Wizards are ok but the problem I have with them is this game is designed at its core around having A LOT charisma based checks...persuade, deceive, intimidate...and you can exercise a crazy amount of power just through dialogue so it feels like going more for the face charisma based casters or all out into skill monkeys will probably be the way to go. Bard is a great charisma based class, so are warlocks and sorcerers. But I prefer to go for a rogue, which gets a million profficiencies and even some expertise, which very few classes are able to get even one of. I won't have as high charisma bonus as a pure charisma class but I get a lot more profficiencies and I should still be able to have a charisma +2.
I have similar thoughts as you in regards to playing either a CHA or Skill MC but your comment above in regards to Rogues and Proficiencies got me thinking that a Lore Bard would be a better choice for a skill monkey than a Rogue.
Rogues get 1 Expertise at level 1 and again at level 6 while Bards also get 1 Expertise at level 3 and again at level 10 so yes Rogues will use Expertise sooner although both Rogues and Bards get the same 2 Expertise total.
In regards to Skill Proficiencies though, Rogues start out with 4 while Bards start out with 3.
Having said that though, a Lore Bard gets 3 more Skill Proficiencies at level 3 so ultimately, a Lore Bard would have 6 Skill Proficiencies while any Rogue would only have 4.
Considering that due to being a full spell caster, a Bard is arguably more "useful/versatile" than a Rogue (I'm open to being persuaded otherwise), ends up having the same 2 Expertise total just like a Rogue, while a Lore Bard has 6 total Skill Proficiencies compared to any Rogue's 4, in addition to also being a CHA based character with all the face/dialog benefits that such would entail, and the Bard having the luxury to concentrate on his primary CHA attribute while the Rogue needing to split between DEX and CHA, wouldn't a Lore Bard be a better choice for a MC than the Rogue, if one only cared about face/dialog/skills?
