Please help answer these questions....

I just recently bought this game, and for the life of me, I just can't figure a couple of things out. I've done some searches on this forum and elsewhere, but perhaps my questions are so simple or newbyfied that the answer is to obvious to have been sought out before....

Anyway:

1. How and where in the game can I determine what rank my character has in any one skill? For example: in Repair, it looks as if there are 5 ranks. But I read somewhere that each skill has a more specific rank of 1 to 20, which can have modifiers and such, and every CP you give to a skill essentially raises it 4 points. Up to 20.

This makes sense, but NO WHERE on the character sheet am I able to find out this number for any skill. Not when I click on anything, hover over anything, nothing. Am I missing something obvious? Is there a second page to the character sheet, or something? Or am I misunderstanding entirely, and it truly is only 1 thru 5?


2. Second question. Is putting CP into a skill essentially useless without the actual "training"? Is a rank 3 in firearms no better than a rank 1, until I find the NPC to train me? Or is the training only give you extra goodies (like shooting two arrows and such)?

Help an eager but confused player out!

 

1. It was found out, first visually (by looking at the skill vials), then in the game code by community. Hopefully, some day, someone will make a mod that shows marks on the skill vials.

2. There is a benefit. All skills benefit from both being increased, and from masteries.

For melee, firearms, bows and throwing the result is pretty simple: the higher the skill, the higher your chances of hitting anything. With 0 skill the base chance to hit with a firearm is about 20%. With 20, it's 125% (some to spare in case there are some accuracy penalties like poor lighting or magickal aptitude of enemy). Other skills can differ: Persuasion works as a simple check in dialogues: if you have X Persuasion when Y is required, and X >= Y, then Persuasion attempt was successful. Many skills have a rate of success tied to them, just like Combat skills: Healing, Lockpick, Disarm Trap, Repair, etc.

Skill training provides separate benefits. For Melee, it's +5 weapon speed at Apprentice, no Lighting penalties at Expert, and no critical failures at Master.

 

skill rank really is more important than "title" in almost all cases; common sense helps you find these instances. A higher rank in Bow lets you hit more accurately for example; the higher difficulty you play on, the more important this is. Apprentice training simply lets you fire faster (= more often). However, firing more arrows while hitting rarely is just a great way to waste gold.

My advice is:

Think beforehand about what skills are absolutely vital to this character. Preferrably choose a background that raises the corresponding attributes, then raise those skills ASAP. Only train in those cases where you find a certain benefit extremely useful right now. Specialization is better than generalization in most cases, because failure usually has consequences in Arcanum. Some prowling skill and some lockpicking thrown in might sound useful at first, but bad lockpicking will result in the lock getting jammed, while being bad at prowling will bring the guards down on you.

Some examples of training that's always useful:

- Expert Persuasion gives +1 follower

- Expert Haggle lets you sell stuff the merchant wouldn't otherwise buy

- Expert Bow doubles damage per arrow

- Expert & Master Melee so you can fight without light source and never
hit yourself

- Apprentice Throwing makes you throw faster; good because
boomerangs come back and grenades are cheap to make. Also you
almost never fumble with these weapons

- Backstab (all ranks): simply overpowered