Things you should never do in Arcanum

Discussion in 'Arcanum Discussion' started by Jojobobo, May 9, 2015.

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  1. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    So through experience what would you never (again) do in Arcanum?

    A few months back I was trying to create the ultimate solo dwarf tech thief character (no perverse tech-magick crossovers like I normally love). Tech thieves are pretty character point intensive even with points gained from the thereapeutics I was using; we're talking max melee, dodge, backstab, prowl, pickpockets, disarm traps, prowling and with enough points for max strength, dexterity and all the relevant tech you want (particularly electric for the Flow Spektrometer so you don't have to use spot traps). Even with Velorien's Blessing and the Vivifier it's still a very points intensive build.

    However, in the build (if I can find the bit of paper I wrote it on, I may post it) I came to a crossroads - do I level herbology to the first level or mechanics to level four so I could make the sexy plus perception specs. I went for the latter, as surmised I was rolling deep with the RP this time and I didn't need an easy time with plentiful healing supplies - plus I wanted to make Goggled Helmets (not because they offered a huge character point cost discount, but because they were fucking cool) in a limitless supply (I think I was also factoring max intelligence for the extra skill chance boost, if you were thinking the numbers didn't quite add up).

    Huge mistake - for the BMC Mines I literally bought 100 of the healing slaves (knowing there's a big stock there anyway) and had to literally leave the place to get supplies. It's not so bad with a guns build when you're not hit often but have to buy a crap ton of ammo, but with the melee builds it is so tedious. This was the theme of all my efforts (I got to about level 30 and to Caladon but got bored), and lead to the conclusion that I should be happy with one pair of the specs found in the BMC (either that or I should brain Sebastian for another).

    Never again will I go tech melee without level 1 herbology. From experience what do you find equally painful?
     
  2. Ring lord

    Ring lord Member

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    Well, the 1st Herbology level is one of the major bonuses about playing tech. Your story sounds like: "Never again will I make a throwing character with 1 Perception".
     
  3. on1ondevelopment

    on1ondevelopment Member

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    Never again will I make a harm-spam mage and play with no followers.
    I hate running out of Fatigue as a mage, which is a problem for quite a long part of the game, as you need to spend so many points on Constitution and Fatigue.
    The first time I played Arcanum, I decided to be an evil mage and kill people in Shrouded Hills. Using the tactical Harm-spam, I attacked some cows and chickens, then I ran out of Fatigue and got unconscious. An enraged chicken ran up to me and kicked me to death. Heh, I love Arcanum's reference to Friedrich Nietzsche's quote "What does not kill me makes me stronger", it fits well in this context.
     
  4. papa_dog_1999

    papa_dog_1999 Well-Known Member

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    I believe this one of the most awesome, yet pathetic deaths ever.
     
  5. on1ondevelopment

    on1ondevelopment Member

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    Yeah, I doubt there is a more pathetic way to die.
     
  6. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    I suppose, but I had the means to make a lot of money - I thought that would enough to get by. Turns out it wasn't, as I said I got to Caladon yet still the hassle of making enough money to buy healing supplies was a huge drag. Couple that to Arcanum's love of random encounters, and even going anywhere can waste those healing supplies you really want for a main dungeon.

    I thinking realistically, they should have had a higher level tech healing item costing more money - it would have been completely balanced with stuff like Morgana's (maybe Morgan's, I forget) Tears floating around and it would have made some Herbology not pretty much mandatory on a tech playthrough, which it wouldn't be in a mechanistically better made RPG.
     
  7. Rain-Dog

    Rain-Dog Member

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    "Things you should never do in Arcanum"

    Belle the Sheep.
     
  8. papa_dog_1999

    papa_dog_1999 Well-Known Member

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    Now, now.
    Belle is people too.
    Especially if you close your eyes and imaging hard enough.

    Besides, I'm rather proud of the Velcro gloves I've crafted and I'm sure as hell going to get my money's worth out of them.
     
  9. Dr. Ferb Wallace Mythril

    Dr. Ferb Wallace Mythril Member

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    you should never try to compleat the god quest and get the vivifyer with :
    2 pts doge
    2 pts firearms
    2 pts dex
    2 pts electrisity
    no other points spent

    you can do it it just...realy sucks. however you do feel obserdly justified for lafing maniacally afterword. thae game was exterminate item intensive. you *need* the +2 dex & perception goggles or its almost imposable to hit 20 dex before the final blessing
     
  10. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    That's not true - dwarves do that pretty well. Give them Beaten with an Ugly Stick, two Charged Rings and the Mysterious Dwarvern Gauntlets and you've hit 15 Dex already without any dex investment - more than enough to rack up not too many hits and also get you expert training in Dodge. Besides, with being a dwarf, you can hit a high enough skill level to make firearms with a decent weapon pretty much a cake walk (try going melee like I did, then you feel the hurt as the enemies you're hitting hit you to).

    As a recovering compulsive meta-gamer, your situation sounds like a walk in the park. Even without picking a dwarf, any gun with + to hit would make up for it. The situation I described above was of the "literally don't bother, because any satisfaction from 'role-playing' is supplanted by the sheer tedium of what some of those options entail". Holding out for Velorien's Blessing is more or less encouraged by the game, and something I've done a hell of a lot.
     
    ytzk likes this.
  11. Dr. Ferb Wallace Mythril

    Dr. Ferb Wallace Mythril Member

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  12. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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