Duck and Cover

So I found/bought a bunch of schematics from various places. The problem is, that I lack the expertise to combine any of the items needed. Well how the hell do I get the expertise? Namely for bullets and the accelorator rifle. I'm level 25 running around with a freaking repeator rifle because I can't find a damn marksman rifle to make the looking glass rifle. I'd really like to use that repeator rifle to make an accellorator rifle.

Well... To raise any expretise in any given subject just go to the universty of Tarant and buy books...

Those books are expensive and heavy... So my advice will be to buy them when you need them, and after combining the item put the books in some chest. I used that werehouse full of rats someone asks you to clean up for him...

You can get a looking glass rifle in Asbury. You can pick pocket it from some follower of vooriden (spelling?). I think he might be the master of firearms, but I'm really not sure.

Other then that, you just need to accept the fact that even has a technologist you won't be able to make all the schematics, if you concetrate on firearms, you shouldn't have any problems making powerful guns (like the blade launcher), but you can forget about the tesla gun.

I'll try that. But I would think that I've got the expertise to make an accelorator gun when I'm only 1 or 2 levels from the top firearms degree. I just made my looking glass rilfe as well. It's, well, not as good as I thought. It doesn't do near the damage I want a gun to do and I still manage to miss with it somhow. And now you'll say, "but you can't have a gun that does like 100 damage a shot" and I know that. I just want somthing over 20. Something that I can at least take on a seething mass or rock golem and not have to take massive healing afterward.

Oh yeah, what is the max number of followers? And what are the CH requirements for each number. So far I've only got 3. Virgil, Magnus and Dog. Dog rocks! He is seriously the best in my party.

When you look at the schematic page, you see numbers near the parts you need to combine. That number is the expretise needed in that specific disciplne of technology.

You can see how much you need more by checking the charecter pages, when you look at a specific technology disciple, you'll see your expretise in the form of a blue number.

I think the reason you are disappointed with your rifle, is because rifles, for the most part, are not so good in Arcanum.
There are some farily powerful guns, but overall you are much better off using tecnhological melee weapon.
Of course, there's the roleplay issue of wanting to use guns, but consider it's harder.

Your Charisma/4 is the number of followers you can have at any given moment.
Meaning that with 12 cha you can get 3 followers.
If you have enough persuaison skill, you can have Madam Lil in Tarant train you to be a persuaion expret, giving you one extra follower.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, the Dog does not take a follower slot, and can always be with you.

Oh damn! I get it now. I can't beleive I didn't figure that out. I'll have to buy some explosive books and stock up on all the charcol and saltpepper I find, then make all the bullets I can then dump the book. I use the first barrel you find in Tarant. Right as you enter the city gates, its in an empty building on the left. I'm going to transfer all the valuables to my room in Ashbury, or maybe that's Blackroot, I don't know. I'll also have to start putting points on persausion just to get the extra follower.

Damn there's so much to do in this game!

BTW, anyone know why Tech got the royal shaft in this game? I mean, being a mage is so much easier than being a gunslinger like I'm trying. Also the spells are so much more useful/powerful than most of the tech items.

Still more, does anyone know of a good useful editor? I got the one from TerraArcanum and it sucks the big one. Who wants to mess around with your OS files just to install an editor?

Sorry for the rambling, but it's late and I've got nothing better to do than sit and think about what I'm going to do in Arcanum. Thanks for all the help Dan.

BTW, anyone know why Tech got the royal shaft in this game? I mean, being a mage is so much easier than being a gunslinger like I'm trying. Also the spells are so much more useful/powerful than most of the tech items.

Well, they didn't do it on purpose. It's just hard to make a game like this, and make sure tech and magic are equally useful. Tech isn't so bad, actually, it can be quite nice but it will always be different. You can't really find make anything like a teleport spell skill.

The main problem with tech is using guns.
The gunslinger is indeed a little weak in the game, but that is mainly to do with the TB/RT hybrid combat system that makes the guns not so useful.
If your'e playing a melee tech, the game is completely different. Making pyrotechnic axes and charged swords are pretty simple, but those weapons are really powerful.

Anyway, if the whole tech issue is bothering you, maybe you should try Chris Beddos (I think that's his name) mod/patch. It is supposed to fix some of the problems with tech/magic. I don't know what it will do to your save games, though.

Still more, does anyone know of a good useful editor? I got the one from TerraArcanum and it sucks the big one. Who wants to mess around with your OS files just to install an editor?

Can't help you with that... I never tried using editors. I figure, though, that if there were a better editor you would have found it in TA.

Thanks for all the help Dan.

No problem.

Wow, you must be the only one who checks this forum. Anyways, according to docs for that mod it is good and bad. It would balance my game out, but would also make it much harder. So I nixed that idea already. I guess I could use the unpacker and try to edit up the stats of my guns or the backround bonus. I've never done any of the before so I can't tell how good it will go.

Well, I know it seems really hard going through using a gunslinger charecter, but I think there are some pretty good weapons you can make.

I never tried it, but from what I heard the blade launcher is pretty powerful, and should give you the edge needed to take down the stronger foes. Also, you can find some guns in Vendigroth (You will only get there late in the game, so I'm not sure you know about it). And I also think you can make some really strong firearm using the aincent gun chasis you find in the isle of despir. Don't use that chasis for the schematic you find, as you can find a much better scematic using the same part later in the game, and there is only one part like this.