learning skills from npc's

I don't know if I am missing something or what. Whenever I talk to npc's and ask to be apprenticed they always say something about not having enough skill or experience. Am I doing something wrong?

 

probably your stats aren't high enough. try to raise the appropriate stat. for persuade you need to raise charisma, for pick pocket you need to raise dexterity.

 

Welcome to the boards Saabre!
1 slot for apprentice
3 expert
5 master

 

you need to raise your skills first, you can't just go be an melee apprentice if you don't have any melee skills. for everytime you raises the melee skill, you need to have enough DX to raise, also if you get 3 points on every skills, you can trained as expert. once have 5 points, you can be trained as Master. it's hard to find masters on every skills in Arcanum. also, here, have my guide :

Flamethrower¡¯s Unofficial Arcanum Strategy Guide

Part 1 - Crash Site

You have started the game, you have seen the movie. Once the movie is over, you should be on the game screen. After few seconds (not really, unless your PC are damn slow.), a stranger run to you. He¡¯s Virgil, he most likely to be your first follower in the game. He can join you if you spoken with him and agreed with him about Joachim. You can leave him behind the crash site if you wish, but I recommend let him stay on you. He¡¯s very helpful later on. He will follow almost ANY kind of character, he spend his character points on Melee, Dodge, Healing, picklocks, and White Necromantic. When he joins you, he already knows Minor Healing on White Necromantic, and 1 points on both Melee and Dodge. Once you have get him into your party, it¡¯s time to kick some asses.

There won¡¯t be hard combats in Crash site; there are few Wolfs (small), Kites, A strange hairy pig-like creature, and Kite Magic dude. You can loot things around the crash site; there are few springs (both small and big), metal plates, wines, steels, and some roots (to making healing salves). There are few items inside dead bodies you can loot. The Gnome (or sick dwarf, you will know this later on) that give you the ring has a passport, and a book I got no idea what it is. You may want to keep these items, it¡¯s very important item later on. The IFS Zephyr captain has a Camera (keep this too.), and a Thermometer. The human noble from Northwest has 3 electrolyte solution, and few coins. From South East of your starting location, there¡¯s dead body of Wilhemina. She has a note to Jared, Which you may want to keep it too. Also there¡¯s another dead body West of your starting point covered by leaves, he has some coins. From north to your starting point, there¡¯s orcish dead body near the plane that attacked IFS Zephyr, he has 1 Molochean Hand Amulet (keep it). If you have Virgil with you, he has bit to say. Near Kite Magic Dude, there¡¯s a magic chest with random items.

Just from East crash site, there¡¯s a cave. Inside, there are few sewer rats; it won¡¯t be much trouble for you (if you got Virgil). There are 3 barrels inside the cave with goodies you may want to keep it and sell it in Shrouded Hill (Explosive Grenade and Stun Grenade worth good price). And most important ¨C dead Charles Brehgo, he will offer you a quest killing Arbalah. I will not talk about this quest. Also there¡¯s a bed that you can sleep in.

When you exit the Crash site, the stranger will come up and trying to kill you. But first, he will speak to you. You can get rid of him by:

Let Virgil talk, and you shut up and listen.
Ignore Virgil and keep speaking (which leads Virgil get angry with you and the stranger will attack you)
Go up in combat mode and kill him
Sneak through him

After you have done deal with him, keep running till your can use world via map. After few more steps of running, Virgil has bit to say about using world via map. I recommend this action; it¡¯s hard to get pass these lv.3 Canyon Wolf, Unless you¡¯re in easy mode.

Note: If you¡¯re making your own character, put point on gambling let you gamble with the shopkeeper who let you buy supplies.

 

you didn't want to post a complete walkthrough in your post, or?

 

Actually, a skill is made up of 5 pieces, of 4 slices each, to give 20 slices (my own terminology). Each skill point invested in a skill gives 4 slices. For comparison's sake the bonus from the Beat with an Ugly Stick background gives one slice in each skill in the combat tab.

To be an apprentice, you need one slice. Expert status requires 9 slices, and master 18. Therefore, you only need to have 4.5 pieces to become a master. Which means that if you start the game with 2 or more slices in a given skill, it means you can cut down a lot on certain required stats - for instance, a dwarf needs only to invest 4 points in firearms to become a master, therefore he only needs 15 perception, instead of 18. 3 skill points saved right there.

 

On a somewhat related topic, I take advantage of the God Quest by utilizing Earth and Fire spells to boost my DEX and STR enough to become an expert in skills. When I complete a Circle and the previous bonuses disappear, the Expert status remains.
Make sense? Is it just me?

 

No. You have expert status, just shitty skill :smile:.

On a related side note, I noticed yesterday that my current character suddenly had a base chance of 35% chance to hit, with no skill in any combat discipline. Has the base been changed from 25% to 35%? None of his items are doing this, and none of the blessings are doing this either...it's very strange...