Is there a limit to the number of trainings (apprentice, expert, master) one can have ?

Thanks

No. You can have all skills at Master level, if your stats allow it.

As Kerebron says, the only limitation is how many character points you have available to spend. (In an uncracked game, that limit is 64, including the five you get right at the start.)

Even in a game cracked with the Level 127 hack, there are 16 skills you need to get to level 5* and five stats (DX, PE, IN, CH and WP) you need to get to level 18* in order to do so. Which means that as a human, you'd need at least 130 points (or level 105!) to qualify for every mastery quest in the same game — and that's without putting any points at all into things like Strength or spells!

*You actually only need to spend four points (and therefore only need 15 in that stat) if you have a bonus in that skill, no matter how small. (With one exception: Persuasion mastery apparently requires the full five points, and IIRC a CH of 19, to actually succeed.) So for example, you could choose the Raised By Orcs background (and equip a pair of Light-Fingered Gauntlets) and be able to reach mastery with only 15 DX in all combat skills plus Pickpocket. Of course, with that background you'd never be able to qualify for Persuasion mastery, but read on.

Alternately, you could save on points by ignoring those stats that qualify you for only one or two skills (Willpower-Haggle, Charisma-Persuasion, Intelligence-Gambling/Heal) or create a build instead that makes one of them super-easy to reach (for example, Gnome + Apprenticed to Shopkeeper + two points in WP, to bring you to 12).

And that is probably more than you ever wanted to know on the subject! You're welcome.

Although presumably stat bonuses from blessings could also come into play. I'm thinking mainly of the ancient gods' quest.

Someone posted on Terra Arcanum how they got mastery of every skill actually. Lot of items with bonus stats involved, and a specific order he went about it.

That kind of thing usually requires you to really persevere through much of the game with low stats though, like most extreme min maxing stuff.

For example, if you didn't want to 'waste' points into getting max dex, you could keep 15 dex the entire game until you get to vendrigoth and use the vivifier (+1) and complete the final offering (+4) to get to 20 itemless dex and saving 5 points. You could use items to do even better.

Is going through the entire game gimped so you can fight the last boss with 5 more points really worth it though?

Good point. But as ewmarch pointed out, it means limping through most of the game with 13 Dexterity, and no more than two ranks in Melee, Dodge, Persuasion, Pickpocket and Firearms. Then and only then can you do all the DX-based mastery quests. It can be done that way, of course; but doing so becomes the whole point of that play-through, and you have to literally plan everything else around it.

Another thing that would help is the Ring of Influence on the hand of the Haggle master; IIRC it gives you +3 to both Charisma and Beauty, and one full rank in both Persuasion and Haggle. If you pickpocket it off of him before you approach him for mastery, that's another set of points saved.

I already mentioned the Light-Fingered Gauntlets, and it may be possible to gain mastery of Healing (and possibly Gambling) without a full 18 IN, if you're able to employ a well-timed Potion of Intelligence instead. Similarly, ewmarch mentioned the Vivifier, an end-of-game schematic that grants +1 to all eight stats. Tricks like these would go a long way toward reducing the number of CPs needed; it might be interesting for someone to work out the actual minimum, as well as the step-by-step plan for achieving it.

It's also fairly easy to get a permanent +1 to charisma in Tarant if you know how.

I'd say it's about as worthwhile as speedruns, pacifist runs, etc. Not my own style, but self-imposed challenges certainly bring some people pleasure.

Here is the post in terra arcanum about how to master every skill on one character.

http://terra-arcanum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=14021

Bookmarked; maybe one day I'll give it a shot. Thanks.