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For decent knowledge coverage investing in a familiar with both the Sage and Figment (using each evolution point for +8 racial bonus to skill of choice) archetypes is a good option. This trait or the Iron Will feat qualifies the character to take the Familiar Bond feat.

Humans have an interesting alternate racial trait that trades their +1 skill point per level for having every knowledge as a class skill. If a knowledge was already a class skill it gets a +1 bonus.

Also a character can worship Irori to take their Deific Obedience feat for +4 to all knowledges.

Just learned that Magdh's Deific Obedience was toned down in the Campaign Clarifications. You get to choose three intelligence-based skills to increase by +4, changeable each time you perform the obedience. That's a lot worse, so I'd change my recommendation for that feat to Irori's Deific Obedience for +4 to all knowledge skills. My build loses 44 skill bonus from that modification.

Pageant of the Peacock Build

Impressive build. Since pageant of the peacock operates on int-based skills, a 2 level dip in Empiricist Investigator would allow you to boost some of the most useful skills in the game (Perception, Disable Device, Sense Motive, UMD, and the gather information part of Diplomacy).

Shame Pageant of the Peacock isn't PFS legal as that's all I'm playing right now.

I got to the 35 ioun stones and LOLed at the mental image - 'Dude, where's your face?' :)

Yeah that would be pretty ridiculous. Alternatively with enough downtime you can implant all the ioun stones in your body. Then you can be more ioun stone than man haha.

Mostly just for fun I'm interested in learning all the best ways to boost skills and designing characters with obscenely high total +skill bonuses, either in a specific set of skills or just any skill.

For the character I made below I gave each skill equal weighting, so +1 to Perception and +1 to Profession are both worth +1 to the total despite one obviously being more useful than the other. Any bonuses to Profession or Craft only count once despite the possibility of them applying to multiple sub-skills within those skills. No consideration was given for combat viability.

Level 5 Half-Elf Empiricist Investigator, 20 point buy, 12000g budget.

Stats: 22 Int (with headband), 16 Dex, 14 Cha, 8 Wis, 7 Str/Con

Half Elf: Favored class bonus adds 1/4 to inspiration checks (+22), Skill Focus (+3) Keen Senses (+2). Probably a few more minor alternate racial trait swaps that could be made.

Empiricist: Four and a half skills made int-based.

Traits: Student of Philosophy (Bluff checks to lie and all Diplomacy checks except gather information become int-based), Precise Treatment (Heal becomes int-based and +1 trait bonus).

Gold Spent: +2 Int Headband (4000g), 35 Ioun Stones that give +1 competence bonus to every skill (7000g), Heroism Potion (750g)

Feats: Elongated Cranium: Ovoid Compression (+2 untyped bonus to all int-based skills, -1 penalty to cha and wis based skills)

Deific Obedience: Magdh (+4 untyped bonus to all int-based skills),

Dilettante (+2 to knowledge skills if 1 to 5 ranks invested)

Investigator Talents: Expanded Inspiration (5 more free inspiration use skills),

Underworld Inspiration (5 more free inspiration use skills)

Adding Everything Up

I made the slight simplification of counting Bluff as entirely int-based, even though only about half of it is due to the trait. So some numbers are slightly overstated. 21 of the investigator's skills are int-based.

Ability Scores: Int (+126), Dex (+18), Cha (+8), Wis (-2), Str (-2)
Inspiration (assuming average roll): +99
Ioun Stones: +35

Dilettante: +20
Elongated Cranium: +36
Deific Obedience (Magdh): +84

30 class skill bonuses: +90
Skill Ranks to freely* distribute: +55 (*this build assumes 1 put in each class skill, 3 in Knowledge Religion, and 2 in 4 other knowledges)
Int Headband Skill Ranks: +5

Other Minor Bonuses: Skill Focus (+3), Keen Senses (+2), Precise Treatment (+1), Trapfinding (+2), 1 FCB in skill (+1)

Total Skill Bonus: 581

Also for 5 hours a day the Investigator can use extracts to maintain Heightened Awareness (+2 competence bonus, so only +1 due to ioun stones, to all knowledge skills and perception), and for 3 hours and twenty minutes a day he can maintain Heroism using Alchemical Allocation (+2 morale bonus on all skills).

- - - - - -

On a more practical note this build could be made reasonably combat viable without even losing very much of its skill bonus. Swap out Dilettante for Power Attack, Underworld Inspiration for Quick Study, shuffle ability scores around so Int only starts at 18, and spend the ioun stone money on standard gear. After all that the skill bonus still should be nearly +500.

Anything I miss? Items, feats, traits, class dips, things that could make this build, or any other, even more insanely good at skills? I considered the Breadth of Experience feat but as a Half-Elf being 100+ years old is nearly Venerable.

I'd also like to see how other classes can be built to maximize their skills.

If you do pick up the trait to swap int for cha, then the spell Tears to Wine is your friend. At 2nd level, you can get +2, +5, or +10 (by CL) on int and wis checks.

