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Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura: Difference between revisions

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* [[And Man Grew Proud]]
* [[And Your Reward Is Clothes]]: See [[Shout Out]] below. The clothes happen to be the ones the mage was wearing.
* [[Anti -Villain]]: For most of the game, {{spoiler|Kerghan}} kills, tortures, and generally acts in an indisputably evil way. But when you are told his motivations for doing so, {{spoiler|particularly when Virgil confirms what he has to say}}, you can easily understand his point of view. {{spoiler|Which is kind of disturbing given that he's an [[Omnicidal Maniac]].}}
* [[Antiquated Linguistics]]: The manual is written like this. Mostly in an in-universe style.
* [[Apocalyptic Log]]: In Vendigroth you can find newspapers reporting about an elven wizard who threatened them and how they told him to screw himself. Vendigroth is now a giant lifeless wasteland -- guess who's responsible for that.
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** This also extends to the ''numerous'' ways you can solve any problem. For example, early on, you need to get a local merchant to identify who made a ring you're trying to identify. You can simply roll with his request for an item from the nearby haunted mine, hand over a rare camera in trade, butter him up with social skills, or steal his key and look through his documents in the back. If all else fails, you can even use Black Necromancy to interrogate him (or any other quest-giver related to the main plot) ''after he's dead.'' Even Virgil can be questioned this way. Talk about [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]].
** Merchants have chests which are tightly locked. Only a master mage or master lockpick can open them. Of course, they're always the simple way of beating the chests open... but then the merchants never restock because you've destroyed their inventory.
* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]: Defeating {{spoiler|Kerghan}}, who's more or less a [[Physical God]] at this point.
** But then again, so is the player, especially if you use the patch to remove the level cap. The game even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this: {{spoiler|if you side with Kerghan, the two of you kill every living thing in Arcanum together, after which he'll try to kill you and you end up defeating him}}. And of course, earlier in the game an evil character can do a quest to depopulate the entire town of Stillwater by him/herself...
* [[Disadvantageous Disintegration]]: The Disintegrate spell handily destroys your enemy's loot, as well.
* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]:
** An in-game character called Gil Bates. Considered the inventor of <s>MS-DOS</s> steam engines, {{spoiler|actually turns out he stole the idea from the dwarves}}. Reminds you of any old, debunked conspiracy theories? He even has a pissed-off, borderline incompetent competitor named Cedric ''Apple''by.
** Also, the first NPC character that can join your party and act as your early guide to the world of Arcanum is a man called [[Divine Comedy|Virgil]]. Possibly doubles as a nice [[Shout Out]].
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** Archery is another exception. Archers lack any high-end weapon and the skill has no particularly special use.
* [[Fantastic Racism]]:
** Everyone looks down on orcs. Elves and dwarves simply hate them; humans and gnomes use them for slave labor in a [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|direct allegory]] of black slavery. The book series "The Orcish Question", found in the Tarant library, goes into a lot of detail about both sides of the debate, including some contributions by Orcs themselves. There are many almost-explicit comparisons to Africans and to Jews in the discourse, which neatly lampshades the trope: unlike in real world racism, Orcs ''actually'' tend to have lower intelligence and a more violent nature than the authors. Odd thing, though -- if you play a ''half''-orc they have the same base intelligence stat, and a lot of the orcs you can talk to don't really seem stupid or violent at all, just uneducated and underprivileged. [[Blatant Lies|As for the manual entry...]]
** Elves and dwarves don't especially like humans, though this is justified by the fact that humans have been making a mess of things recently. Gnomes, for some reason, are not nearly as disliked by either. Everyone likes halflings, more or less, and racism towards half-ogres is limited by the fact that it's [[Too Dumb to Live|a bad idea to tick off something that big and strong.]]
*** Racism against half-ogres is usually too subtle for them to notice. The one you meet on the Island of Despair (who was unusually intelligent, as well) didn't realize he was a factory slave until years afterwards, when he'd gotten an education and time to think about it.
