RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Nobody can do everything. Pick things you'd like to be good at, and things you're okay needing to rely on others for.
That said, some of the more universal stuff is as follows:
• Pay for your own healing. Something like half the classes in the game can activate a wand of CLW. Get your own healing wand, and either activate it yourself or get someone else to do it. (This is for after-combat healing, of course).
• Be able to swim. Not kidding.
• Probably advisable to have at least a +0 diplomacy. If you dump CHA, at least put some ranks in it so that it's not mathematically impossible for you to hit a DC 20.
• If you go for Knowledge, planes and religion are big.
• Try throwing a single rank in some trained-only skills, just in case. It's nice to be able to pick a lock if it comes up, even if you have to take 20 to get it.
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Take a profession/craft skill...seriously...its a free roll for money at the end of each session...who cares if you only get 25g more.
For the love of god do whatever it takes to get high Perception. Surprise rounds and acting in them only happens if you succeed on that Perception roll, and you WILL be rolling that a lot more than you think.
Facton matters a bit, but everyone goes on the same adventure, so I would not worry too much.
1- Absalom is an island. So, to go most places, you're on a boat. Profession sailor and swim will come up. Try to put skills here, and if there's just no way, spend prestige on air crystals or a potion of water breathing.
2- It's the Pathfinders, not WWE. It's helpful t be able to negotiate, and that means speaking the language. Put ranks in Linguistics when you can, especially if you're the charismatic type.
3- Have something you can do during investigations. Even if you're the illiterate barbarian, be able to track. Otherwise, you aren't helpful, and even worse, don't have anything to do.
Take a profession/craft skill...seriously...its a free roll for money at the end of each session...who cares if you only get 25g more.
I think a better idea is to look in the book and see what alternative skills you can use. For example for 2PP join the Hunter's Lodge and use Survival for your skill check, or for 4PP join the thieves guild and use slight of hand. That way the skills you use anyway become breadwinners.
Oddly enough Appraise has been useful quite often. If you're playing Season 3 and are in Silver Crusade Slight of Hand has come up a ridiculous amount of times, 'cause we all know how good Paladin's are at Slight of Hand o_O
I always try to put a point in Knowledge: Geography, because I've noticed "make a map" missions seem to come up quite a bit.
What kind of character are you playing? Because if you are someone who's dumped Int then just concentrate on your core skills.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Playing up even once gets you more extra gold than an entire career of Day Job checks. Never take a Day Job for the money. If you have the ranks already or if you take them for RP reasons, then by all means make the check, 'cuz hey, free gold. But if your only reason is for the money, don't do it. Ever.
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I'm surprised no one has suggested the best skill in the game: Appraise.
/sarcasm
Seriously what is the point of appraise?
Anyhoo, I'd pick one shtick and stick to it. A knowledge monkey or a face, or a tracker. Don't try to do everything or you will suck at everything.
Don't forget Escape Artist either...
I'm surprised no one has suggested the best skill in the game: Appraise.
/sarcasm
Seriously what is the point of appraise?
For season 3 if you're Osirian(sp) you better have appraise. I seem to remember Grand Lodge needed it a couple of times too.
Swim, climb, acrobatics. I don't max these out but some skill points will help.
Knowledge skills.
Perception, which can be used outside of combat.
The social skills are good also.
Ask for help if the task doesn't need to be secret
this. my sorcerer will happily talk to people for you if you help him find stuff.
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I'm surprised no one has said Sense Motive. I have been in several scenarios were you needed to know if they are telling you the truth. Heal is also a good one. Being able to stabilize someone for questioning without wasting a cure comes in handy. Finally see what skills the group you play with has and fill a gap. I have a ranger with several ranks in disable devices because the group doesn't have a rouge.
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Knowledge (Local). I know you asked for Non-Combat skills but this is actually one of the most useful Combat skills in the game.
The reason for this is that most enemies in PFS are Humanoids. Knowledge (Local) thus allows you to get some sort of information on the enemies you're fighting in the midst of battle. Even a simple Knowledge (Local) check to get the HD of the enemies you're fighting is just so useful.
And then out of combat, you can usually get some sort of information out of your GM about the current situation in the scenario just by asking if you can make a Knowledge (Local) check.
In my experience, Disable Device is the skill that my groups has most often regretted not having. NOT for traps, but for faction missions.
As noted by Jodokai, Sleight of Hand crops up more than you might think, but I've found that GMs are often sympathetic to alternative sneaky solutions (e.g. invisibility, bluff, etc.).
Personally I wouldn't worry about Swim; a potion of Touch of the Sea only costs 50 gp and would cover a majority of situations better than a few ranks in Swim ever could.
Linguistics, Linguistics, Linguistics. Nothing sucks more than getting a clue in a language that no one has. My Barbarian grabbed a Headband of Int +2 for the sole purpose of taking linguistics as the associated skill. Now he knows 14 languages. One minute hes dumb as a rock and the next he is a freaking dictionary. Great buy.
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Other skills to think about that are useful to any class even if it is cross class is survival and spell crafting. It is always good to know what the Arc/Div spell caster is about to send your way. Survival will help you to stave off the effects of weather and tracking.
I agree with the others about sense motive and diplomacy also. the knowledge skills too. Look at who you play with mostly and fill in the blanks. but if you go to a lot of conventions, game day's, etc. and you never know who or what is going to be at the table. Then be a self buffer and provider. Be adaptable to the game play around you and sometimes you might need to make a sacrifice and multiclass as a way to fill in the gaps. My 7th level started as a ranger, but never any rogues in my area. then no clerics ever. so he is now a 4 rgr, 2 rog, 1 clr. He is actually a good self buffer/trouble maker.
Linguistics, Linguistics, Linguistics. Nothing sucks more than getting a clue in a language that no one has. My Barbarian grabbed a Headband of Int +2 for the sole purpose of taking linguistics as the associated skill. Now he knows 14 languages. One minute hes dumb as a rock and the next he is a freaking dictionary. Great buy.
I realize Hero Lab isn't official rules, but in Hero Lab a headband with Linguistics used to provide languages, it doesn't anymore, I don't know if it's a bug, or something has changed, but you may want to research to make sure it works that way.
Depends on what you are doing? You are a team so I like to say specialize and rely on your team.
Perception is the biggest skill in the game hands down. After that it depends on your team. If you play witht eh same people find what they are weak in. If you do not know I would build him to do a few things awesomely.
If you are the guy that kills everything in one turn and saves the group from death in a fight, they should not be hard nosed about doing a skill check for you.