Duck and Cover

The topic explains it pretty well. What race, background, and perspective do you take when playing Arcanum? Also what are your thoughts on the technology/magic system used in the game?

Feel free to recommend any mods here because some of them are very well done and should be better known.

I'll start.
I played quite a few characters until I finally came up with a Half-Ogre. I started with extremely low intelligence and everyone hating me... yet by some twist of fate I was a mostly good natured brute. I dabbled in magic a little but mainly just hit stuck with my fists and such.

I'm planning to play the game over, perhaps as a more sinister character, after I get a new computer. The game was just a bit too sluggish on my 400 mhz machine and I'm not sure I could stand all the loading and game slowdowns again.

I'm playing again, coincidentally because I'm using my roommate's machine and don't have to deal with slowdown, and I'm playing a human warrior that dabbles in magic a bit. I took "Raised by Elves" as my background; it may be kind of cheap but starting off with Elvish chainmail is always nice, especially if you already plan on using magic over technology.

I kept making jack of all trades characters and then finally decided to go with brute strength and see where it got me. Somehow it's just fun to be an Ogre. *wipes off blood dripping down chin*

My first character was a half-elf mage. Had spell mastery in summon, white necormacy, eletricity and another one which I can't remember (one that lets you identify magical items). Also has some knowledge of dark necromacy (harm was lethal at the end).

I then ended up raising my strength and dexterity and almost getting a master in Melee and dodge.
near the end of the game, whatever I could kill with harm, I killed with bolt. If that didn't work I just beat the shit out of it with my arcane broadsword with 2 ogre guardians, and 3 familiers.

At first I played a Elven Meta/Summoner/Transformer that dabbled in the charismatic arts.
Now I am playing a Dwarven Technologist with very high intl and augmented perception. Also am uniquley good natured, and friendly towards the fiarer sex. Also, does anyone know where to get the gun involved in the Sniper rifle creation?
Or, for that matter, an engine muffler?
Am having trouble killing big spider in Wheel Clan.

engine mufflers can be found in the rubbish bins in Tarrent and other cities.

And to get the sniper rifle, just kill the gunnary master.

Technologists sound fun but I never liked the idea of having to lug around all the components to make things. Magic was so much easier in that department. Still, it is an intriguing concept. If anyone has played a techie through a reasonable part of the game, put down what you thought of it pls

I think a little bit more freedom would have made playing a technologist a lot more fun. Maybe you could have had the ability to make more with less depending on your skill.

The Tech should have been much more powerful, blatantly.
Also, in my view, because magic is so easy to learn, it should be signifigantly more powerful.
And, to put it plainly, scouraging the map for an engine muffler is not fun. I have searched several dwarven mines, and none of them have it.

Ezechial_Rage wrote:If anyone has played a techie through a reasonable part of the game, put down what you thought of it pls

I was a techy the first time I played it. It's a bitch at the start, namely because you can't kill jack with your crappy weapons and such. But, by the time you get your army of 5 automatons, you just get to sit back and let them whack everything to death, with only the occasional shot coming from your gun.

Most of the components I found, I dumped in a storage container in Tarant (in a small house just up from the railway station). It let me keep all the crap in there for when I needed it. That way, I didn't need to lug it around all the time.

One of the most disappointing things about being a gunsmith tech though, was that the good weapons like the flamethrower and tranquilizer gun, are found schematics. The problem is, they're so rare, you never actually find them unless you specifically hunt for them. In my own mod I was working on, I'd actually changed the gunsmithy weapons around, so that the flamethrower and tranquilizer gun could actually be learnt. Much, much better

Yea I think the automotons are what really appealed to me. Having robots follow me around as my henchmen sounds like a pretty cool idea. I was worried for a little while that this little forum wouldn't arouse much interest, but I think it'll do alright.

i played\am playing (have to get new CD's, after I reinstalled my OS for some reason my arcanum CD's don't work anymore) - i had a sort of technologist/fighter/thief type guy.

I've played Arcanum exactly once, would like to play again but the computer I currently own did not do well with the graphics. I ended up with a cubist's nightmare or such game slowdowns as to be prohibitive. <shudders>

My character of choice was a gunsmith Dwarf with some mele skills. I tried to keep my character neutral aligned but found that impossible before the half point in the game.

On the Looking Glass Rifle, one did not need to kill the Gun Master. With an average pickpocket, one could just lift it from him & this also allowed one to get Mastery.

The only really major complaint I have on Arcanum is that I should have downloaded the mod to make the Orc Bandits & Molochian Hand foes level up with me. They became tediously boring & attacked me throughout the whole game as I killed the master of the Hand & didn't allow him to call off his goons. On the other hand leaving the Dark Elves in combat did not allow Virgil his cue to leave my party (I know he does as my SO also played & ended up with Virgil the super crappy mage).

Yea, I agree about the Malochean hand and orc bandits. They were rather tiresome after a while. I also wish that they would have done better with turn base..... which was the only way I could play the game on my computer. Turn base almost made it toto easy because you always got to strike first.

I chose to do the sexy female bandit chick. Master in firearms can dodge most attacks and the ability to talk around anything that moves.

I palyed a fighter/technologist...pyrotechnic axe ROCKS!!!

Ranged half-elf using booomerangs and chakrums(can't stand any thrown weapons that don't come back). Maxed out my agility as soon as I could then Dex and Str. Used some of the first level status changing spells like speed of fire(don't remeber the exact words). Game was too easy after I gained 3 levels.

I've only played through the game once...I ended up with a diplomatic, goodie-two-shoes human mage (master of persuation), skilled in force, dark necromancy and conveyance. He wasn't half bad in meele and dodge (gotta love them blessings), but his low-strengh prevented him from putting most weapons to good use. Disintegrate let me take care of most goons in the game, but my char wasn't all that great when surrounded by a mass of fast (thats why I keep a possie of mages, ogres, and the occasional animal)

Played through as a half elf mage, though, I never really used any spells besides teleportation and harm.

Sass talking human gunslinger/technologist. I loves me Looking Glass rifle/hand cannon combo.