arcanum is like my childhood game, i wasn't able to finish it way back cause i'm too dumb and the game is too complex for me.
Now i decided to got back to it and finish what i started! i just finished installing everything, patches,resolution etc. and having a blast so far.

Just wanted to see what other players are doing, so show your characters here! i will post mine in a bit.
(kindly delete post if irrelevant)

TwoHandedSword has provided excellent advice. The only thing I would add is that you shouldn't specialize TOO much. For example, a pure fighter is not that interesting, and you'll have enough character points to branch out into something else too (e.g. make a magical fighter, or a tech fighter).

Also, don't be afraid of tech if you want to try it. Guns are surprisingly difficult to use as they're not as powerful as you'd think and they use up bullets quickly, but other tech disciplines can be easier. Some examples you might try:

A grenadier: Use explosives tech college to make grenades from garbage. Throwing skill lets you be accurate with grenades and use a backup weapon like a boomerang the rest of the time. As a bonus, grenades won't ever hurt you or your followers, so feel free to throw them right at your feet in order to damage enemies and push them away from you.

A tech fighter who builds robot allies. Fairly self explanatory. You could alternatively (or in addiiton?) learn smithing to make your own tech weapons and armor.

Either a magical thief or a tech thief can be fun too. Sneak around and steal everything!

It's actually not that hard to succeed in Arcanum... many character builds are way too powerful, which means you can make "sub-optimal" builds and still have a great time. The game also really rewards actually role-playing your character, making different choices and behaving in certain ways. Experiment with all that!

i tried to upload a screeshot but i failed. Thanks for the advices, so far i'm almost level 35 in just
few days. (i've played almost 8hrs a day)

My character is so basic and cookie cutter just to make it through the game easily. My goal is to familiarize my self and maybe start over again with a new exciting build.

i'm playing Half-elf
-max melee and dodge
-max dex and str
-i use 2 buffs, force shield and haste to double my speed.

so far it's so easy that's why i put it in hard mode. so far my character is untouchable. I just breezed through whatever i encounter.

but i'm having difficulty triggering special quest due to lack of lockpicking /pickpocket, charisma and persuasion. i was able to save the dog and were buddies now. he is so OP! he's stronger than me when in comes to raw damage and accuracy.

That's because he only has one job. :D Keep in mind that unless you had the foresight to install the Level 127 hack, your progress will be capped at level 50 well before the game ends; and while your followers can continue to catch up, for me not being able to keep moving up took a lot of the fun out of the game.

Consider adding it before your next playthrough (it won't help with a game in progress). It doesn't actually take you all the way to level 127, but it can easily get you to around level 60 or so. And that in a nutshell is what makes the game so replayable.

The most fun I've ever had with an Arcanum character was playing as a Tech specialist who focused on Herbology and Therapeutics.

Anyone who likes the game should, at some point, try a solo run as pure thief. You'll learn all the little secrets you missed when you couldn't break or sneak in anywhere you wanted.

Magick and Throwing is a winning combination.

Remember that race makes a difference in the game too. If you've never tried a halfling or a half-ogre, give it a shot.

Charisma specialist female thief/mage. (Elf with Debutante or Charlatan background.)

20 Charisma (followers never leave because of alignment change)
Persuasion (+1 follower for Expert, recruit any with any alignment for Master)

with:
Harm (Necromantic Black), Minor Healing (Necromantic White)
2 ranks of Pick Locks, Pick Pocket (with Apprentice training)

Extremely exploration-friendly build. With all three methods (aggressive, diplomatic, stealthy) at your disposal you can explore the game as you want it and leave no stone unturned.

Those mere 2 points you invest in those 2 spells will carry you far (especially if you have bonus magical aptitude from elven heritage.)
Harm is an excellent ranged weapon that can save your companions from monsters that would damage weapon and armor, and Minor Healing ensures that nobody dies by accident.
You won't actually do much fighting but that's OK, your companions will do that for you (you should focus on drawing mobs and supporting with heals from the back instead).

Completely maxing out your Charisma/Persuasion will take a while; you should probably focus on Charisma 20 first to stop Good or Evil aligned followers from leaving You may still want to throw some point into reaching 10 Intelligence and 10 Beauty eventually to unlock some dialogue options with the elves and the dwarves.

After that, you should probably continue to develop your mage side (maxed Necromantic White (requires 18 Will) so that you don't have to reload if allies die, and Constitution to help with faster FP recovery).
Maxing out your thief side (18 Dex to max Locks and Pockets) is probably not worth it, so it's best to study other magic schools instead (this will further boost your Magickal Aptitude too, making your spells stronger), such as Force (to get Disintegrate, which kills even the hardest foes immediately) or Conveyance (for magical unlocking and teleporting around).

Then I go around trying to collect all of the voiced companions and complete all the secret quests. It's pretty fun. (Though bugs can REALLY ruin my day, like when the king's taxes disappeared from my inventory. :p Keep multiple saves.)

I think the most fun I had was with playing as a complete douche. I was beyond evil. I killed so many that I basically broke the game and made it impossible for me to continue. Which was annoying since I was doing a youtube Let's Play and I never got to finish it and my viewers were left disappointed.

Still fun though. :)