I understand wanting to have a backup attack skill in case you run out of arrows/bullets, but can you use throwing instead? Or does Arcanum penalize you for using a ranged weapon in melee like DnD games do? I was thinking of making a dwarf master of firearms with some throwing for grenades, which would also let me use a boomerang in a pinch.
If you want Throwing as backup, acquire the Aerial Decapitator as soon as possible. That weapon is deadly.
Melee is something you can live without. My latest character got up to Master in the skill and I mostly use the Aerial Decapitator instead. With only three points in Throwing, I get more satisfying results with that thing than I do with my Arcane Sword. And I don't have to move around so much. There is a quest fairly late in the game that works best if you have at least two points in Melee. But you don't have to actually use the special weapon you go looking for if you don't want to. The only problem with using Throwing instead of Melee is that you run the risk of accidentally hitting your followers sometimes if you miss your target. That just means moving to where you have a clear shot.
Firearms with throwing as backup is one of my favorite combinations. Stun/paralysis grenades pretty nice to fall back on.
