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Can anyone recommend a good mage build? This will be my first time playing the game.
high rated
Easiest is probably elf or half-elf male with sold your soul background.

Best is gnome male with only child background.

Difference is higher Magic Aptitude at start on the first one, which makes combat easy the whole way. MA determines how much damage your spells do.

The 2nd one is much better overall because it is willpower heavy instead of MA heavy. You gain MA from learning spells as you level up anyway, and you will almost undoubtedly max it at 100 regardless of what type of mage you make, which is why it's better overall to go for willpower at creation on a mage.

At creation, put 2 points into the melee skill (get dex if you have to), 1 point into persuasion, get the minor healing spell, and put the last point into dex.

Now get harm (necro evil level 1 spell) as your first damage spell. Next spells you should go for are fireflash (level 3 fire) and stun (level 2 mental). You can win the game with just these 3 spells.

Other good spells to have are unlocking cantrip (to unlock chests), agility of fire (for dex), all of the temporal spells. Optional are teleportation and conjure spirit (if you want to kill important people but still progress through the storyline). You'll want to get unlock and agi of fire real early since they are only level 1 spells but really useful.

As far as stats go, you need to start out with the 2 into melee and 1 point into persuasion and some type of healing, which is what I recommended. If your character can't get that with just 5 points at the start (low dex or charisma), spend the level 2 or 3 character points to get there.

After that beginning stuff is covered, you need to get the spells I recommended, and get the willpower to be able to get them as necessary. After you got the spells you want/need, max out dex first and str second and just roll through everything. You can completely ignore con, bea, int, and chr if you like. You should know that int lets you get more maintained spells (5 at 20 int) and charisma lets you get more followers in your party (20 at 5).


I should note once you really get comfortable as a mage with the spells you need, you should increase your melee and dodge skills and put on nice equipment to fight as well as cast.

More info from: http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/914155-arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura/faqs/63974



NOTES ON SPELLS:
================



Casting spells reduces fatigue.

If you don't have enough fatigue to cast a spell, but try to anyway, it will
fail and you will fall unconscious.

You must have an INT of 5 to learn any spells.

Spells have a level requirement, listed on the character stats screen spells
section (where you learn them).

The level required for the spells of each school are always: 1,1,5,10,15.
Order is 1st spell to 5th spell, so at 15 you can learn any spell.

Line of sight is required for many targeting spells.

Casting a spell on a technical target will increase your chance of failure.

Fireflash will hurt enemy armor and can break open chests, doors etc.




BEST SPELLS:
==============
Spells have a level requirement, listed on the character stats display spells
section where you learn them.
The level required for the spells of each school are always: 1,1,5,10,15



combat spells:
damage can be reduced by enemy resistances of course


harm - single target, long range dmg. DMG = 5+(MA/3)
fireflash - aoe dmg, doesnt hurt allies, will hurt enemy armor. Also useful
for destroying locked chests and doors. DMG = 12+(MA/5)
disintegrate - extreme damage in the thousands but costs 50 fatigue and
destroys corpses and items! Not always helpful or efficient.
minor healing
stun
congeal time
stasis
you won't need more combat spells than these. Fireflash and minor healing
alone can get you through the game.


sustained spells:

agility of fire - raises agility by 4 (can affect same target multiple
times!)
strength of earth - raises strength by 4 (can affect same target multiple
times!)
shield of protection - raises damage resistance by 25+(MA/5)
hasten - doubles speed (best applied after tempus fugit)
tempus fugit (final time spell) - slows enemies, increases you and allies
speed by 10

useful spells:

unlocking cantrip
conjure spirit (talk to people you've killed)
teleportation
SCROLL OF EXITING - WARPS YOU TO BEGINNING OF DUNGEON OR AREA! WORTH EVERY
PENNY! Only available in scroll form from shops. You should always keep 2 of
these in your inventory once you can afford it.

