It's possible to run into a pub patron who attacks you pretty much at any point, particularly if you made yourself famous by selling your story to the local newspaper. I don't think you can talk them out of the fight at this point of the game, so the only way to avoid it is the save/load method.

By the way, unlike the "random" contents of treasure chests that are picked based on the chargen data, normal pub dialogues are randomized on activation, so if you reload the game and talk to the same character, they might say something different. (Metagaming + Game of Wits = Lots of money.)
:) They do get better... eventually... but since it's usually the early game when you want good weapons to compensate for your low skills and crappy armor, this can be a challenge. But it's something to try on subsequent playthroughs, when you can plan everything ahead.
Dexterity isn't only useful for skills, it increases your Speed, which is the one derived stat that is hugely powerful (especially in turn-based mode). Don't neglect the Dodge skill, even if playing a ranged fighter. Nothing's more satisfying than getting a Dodge crit and having your attacker kill himself on a crit miss as a result. :)

I remember I tried running away from these guys, leading them out of the pub and into some guards to see if the guards would help me fight them. But I don't remember if that actually worked. Anyone know?

With followers I had to use the "back off" command, or just ensure that the bad guy was following me and not my followers.

Indeed, Firearms is one of the biggest disappointments about the game. I spent a lot of time field testing all the different Firearms weapons, and the results were just...sad. If you really want to do Firearms, you need to understand the different guns, where and how they can be found, and plan your PC from the beginning to take advantage.

This is one of the reasons I always recommend a magick-based character for a first playthrough. Magick is much easier to understand and use effectively (even if technology is a lot more fun, IMO).

If you want to start over with a sneaker-backstabber, that works. I've soloed the game a couple of times with those, and they're quite fun.

I'm kind of sad that I may have talked you out of your first character, though. Still, you haven't gotten too far into Arcanum yet, so starting fresh might be just what you need. At least you'll have a much better idea of how everything works, so your decisions can be more educated. Hopefully that will lead to a more satisfying experience.

I always encourage every Arcanum player to try different characters, so I support this idea. Keep your old saves though, just in case you want to go back. Or consider designing a different firearms-focused character later.

Actually, something else you could consider is trying out a fan-made patch that tries to rebalance the game and make different approaches more viable. I've never used it myself, but it's supposed to make firearms more competitive with other combat types. But it changes a lot, so it may not be the best idea for a first play. Check it out later if you want, though:

http://www.gog.com/forum/arcanum_of_steamworks_and_magick_obscura/arcanum_mod_rebalances_the_whole_game_some_added_content/post1

In the vanilla game + unofficial patch, there are some easier tech-based characters you can try, if you're interested in tech:

1) A grenadier. Focus on explosives discipline and throwing. Use boomerangs for easy enemies and toss bombs for tougher enemies. You can make molotov cocktails out of old rags and gasoline you find in the garbage, which is pretty fun. Since grenades never hit you or your allies they're actually extremely useful. You could probably still have character points left to throw into some other stuff like Charisma, or you can grab a second tech college to help make weirder things.

2) A melee fighter who smiths his or her own weapons and armor. Melee is very effective and doesn't take a lot of character points. You could branch out into other tech disciplines, like mechanics which lets you build robots to fight for you, or electrical which can create a bunch of weird and interesting equipment (like a top hat that deflects bullets). You could, alternatively, focus on Charisma and Persuasion instead of your own combat skills, get a load of followers and smith some great equipment for them, then let them handle all the fighting.

3) Tech-based thief. I've never tried this, but you can pick locks and craft other thiefly things like skeleton keys and traps. Rob everyone blind!

4) Tech-based archer. Basically you can be Hawkeye. There are some tech-based bows in the game that will add fire damage or poison damage or things like that, and bows are (paradoxically) a bit easier than guns. Not as easy as throwing, unfortunately, and you still need to stock up on arrows for ammo. But it could be interesting.

I'm sure there are lots more tech builds that I'm forgetting, too.

Arcanum is definitely not "balanced" in that certain character designs are much easier than others. But others are still viable, even your original one (even though it's pretty tough). I actually like this, because there's freedom to try different characters and even the less optimal ones can still get by. But it does mean some builds are hard when first learning the game. I hope you have fun with a different character design! Post back to let us know how it goes.

This is an important point. The character design system of Arcanum is exceptionally interesting and fun, but the different kinds of skills and foci you can choose are very, very unbalanced.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this. I love taking on the lot of them, killing them until they run out (and yes, they eventually DO run out) before closing the portal. Of course, doing so does require a fair understanding of the game.

The following is for the OP, as well as anyone else who may be interested.

