Character creation

Hm. I've used the 'search' function in this forum, but I couldn't find a relevant answer, so here I go: I was thinking about playing a new (second) game of Arcanum and I was wondering if the sex of your main character matters a lot. Does it? The first time I played the game, I played a male human fighter, but I'm kind of curious if the game changes a lot when you play a female character and, more importantly, if it is worth it in the first place. It certainly didn't seem to matter much in the Fallout games, if I remember correctly.

Oh yeah: and I'm new here. So hello to you all.

 

It will only change small things and quests.

Madame Lil will treat you differently and you won't be able to enter the Gentlemen's Club, for instance. And you can't wear smoking jackets.

But the question is: Why do not try it?

 

If you do play a female character, make sure to buy the dress that improves reaction at the beginning of the game. It's like a Smoking Jacket, only it's for women and a lot harder to find than a Smoking Jacket. Buying it first and then putting it on also lowers prices on other items.

 

If you do play a female character, make sure to buy the dress that improves reaction at the beginning of the game. It's like a Smoking Jacket, only it's for women and a lot harder to find than a Smoking Jacket. Buying it first and then putting it on also lowers prices on other items.

 

Not true. You can still get in, you just need to obtain the key from... someplace....

I hope we're all pleased now that every single new member has a complex about the Search. :glares at Señor ElTacoBell:

 

EEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEEEEEEE!!! El Chupacabra, too, is known for sucking the blood of goats at night.

 

There's one at razor's point.

 

There's a goat at Razor's Pointe? :-?

Oh, you meant one of those dresses. Well, convenient as Razor's Pointe is to Shrouded Hills, I'm not going to be the one to recommend a new player schlepp all the way down there just for the dress. Buy it at character creation or wait until you find a decent tailor, I say.

 

Hmmm Virgil must have beat me to the goat cause he seemed so happy after we left. :lol:

 

Also, the dress at the boat has a -20 noise penalty added to it, whereas the one you buy at the start doesn't. The one at the start is the best reaction dress in the game, to my knowledge.

 

Thanks for your help, people. I'm going to start a new game this afternoon and I'll probably create a female character. I was thinking about a female elf with good mage and thieving abilities. Hm. Should I put points into Prowling or should I just wait and go for the Invisibility Spell in the Phantasm College? And as an elf I'll probably won't be able to use Lockpicks with great efficiency, right? So what... should I take Unlocking Cantrip in the Conveyance College? Hm. How many skill points do you get in the course of the game anyway? I remember that you can not go beyond level 50, but how many skill points do you get?

Oh dear, maybe I should just start a new game and wonder about these things when I'm playing...

 

In my opinion, more than one level of prowl is useless if your character is human-sized or larger. Halflings, gnomes, and dwarves have an easier time sneaking around; the range at which they are detected by enemies peering in their direction is a bit less. Invisibility is the way to go if you are trying for a magic thief.

Unlocking Cantrip is dependent on your magical aptitude. It is not based in chance at all. If you invest fairly steadily in spells then you should have no problems with most of the locks throughout the game.

You get one character point per level and two on every fifth level. There are no ways to earn character points as quest rewards.

 

You can get 64cp's if you dont use the level cap.

 

You also get 5 at the start.

 

There are somethings you need to know though.

First off, unlocking cantrip has a very big noise penalty. It will unlock pretty well anything at high MA but you can't be sneaky with it because you alert everyone in the viscinity to you actions, even if you are prowling or invisible.

The best way to use UC is to knock the owner unconcious first using the baneful gauntlets type trick and then simply ressurecting the owner afterwards. UC keeps all locks open for duration of the game, whereas lockpicking lets them lock again after a while.

I have a feeling invis is also linked to MA. At low MA I was always being detected, but at high MA I could waltz right through a whole group of monsters with them none the wiser. I think it acts like a simple magical prowl, with MA being the skill modifier rather than skill level.

Personally, I would go for invis and lockpick, but maybe also UC too for those times when you can use the baneful trick - to keep the chests of shopkeepers etc. open forever. As an Elf you'll have no problem lockpicking since it's based on DEX and Elves have a boost to DEX.

Just make sure you don't allow it to lower your MA too much. You can't afford to take too many tech skills.

 

THe two bigest advantages of playing a girl are the CN - ST trade, good for a mage & the already mentioned Elegant Dress.

A mage can pick locks, but it will reduce your MA. Is this important to your mage? will she be running spells that depend on MA such as Harm?

A mage can get Expert Prowl without investing a single point in the skill. There are the Shadowing Robes & a few rings that help a bunch, bringing you over the two pont line. IMHO, Invisibility & prowl are complementry, If they can't see you they can still hear you. Remember your Elven boots too.

Have fun.

 

If you are such a know-it-all, Shadygrove, how come you misspelled "insufferable"?? And left out the hyphens??

 

Funny, I never noticed that before. Let's throw rocks.

 

Funny, I never noticed that before. Let's throw rocks.