new tech character help

I'm starting a dwarven tech character. My first tech character. Right now, I've got Virgil and Jayna(the tech healer) in my party. He's a gunslinger with a block each in dodge and melee. He's armed with a fine revolver and I keep a short sword when he's out of bullets. Here's my questions.

1. How much should I invest in dodge and melee( as backup to firearms) since I want him to be a gunslinger?

2. I've never had Jayna, what weapons and armor should I get for her?

3. Will magic armor do my character any good?

This is still a fairly new character, so please keep that in mind when you respond. Thanks.

 

Ok. No magic for your dwarf, that'd be very stupid, let me say. If you're tech (and a dwarf!) don't use anything magick.

You might want to invest 3 points in Dodge & Melee, and reach Expert status in both.

Jayna is really good. Try to give her a Healing Jacket, I had her a whole game with that and was enough (and the NPC's seems to like it more than a lot of better armors, I don't know why!). Also give her a lot of Aid-Bands, and some melee weapon like a balanced sword.

I think that answersss your questionsss, yesss...

 

Well there's no reason why a tech character shouldn't wear magickal armor. It's just that, the higher your tech aptitude, the fewer extra benefits you'd receive. And some critters are awful hard to hit without a magickal weapon.... I mean, it can be done, but it's a pain. Unless your character wishes to avoid all things magickal as a matter of principal, just use whatever you want. It's not like it'll blow up in your face, like a gun will for a highly magickal character....

What's the big deal with Jayna anyway? I found her to be rather a bore. I could never keep her properly stocked for all her concoctions, but at the same time it's not like money for healing salves and whatnot was hard to come by. And Virgil does just fine with a box of Band-Aids, PLUS he's interesting, voiced, and has a far less offensive portrait despite having been worked over a few times at least.

Ah well. Matter of taste I suppose.

 

Janya's potions are almost nesacary for a gunslinger. I give her a Charged Sword & Flow Disruptor or a Pyro Axe. She does not have the ST for the Pyro Axe & a shield unless you give her a ST potion.

 

1. How much should I invest in dodge and melee( as backup to firearms) since I want him to be a gunslinger?

Not a single point. Bullets are easy to buy in large numbers, I never had a problem of running out of ammo. Dodge can be useful sometimes, but melee is a waste of CP for a gunslinger.

2. I've never had Jayna, what weapons and armor should I get for her?

Anything actually. Jayna is useful with her elixirs and healing skills, she's a must have follower for tech players. Give her any armor you want (I usually give her a bronzed or a machined plate mail) and any weapon she is strong enough to weild (can be even a pyro axe if you don't give her a shield. I wouldn't recommend giving her magic weapons, just in case.

3. Will magic armor do my character any good?

Depends. A techie wearing magic armor, recieves its basic stats, but not the bonuses. When I play a dwarf, gnome or halfling tech and he is a gunslinger or an archer, I usually use gnomish chainmail as the main armor, even though its magic. It gives you a better defense then leather, yet its the lightest chainmail you can find. Comes in handy for someone with too many bullets to carry.

 

I can buy healing and fatigue potions en masse, Virgil is just as good with the bandages, once I make or steal the healing jacket my need for either is significantly reduced, and I never found myself in a situation where an extra-special Elixir of Whatnot would make or break the day. Only things a gunslinger needs are a gun and some ammunition.

I noticed on Terra Arcanum's followers page that some of them have alternate portraits. Actually, they look a lot less revolting than the ones in the game.... Maybe if I replace Jayna's portrait I'll start liking her a bit more. But I still think non-voiced followers are a bit of a bore... even though I rather like Sebastian....

 

I totally agree with Canis about voiced characters and Jayna's Portrait. I myself like Perriman out of the non-voiced NPCs, because he also has a personality. People like Jormund just doesn't have a personality. [Issue Instructions]. Hmph!

Anyway, your techie might want to invest in Gambling since he's gonna have a high intelligence anyway. Earns you a few extra coins. Also, later when you have access to the Bedokkan Quest go kill the Poachers. Robert Milon, the leader of the poachers, has an Elephant Gun which I find most useful. Or you can strip one from Franklin Payne but that's mean.