---------------

GOOD EARLY MAGIC:
------------------

good early available magic gloves - Gloves of Dexterity DEX+2 from Ashbury
elven trader

good early available magic ring - Poison ring from Forgotten Pit east of
Tarant

good early available magic boots - Enchanted War Boots +5 Speed from magic
smith in Tarant

good early available magic sword - Sword of Baltar from pickpocketing/killing
Lelliana in Durnholm

good early available magic robes - Silent robes found on the magic item shop
merchant in Blackroot


MAGIC APTITUDE AND TECH APTITUDE EXPLAINED:
===========================================
Useful Magic and Tech items which seem to ignore aptitude:
tech mixtures and medicines (like fatigue restorer, etc.)
scroll of exiting
dynamite
explosive grenade
stun grenade




Magic aptitude (MA) and tech aptitude (TA) are kind of like an alignment
range except for magic vs tech instead of good vs evil. When you press C to
go to your character stats, the rightmost horizontal meter that says Magick
Tech Meter when you hover the mouse over it displays your rating. The number
above and below it is what we are concerned with (top is magic, bottom number
is tech). Think of the top as a positive number and the bottom as a negative
number, for simplification. Negative means how technical you are, on a scale
of -100 most technical (shown as 100 on the bottom) to 0 neutral. Positive
signifies how magical you are, with 0 being neutral and 100 being most
magical. This affects how tech and magic affect you, ESPECIALLY ITEMS AND
SPELLS. Spells will fail on highly technical targets.

MA is increased by learning spells and wearing some items, TA is increased by
learning tech skills (firearms, lockpicking, etc) and learning tech
disciplines (explosives, electrical, etc.). That which increases MA,
decreases TA, and vice versa.

Tech items are almost always influenced only from 0 to a positive range, but
magical items are influenced from a negative range to a positive range
(ranges determined by item). So, neutral 0 allows 50% magic benefit from most
magic items, and 100% benefit from tech items. 100 allows little or no
benefit from tech items, and 100% benefit from magic items. -100 allows
little or no benefit from magic items, but 100% benefit from tech items.

SCROLLS AND POTIONS ARE MAGIC- so your aptitude WILL affect failure chance of
these items, which can be critical when you're trying to drink a potion of
health in combat to avoid death. Tech users should buy healing mixtures from
herbalist shops, or craft your own.

Spell effects usually increase as magic aptitude increase, but some have
certain caps, while others will benefit as long as aptitude increases (even
if you push MA over 100 and it only lists 100 on the character stat screen).

Charged rings have an unlisted required tech aptitude to receive the full +2
DEX. The requirement is 13 TA or more.

High MA prevents the use of trains or subway systems.





SKILLS:
==============





Skills require a stat be at a certain number before you can increase it
further. The requirements are:6,9,12,15,18. The stat differs between
skills.

Skills are maxed when you spend 5 character points into them, so they are
divided into 5 'ranks'. Differences can happen due to ability stat effects,
item bonuses or penalties, racial or background inherent bonuses or
penalties, and so on. But all of these lesser effects on a skill are almost
never equal to one full character point spent towards that skill.

Weapon skills (melee, throw, firearms, bow) main purpose is increasing the
chance to hit an enemy using that type of weapon, and it is painful to try
without a high rank in the skill.

You should focus on one weapon skill and use that type of weapon through the
game, so as not to waste character points.

It's a good idea to increase your weapon skill (melee, most likely) very
quickly and very early, or it can take forever just to hit your enemies
enough. Getting 4 ranks into your weapon skill is usually one of the top
priorities for a hero. Mages can get by with spells, if you prefer (but even
mages with some melee makes otherwise frustrating fights much easier).

Pretty much everyone benefits from dodge.

Skill training is separate from skill rank. Skill training level is written
next to skill name in parenthesis on the character stats screen, and is blank
when untrained.

Skill training provides certain extra related benefits and is purchased by
asking someone who can train you. Basic training can be found all over,
especially from city guards, but only certain people can provide expert and
mastery. You need at least some of the skill ranked to receive basic
training, and you need about over half to receive expert. Master training
will probably be refused unless the skill is fully ranked (red bar fully
across the skill in character stats screen) and usually involves a quest.
Post edited October 18, 2012 by ewmarch
ewmarch can i ask you why you say gnome only child is BEST mage?
I wil agree it's definetly the easiest (and quikest) to get to the good spells, but i'd hardly say a level 50 with this build would be a better mage then an elf sold your soul mage
or an elf day (or night if prefered) mage, when these have so much more spelldmg.

The +WP definetly makes you reach the spells a LOT faster&easier, and allows for more points in CN or whatever you'd prefere, but it definetly doesn't make you the better mage.
I actually said why in the post. It is because the priority for mage is a choice between WP or MA, wp which helps get spells or MA which increases spell damage.

