Avernum 4 starting class skill points table

[posfan12]

Here's a table I created in a spreadsheet showing the number of starting skill points that each class gets, including the custom class.

 

Code:

Skill			Cost@0	Soldier	Bersk.	Priest	Sorc.	Rogue	Archer	Rebel	H.Wiz.	Shaman	CustomStrength		6	2(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	1(+2)	0(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	1(+2)	0(+2)Dexterity		6	2(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	3(+2)	3(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	1(+2)	0(+2)Intelligence		6	0(+2)	0(+2)	3(+2)	4(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	3(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)Endurance		5	2(+2)	3(+2)	3(+2)	2(+2)	2(+2)	3(+2)	2(+2)	3(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)Melee Weapons		4	4	5	3	1	3	2	2	1	3	0Pole Weapons		4	3(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	1(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	1(+2)	0(+2)Bows			2	1(+2)	1(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	3(+2)	6(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)Thrown Weapons		2	0(+2)	1(+2)	1(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	1(+2)	2(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)	0(+2)Quick Action		1	2	0	0	0	2	1	1	1	0	0Mage Spells		5	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	3	2	0Priest Spells		4	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	3	3	0Arcane Lore		1	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	2	2	0Spellcraft		3	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0Hardiness		1	2	2	0	0	2	2	2	1	1	0Defense			2	1	2	2	0	2	1	2	0	0	0Tool Use		1	0	0	0	1	4	2	2	0	1	0Nature Lore		1	2	2	0	0	2	1	1	1	2	0First Aid		1	2	1	2	0	0	0	3	1	0	0Luck			4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0Spent pts		#N/A	77	77	78	75	71	75	76	77	83	0Bonus pts		#N/A	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	75Total pts		#N/A	85	85	86	83	79	83	84	85	91	75

 

The first column is the cost to upgrade each skill at level 0. The cost increases by 1 for every 2 levels in the skill you buy. The (+2) indicates that you may have two more points in a skill depending on the race you select, though this has no effect on cost.

 

The table of course doesn't take into account whether a skill is actually worth having for a particular build. The effect of traits is also not considered, nor are experience penalties.

[ex post slarto]

Race selection does not impact the cost to upgrade any skill -- at all. In any way.

 

All of the starting PCs have way too many wasted points, making Custom the best option. This is long established, but you can look for yourself. For example, the Shaman has 89, which looks tempting compared to Custom's 75, but 3 are in Melee and 1 in Pole for a total of 17 points that are probably wasted -- and that's assuming you want a character who will cast both types of spells. Similarly, the Soldier at 87 wastes at least 13 points by training in both Melee and Pole, which is redundant, plus 3 for that useless point in Defense.

 

Also not considered is the effect of trainers. In A4, there are a few trainers available fairly early on, so points in, e.g., Spellcraft are also kind of a waste. I think that applies to Arcane Lore and maybe Nature Lore as well, but I forget the A4 list exactly.

[posfan12]

Thanks for the correction. I updated the first post. As a result, Soldier is now at 85 and Shaman is at 91.

[Randomizer]

Arcane and Nature Lore are already available in Formello and Cotra with Spellcraft. It was cheaper in Cotra.