I loved this game until it became pretty much devoid of challenge once I got fireballs of a certain level. I also recall leveling VERY quickly from random encounters. I mean like approaching max level before I was at the 50% mark. I'm pretty sure I had the unofficial patch installed at that time (a couple of years ago).
The difficulty, IIRC, was kind of a bell shaped curve thing. It started out pretty tough and then became boringly easy.
I remember there was a mod that would increase the level cap to 127 (from 50). I was curious if there is a mod or patch that either makes it more difficult or slows leveling.

If used in conjunction with the tweaks from the ppl at the dimensions of arcanum then yes. I think the site has died now but a few of the files seem to be on terra arcanum :)

Pfft
If you want a real challange then choosing the path of technology is the way forward. It was hell on earth when I got to the Vendigroth Ruins and annoying since I had to keep stocking up on healing salves and ammo in Ashbury!

Agreed. Magic sux. Technology is for tough guys :)

well...magic shouldn't "suck." my point was regarding the games inherent balance issues.
i shouldn't have to pick a class that i otherwise wouldn't in attempt to bend the game to my will so to speak. especially considering the annoying aspects of the tech that the guy above described.

Well, yes.
But you chose magic to make everything easier so... I don't take it right now from the players view, but magic in Arcanum is still superior to everything else(wise storyteller voice).
But i must admit, I never played arcanum as a magic user. That is realy uninteresting for me... So you are right of course.
Edit: Now I'll remain in silence.

Agreed. Compared to other games though I did think the magick in Arcanum was a bit....bland for some reason?
Both paths had different issues, techie characters I found had to be really economical with what they kept in their inventory because they had to make room for raw materials needed for gadgets. Meaning that your pockets were eventually full of scrap metal/junk!
With magick the biggest problem I had was that it was very easy to blast your enemies with a stupidly maxed out willpower and repeatedly casting "harm" on them. I even found the robot baddies in the aforementioned ruins easy prey with this tactic. It was however pretty easy to knock yourself out with this trick!

I suppose , whether intentionally or not the misbalance could make a fair amount of sense, for the time that the game is set in anyway.
The premise, as far as I understand it, is that magic has been the long standing power, and only recently has the young upstart bates been driving the expansion of technology (outside of the dwarven mines). As there is very rarely a sharp 50/50 split in power struggles, it could be argued that the power of a master of magic, with the greater history should be more powerful than a master of technology which is still a relativly budding discipline. At least at the current cycle...