MA however, is gained from learning spells with points anyway, and basically every time you play a mage you are going to want to get enough of the spells that you max your MA anyway, without any innate bonuses (20 spells = 100 MA).

That is why overall the boost to MA at character creation becomes wasted in the end: you will hit the 100 cap and keep hitting it over and over with spell purchases.

With willpower though, you have to just get it to 18 and never think about it again. That means any bonuses which raise willpower saves you points that you can spend on spells, which is an overall gain compared to the MA boost.

For example if you want to get 18 spells, and you pick elf sold your soul. then that is 35 MA to start. You spend 10 points into WP (8+10=18). You spend 18 points on spells. 18x5=+90 MA. You only needed +65 MA (13 spells), but you wanted more spells because mages NEED spells, not just MA. You spend 28 points to do all this.

On the other hand, take a gnome only child. WP starts at 8+8=16. You want 18 spells. You spend 2 points to get WP to 18. You spend 18 points on 18 spells, and 2 extra to get to 100 MA (20 spells=+100MA). You spend only 22 points to do this.

Much, much, much undeniably better. The only advantage to the MA bonus builds is in the very beginning you do more damage with spells.
WOW. Thank you so much for this insanely detailed guide. I am reading through it right now, and it looks like it will be extremely helpful. Thank you again! :)
Ewmarch but you're not considering the other racial stats when doing that account? you will want to have some CN and DX as a mage to, especially the DX as it allows you to cast more spells.

CH doesn't really matter if your just maxing your charechter
First of all you are really wrong again man. Con is entirely worthless. There is no good reason to raise con on a character.

Secondly, I never said dx doesn't help. In the faq I reference, which I wrote, it says just how great dx is, especially because of speed gain during turn based combat.

Thirdly IN MY ACTUAL POST IT READS:

After you got the spells you want/need, max out dex first



Seriously man. You do this so much and give so much bad advice it is beginning to be hard to believe it is by accident.
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ewmarch: First of all you are really wrong again man. Con is entirely worthless. There is no good reason to raise con on a character.
I have to agree with tsgnurk here. From a mage's standpoint, CN provides a valuable asset (above and beyond an increase in fatigue): faster fatigue recovery, and a corresponding reduction in fatigue loss from maintained spells.

With a CN of 8, your PC recovers 3 points of fatigue per ten seconds (outside of turn-based combat). This goes up by +1 per every 3 points invested in CN, up to a maximum of 6 at a CN of 17. (For whatever reason — probably game balance — this doesn't continue to increase at a full 20 or above.)

Though to be fair, with the build you've described, your PC is going to be so heavily dependent on Fatigue potions that a faster recovery rate would be easy to overlook. However, for tank mages that prefer to travel light, faster fatigue recovery can make an enormous difference.

And that's the essential beauty of this game: there are so many ways to play, and none of them are wrong.
Post edited February 18, 2013 by TwoHandedSword
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ewmarch: Easiest is probably elf or half-elf male with sold your soul background.

Best is gnome male with only child background.

....
Is this the most comprehensive response to an advice post in GOG history!? Awesome!
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ewmarch: First of all you are really wrong again man. Con is entirely worthless. There is no good reason to raise con on a character.
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TwoHandedSword: I have to agree with tsgnurk here. From a mage's standpoint, CN provides a valuable asset (above and beyond an increase in fatigue): faster fatigue recovery, and a corresponding reduction in fatigue loss from maintained spells.

With a CN of 8, your PC recovers 3 points of fatigue per ten seconds (outside of turn-based combat). This goes up by +1 per every 3 points invested in CN, up to a maximum of 6 at a CN of 17. (For whatever reason — probably game balance — this doesn't continue to increase at a full 20 or above.)

Though to be fair, with the build you've described, your PC is going to be so heavily dependent on Fatigue potions that a faster recovery rate would be easy to overlook. However, for tank mages that prefer to travel light, faster fatigue recovery can make an enormous difference.

And that's the essential beauty of this game: there are so many ways to play, and none of them are wrong.
You're totally right that it might save you some trips to the magic shop if you throw points into con. It's still a waste and is something to do only out of convenience. Getting money for potions is not a problem, carrying a bunch of them is only a problem if you have no other followers, and even if you didn't want to use potions you could wait longer to naturally regen.

The title of the thread is 'BEST mage build' and wasting points in a useless stat is not part of the best mage build. It's much better to just use your points for useful things, especially because you only get so many of them.

