In this thread, we will discuss the build of the best character possible in Arcanum. The character that can tackle any given situation with the best possible results. And I'm not just talking about combat. I'm talking about EVERYTHING. So, what would it look like? Race, gender, background, build, equipment, blessings, etc.
As far as I know from my own experience being mage is the easiest way to complete game. So the best race is elf. Also persuasion is making the game a lot easier. So maybe woman, elf, mage. Soon I will have to try to play stupid character. Then the game will certainly be more difficult.
Doesn't elixir of hypnotic suggestion solve every problem? So there's always that. In general though, magic has a huge array of useful effects to get through everything. Invisibility, gaseous form, charms/dominate, unlocking cantrip, and so on. A battle-mage could be built correctly to really take on pretty much everything Arcanum has to offer.
This thread was a great master of all skills (+one spell college) build. I guess it's hard to subjectively rank the criteria that make a character "best" though (as in, you probably only need one ranged skill - and that could be magic, firearms, throwing, bow, whatever). For a lot of my builds I tend to make my characters best in one particular area, a jack of all trades build would always fall short of the mark for me in some way. If you take a melee build in regards to backstab only a half-ogre has the highest max strength for the highest possible damage in a single hit, whereas only a halfling can have the highest rate of damage due to having the highest max dexterity - both of them are great in melee in different ways and so you have to compromise in one particular direction. A jack of all trades just amplifies those kind of issues even more for me*. *Yes I realise I'm very anal and spoiler of much fun, go about your merry business.
But what if someone casts Bonds of Magic on you? Or Dweomer Shield/Reflection Shield on themselves? Then a mage'd be at a severe disadvantage. A battle-mage would probably do the trick... but with what build? Mastering every skill probably comes pretty damn close.
A pure combat half-ogre with a low intelligence is easier to beat the game with than a mage. In any situation you always have the option of killing things, and a half-ogre can kill anything I know you said not best just in combat, but in Arcanum combat is always an option. Can't talk Lukan the Witless into letting you pass the bridge? Kill him. Can't talk P. Schuyler and Sons into letting you know who bought the ring? Kill them. Can't talk the Wheel Clan leader into letting you skip the void? Kill everything in the void. Shopkeeper in Blackroot insults you because you're an ogre? Kill the city of Blackroot. Bang, all quests in Blackroot completed. You say it like it's a hard question. You could beat the game in like 6-8 hours with a pure combat character if you tried to and skipped side missions.