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MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

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First, the creatures only show up four at a time, and a new set of four won't appear until all of the original foursome are killed. Second, no matter how much you love real time, this fight is best played in turn-based mode. Third, be prepared to jump around 20 levels when all is said and done: this could be a gamebreaker, because the Black Mountain mines become a cakewalk; and if you're not playing with the level cap remover, you're hitting that ceiling loooonnng before the end of the game.

Since the Araya (the floating jellyfish) do armor damage every time they hit, you need one of two things: a good ranged weapon or decent Melee skill and some Dread Armour in your size.

I go the ranged route: specifically, Throwing. I stand just close enough (about 1/4 screen past Liam's corpse) for the creatures to flick on and off the edge of the screen; I'm just outside their perception range, and they're barely within mine.

When one creature appears on-screen, I press R to initiate combat, then throw my chakram over and over until it's dead. So long as I'm strong enough to kill it in one turn, no worries; even if it takes two, it has so far to charge to reach me that I get another free round of attacks.

I save after every successful encounter, because there's one potential problem: sometimes, a creature just offscreen is close enough to the one I'm attacking to "see red" and also rush over to engage me. No worries if it's a lizard, since they can only do physical damage; but if it's an Araya, I can always decide to reload if they dent my armor.

If the field becomes too littered with corpses, it gets too dark, or if I just want to rest and recoup, I swing past Liam's body and sleep right there. (After all, he's been dead and mummified for so long, there's probably no bad smell left, right?) I might get a random wild encounter, but the lizards and Araya leave me alone.

Alternately, the 10,000-xp (that's not a typo) Dread Armour, the Dwarven or Pyrotechnic Axe and a good source of healing allow you to wade right into the fray. If things get tough, you can run back past Liam's corpse, and only the creatures you're currently fighting will follow you. Once they're taken care of, you can rest; and even make repairs if you've invested in the skill.*

One last protip: After they're gone, sleep until it's dark before closing the gate. It's more spectacular that way.

*Which, if you're gonna do, be sure to get to at least Repair expertise. Any item under 100 hp can be repaired indefinitely without further loss of Max HP, and everything else loses no more than 1% of its total.

We don't disagree on that, really. But we're talking about a first time player here, and a first time player using Firearms to boot. I haven't asked but what kind of weapon do you think he's using? A Fine Revolver? A Hunting Rifle? That's not going to cut it.

I just replayed that part, and when you get around the portal itself you're looking at greater void lizards and greater arayas, not the much easier lesser versions. A first timer is going to have a lot of trouble with those. Depending on what level the PC is when you get there, those are monsters that could potentially kill him in a single turn.

Yeah, I was using the pistol the Doc in the first town gave me. I tried upgrading to a hunting rifle, but it didn't help much. My companions were both decked out with wool coats that provided DR and AC in double digits, but it didn't seem to do shit. I tried making a break for the corpse and the portal, but I got cut down by a single void lizard in one round.

Both DR and AC max out at a possible 95, so think of those numbers as more of a percentage than an absolute value. The higher your AC, the more likely the attacker is to miss; the higher your DR, the less damage they do even if they hit. (The actual calculations aren't that straightforward, but that's the general idea.)

I grock the general notion of AC and DR, but it was ridiculous that a quest available this early on made the expensive gear seem so useless. I eventually just had the party wait in place while I darted to the body, got the device, ran to the portal and shut it down. Tempted to keep going, but after hearing how weak guns will continue to be, I'm hesitant.

Arayas do lightning damage, too. Your DR won't help much with that.

You did what you're supposed to do for that quest though - run and close the portal.

Yeah, the Firearms problem... See, the thing is, I could tell you a bunch of things that would make it a lot easier, but there would be a lot of spoilers in there. I don't think that's what you want, and I don't want to spoil the game for you either. You could probably salvage your character by putting points into Explosives instead of Firearms from here on out. You're not too far into the game to make that impractical. In that case, you can still use guns as your secondary weapon after grenades.

Eh, feel free to spoil away.

Okay, don't say I didn't warn you!

Step number one: in the middle of Tarant is a small island with a subway terminal on it (and not much else). On the west side of that island there's a slouchy-looking gnome in an orange jacket. He's loitering on the sidewalk on the north side of the street. Stand next to him and use a Fate Point to pick pocket the gun he has armed. It's called a Hand Cannon, and it's about a thousand times better than any other gun you'll have access to for a long time.

Step number two: whenever you're shopping in gun stores, keep an eye out for a particular blueprint: the Tesla Gun. Obtain the blueprint for the Tesla Gun, read it, study it's requirements, and make it your long-term goal to build one. All factors considered, it's the best Firearm in the game. Good enough to see you through to the end.

Just for the sake of correctness, the guy with the Hand Cannon is a halfling, not a gnome. I had to mention that because that particular hafling would react with hostility to being called a gnome. :)

Anyway, I hope the new gun helps make things less frustrating. Really it just puts an early-game gunfighter about on par with a good melee fighter of the same level.