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* [[Heroic Spirit]] / [[Heroic Willpower]]: {{spoiler|Raven}} is the first character where the evil strategy of 1) murder 2) cast Conjure Spirit - doesn't seem to work. {{spoiler|Her}} ghost doesn't feel any pain from the summoning, and actively mocks the PC's attempts at interrogation.
* [[He Who Fights Monsters]]: The Elven Council went around righting wrongs and doing hero stuff in the Age of Legends, but [[Can't Argue With Elves|their heads got pretty swollen from all of the heroic carnage]], until {{spoiler|Arronax finally went over the edge and nuked Vendigroth in the name of the Council}}.
* [[Hey ItsIt's That Voice]]:
** Virgil is [[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]] as well as [[Sailor Moon (Manga)|Tuxedo Mask]], The Silver Lady is [[DCAU|Poison Ivy]], Gilbert Bates is [[Star Wars|The Emperor]]'s voice in all appearances outside of the movies.
** The Silver Lady is also Adalon in Baldur's Gate 2, while Nick Jameson (the guy who voiced Gilbert Bates) has done a lot of roles, a small handful of which include {{Psychonauts Dr. Loboto}}, [[Baldurs Gate|Rumar]] and [[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|King Raminas]].
** Loghaire is also [[Jade Empire|Master Li]], proving that he learned from his mistakes - [[Dragon Age|just not for very long]].
* [[Hidden Elf Village]]: Two of them. And four dwarf ones {{spoiler|(only one's left, though)}}. Probably more, but they're just too well hidden to be in the game. And one for super-powerful [[Designated Hero|"good"]] wizards. And one for [[Lizard Folk]].
* [[Historical in In-Joke]]: While the use of an engine muffler to make a silencer may look like just another example of [[Rule of Fun|the game's]] [[Bamboo Technology|approach to item crafting]], both items were invented by the same person (Hiram Maxim) on the same science.
* [[Hollywood Silencer]]: Although, since semi-automatic pistols have yet to be invented and normal revolvers can't be silenced, [[Reality Ensues|it can only be used on a certain custom-built firearm]].
* [[Hoist By His Own Petard]]: {{spoiler|The Vendigroth device}} exploits the unstable relationship between magick and technology to turn a mage's powers against them.
* [[Humans Are Bastards]]: Dwarven technology in human hands has propelled Arcanum into an industrial revolution, which has led to the destruction of Morbihan Forest and rendered Tarant the world's most polluted city. Dwarves in particular invoke this trope, and attempt to justify it; humans, being so short-lived compared to the non-human races, must be motivated by the fear of impending death (in other words, they want their life to mean something), driving them to greater and greater heights of progress. They rarely live long enough to see the destructive consequences of their actions.
* [[Hundred Percent Heroism Rating]]: The PC gets better reaction from other characters (including shopkeepers who give them discounts) if he or she helped the inhabitants of a given settlement. Additionally, characters sometimes mention specific deeds of the PC and act accordingly. Of course, evil deeds get attention and respect of shady characters (including party members who base their decision to join the PC on his or her karma meter).
* [[I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin]]: Slightly subverted. {{spoiler|You'd expect the ring given by the dying "gnome" to be either magical or at least the key to unlocking some ancient horror. However, the signet ring is merely a clue to figuring out the identity of "the boy", and it's fully possible to identify, locate him and acquire his aid even if you let the ring be stolen within 5 minutes of obtaining it. Keeping it only allows you to sell it back to the owner for a small sum.}}
* [[Inventory Management Puzzle]]: Characters can only carry a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of space. Objects like guns and bows, though not overly heavy, can take up about a twelfth of your inventory space, while things like potions only take up a single square. Crates, chests and such can hold a much larger number of items, and have no weight penalty, but still have a space limit.
