Arcanum biased towards mages?

I dont know if anyone else thinks this, but when i first got the game (about 2 months ago) i thought 'wow another RPG.' (BEing somewhat of an RPG veteran) I tried out the technologist bcz it was something not seen before in RPGs. I started off at the crash site and i found it fairly difficult to kill off all those wolves with a sword and me handcrafted flintlock. I got to lev9 in Tarant and restarted the game as a mage. As a mage, my life was so much easier... i just cast 'harm' on everything, used 'unlocking cantrip' on locked things and teleport to get from place to place. In addition, i only had to worry about my willpower (and to a lesser extent, constitution). As a tech guy, i had to worry about perception for me guns, dexterity for lockpicking, had to dole 75gold per person for the train. On top of that, i had to look after my constitution and strength in case the guns didnt finish the job. Finally (yes this rant is coming to an end) as a mage, i could learn half the schools, whereas after experimenting with the editor, as a techonologist, only 2 disciplines.
Does anyone disagree with me? If so, kindly give a few reasons.
Cheers
Q

 

I'm level 35, and all I've used are guns so far.

I will admit you'll go through a long stretch of the game where you'll find it hard to do anything with guns because they don't seem to do much damage. Though, if you've done the Doc Roberts quest in Shrouded Hills, he'll give you a nice revolver.

Also, use the Bandit background for a gunslinger. You'll start with a really nice revolver, better than the one Doc Roberts will give you.

 

One thing, A techie dont have to put points into lockpicking. Thats for thieves. I have melee-techie thats a good blacksmith and he is really easy to play. Techie doesnt have to mean gunslinger or anyone that put points into repair, lockpicking etc....

 

locks?

so how are techies supposed to open locked doors/chests?

 

Damnit! Use keys or bust em open!

 

If i use a weapon, i damage it, and if it is repaired, the 'life' of it lowers. I havent got full explosives yet either...

 

Bashing chests and doors...

You can remove any weapons you are using and bash them with your fists. This usually takes longer, and can hurt, but it saves valuable gold spent on repairs as you can heal for free.

 

Couldn't you also make the skeleton key?

 

man, i'm a gunsmith with only ONE tech school
and it ain't so bad - looking glass rifle takes out most baddies up to level 48 or 49 within three shots,(i'm a firearms master),but true, you gotta sacrifice to specialize... and you get more gory kills vs magick.

 

If you use an axe it DOESNT get damaged! And if your a master repair its "life" wont lower.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Diemon on 2001-08-26 03:01 ]</font>

 

How about lock picking? Wait, is that mentioned already?

 

Ehh.. yeah.

 

Okay. Sorry about that.

 

It's not THAT hard. I used a backup rapier, with ZERO melee skill. Didn't get killed. Got injured, but didn't get killed.

Harm, while a good spell, doesn't hold up in large combats. Let's see you keep casting harm versus 4 wolves, without using fatigue potions. You like passing out? Nah, so you fight, rest, fight, rest.
As a gunfighter I can clear out an entire dungeon with no problems, except for the VERY occasional salve. Yes, I know...you harm, harm, harm...then leave it for 5 minutes...return, continue dungeon crawling...
You probably haven't had the chance to handle the better guns. Missed opportunity, that.

Unlocking cantrip....tech equiv of lockpicks...I'll give you that it works in dungeons. However, a LOW pick locks skill works in dungeons, too.
Utterly useless, too, if you want to unlock the best doors...the shopkeepers'. Pick locks can do anything unlocking cantrip can, and more. Unless you're playing a 'kill everything who disagrees' type...which is EASY for ANY varient, so...lets not mention that.

Teleport?! Hah! Congratulations, you wasted 5 points in conveyance. What, may I ask, is WRONG with travelling on foot? It takes longer, yes. But the end results are that me=more exp, and you=wasted points.

Willpower and Con don't do anything except helping you cast spells, and allow you to max out haggle. Haggle is smushed nicely by a reasonable pick locks skill...read on.

Dexerity increases speed. You can cast, fight, and MOVE faster with more dexerity.
Lockpicks can get you enough cash for all the train rides you want. IF you're lazy like that...please, there's no time limit, and absolutely no reason to avoid conflict. You lose out when you RUN from exp. I just walk slowly and laugh at the people who try to ambush me.
Where's the problem there?

My guns always finished the job...I used the fine revolver for a good part of the game, switching to the clarington rifle, then the '---------- ---' and the disgustingly powerful "-------'- ----------".

And 2 disciplines means 14 points.
3 schools =15 points.

Besides, you're playing a pure mage. An all-out mage would need WP and the schools he picked.
Add Dex to cast faster, and Con.

A pure inventor would need INT and the disciplnes he picked. Similar.
Add Str and Dex to hit faster and harder.

And If I was a pure inventor, I wouldn't make the mistake of taking firearms(I wasn't one). I would take melee, instead. Then just worry about Dex, pump INT, pump STR, pick my disciplines.

A gunslinger inventor with more than the gunsmithy discipline is hard to pull off, yes.

But ya know something? The materials needed in schematics are pretty damned cheap. If you knew what you were doing, you could buy the materials then sell the final items for a pretty nice profit. Repeat for cash city. You can't do that with magic. Save money on idents, yes. Save money on trains, yes. But MAKE money? A virtually UNLIMITED source of income? No.

Even if you don't have a single point in a discipline(I had healing salve and that was it), there are other ways to make tech items...that saves you points. Nossir, in fact I would venture the opinion that MAGIC is on the losing side.

Besides...I'd take the Smithy discipline over Conveyence anyday.

Now, mages aren't broken. Not at all. You have your relatively streamlined char development, your 'click and it dies' combat, and your 'hahaha bullets can't touch me' aptitude aura.

But they aren't favored, either.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: sgc_meltdown on 2001-08-26 05:05 ]</font>

 

edit: what the heck? it posted again.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: sgc_meltdown on 2001-08-26 05:03 ]</font>

 

Welcome ty_xy!

 

I have to agree on everything meltdown said. TECH POWER!

 

So basically, if i want to become a Techie, i should NOT use firearms? I thought that thats one of the coolest disciplines.
if a pure inventor, normally how many tech disciplines should i pursue? Is mechanics good? (as a mage, i found a schematic for a robot. Also that spider machine is cool. The skeleton key is useless (+10 to lockpicks when a normal lockpicking is +5) Oh and just one more question - how come people in my party dont use the guns i make?

 

The gunsmith aint that bad. Only in the beginning. Later on when you can make elephant guns and marksman rifles you will own big time.

 

Almost forgot... while fatigue recharges, bullets do not. What do u say to that? I know there's a bullet schematic under explosives in Tarant somewhere, but that means specialising in 2 different schools including guns - very difficult. And there's also the fact that spells always hit and bullets do not (i once so a guy dodge a bullet).