Hi guys, I wanted to start Arcanum, but I am a total RPG/DnD noob. I played some newer RPGs like Fallout 3, but that's it. I am completely overwhelmed by the vast options in the character creation. Can you give me some tips for a (noob-friendly) character, if there is one at all ?

There are several character builds that are pretty easy. And while the options seem overwhelming at the start, you'll soon realize that everything you want to do has prerequisites, so it becomes easy to decide where to spend points (e.g. you want more Melee skill, but you need more Dexterity to get it).

1) Pure Melee fighter

A pure melee fighter is actually very easy. All you need is Melee skill (I recommend starting the game with at least 2 points in this) and your primary stat will be Dexterity (so you can get more Melee skill). Dexterity will also make you act faster in combat, so you get more action points in turn-based mode (I recommend using turn-based combat) meaning you attack more times each turn. You can also get Strength so you can use heavier weapons and get a damage bonus. That's pretty much all you need.

It's so simple that you can decide to branch out as well: you can become a tech fighter who learns Smithy to make armor and weapons (you'll need some Intelligence to get higher levels of Smithy). Or you can become a magic-focused fighter, taking advantage of enchanted weapons and casting some spells too. You can pick whatever spells you want, but buffs and summons might be nice. For spellcasting, you need some Willpower to learn higher-level spells.

2) A pure Mage

I've actually never tried a pure mage, but I hear they're very easy. All you need is the Harm spell. I think that's the first spell in one of the schools. Your primary stat will be Willpower to learn higher-level spells, and you may also take some Intelligence so you can MAINTAIN several spells at once (spells like summons or buffs that are maintained over time). Apparently Harm is an extremely efficient damage-dealing spell. Then just pick other spells that sound cool. Fireflash is another recommended offensive spell, and Teleport is super-useful so you don't have to trudge everywhere on foot.

Note that for magic-focused characters, your spells will keep getting stronger the more Magical Aptitude you have. To get more Magical Aptitude, simply learn more spells! The more character points you put into "magical" stuff, the more Magical Aptitude you will have.

OK, but what if you want to do a more tech-focused character? Well, there's the tech fighter I discussed above, but here's another fun one:

3) Grenadier

For this, you will focus on the Throwing skill for fighting. Throwing is nice because it's ranged, and when you use boomerangs you don't have to worry about ammo. Then when you need an extra boost, you'll make some grenades and blow enemies up. For some reason, grenades don't hurt you or your allies, only your enemies, so you can even throw them right at your feet to damage a pack of enemies that's crowding you AND push them all away from you. It's pretty sweet.

So you need Throwing skill and Dexterity, plus the Explosives tech discipline and enough Intelligence to make the higher-level grenades you want. I'm not sure if you need Perception... that helps with guns and bows, but not sure if it affects accuracy with grenades too. Then you just raid garbage cans for the ingredients for molotov cocktails, whip up a bunch, and then chuck them at your enemies. It's pretty easy, although slightly more complicated than the other two I mentioned.

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Lastly, let me just say that making characters is one of the best parts of Arcanum. So don't be afraid to try out some weird things, then start over with new characters later if you decide you want to try something else. Also, Arcanum really rewards role-playing your character, like deciding to be completely evil or deciding to be a mercenary who only cares about money, etc. So definitely try that.

The game is forgiving enough that even non-optimal characters can get by, and you actually might find that the easy builds I discussed above get a little boring due to lack of challenge. So have fun experimenting! But try one of these easy builds first so you have a chance to learn how the game works.

Enjoy, it's a great game!

Oh also, just to be sure, I highly recommend installing the Unofficial Arcanum Patch, which fixes a lot of bugs, before you start. Check the sticky thread in this forum for instructions.

WOW, thanks a lot for all the information you put in your post. I think I will keep it as a little guide for my character. I think I will start out as a Half-Elf, but I still haven't made a final decision. :D

I read in an old post from another forum that choosing the Half-Ogres is a bad decision, because they are really dumb (= low Int) and thus you will only have dumb answers as options. And Half-Orcs have to deal with -2 Charisma which will probably influence dialogues, too, right?

EDIT: I just stepped into the game with one of the premade Half-Elves and got wrecked by one of the boars. I got stunned and the boar fired away at me. :D

A clarification: what makes the Harm spell so potentially powerful is your PC's magic aptitude (MA). For most damage-dealing (and damage-healing) spells, the higher your MA the more effective they are.

You increase MA by learning spells, by having Elven heritage, and by equipping certain items. You reduce MA (and increase TA, technical aptitude) by having Dwarven heritage, and by learning tech-based skills.

