 1x from invocation, but can take skilled on background and on warlock 2).
One should be able to pick up virtually all the skill enhancing abilities.
In no particular order
Warlock 2
Soulknife Rogue 7
Lore Bard 5
Battlemaster 3
Use the other levels to round out your ASI’s.
One should be able to pick up virtually all the skill enhancing abilities.
In no particular order
Warlock 2
Soulknife Rogue 7
Lore Bard 5
Battlemaster 3
Use the other levels to round out your ASI’s.
Zardnaar
Legend
Old one was a half elf, rogue, bard mix iirc. Knowledge domain cleric.
Proficient in every skill uses EB, hex, Agonizing Blast.
Ancient secrets warlock probably the new one with Rogue.
Rogue 1 gets 6 skills skilled feat X2 is another 6.
Leaves 4 skills iirc to pick up. Foundation is Rogue1/Warlock 2. 1 skill via race.
Multiclassing into bard you gain 1 skill, 3 levels of lore bard is 3 skills.
That's 16 level 6, 17 via race.
Need 18.
6 rogue
6 skilled
3 lore bard
1 race
1 multiclass bard
Level 6.
Fighter/rogue probably best of you want to focus on specific skills.
Proficient in every skill uses EB, hex, Agonizing Blast.
Ancient secrets warlock probably the new one with Rogue.
Rogue 1 gets 6 skills skilled feat X2 is another 6.
Leaves 4 skills iirc to pick up. Foundation is Rogue1/Warlock 2. 1 skill via race.
Multiclassing into bard you gain 1 skill, 3 levels of lore bard is 3 skills.
That's 16 level 6, 17 via race.
Need 18.
6 rogue
6 skilled
3 lore bard
1 race
1 multiclass bard
Level 6.
Fighter/rogue probably best of you want to focus on specific skills.
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EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
The build I used to use in 5.0 has had most of its pieces altered too much to use anymore (e.g. the Cleric dip is no longer worthwhile), but it's possible that a bit of Warlock would do the trick...albeit likely costing another level.
So we take...
Any BG which offers Skilled (+3 trained skills)
Human (+1 skill, extra origin feat: Skilled if necessary, persuade DM for Prodigy if not--either +3 or +1+Expertise)
Rogue 1 (choose 4 proficiencies from a fairly large list)
MC Bard 1 (+1 skill, no restriction)
4th level: Bard subclass, Lore, +3 skills
This character is level 4 and now has 3 (BG) + 1 (species) + 4 (starting as Rogue) + 1 (MC Bard) + 3 (Lore subclass) + 3 (bonus origin feat, Skilled) = 16 skills.
That leaves you with only two untrained skills--no doubt you can think of two skills that aren't worth the investment, especially since Bard gives Jack of All Trades to cover the stuff you aren't proficient in. It also gives you Bardic Inspiration, and with just two more Bard levels, that becomes (in theory) 5 uses per short rest assuming you max out Cha, in addition to the baseline ability to recharge it with spell slots.
If it really matters, two more levels of Rogue would let you pick up Soulknife, which provides a different pool of short-rest-based skill-boosting dice, and these aren't keyed to your stats. I definitely think maxing out Bard is overall more valuable, but a Rogue 1/Bard 5/Rogue +14 strikes you as more interesting, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, though you'd miss out on your psi dice becoming 12d12 instead of 10d10 per short rest. You'd still have some 3rd level spell slots for utility, and Rogue does get an extra feat at high level. I don't think it would be as strong as a Bard with just 1 (or 3) Rogue levels, but it wouldn't be bad.
So we take...
Any BG which offers Skilled (+3 trained skills)
Human (+1 skill, extra origin feat: Skilled if necessary, persuade DM for Prodigy if not--either +3 or +1+Expertise)
Rogue 1 (choose 4 proficiencies from a fairly large list)
MC Bard 1 (+1 skill, no restriction)
4th level: Bard subclass, Lore, +3 skills
This character is level 4 and now has 3 (BG) + 1 (species) + 4 (starting as Rogue) + 1 (MC Bard) + 3 (Lore subclass) + 3 (bonus origin feat, Skilled) = 16 skills.
That leaves you with only two untrained skills--no doubt you can think of two skills that aren't worth the investment, especially since Bard gives Jack of All Trades to cover the stuff you aren't proficient in. It also gives you Bardic Inspiration, and with just two more Bard levels, that becomes (in theory) 5 uses per short rest assuming you max out Cha, in addition to the baseline ability to recharge it with spell slots.
If it really matters, two more levels of Rogue would let you pick up Soulknife, which provides a different pool of short-rest-based skill-boosting dice, and these aren't keyed to your stats. I definitely think maxing out Bard is overall more valuable, but a Rogue 1/Bard 5/Rogue +14 strikes you as more interesting, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, though you'd miss out on your psi dice becoming 12d12 instead of 10d10 per short rest. You'd still have some 3rd level spell slots for utility, and Rogue does get an extra feat at high level. I don't think it would be as strong as a Bard with just 1 (or 3) Rogue levels, but it wouldn't be bad.
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