* [[Item Crafting]]: Make a suit of plate armour with only two items and some theoretical knowledge! No tools needed! Results in literally no time at all! Or, for that matter, a sentient super dangerous attack spider from only a steam engine and a cogwheel. Oh, the marvels of modern science!
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* [[Luck Manipulation Mechanic]]: The game has fate points, which may be used to force a critical success (or do something else if you prefer). This is most useful for forcing a critical pickpocket success, allowing you to steal the unique items from certain NPCs.
* [[MacGyvering]]: You'll do this a lot if you play as a scientist.
* [[Magic From Technology]] / [[Clarke's Third Law]]: Technology in this setting is capable of doing things so fantastic that it's essentially indistinguishable from magic in many ways (though magic itself is still a separate, distinct thing). A healing salve that closes gashes and mends broken bones in literally seconds? A staff that fries your foes with pinpoint-accurate bolts of lightning? A ring that gives you limited [[Super Speed]] when wearing it? A chemical concoction that can ''bring people back from the dead''? All of this and more can be yours through the wonders of [[Steampunk|late 19th Century]] [[For Science!|SCIENCE!]]
* [[The Magic Goes Away]] / [[The Magic Comes Back]]: Its implied that, because of the [[Magic Versus Science]] rules discussed below, Arcanum goes through cycles of a period of high technology, a period when magic and technology coexist in uneasy balance, a period of high magic, another period of coexistence, and so on. Bates' manufacture and marketing of steam engines to the humans is causing a new age of technology to begin and magic to wane. Certain in-game books and conversations imply that magic was once stronger than it is now, and some of the relics from Vendigroth and The Iron Clan hint at what technology might achieve in the future. Although the Vendigrothian relics suggests that it is quite possible for the periods of uneasy coexistence to have both magic and technology be what the 'present day' of the game would consider high.
* [[Magic Versus Science]]: One of the best [[Justified Trope|justifications]] on record; [[Magic and Powers|Magick]] ''[[Reality Warper|alters physics]]'' to do stuff, Technology ''[[Awesome Yet Practical|uses physics]]'' to do stuff. Machinery operating around people using spells are performing nonsense actions - powerful spells will break weaker machines just by being used in the vicinity. Likewise, spells used around machinery are basically inserted into said machinery - powerful machines will cause weaker spells to fail just by operating in their vicinity.
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* [[More Dakka]]: The Repeater Rifle is a more subdued version of this; for players desirous of further Dakka, there's the fully-automatic Mechanized Gun, which can dish out an absolutely terrifying amount of damage but chews through ammo at an astonishing rate.
* [[Multiple Endings]]: In the manner of ''[[Fallout]]''.
* [[Murder, Inc.]]: The Molochean Hand.
** [[Highly -Visible Ninja]]: Played straight and averted. Unless you pickpocket every person (barring [[Random Encounters]], who are quite open about their intentions) you talk to, you don't know who's in, but they are easily identified by the necklace once you do.
* [[Murder the Hypotenuse]]: Inverted by {{spoiler|Wrath, Sharpe and Ivory: [[My Death Is Just the Beginning|Wrath commits suicide with a glass of poisoned wine, in the hopes that Sharpe will take the blame for his murder]]}}, the [[Unwitting Pawn|PC can help it along if they don't explore the quest well]].
* [[Nice Hat]]: A bullet deflecting top hat.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: If you have the Bane of Kree in your party at the end of the game and gave him the [[Infinity Plus One+1 Sword]] you found in the same area, an ending sequence has him waging war upon all of Arcanum, for which you are blamed. While it would seem obvious what effect bringing him back would have, there's no real dialogue or even a hint as to how to trigger this unless you have a specific follower in your party. Contrast with the half-man, half-dragon Kraka-Tur, who will explicitly threaten to do this should you release him yet won't (no doubt being a coward dissuaded him from causing trouble with you around).