As an extra added bonus: magic armor, weapons and items will also be more effective the higher your MA (and vice-versa for tech items). Magic items have an MA rating; if yours is equal or higher, you get the full benefit of whatever it does. If, however, your TA happens to exceed its MA rating, you get zero magical benefit; in-between is some benefit, based on percentage. The most magical items are Arcane; you need a full 100 MA to use them to their full potential.

TL;DR: To get Harm up to full strength, choose 19 other spells for an MA of 100.

Thanks a lot! Do you have any tips for a gunslinger? I went for the dwarf and I am in the first village now. I did the quest for this Doc (saving the bank) and received a gun as a reward. I am also in need of bullets, but can't find someone to buy them from.

Bullets are expensive in the early game. You can buy at the General merchant, the supply replenishes each day.
When you are in the city, you can buy a recipe for bullets. You need saltpetre and coal, which are fairly cheap.
The second gunsmithing recipe, the revolver, is also better than the normal one you got from the doc (revolverparts in trash and chamber in cave at crash site).

If you need money for bullets, you can farm in the shops. Buy ingredients, build something and sell it again. Selling the potions from healing recipes to the herbalist gains some profit and is available early on.
The Doc can make you an expert gunslinger, which is usefull.

So you can buy stuff and sell it for more, endlessly? That sounds kinda broken. :P

I will look out for those parts in the trash. Should I go for the expert gunslinger as soon as I can? Anyway, you have helped me a lot, thanks!

In fairness, there are lots of easier ways to make money, including identifying and selling off expensive magical items. By comparison, dumpster diving and crafting low-level items is pretty much akin to grinding.

A protip, though: you can force a shop to restock its wares by standing at least one full screen away, and then using the Sleep option to advance time either a full 24 hours or at least until the next morning. Firearms are tough. You're already discovering the endless quest for MOAR BULLITZ, and compared to modern expectations about how guns should work, in Arcanum they're crippled almost to the point of being broken.

(A good part of this is that the devs were rushed to put out an end product before it was truly ready, in desperate hopes of saving the company. As a result, magic is way overpowered compared to tech, and real-time is über-difficult compared to turn based.)

Guns do get better, but not until near the end game; though you can meta the game or poke around in other threads here for advice on how to get your hands on better firearms early on.

Yeah I probably should have mentioned that gunslingers are NOT easy characters to play. They can work, but you'll have a tough time if it's your first character. Guns are surprisingly weak and you'll constantly need more bullets. That's why I recommended a grenadier if you want to be more tech-focused. These are weaknesses of those races, yes, but they're not crippling. And you will probably find ways around them. But if you want a smart character who can make the most of conversations, those races are not the best picks.

Another new player seduced by the gunslinger!

Attention all new players of Arcanum: firearms characters are NOT newbie friendly. Almost anything else is a better choice for your first game.

There are lots of choices, but the main thing you have to keep in mind (and the game tells you this over and over) is that Magick and Technology do not mix well. That means you have three choices: you can follow the path of Magick, you can learn the new Technology, or you can stay neutral and not follow either one. The last choice might sound boring, but it's actually just fine because it means you'll focus on skills. Skills can mean anything from combat to sneaking to haggling to gambling.

Magick is probably the best choice for your first game. There are a lot of little reasons for this that will become apparent as you play.

The first time I played the game I made a pure mage focusing on the Force school. I think it was a very good choice, so I always recommend it to other new players. Force mages have some really good combat spells without being too overpowered.

Whatever you do, don't be afraid to roll up a new character and start over. Eventually you'll find one you like enough to stick with for the whole game.

And if you use magic, get harm right away.

Agreed, magic aligned is better vs tech aligned for first playthrough.

You will kill yourself over and over trying to shoot guns at golems in the Black Mountain Clan mines. This is most commonly the first frustrating combat area for new players, and picking guns will only make it more miserable.

What about "escaped from asylum" lunatic background, is it a nice one to pick at the beginning? 25% damage resistance, but 25% reaction malus

It just all depends on how you want to play. If you want to fight more than talk, it is pretty good. I think the best thing to do when creating your character is decide a few things: 1.) Where you want your balance to be tech/magick, 2.) what sort of weapons you'll want to use, 3.) what actual person interests you the most to actually role-play. Take those things into consideration and then figure out what race and background fit you best. Or, if you have a specific race or background that specifically appeals, let that be what you decide first and if you want to allow that to further affect the character you create, you can, or not. All up to you.

@drealmer7

I think you pretty much summed up the awesomeness of playing roleplay games.