Starting and raising a gunslinger

Hi,

I'm new to this game. I just made myself a gunslinger character with whom I plan to finish the game on the highest difficulty setting (Hard). I was wondering if my starting template is alright. Here it is:

Human, Male
Background: Raised by Monks

The above seems to be the only background that is actually a bonus. The others only shift points from a statistic to another.

Investing the five CPs given to you at the beginning:
Strength (1)
Dexterity (1)

Skills:
Melee (1)
Dodge (1)
Firearms (1)

Disciplines:
Nothing for now

As my character levels up I plan to put a point in Herbology and Explosives, and five points in Gun Smithy. My character will become a Dodge Expert and Melee Apprentice which according to some posts I've read are indispensable at the beginning. Then he will gain apprenticeship in Pick locking but also in Throwing (I hear those Molotov cocktails are very useful). I might raise Persuasion to Expert level to be able to recruit followers, but I don't think I will be needing that many. Your thoughts?

In what order should I invest CPs in statistics? How long can Intelligence stay at eight? I don't want to miss any important dialogues and quests. What are the other important stats for a gunslinger? Dexterity? Strength? Charisma? Beauty? Perception? What about Strength at the beginning?

Thank you for your help

 

Jeez, if this is your first time playing, just have fun and don't worry so much! The replay value is more than great enough for you to complete every single quest. If you're anything like the rest of us, you won't put the game away in a looong time.

 

Yes, but sometimes you can afford to lose points on one attribute in order t gain more in another. For instance, Constitution is of little use to a gunslinger, while Dexterity or Perception are invaluable. This way, the Miracle Operation background (-3ST -3DX -5CN +3INT +3CH +5PE) would give you five extra points (you'd need to re-invest into DX and ST, but not CN).

Besides, there are backgrounds that give better bonuses than an extra skill point here and there. For a gunslinger, I'd recommend Educator- you get to keep one follower less, but you can teach your remaining followers up to Apprentice or perhaps even Expert (this is THE way to go if you plan on having gun-toting followers, otherwise they will be too slow without Apprentice grade in Firearms). Hyperactive will give you an extra speed point, which in many cases will mean an extra shot per turn. Bandit gives you a Fine Revolver, with which you could fight your way out of the Crash Site without investing into Melee. Escaped Lunatic gives you a LOT of resistances, although people's reaction to you will be a problem.

I think you are confusing stats points, which boost ST, DX and so on, with CPs(character points), which you use to learn disciplines and skills. Shouldn't you have 5 CPs?

Don't bother. Virgil can heal you find as long as your tech aptitude is low. After that, just get Jayna in Dernholm and use HER skills to make healing salves. Load her up with bandages, too.

Actually, you can get away with zero points in Gunsmithy if you want. Get Vollinger in Dernholm, he eventually reaches four points (up to the Hushed Revolver). Two Hand Cannons are avaliable in Tarant, and you can come by two Elephant Guns later in the game as well.

I don't know. My gunslingers always got away without them. At most, I've put one point into Throwing, for a boomerang to start with and it later comes in handy with Molotovs/Grenades.

I wouldn't bother to up Throwing too far if I were you. Just use your grenades point blank, they can't damage you and you will VERY rarely miss.

I tend to max perception and hoard followers. If nothing else, they are useful as mules, to haul all that neat equipment and stuff for sale. (I tend to load Chukka or Thorwald full of Stun grenades. Plus some followers can make useful stuff, thus saving you lots of CPs. Jayna, Magnus, Vollinger and Sebastian are all very useful in this regard. Oh and Sebastian can throw grenades, not just make them.

My recommendations:

3 CPs into Lockpicks
2CPs into Electrical for Charged Rings
1CP into Persuasion (preferably before talking to the thieves at the Shrouded Hills Bridge)
3 CPs into Firearms
1CP into Molotov
At least 1 more CP (preferably more) into Persuasion before reaching Tarant.

This sums up the thing that you should do ASAP, not necessarily in strictly that order. After that, do as you please.

Till you come back victorious from the Void. Though I recomment upping it to 9 if you plan on learning end of the tree schematics.

You won't. Wise Women and magic traders sell Potions of Intelligence, which give a +10INT boost for several seconds. Drink one before talking to people, or before learning advanced schematic from your disciplines.

DX and PE are your bread and butter; the rest are optional.

ST8-9 will serve you fine for most of the game. The biggest guns requirements are ST16, but you are unlikely to get those till later. I still tend to max ST, to reduce incumberance.

 

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for and even better.

 

"I think you are confusing stats points, which boost ST, DX and so on, with CPs(character points), which you use to learn disciplines and skills. Shouldn't you have 5 CPs?"

This confused me because the game doesn't make destinction between stat point and character point. At the beginning I can invest a point wherever I please, stats and skills alike. :???:

Also, should I drop Virgil as soon as the story begins? He's really annoying and in the long run he won't help me since he is a magical healer and my character is a technological gunslinger.

 

Virge is good to use as a beast of burden, though. Let him carry your crap to the shops.

 

Stat points and character points are the same thing, until you invest them in one side (skills) or the other (attributes). You can't lower a stat to gain character points (unless you've just added a point to a stat but decide you don't need it there), but you can lower a skill to gain another stat point (so long as nothing depends on that skill's current level).
As for Virgil, you can drop him whenever, unless you're not sure of the story progression.
However, like Spuddy said, he's a decent pack-mule.

 

He isn't THE best candidate for a mule, his ST is too low and he gets encumbered much too quickly. I recommend dumping him as soon as you need to free space for another follower.

HOWEVER, if you plan on taking the evil route, I advise you to keep him, as he is the only bandage-using healer who will stay with an evil character. Relying on the Medical Arachnid for healing in combat is troublesome. Plus he can heal your less tech-inclined followers.