Arcanum

[quantum_mechani]

I finally got a used copy, unfortunatly it didn't come with a manual, so there are some holes I'm hoping somone could help me patch.

1. What is the advantage of becoming a apprentice?

2. How does the 'magic power' percent on magic items work?

3. Is there way to get new spells other than spending charactor points?

4. Is there a way to erase waypoints?

5. How do you succeed in the Ashbury town meeting quest?

Great game though

[Spiffor]

Re: Arcanum

Originally posted by quantum_mechani
1. What is the advantage of becoming a apprentice?

It depends of each speciality. I haven't played Arcanum in years, so I forgot exactly what they do. Basically, it gives you extra bonuses you wouldn't get by simply raising your stats. For example, apprentice level in firearms makes you shot faster (while raising your stats only improves your aim) IIRC.

5. How do you succeed in the Ashbury town meeting quest?

You need mucho persuasion. Withotu a character developed with diplomacy in mind, you can't succeed, according to my experience.

[quantum_mechani]

Thanks.

Anyone have answers for the rest?

Also, how do batteries and fuel work?

[Illuminatus]

1. Already answered.
2. Do not remember what for exactly , I went for technology.
3. I do not believe so, but I guess you can probably get a spell or two in special quests, if they exist. Again, I went for technology.
4. You set them with left click right? Then just use right click any where on map and I think it will erase waypoints.
5. Already answered.
Batteries and fuel is for robots/constructs which you will make if go for inventor style character.

[Traianvs]

I've had this game for so long but never tried it!
Ahh so many games, so little time... (paraphrasing duke nukem's so many babes, so little time quote here )

[Standup]

Its a while since i played but..

1. As Spiffor says, so melee apprentice the speed of the character with a melee weapon is increased by 5; as an expert you're unaffected by lighting penalties; as a master you cannot critically fail with the weapon.

2. If i remember its how well you can use an item. As you become more magical it goes up and ifyou're an engineer type it goes down.

3 not that i recall.

and make sure you have the patch(s) from what i remember the initial release was quite buggy.

[quantum_mechani]

Thanks for all the replies.

Originally posted by Standup

2. If i remember its how well you can use an item. As you become more magical it goes up and ifyou're an engineer type it goes down.

So, having less than 100% on a particular item means it's powers may not activate?

[Standup]

You will activate it but you just do less damage/healing etc.

But also you jave a certain immunity to spells - A good example of this is Virgil your first companion. In combat he will often try to heal you - fine if you're magically inclined or neutral but if you're mechanic he has a very low chance of success.

[ravagon]

Does anybody know whether you can force your party members to learn schematics?
I've been trying to use mechanical/smithy recipes myself because Magnus the dunderhead just doesn't seem to want to learn them.
Even with over a dozen texts (making an aptitude of over 120 in those fields) most of the schematics just don't work for me.

[LDiCesare]

NPCs don't learn new schematics, unless they are part of their levelling scheme. In particular found schematics can be learnt only by the player character.
Your schematics don't work? Would you have learned magick too? Schematics never failed for me.
The %effect of items is based on your magic/tech affinity. There's a counter for that on your character 'sheet'. If you're at 100% magic, you're at 100% with all objects. Most powerful objects tend to require more powerful magic affinity too.

[ravagon]

It's only the 'found' schematics that don't seem to work. I, er, 'found' a hint list on the web that seems to indicate that many of them require a certain level in more than one discipline though. A level that, presumably, can't be simulated by just piling up the textbooks.
Bah humbug.

I always thought this reading thing was overrated.

[Ouro_827]

Lucky for you, I happen to be a fanatic about this game, and still play it daily... it is one of the most replayable games I know... if you give me your e-mail, I should be able to send you an electronic .pdf file that has the manual...

1. Defined in the manual... gives you different bonuses.. same thing with expert and master... lets you get attacks off faster, fire more arrows, use different backstab weapons, eliminates lighting and distance penalties, etc...
2. Not exactly sure, but I think it defines how well the item works... I'll check the manual.
3. Not that I'm aware of other than scrolls and the like... you can 'find' schematics but I'll explain on that later...
4. right-click
5. Contrary to what was said, it is dictated by inteligence... I think you need eleven, and you have to pick the right choices, the ones that sound the best... I can find a list of which to pick... if you don't have good enough inteligence, the elven trader sells intelligence potions

Fuel is for various schematics, including the pyrotechnic axe one that you can find, and the easy breezy moltov cocktail... batteries are needed to power things, such as the Hat of Magnetic Inversion,...

as for finding schematics... once you learn them, go in to the schematics panel, look at the ingredients... they should have a number beneath each... if you go into that discipline in the charecter editor, it has your skill numerically in the disipline in the corner of the screen nest to the aptitude meter... if you have the ingredients, which sometimes have to be made, and your skill on the editor screen exceeds what is listed on the schematics screen, you should be able to build it... and yes, the manuals do allow for this... I know because I did it..

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Ouro_827

as for finding schematics... once you learn them, go in to the schematics panel, look at the ingredients... they should have a number beneath each... if you go into that discipline in the charecter editor, it has your skill numerically in the disipline in the corner of the screen nest to the aptitude meter... if you have the ingredients, which sometimes have to be made, and your skill on the editor screen exceeds what is listed on the schematics screen, you should be able to build it... and yes, the manuals do allow for this... I know because I did it..

I think my problem came from not realising that a certain level was needed in more than one discipline for a particular schematic.
I'll give it another try.

[bakalov]

5. Many of the quests of the game can be resolved in different ways. Either high intelligence or persuasion may give you new options in the dialogue, and each of them may lead to successful completion.

[Ouro_827]

Hmm.. that's what I thought, but at that point in the game, I was either a Expert or a Master in Persuasion, with at least four points in it.... and couldn't finish it...