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Hi Im playing arcanum for the first time and since it has sort of a different character building process than other games I was wondering what u guys would recomend if I wanted to do a sort of elven or half elven melee/bow or gun assassin? which attributes are most important what background should I take and what skills should I build up?

And which do you think would be better bow or gun?

Thanks guys

I'm biased. I prefer the bow over the gun, but I prefer self-returning throwing weapons (boomerangs and chakrams) over either one.

If you're elven, you're inherently biased toward magic. (Half-elves too, to a much smaller extent.) Guns are tech, as are the skills needed to build and/or operate them. That's not to say you can't become an elven firearms master, but it definitely takes more work.

My biggest issue with guns and bows is that ammunition is finite, costs money, and weighs you down. That being said, arrows are slightly lighter than bullets, and far easier to find (meaning you don't have to buy as many).

If you choose the bow, or a throwing weapon, you'll want to max out DX (dexterity). This is a good idea anyhow, as a high DX gives you greater speed and better AC. The best bow you'll find is available through a simple quest once you get to the hidden elven city; since it's magic, you'll want to up your MA (magic aptitude) by learning spells, in order to max out its damage potential.

If you choose the gun, you need to build up your PE (perception). To learn to build better guns than you can find, you need to increase IN (intelligence); this however is optional. Keep in mind that the better guns are two-handed, which precludes you from using a shield.

The game doesn't really support snipers, which is what I think of when I hear 'gun assassin'. Rather, there are several things you can do to get in good with the Tarantian thieves guild, which would then assign you missions of questionable moral character.

As far as backgrounds go, I'd go with anything that doesn't penalize your character too harshly; keep in mind that CH (charisma) affects the number of followers you can have, and WP (willpower) is necessary for high-level spells. A gun-lover could go with Inheritance (and buy a gun and lots of bullets from the starting shopkeeper) while a bowman could consider Army Training; or if you're planning to be a solo act, you could try being Raised by Orcs. For throwing, I love the Professional Knife Tosser.

(Of course, if you want to roleplay as something wilder, there's always the Miracle Operation or Beat With an Ugly Stick; but I'd suggest saving something like that for a repeat playthrough.)

One last tip: apprentice in your chosen weapon as soon as you can. In the first town, any of the wandering guards can train you in throwing, and the elite guardsman can train you in bowmanship; the town's doctor can train you in firearms (as well as offer you a decent gun as part of an in-town quest; just let him know you're of a technological bent). After you apprentice, be sure to ask where an expert in your chosen field can be found.

does apprenticing with a weapon basically give me a skill increse in it without leveling up and spending charcater points?

No, it depends on the weapon. Check your manual, it has an extensive list.

jpratticus wrote:does apprenticing with a weapon basically give me a skill increse in it without leveling up and spending charcater points?

Apprenticing with a weapon gives you a +5 speed increase for weapons of that type (melee, bow, throwing or firearms). Depending on the weapon's inherent speed, this can increase it anywhere from around 25% to more than double. Two-handed firearms, which start out among the slowest, tend to benefit the most.

Expertise has different effects, depending on the weapon type: bows fire two arrows at once, for example, and guns allow called shots at a reduced penalty.

Mastery generally eliminates all range-based penalties (except with melee, where instead it eliminates the possibility of a critical failure).

In order to apprentice, you need at least 1/4 rank in that skill (fractional ranks come from racial and background penalties and bonuses). For expertise, you need at least 2-1/4 ranks; and for mastery, at least 4-1/4 ranks.