 

Liquid of Awareness, + 2 PE. Tonic of Increased Refelxes, + 2 DX. These make things much eaiser for the gunslinger, & the Elxir of Pyhical Prowess can help. Not all of Janya's worth is in healing.

I agree with all about Jormund's total lack of personality, but he is free. Janya has more than most non voiced NPCs, but it is a tad bland. Dante has quite a bit, but as he is a coward & a racist, if he wasn't free, I would kill him every time. Sebastian does not have a lot of personality but with his skills, he doesn't need a lot. He is cute as hell as well.

Franklyn Payne easily has the most personality for a voiced NPC. Who do you think has the most among the non voiced NPCs?

 

Franklin rules! Is the one with more expression between the voice chars... that's right shadygrove. Although my favourite is Geoffrey, I love the personality he has: that kind of bitter sense of humor.

And of the non-voiced... I don't know, for me it's between Dante and... maybe Perriman.

 

From where do you get that Jayna chick ?

 

She's in a house in Dernholm. I've just changed her portrait in my game and I must admit I'm liking her a LOT more now. But she's still basically a bore, a highly elaborate medical arachnid without an opinion about anything.

 

Yeah, the Troika guys must fix this with followers the next RPG they make! :x

But Jayna really has an opinion sometimes... when she complains about me attacking good creatures. :grin:

 

Oh, how novel, complaining about me shooting at a barbarian who just happens to be good-aligned even though the barbarian in question's in the middle of beating the snot out of Virgil.... Where have I seen this before? :x

Any sequel or expansion to Arcanum really, REALLY needs to have all the followers voiced. Otherwise they're just automatons with cleavage as far as I'm concerned.

 

I don't care that much if they're all voiced... I just want them to interact more in the game... like in the normal quests, have an opinion, have some objective! When you bring Jayna to Tarant... nothing happens, and supposedly she wanted to go there, maybe if you leave her there then when you return in a while will have learned some new tricks!

Why can't you go on safari with Franklin? Why Geoffrey doesn't congratulate you if you're a Black Necromancer? I want to see Loghaire's opinion about that traitor Jormund! I want the racist comment from Dante while I'm doing Donn Throgg's quest! And now about the voices: I was seriously hoping Kraka-Tur, Gorgoth and the Bane would have voice! The worst villians in history and they aren't voiced!?

Have you ever wondered how the hell Automatons work? They have a mechanical system to move and all that... but we're in Industrial Age... there are no chips then! Maybe Vendigroth had (in the slide that looks like 2020AD, but why a scientist in Ashbury has a robot? Maybe the Iron Clan were so advanced too, but the dwarves could never equal Vendigroth... )I repeat: they have chips... in Industrial Age?

Sorry if I just killed the game with those comments!

 

And I want to join Lianna in her quest to put Max on the throne of Cumbria.

 

I'd like to be able to knock the crap out of Magnus when he starts his bellyaching. Is there any way to keep him from getting on his soapbox and threatening to leave? He even threatens to leave if I attack undead. I've had him so long, I hate to lose him due to the investement.

 

That's weird, I've had my own problems with Magnus but never to the point of him complaining about attacking undead. Are you playing an evil character?

You could always try to get a Dark Helm before picking up Magnus, and stick it on his noggin while he's still not too tech.

 

You can say "Magnus go here" & have him on point. If he is hit first, he will be too busy to bitch. If you still like him, leave his armor on him.

Seriously, if you walk up to a poor innocent monster, even the evil undead, & whack him moments before he whacks you, your alignment will go down. I have lost 20 points in the sealed sewers in Tarant. When it drops the goodie goodies bitch. Answer; let the monsters hit first, or keep your alignment high enough so it doesn't matter. Or let them hit Magnus first.

Don't mouth off to bandits or the Hand (you can still kill them), donate to beggars, be a propper Victorian lady or gentelman even if you are evil at heart, & all that.

 

I do seem to recall all sorts of negative things happening when I mouthed off to the orcs and the Hand, but I'm certain I've never lost a bit of alignment because of my preemptive strikes against the baddies. In most of my games I'm a gunfighter, so I'm constantly picking things off from afar before they go hostile. I'm sure I would have noticed any alignment shift by now.

I don't mean to be contrary; it just hasn't happened to me personally.

 

Keep your eye on the Evil - O - Meter next time you go through a big dungoen or sewer.