Reasonable maximums for Ability checks, skill checks, and concentration checks?

[Minwaabi]

I'm wondering about what are semi reasonable ways to maximize the following checks?

How would someone maximize the following checks at 1st level, 5th, 10th, 15th, or 20th? I'm most interested in 1st, 5th, and 10th, but I'm also curious about the higher two. Assume a 20pt buy, Paizo resources only, and standard WBL. You don't have to maximize them all on the same character.

Spellcraft
Knowledge: Arcana
Perform: (whatever)
Craft: (whatever)
Profession: (whatever)

Int checks
Will checks
Concentration checks

Thanks bunches.

[Ryan Freire]

Literally any skill choice is going to be either phantom thief rogue or investigator. With knowledge checks you can add bard, with craft and profession you're a human with heart of the fields and the skill focus instead of human bonus feat options.

There aren't many raw int checks, they're usually associated with a skill but AFAIK the only options there are either generic rerolls, one or two spells that add a +1 or 2 and just having a high stat.

Will saves? Dwarf cleric with steelsoul and improved iron will.

Concentration checks are going to involve a ton of surfing through traits, and i think to maximize it you're probably going to end up using the exemplar magic trait to power load magic traits with your feats. Many of those traits are situational but almost all your options will be that way. Bonuses when casting defensively, bonuses that only apply when you're hit while casting, steel falcon has bonuses for casting on a rough moving ship, there are feats for mounts that give bonuses (do reductions i forget which) from casting on horseback while running.

[MrCharisma]

Half Elf (for FCB)
Investigator
Expanded Inspiration
Amazing Inspiration
Tenacious Inspiration

It works for most of them without spending Inspiration, but it works for all of them when you spend Inspiration.

Oh Combat Inspiration to make Inspiration on saves cheaper

[avr]

Concentration checks are casting stat + caster level at base; raising caster level with spell specialization etc. will help. For items note spellguard bracers and a tunic of careful casting.

Half-elf investigators can get a favored class bonus which adds to their inspiration bonus. With that and relevant talents they can challenge a dwarf cleric's will save, especially against illusions.

Edit: partially ninja'd. Mr C is probably a multiclass rather than a dedicated ninja.

[Tim Emrick]

Concentration checks: The Focused Mind trait (+2) and Combat Casting (+4 defensively) are the standards, then as many ways as you can find to maximize your casting stat. Most of my PFS PCs who are dedicated casters are able to auto-succeed casting defensively all but their top 1-2 levels of spells, and very rarely miss those--and that's with a minimal amount of optimizing. (If you're a psychic caster, a centering jewel is very useful if you want to reliably cast defensively and do anything else with your turn. It's absolutely essential for my mindblade magus to make spell combat work properly.)

Crafter's Fortune is the easiest way to boost Craft checks at all levels, if you use the alchemist or sorcerer/wizard spell lists.

If you don't mind becoming a walking planetarium, cracked ioun stones are a cheap way to get a +1 competence bonus to nearly any skill (only 200 gp per skill!). There are a few items and abilities that will give heftier competence bonuses, but they're either significantly more expensive (circlet of persuasion) or burn uses of a daily resource (inspire courage).

[MrCharisma]

avr wrote:

Edit: partially ninja'd. Mr C is probably a multiclass rather than a dedicated ninja.

I'm a Ninja/PIRATE - that whole ninjas vs pirates thing a few years back was a very confusing time for me.

[PCScipio]

The Dawnflower Dervish Bard's Spinning Spellcaster class feature gives an additional +4 to cast spells defensively, which stacks with Combat Casting.

A Magus using Greater Spell Combat could potentially get an additional 2x Int modifier to concentration checks.

[Firebug]

Charisma checks happen occasionally, and typically anything that is added to a charisma check is also added to a charisma-based skill check... and there are ways to make other types of checks into charisma-based checks.

I don't have the sheet in front of me (as the player is in another state), but I have played with a summoner who had something like +19 to charisma checks in mid-low teens for level. For him, it was only really important for planar biding, but there is a lot of charisma support.

[Mysterious Stranger]

For Knowledge skills play an elf with an INT based class, and the variant multiclass bard as a base. Take the following feats Breadth of Experience, Scholar and skill focus. Assuming only a 20 INT at level 10 that will give you a +35 without any kind of magic or class abilities other that the bardic knowledge for a skill with 10 ranks. You will also have a +12 with skills with no ranks and can make rolls even though you don’t have any points invested.

