Also weapons can be destroyed by a critical miss in combat, so the staff may not exist at all anymore. Luckily they cost like 4 gold or something.
To prevent embarrassing critical miss effects raise the skill in that weapon type during level up. You cannot choose how followers spend their points, sadly. Though there are hacks/modding methods to do so.
Many quests keep some amount of information in your Log book, opened by the L key. One of the tabs on the right can be clicked to get to the quest part. In general, it doesn't provide the type of modern hand-holding information, so when in doubt consult a walkthrough if you are really stuck.
More basic info from this FAQ for beginners:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/914155-arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura/faqs/63974 extremely good crafting and schematics guide:
Kz3r0 Guide to Arcanum Schematics. (complete)
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/guide-to-arcanum-schematics-
complete.54412/
extremely good weapon damage calculator:
Muro's Aracanum Weapon Database
http://terra-arcanum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=16864 -QUICKSAVE OFTEN
-Like Diablo, the red bar is hp, the blue bar is fatigue (endurance for
spells, taking blows, attacking and running).
-Esc is menu
-Space bar switches between turn based and combat mode. If you see green
lights in a row, you are in turn based combat.
-Sometimes in turn based combat it seems like an offscreen unit is taking an
infinite turn. Press space bar twice to stop this. You will lose a turn.
-R enters or exits combat mode. You can tell you are combat mode if the
cursor is a sword instead of a pointer, and if you have a weapon equipped it
will be drawn in a battle stance. You cannot leave combat mode while under
attack.
-Right click can also leave combat mode.
-Running while in combat reduces fatigue. Doing this unknowingly at the
start can cause irritating bouts of unconsciousness. Leave combat mode to
stop this.
-S brings down the sleep menu, if you are allowed to sleep there. You can
bring this menu by also clicking the box where it originates, left of the
day/night display. You cannot sleep in dungeons, or while in combat. You
can sleep in the outdoors, and can wait while in towns.
-W brings up the map, either for a town, a dungeon, or the world map for fast
travelling.
-After setting waypoints on the map, they can be deleted in reverse order
using the Delete key (not backspace).
-You can interrupt your travel over the world map by pressing W. You will
stop right where you are.
-L brings up the log book, with tabs on the right edge for notes, quests,
blessings, and more.
-O is options
-I is your inventory.
-To see party members inventory, talk to them about it. Red arrows by their
name in the party inventory screen allow for switching to others easily.
-C opens your character stats.
-To see party members character stats, talk to them about it. Red arrows by
their name in the party stats screen allow for switching to others easily.
-To place an item into a hotkey, drag it from inventory into the two sets of
5 slots between your hp and fatigue bar. You can activate the item using the
associated number 1 thru 0 on the keyboard. This is the only way to use some
items, like the shovel on a grave for example.
-You can temporarily store large items like this without them taking up
inventory space, but to return to inventory them you will need the available
space.
-To pick locks, purchase a lockpick and place the lockpick into a hotkey.
-Spells or activated skills (like theiving) can also be placed into hotkeys.
Open their button menus by your fatigue bar.
-T opens the tech crafting menu. Notice the two buttons, one with a
graduation cap and the other with a scroll. Those switch between learned and
found schematics. The tabs on the right edge switch between tech
disciplines. To look at more schematics from the selected discipline, click
the arrow at the top right (if you know more than one schematic!). Press the
button with the two arrows pointing inward to attempt to create the item. It
will work only if you have the components required AND the expertise
required.
-Tech expertise required is shown as the number at the bottom right in the
component box and the discipline is the symbol in the top right. Your
current expertise is shown as a number in the character stats screen on the
tech discipline selected. An item might need 2 different disciplines with 2
different levels of expertise as a requirement, and both must be at or above
their respective requirements to craft the item.
-Found schematics must be learned by right clicking them from your inventory.
-If you are in combat mode, hold alt and click in a direction to force
yourself to attack whatever is there. This is how you bash down doors,
attack friendly things, and generally use your sword on things that just
clicking isn't doing the trick for.
-Holding alt and clicking something (enemy, doors, etc) while a gun is
equipped will fire at that target while standing from your current position.
-When directly near a corpse you can hold alt and click the corpse to drag it
to your position. This is good for covering up some murders.
-Spells typically need a direct line of sight to be cast.
-At the top of the screen directly in the middle is where your sustained
spells display. The empty boxes fill when a spell is sustained as an effect.
Right click on one to cancel a sustained spell.
-On the top of the screen there is an infinity symbol with a number below it.
That number is the amount of fate points you have, which are gained by making
certain decisions throughout the game.
-Click the button next to the infinity symbol to bring down the fate point
menu. This lists all possible fate point effects and selecting one spends a
fate point. 100% Pickpocketing success is particularly useful at times on a
non-theif character.
-Party members need ammunition in their inventory to use guns. Same with
arrows for bows and so on.
-When trading stacked items (like bullets) you can click the red arrow to
trade the max amount, or you can type on the numberpad on your keyboard the
desired amount. Way better than using that damn + or - button on the screen.
-Items everyone needs to buy: 1 keyring from general store (always available
in Tarant), shovel to advance through the storyline, scrolls of exiting to
leave dungeons instead of walking all the way out. In particular, a scroll
of exiting is useful after you enter a very holy tomb in Caladon.
-You can issue orders to party members using the F1 thru F5 keys. F3 and F4
are not particularly useful.
-F1 moves them to where your cursor is
-F2 makes them try to attack what your cursor is on (including doors, chests,
not just enemies)
-F5 makes them try to stop attacking
MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!!
-F7 is Quicksave
-F8 Is Quickload
-You will need a shovel to advance through the main storyline!
-What people say is important! Don't skip it unless you know what they say
from a previous playthrough!
-Explore! There's a whole world out there, and there is ALWAYS more to it
than you know. People are still finding things out about this game 10 years
later.
