Arcanum is a funny old game for me.
If I create a character who is not melee focused then I die instantly. This time I am determined to create a Dwarven tech character who can hold his own.
Does anybody have any suggestions as to my starting stats/decent builds?
I hear guns are a valuable skill for a Dwarf but I cannot get along with them.

Melee or Guns is probably best for dwarves, though you can easily do throwing too (or bow, but it always just seems weird to me). Or you can even do a magic build... but that sometimes is a complex thing to do.

If you want to play a dwarven gunslinger I would say the best way to not die is to have some basic skill in firearms (so dexterity, as well as some perception to be able to actually hit things). You might always want to make use of your technological background and have a point or so in the gunsmithy tech discipline to allow you to actually make a decent gun fairly early in the game.

Also, a good gun you can get quite early for free is from Doc Robert's quest in Shrouded Hills.

Hopefully that helps!

Thank you. :3

Balanced sword helps immensely even if you suck at melee. Also, learn keyboard shortcuts for sending the followers ahead.

As for guns, high perception is recommended. Could be buffed by a special goggled helmet, IIRC.

I did very well with a Dwarven grenadier. I used a boomerang as a backup weapon for when I didn't want to use up my grenades, but it's quite easy to make a lot of molotov cocktails so you can use those quite frequently. Also later on you'll get useful things like stun grenades. You can hit an enemy with several bombs and then right before your turn ends, hit him with a stun grenade, and he'll miss his next turn. Then keep bombing him. Also, rather unrealistically, bombs will not hurt you or your allies, so you can throw one at an enemy who's right in front of you and it will push them back.

For that build, you need throwing skill, decent Dex and Perception, and the Explosives tech college. You'll want to boost your Intelligence too so you can gain skill in the Explosives college which will unlock more powerful bombs.

You'll also need to spend some time searching garbage cans for junk... all you need is rags and fuel to make molotov cocktails, and you'll find lots of rags in garbage cans around the cities. You can also check junk dealers for parts but you'll have to pay for them.

I think a grenadier might be easier than a gunman, if you're worried about difficulty. But really you should just pick whichever build sounds more fun.