What skills are good for all PCs to have?

[Azul]

While Spot and Listen are the obvious choices, I am a little surprised that no one suggested taking a few ranks in the skills related to physical activites: Balance, Climb, Jump and Swim. Those are the skills that help you get out of tight spots or traverse hazardous terrain safely, and we all know that most good dungeons are packed with environmental hazards.

While a higher-level party can resort to magic as a way around not having these skills, low to mid-level parties often either don't have the spells to spare or don't have them prepared at the right time. Also, these skills become more obviously useful in smaller groups where resources and skill sets are more limited.

I've found out from recent experience as a player in a 2 person party (a paladin and a psion), sometimes it is really handy to be able to Swim, Jump or Climb when you really need it.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I agree with everyone else regarding Spot and Listen. You should do what you can to have these covered.

In my campaign, though, the social skills are also very important. The bard can't make every Diplomacy, Bluff, and Sense Motive check for every character. PCs have different contacts, different areas of influence, and when dealing with such people, they won't be able to get the bard to make the pertinent check for them.

On the other hand, I've never found Hide and Move Silently necessary party-wide. The scout uses them to move ahead of the party and make sure the coast is clear for his noisier comrades, and that's about it. Also, as has already been mentioned, Silence and Invisibility can render ranks in Hide/Move Silently obsolete at mid levels, but there's no substitute for Spot and Listen, and to a great extent the social skills.

edit: spelling

 

[Quez The Lame]

All kinds of knowledge, crafts or professions. Adventuring, which also means travelling, is quite difficult without basic information about geography and a spartanic way of live without a cook. You'll need someone to craft warming cloaks from that winter wolf's hide when crossing northern regions. A militaric
education could be of use when you have to fight or command soldiers.

Some sort of knowledge and perhaps a craft or profession help to give a character a solid background and tell of what he did before his adventuring career. To have a nice array of different background knowledge can be useful in many moments and gives characters opportunities to shine outside their standard portfolio of abilities.