You are again correct in saying that this is also what makes Arcanum great: you can build your hero in many different ways and still be effective. This is mostly because the game is horribly imbalanced, but still. You can spend 1 point in explosives and throw molotovs all game and do whatever you want to do with the other points. You can max out beauty and charisma and repair and be completely useless in combat and still get through the game just fine. Anyone who knows how to work the game well enough can play through it however they want and succeed.

But that doesn't make maxing beauty or charisma the BEST. That's the question I answered here and I think I'm right in saying it. Con is a trash stat, just use potions.


If someone really wants other advice for convenience instead of best builds, I'll gladly post some tricks in a thread for it. For starters, get the stun spell and expert backstab and just rape every monster in the game from behind using only a rusty dagger.
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ewmarch: You're totally right that it might save you some trips to the magic shop if you throw points into con. It's still a waste and is something to do only out of convenience. Getting money for potions is not a problem, carrying a bunch of them is only a problem if you have no other followers, and even if you didn't want to use potions you could wait longer to naturally regen.
My real point is that what's BEST is subjective, especially in a sandbox game like Arcanum.

You downplay convenience, but the choice of how much inconvenience is acceptable in the name of role-playing plays a big part in shaping one's gaming experience. I've yet to finish as a pure techie, in part because at some point I get annoyed at micro-managing my followers, toting around a bunch of fatigue potions or healing salves, and not having access to spells like Divine Magick and Teleport. (And yes, I know all about S'nel N'Fa.)

Even as a mage I prefer to tank, which means my strongest build uses Azram's Star (for its speed and crit bonus), 20+ DX (for the speed bonus), elven war boots (for the magical speed bonus), the Hasten spell (to double even that much speed), and a 14+ CN (so I can run the Hasten spell 24/7 if I so choose, with fatigue left over for Sense Hidden, Minor Healing, or even Tempus Fugit).

Part of the beauty of throwing is that it isn't dependent on my PC's strength (beyond any MSR penalties). This means that ST (rather than CN) becomes a dump stat, insofar as it affects only my encumbrance level. Hell, I've played a female elf all the way through like this, and the only thing she couldn't do with a ST of 6 was finish Theo Brightstart's boulder-lugging quest; even the Elven Ruins and Torin Quarry were no challenge for her.

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ewmarch: The title of the thread is 'BEST mage build' and wasting points in a useless stat is not part of the best mage build. It's much better to just use your points for useful things, especially because you only get so many of them.
My way of playing is the best for me; just as your style is the best for you. The OP may prefer one over the other, or even develop a strategy of his/her own (like an elf with a Dark Helm and the Sold Your Soul background, or a halfling mage-thief, or a beastmaster with Dog and a charmed Wargunn and a couple of vorpal bunnies, or a half-orc "I'd rather converse with your corpse!" dark necromancer). That still doesn't make only one of us right, and the other one wrong.

Just my two gold coins, a badly-sliced Kathorn crystal after taxes.
Post edited February 19, 2013 by TwoHandedSword
You can use turn based combat to remove much consideration of the maintained spell costs.

I'm working off the best mage build meaning most mage out of a character.

If he wants to do battle mage or whatever then emphasis on other stats come into it. Most magely build tho does not need con. You don't even need int unless you want some maintained spells.

Debating what he meant out of it or your playstyle is a really different matter.
*shrug* In a sense, because of the way the game is nerfed, the ideal mage build is pretty much Harm plus 19* other spells.

You don't even need WP if you're willing to do without higher-level options like Teleport. Put the points directly into Fatigue instead. And don't forget to grab Dog on your way through Ashbury.


*Less any racial or background MA bonus, of course.
Yeah you can totally get through the game with only three spells if you want.

Really the only reason I give advice on this game is because the BMC and Wheel Clan give people trouble, and it makes them stop playing. I hate the thought of someone missing out on this amazing game just because their character isn't enough of a badass to take on some golems.

If that part of the game were as easy for new players as the rest of it, Arcanum would have a lot more players.

Not that I agree with a game being completely imbalanced and easy, just since it already is it should be consistent about it. That's the real problem.
ive made it my personal duty to always remind would-be spellcasters in Arcanum not to dismiss Disperse Magic in the Meta tree.

it will completely destroy any summoned creature, including zombies and fire golems and more in just one cast for a pittance of fatigue (10 iirc)
Post edited March 04, 2013 by GRV