* [[Noble Demon]]: Z'an Alurin is supposedly Alignment -30, and won't work with good [[Player Character|PCs]] unless they have Master Persuasion, but nothing in her actions or dialogue besides this point backs this up; {{spoiler|in fact, she's the one who gives Loghaire Thunder Stone a massive [[What the Hell, Hero?]] later in the game if you bring her to meet him.}}
* [[No Ontological Inertia]], shown early on.
** [[The Other Wiki]] states that technology is liked by humans because the effects of machines are permanent.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Gar the Orc AKA Garfield Thelonius Remingtom the Third. A child of two human parents physically identical to an orc. Introduced as a sideshow act; the "World's Smartest Orc". He was forced into indentured servitude after his genuinely caring parents lost their entire fortune trying to help him. The player may negotiate his freedom and gain him as a party member if they're intelligent enough to discern Gar's true nature.
* [[The Obi -Wan]]: Elder Joachim to Virgil.
* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]: {{spoiler|Kerghan.}}
* [[One -Gender Race]]: An in-game reason was made up to explain what amounted to space limitations. Dwarf women are rare (you never see one in-game, and bringing up the issue with male dwarfs can somehow [[Berserk Button|trigger homicidal rage]]), while gnome and halfling women apparently suffer from [[Stay in The Kitchen]] syndrome.
** Don't forget Half-Ogres, but it is never explained why in universe.
*** It is explained. {{spoiler|The Gnomish Industrial council keeps all the females that result from their breeding program at their farms to breed more half-ogres.}}
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** Half-Orcs are subject to a lot of [[Fantastic Racism]], partly because most people assume that at some point in their ancestry, a male orc violated an unwilling human woman.
** {{spoiler|Arguably, one of the most disturbing and sickening parts of the game is visiting the factory farm where a large number of Half-Ogres were 'bred' by the Gnomish conspiracy.}}
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: {{spoiler|Kerghan has an epic speech where he explains why basically life itself sucks and must be wiped out, accompanied with FMV stills. What makes the speech extra creepy is that he actually makes a fairly convincing case for it, since what amounts to Heaven is demonstratedly real in-story}}
* [[Religion Is Magic]]: Making offer to gods whose altars a scattered around Arcanum gives you very real stat boosts. It also gives you very real curses if you don't respect their interpersonal relationships when doing it.
* [[Religion Is Right]]: Partly subverted and partly played straight with Panarii. Most of their myths actually happened. Their prophecies, on the other hand, need some work. {{spoiler|You are not the [[Chosen One]] and reincarnation of Nasrudin, as Virgil believes. It's really hard to reincarnate when you are still alive}}.
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* [[Skippable Boss]]: The end boss can be talked into letting you kill him without resistance, again echoing ''[[Fallout]]''.
* [[Sliding Scale of Undead Regeneration]]
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: Magnus, who tries too hard to be a traditional dwarf when it's apparent to all around him that he's not, and gets defensive when called on it. He does at least get better about it over the course of the game, and finally admits to it when the dwarven king himself starts prodding.
* [[Sniper Pistol]]: One of these can be made, although the trope is played with a bit in that the resulting firearm is designed and built specifically as a sniping weapon rather than just being an ordinary pistol with a scope bolted on.
* [[Sniper Rifle]]: One can be purchased (or built by characters exceptionally skilled in Gunsmithing). It has the longest range of any weapon, spell, or ability in the game, and can easily hit targets three or more screens away. The [[BFG|Elephant Gun]] can also serve in this role; it has slightly shorter range but deals much more damage.
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* [[Vagueness Is Coming]]: The dying gnome at the start of the game helpfully informs you that "unimaginable evil" is coming to "destroy everyone and everything".