/cevah

That spell is amazing. Too bad it isn't PFS legal, and neither is the Visualization of the Mind spell.

A four-leaf clover gives a +2 luck bonus 3/day (as a free action).

Wow that's good, haven't seen that item before. Just for the saving throw boost I'd consider buying this around the same time as upgrading to a +2 cloak of resistance on any character. Potential UMD use is icing on the cake at that point. Yet another reason to get Fate's Favored as well.

Visualization of the Mind is a Personal/You spell that grants the recipient 24 hours of a +5 untyped bonus to skill checks with a single mental stat (unless the spell's secondary effect is used, ending the spell). This spell however does require soothing incense worth 200 GP and 1 hour to cast.

Nice. That buff would be great on an Empiricist Investigator with traits for Diplomacy and Intimidate as int based skills. 18 skills based on int getting a +5 bonus. Alternatively a prime candidate for Extend Spell for those who can cast it without UMD.

I'm interested in effectively using UMD on my various characters. I've already done a lot of research but would like to hear of any other options for boosting its effectiveness that you know of. Class-agnostic and PFS legal options are best, but I'm still interested in hearing about class specific options too.

Here is what I know of so far:

Traits

Int mod replaces Cha mod for UMD checks from your choice of Clever Wordplay (Social) or Pragmatic Activator (Magic)

Class Skill and +1 trait bonus from your choice of Underlying Principles (Religion, Nethys), Dangerously Curious (Magic), or Arcane Archivist (Dark Archive Faction).

Feats

Deific Obedience (Magdh): +4 to all int-based skill checks. Must be using int for UMD for it to apply.

Magical Aptitude: +2, +4 at 10+ ranks. Prereq for Arcane Savant prestige class.

Skill Focus: +3, +6 at 10+ ranks.

Elongated Cranium: +2 to all int-based checks, but -1 to all cha and wis based checks. Alternatively +2 to all cha-based checks but -1 to all int and wis based checks.

Items

Circlet of Persuasion (4500g): +3 competence bonus on Cha-based checks. Doesn't work if using Int instead of Cha to make the check.

Cracked Magenta Prism Ioun Stone (800g): +2 competence bonus to skill of your choosing.

Stone of Good Luck (20000g): +1 luck bonus to saves, ability checks, and skill checks. Bonus can be increased to +2 with Fate's Favored trait.

Any of the standard ways of directly boosting Int or Cha like headbands and ioun stones.

Pathfinder Savant Prestige Class

Level 1: Take 10 on UMD checks, UMD becomes class skill, and +1 to UMD checks. Requires Magical Aptitude, one Item Creation Feat (I assume Spell Focus can substitute for this in PFS), and ability to cast 2nd level spells. Delays spellcasting progression by 1 level, but all later levels have full progression.

Level 3: Use your caster level instead of item's caster level when using scrolls if it is greater.

At level 4 and every even level thereafter UMD increases by 1.

Level 6: Can activate all magical items silently.

Class Specific

Device Talent (Investigator): Investigator talent that allows inspiration roll to benefit UMD without reducing daily uses.

Gnome Rogues have a favored class bonus that adds half a point to UMD checks.

Expert Cypher (Rogue): Rogue talent that allows rogue to avoid making minimum ability score UMD checks.

Covetous (Oracle): Oracle curse that at level 5+ adds +4 insight bonus on UMD checks.

Foresight Divination (Wizard): 3 + Int Mod times per day roll d20 as free action and can use if you wish on any check later that round. Helps either guarantee success on UMD checks or increase the likelihood of it depending on how committed you are to trying to use it that round.

Archetypes

Scrollmaster (Wizard): Wizard's int mod and feats used to set DC of scroll. Uses Wizard's caster level if greater than scroll's.

Counterfeit Mage (Rogue): +Half Level to UMD checks. At level 6+ can replace Cha mod with Dex mod for UMD.

Magician (Bard): +Half Level to UMD checks.

Empiricist (Investigator): Int modifier replaces Cha modifier for UMD checks.

Long Duration Spells

Heroism: +2 morale to skill checks, attack rolls, and ability checks for 10 minutes/level.

A few reasons why Robe of the Archmagi might not be a good deal:

Mage Armor gives +4 armor bonus and is incredibly cheap, so the +5 armor bonus really isn't very good.

If the player values the robe's effects, he likely was using other items like Cloak of Resistance to bump them up already. When selling those magic items off for half price to replace them with the robe he will lose money. Saving up for the robe while ignoring those alternative items for many levels would be an even worse idea.

Also the robe's effects can't be expanded as easily. Better to upgrade the individual items to higher bonuses later than be stuck with the robe's bonuses.

A wand of vanish can set up some easy flanks if you have anyone that can reliably use it (wizard, sorcerer, bard, magus). Wand user taps melee dude with wand, turning him invisible for one round and allowing him to move wherever he wants without provoking AoOs from most enemies.