Getting back into the game after a long time away and I'm thinking of trying a melee character who also dabbles in technology. Hoping some of you Arcanum vets can give me some pointers on how to build this kind of character, what kinds of tech training would be the most helpful, etc.
Smithy and Mechanical and you're all set. Make sure to find the schematic for the pyrotechnic axe and you'll cleave your way through Arcanum with ease. Electrical up to Charged Ring (equip two of those babies and you've essentially saved two CP).
Sounds good. Any recommendations for backgrounds (from vanella or A:WIP) that would suit a brainy brawler?
I suppose that as long as it increases stats such as Strength and Dexterity and doesn't hurt your Intelligence, you're all good. If you don't care about followers and don't mind people yelling at you in the streets, Troll Offspring and Beat With An Ugly Stick are good backgrounds for melee fighers. Ran Away With The Circus gives an insane boost to Strength, but you have to consider the Intelligence penalty.
If you want a smooth talking brainy brawler, I might suggest Charlatan's Protege. It's sort of my cookie cutter background, I love it because I can instantly raise Persuasion by 1 or even 2 on ANY race.
Army Training can be cool because you get a small bonus to Melee that makes it easier to get up to Expert training (you only need to spend two character points and that's good enough for trainers). If you're not concerned about being popular, playing as a half-orc could be cool because of the racial bonuses to Strength, Dodge and Melee. If you play as a female, you can use the fancy dress from the "shop" at the character creation stage to get around the Beauty penalty you'll probably have. A Sickly half-orc is both smarter and tougher than a lot of the elf and half-elf characters I've played. So that's something to think about...
Indeed - lesson of the day: Do you love your children? Do you want them to be smart? Be a good parent: infect them and maintain their sickness.
Males can also acquire the Smoking Jacket, although a bit later in the game. +20 reaction. There's also the Jewel of Hebe, the aptitude-neutral necklace that boosts beauty by 2 and charisma by 1. And last, Arbalah's blessing gives +5 (I think) reaction modifier.
Totally. If you're Raised by Monks and you spent your life in quiet meditation and study, you don't turn into a bad ass shaolin monk with Melee and Dodge bonuses. You don't get Strength or Constitution bonuses from all that exercise and manual labor. You don't get Intelligence bonuses like you used to copy manuscripts or something. You get a small bonus to Perception in exchange for less starting money. Gee, thanks. If you had a Sheltered Childhood, the bonuses aren't really worth the trade off of the extremely low Strength. Thanks, Mom and Dad. If you were spoiled rotten as a kid, you'll be a great mage because of that high starting Willpower. But the social skill penalties and low Charisma aren't doing you any favors. And you pretty much have to be a mage to get any use out of your only advantage in life. Thanks, Mom and Dad. By contrast, a Sickly half-elf could be a good technologist (using distance weapons more than Melee), a good mage (maintaining more spells at once and so forth) or pretty much anything he or she wanted. The low Constitution is a bit of an issue, but it can be worked around. A Sickly half-orc doesn't really have any drawbacks other than mediocre Dexterity. Dealing with racist shopkeepers is annoying, but you get used to it.
The Sickly background served my half-elf electrical engineer famously! The Intelligence bonus got me to where I wanted to be anyway and the sooner one gets to 20 Intelligence, the sooner all skills benefit.