* [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]]:
** Use [[Charm Person|Charm Beast]] to befriend a wild animal, like a wolf or bear. Walk to the nearest town. Have your animal friend enter an occupied house while you wait outside. Magelock the door shut. Then dispel Charm Beast. (You might want to magically seal the windows, too -- you don't want anyone to escape the wrath of [[EverythingsEverything's Worse With Bears|Mr. Disoriented Grizzly.]]) Is also an effective means to assassinate someone without the guards finding out it was you (whereas if a cop NPC walks into a room and you're standing over a bloody corpse with a sword in your hand, they'll usually put two and two together and attack you).
** There's also the fact that there exists only 1 NPC in the game who can't be killed {{spoiler|(The Silver Lady)}}. Every major character can be murdered, then have their ghost summoned and interrogated. A true villain may kill the dwarf leader of the Isle of Despair, then raise his spirit just to tell him that you're going to travel to his home clan and kill everyone - oh, and that you'll drag the corpses into the daylight just to add insult to injury (sadly, you can't actually drag the corpses outside). There's almost no limit to how much cruelty you can inflict upon the populace of Arcanum.
* [[Video Game Cruelty Punishment]]:
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* [[Wake Up Call Boss|Wake Up Call Level]]: While the game can be incredibly easy with the right character, the Black Mountain Clan Mines will absolutely murder a low level party. This is made all the more frustrating since the game's narrative actively pushes you to travel there in the early stages.
* [[We Buy Anything]]: Played with; vendors will only buy things related to their stock (smithy shops only buy armor and weapons, for example), except for the junk vendors, who will buy anything short of destroyed items. Get mastery in Haggle, though, and they will not only buy anything, they'll sell you the clothes off their backs.
* [[Well -Intentioned Extremist]]: {{spoiler|Kerghan wants to [[Omnicidal Maniac|kill everyone]] because he believes that the afterlife is better and more peaceful than life}}. Interestingly, that particular theory is somewhat confirmed in-game, since one of your party members {{spoiler|who dies and is resurrected}} agrees with him but still thinks that people should be allowed to choose their own fate.
* [[When All You Have Is a Hammer]]: Virtually any problem can be solved with the right application of force. Locked door? Beat it down. Guy holding an item you like? Kill him. Interdimensional portal releasing demon hoards upon the land? Whack it closed. Note that while this method may work, it is not exactly the most ''subtle'' way of doing things. Also, some of the [[Golden Ending|Golden Endings]] for various places require that you be skilled in Persuasion, such as taking a diplomatic solution to the matter of {{spoiler|Donn Throgg}}.
* [[Wizards Live Longer]]: Played with; elves are both the most magically talented race in Arcanum, and have the longest lifespans (up to a millenium), and humans with a talent for magick live slightly longer than those without, [[All There in the Manual|according to the manual]]. On the other hand, dwarves and gnomes have respectable lifespans (600 years) despite having no natural affinity for magick, and orcs and halflings, thought to have been mutated by exposure to large amounts of magick, have shorter lifespans than the races they evolved from (40 years and 400 years, respectively).
* [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]: {{spoiler|The writing in this game deserves credit considering that the completely sane Kerghan whose primary goal is to kill absolutely ''everything'' isn't a [[Complete Monster]] in any way, but this instead. He's decided that because being alive is painful, summoned spirits suffer terribly from the experience, and the final afterlife is perfect bliss, then the logical solution is end all life. He reasons that if living is unpleasant and death peaceful, then having to live must be a terrible crime to force upon a soul and one that must be permanently removed. Remarkably if the player can explain the flaws in his philosophy he'll willingly abandon his genocidal agenda and submit to having his soul banished forever. He even shows some slight regret that he never learned how to enjoy life himself: "Perhaps some souls are destined for death; they never know how to live"}}
* [[Year Outside, Hour Inside]]: Is the case inside The Void. {{spoiler|Stennar Rock-Cutter refers to the elderly Gilbert Bates as "the boy" because from his perspective it's only been a few months/years since he and his clan were banished, while it's been over half a century in Arcanum.}}
 
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