New Player to Arcanum, some simple generic questions

The thing about using Teleport is that by the time it's available to me I have already hit lvl 50 or close to it. Also you don't HAVE to teleport. If you want encounters, then walk. But if you are trying to complete quests it can save alot of time just to teleport.

 

yeah i'm rethinkin my magic approach. how good are those tech lockpicks?

can i maintain a mostly tech backround and use some level 1 magic spells that really seem fantastic (damage shield, disarm, stun).

 

Once you've played the game enough you end having more difficulty in sticking to a particular character class or type, mostly because:

- Lockpicking is way too usefull and UC just draws too much attention

- Teleport becomes almost indespenible, unless you really really like Random Encounters with Wolves and Kites.

- Grenades are easily the best multiple target weapons in the game

- Knowing Disarm will usually mean the difference between winning a fight and getting your ass kicked when it comes to a weapon wielding NPC.

- Pyro Axes and Balanced Sword pretty much outdo every other meleee weapon in the game within reason.

- The Identiication magcis is just way too convenienit and keeps you from having to drag tons of crappy items over to a wise woman.

 

It just really bothers me when I'm thinking, "Ok, I'm gonna run out of [X] soon..." I like unlimited things. (Swords) Grenades are not for me.

 

I used to hate grenades until I realized that combined with some chemistry (ok, alot of chemistry) they would allow my weakling gun-slinger to lay flat an entire gang of armed hoodlums with the flick of a wrist. They're tons of work but so much fun once you get the advanced ones like Knock-out gas.

 

You know what I do? Make LOTS of grenades. One of my high ST followers (usually Chukkah or one of the dwarves) usually has his inventory FULL of Stun grenades.

I only really use Stun though. The explosive grenades aren't usually worth the hassle (Molotov seems to do a lot more damage and is a great deal easier made), and you don't seem to earn experience for the damage you do with them.

FourHorsemen- Lockpicks vs. UC is a draw, I'd say. Each has advantages.

Teleport isn't all that indespensible, and random encounters end after you reach high enough a level (until which point they are actually quite welcome). The two things Teleport is really good for are saving REAL time and being able to simultaneosly shop everywhere during one day (useful when you see a neat item for sale at Ashbury Wise Woman and urgently need to raise money by selling some stuff you got stashed back in Tarant).

Grenades are the best multiple target weapon? Perhaps, but they are not vital, and you can STILL use them if you're magic, just get Sebastian into the party. Finally, Fireflash is perfectly adequate for multiple targets.

Disarm is the most useless spell ever invented outside the Divination colledge. Weapon wielding NPCs in Arcanum aren't, as a rule, wielding anything THAT lethal, and when they do, they aren't much good at wielding it.

I came to be deeply disappointed in the Pyro axes due to their slow speed. I can't be bothered to calculate the damage-per-turn of the Pyro Axe vs. other weapons, but any melee character whose ST is 20 or higher should wield the Barbarian Heavy Blade. It may be good for low ST characters however, as its main (fire) damage does not rely on ST.

Identification magic sucks. You can virtually always afford going to a Wise Woman and spending some money on ID-ing. It's a hassle, but it saves five otherwise uselessly wasted character points.

 

Well, I'm a just a fighter, so I could just kill em', anyway they can't touch me. In the rare occasions that they do, I've always got Virgil.