I picked this game up around 3 years ago or so, but never bothered installing/playing it until a couple days ago. I wanted to keep myself as spoiler-free as possible, so I could enjoy what the game had to offer. But now I can't decide. I've tried 4 different characters already and can't seem to stick with a single build before looking through the skills/spells/tech available and going "ooh, that sounds awesome too, I think I'll try that." every single time. >_<

I think I've finally decided to go with a melee fighter with magic support, just to give myself the easiest time through the first time. After (if/when) I finish the game once, I'll likely turn around and start maybe a thief-type or something techy. (More likely, I'll be in exactly the same position I am now. ) >_>

I started using the character planner and it's fun. But the problem I seem to be having is - without having any prior knowledge of items or anything end-game related - 1) I can't decide what school to specialize in, and 2) this build seems quite stat-heavy.

For #1, I seem to be leaning toward Conveyance for teleport. Or maybe one of the elementals (I'm looking at Earth for that STR bump).

And for #2, what I mean is that it seems like I have to max out Str, Con, Dex, and Willpower just to maintain everything by level 50? What confuses me is that if, for instance, I cast Strength of Earth, does that count toward the task of getting the skill to 20?

Here's what I've got so far. Please comment, critique, and make suggestions as appropriate.

Male Half-Orc with the Hyperactive background.

At level 50:

- I'll have put 12 points into Strength (for 21), Constitution (21), and Willpower (20), but 11 points in Dexterity (for 20). Seems like I'm investing too much into stats?

- 5 points each into Dodge and Melee. 2 points into Haggle for wealth management reasons.

- That leaves 5 points to max out exactly 1 school of magick. I know I don't want to invest in a damage-dealing school because that'll be redundant with my melee-focus. I don't know if I'll be shooting myself in the foot if I try to go through the game with only 1 follower (most likely Virgil), or iI'll need an army (and to go with Summoning).

- Brings total points spent to 64.

Argh, so many choices! >_<! I love it and hate it at the same time.

Edit: Does the unarmed damage from the Body of Earth spell stack with Hardened Hands from the Morphing school? If so, the synergy would make a totally kickass unarmed fighter! I would think you'd need high willpower and intelligence to keep them both going for a while.

Honestly, I would recommend playing without worrying too much about min-maxing. Arcanum is actually not particularly well balanced, with a pure melee character becoming ridiculously powerful by the end whereas a tech gunslinger will have a much harder time. But what Arcanum DOES do well is make it fun to play those combinations (and plenty more) anyway. It responds really well to your choices both in how your character is designed and what your character does during the game. You're meant to want to try all those characters out, so just go for it. If you're having a hard time or find it's less fun than anticipated, then start over with a new build.

Anyway, for a fighter the most important stat is Dex. Strength will give bonus damage with hand-to-hand weapons and will let you carry more, but it's not nearly as important as Dex which will give you more attacks per turn (or faster attacks if you're using real-time combat). Willpower is needed for high-level spells, but you could get quite far using lower-level spells split among several colleges if you are also a fighter. If you want to maintain several spells at one time (like summons, for example) then you will want a decent Int as well. Con is OK for more HP and stuff but you hardly need to max it out to make an effective fighter... I think my fighter character still had a Con of 13 or something at the end of the game.

I would focus on what spells you want rather than worrying about stats too much. With maxed Dex, Dodge and Melee you can easily kick ass in the game without ever casting a spell, so you could consider easing up on those and adding more spells instead. Pick the spells that look interesting and get yourself the stat boosts you need in order to learn them. Couple that with decent, but not necessarily maxed, Dex, Melee and Dodge and you'll be in a good position. If you must max one of them, max Dex first, as that will also let you cast more spells per turn.

You don't really need Haggle, unless you like it for role-playing reasons. You should get plenty of money regardless.

A melee-mage character will have no trouble getting through the game with one follower only. Virgil will be good because his healing magic will work well on your magic-attuned character.

Most importantly, have fun!