Is Chemistry fun and/or worthwhile?

My current character has reached level 36, and he has 12 character points he doesn't know what to do with. He's thinking about learning chemistry, but it seems a bit pointless. Is it? Most of the items seem to be used just with other schematics, grenades and guns and the like. He can see the appeal in manufacturing vast quantities of, say, paralyzation grenades (or whatever they're called) but it might a) not be worth the trouble all in all, and b) make battles a tad too easy.

So. What're y'all's opinions on Chemistry?

(For the curious, he's a strictly techie gunslinger with maxed firearms, one level explosives, two levels electric, three points persuasion, and one point throwing. Thinking about putting two more points into throwing so his Molotovs don't just land at his feet and piss him off, but that still leaves ten character points to spend. He's got 20 Intelligence too, so he could learn the whole Chemistry tree on a mad whim.)

 

Consider building the Trank Gun. Other than that, to get an adavantage from Chem, you would need to add Explosives & throw.

But if you had Explosives, you could build the Grenade Launcher & Flamethrower.

Choices, chioces....

 

I've thought about the tranq gun. Not recently, though. What does it do, exactly, knock out your opponent so you can smack him around at will? Now, if there were a way to knock an enemy unconscious, drag him back to your camp, and interrogate him, THAT would be worthwhile. (Hey, another go-nowhere Arcanum 2 idea!) But it's not like it takes too long to kill things in this game.

Okay, but just take the ordinary learned chemistry schematic items. How do you use them? Put 'em in a quick slot and use them on an enemy or object, like with dynamite? Could I really cause mass panic in downtown Caladon with Hallucinate, or knock people out with Anaesthisizer? (And could I rob them blind while they're unconscious?)

I'm tempted to put the points into strength just for the convenience, but my character just isn't a bodybuilder and I'd hate doing that. It's at 10 now, which is just about his limit unless he quits adventuring and starts working out full time. And given his absinthe addiction I don't see that happening.

 

Save, try it out, see if you like it. Poison can be used on you by NPCs, so why can't you hotkey & click Halunicite on, say Loghair or Myrth? That sounds hillarious. If I ever play a Chem major, I must try it. :lol:

 

*grumble*

That might very well be THE least fun I've ever had with any tech discipline. Herbology was a laugh a minute compared to chemistry.

From what I've been able to tell, everything needs to be administered up close and personal. Therefore, EVERYTHING turns the target hostile. It's not like dynamite which can be placed quietly from across the room.

Hallucinate turns the target hostile and puts them into retreat mode. No luck with the mobs of delusional naked people frolicking through the streets. Anaesthisizer knocks the target unconscious, but not before he turns hostile as well, and you can't even rifle through his clothes while he's out! What's the point of that! The standard Baneful Gauntlets drop-n-resurrect trick works a whole lot better.

I'm not sure what the point of corrosive acid is. It's fourth on the chem tree, but it also seems to be sold by every other merchant on the continent. I'm not even sure what it does, because I just kept on spilling it all over myself and ruining my clothes.

Bah. Maybe I'm just not a very good chemist.

 

Corrosive acid can be used as a powerful grenade, that unfortunately requires a long throwing distance and destroys any equipment the victim is wearing or wielding. It is also used to make some items- acid gun (not worth the hassle as far as I can tell), mustard gas grenade (is supposed to do fatigue damage I think) and something else.

 

Hehe.

Have you ever gotten Lukan's fearsome friends to eat things? I have. I gave them some wine and then some Monroe's Strongest Cleaner. Boy, were they sore with me!

Chemistry's okay, but have you tried electrical? There's some pretty swell appliances in there. Of all the technological disciplines, electrical is probably the most magical.... :roll: That makes sense.

 

I've used the mustard gas grenade and the, um, knock-out gas grenade (?) before. The first does poison damage and the second does major fatigue damage. Unfortunately, you have to be very careful that your followers don't wander into the area of effect until the cloud wears off, because they'll take poison and fatigue damage like everyone else and then hold you personally responsible.

Not worth it, in my opinion.

 

Re: Hehe.

Electrical? Well charged rings are a must, healing jacket could be useful if it wasn't so power hungry, and the tesla rod is needed for the tesla gun, which is one of the best guns in the game. But I still find explosives the most useful. Molotovs, Stun grenades, fire obstruction for the Pyro bow (the ultimate ranged weapon) and dynamite to extort money form those wise women. What else could you possibly ask for? Besides, explosives are also the most "magickal" discipline, as the items from it seem to do the same effect as certain spells: Stun grenades= Stun spell, fire obstruction= wall of fire, etc.)