If you go with investigator you can get quite a bit higher than that.

[gnoams]

As for numbers, I'm currently playing a dilettante duchess in war for the crown. At level 8 she has 91 skill ranks. Her best skills are +34 and +36. She then has 5 skills in the +21 to +25 range, 5 more at +14 to +18, and the rest are +5 +10.

While these are by no means maximums, this is the most I was comfortable focusing on skills while still maintaining decent to hit and damage numbers (+12/12/6, 1d8+6) to be able to contribute in combat. Her saves are +14/14/10.

For maxing saving throws, you're looking at multiclassing with 2 levels of paladin in there. I have a level 9 punk gnome (paladin/monk) with +18/15/16. Obviously you can get much higher with more multiclassing as well as the +2 save feats. Also the fortunes favor trait and a half-orc with sacred tattoos for +2 luck to saves. While theoretically you could get a luckstone in the long run, you're not realistically going to afford one in the 1-10 level range.

[Ilthurin]

Medium is possibly worth a mention since it can get a pretty high boost to Perform, while also getting a smaller boost to all the other stuff.

At lvl 20 a catfolk medium with the Spirit Focus (marshal) feat and Spirit Bonded armor can add 14+1d6 to any of the rolls, provided the roll failed before the boost (with limited uses per day to increase the 1d6 to 1d10). But the 14 is also a passive for Cha stuff, so that becomes 28+1d6 for Perform.
(This is all before things like skill ranks, base saves, ability mods, Skill Focus, etc - just Spirit Bonus + Spirit Focus + Spirit Bonded + Spirit Surge + Favored Class)

Otherwise, medium's probably not that useful here. A 2-lvl dip, a feat, and a 6k armor enchant can net a passive +3 untyped Spirit Bonus to any* of the rolls (well, all of them, just not at once). And +1 extra for a single skill when using Trickster. With +1d6 Spirit Surge on failed rolls a few times per day, provided the roll got Spirit Bonus (or you've got the Marshal spirit).
Not great for the investment, but possibly worthwhile if there's room left.

*what gets Spirit Bonus depends on what spirit you pick for the day:

Spoiler:

Archmage:
Spellcraft
Knowledge: Arcana
Craft
Int checks
Concentration checks

Hierophant:
Profession
Will checks

Trickster:
Spellcraft
Knowledge: Arcana
Perform: (whatever)
Craft: (whatever)
Profession: (whatever)

[Sandslice]

For Arcana, if you want to be extreme:

Gnome lore oracle, VMC bard, middle-aged
Stats: Str 6, Dex 9, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 11, Cha 19
ART: Academician (+2 knowledge. Replaces obsessive.)
Trait: Arcane Depth (+2. Going to assume that your GM counts this as a trait bonus. If not, stack with Mathematical Prodigy, +1. Gotta worship Nethys, but lore oracles are Nethys-friendly.)

Feats: Skill Focus, Scholar, Breadth of Experience, Amateur Investigator
Revelations: Focused Trance, Sidestep Secret, Mental Acuity, Arcane Archivist (because why not), Lore Keeper
Cantrips: Guidance

L1: +35
(3 stat + 2 race + 2 trait + 3 feat + 4 skill + 20 trance + 1 spell)

L5: +45.
(3 stat + 2 race + 2 trait + 7 feat + 8 skill + 20 trance + 1 spell + 2 BK)

L10: +59 + 1d6
(4 stat + 2 race + 2 trait + 12 feat + 13 skill + 20 trance + 1 spell + 5 BK)

L15: +67 + 1d6
(5 stat + 2 race + 2 trait + 12 feat + 18 skill + 20 trance + 1 spell + 7 BK).

L20: +76 + 1d6
(6 stat + 2 race + 2 trait + 12 feat + 23 skill + 20 trance + 1 spell + 10 BK)

Note that I'm not using magic items, and may well be missing several options. But that's a good start for Arcana.

[Sandslice]

As an addition to the build above, if you get all other Knowledge skills to exactly 5 and take Dilettante, you ultimately end up with rolling 48 on those while saving your resources for rolling Arcana.

(6 stat + 4 feat + 8 skill + 10 BK + take 20) = 48: a decent Sage. Again, without magic items.