Steamband Gameplay
This is a guide designed to help play the steamband roguelike.
Starting the Game
Choosing a Race/Class Combination
Steam Mecha are walking steampunk tanks. They are widely regarded as the easiest race in Steamband. Class doesn't much matter with a Steam Mecha, although something that does well in melee (including a martial arts Rogue) is an excellent choice.
Giants and Rakshasa have ranged attacks as racial powers, which means they can be developed cheaply. This makes them very useful for builds that need a lot of points for other things, like a Rogue trying to get full martial arts/stealth development and maybe a couple of handy side skills.
Officers, Dashing Hussars, and Adventurers all make fine fighter-type characters with interesting class powers. These are probably the easiest classes to try when starting Steamband. One warning: you should have some attack beyond melee and guns/thrown weapons. A straight-up pulp hero really isn't playable because some monsters will just shrug off all conventional attacks. You need device skills to use ray guns or some spells. That said, any race with big hit dice makes a decent fighter. Of the humans, the French are probably the best, because their racial power eventually provides excellent healing powers.
French Aesthetes are terribly appropriate, but run into the fact that enchanting items mainly just brings unlimited cash, which can't make up for weaker fighting skills. If you developed one as a fighter-mage type, it might turn out pretty potent.
Items
You should carry stacks of various healing potions, much more than in other *bands.
Monsters
Town monsters do not provide treasure (except the uniques), so forget Town-scumming.
Skills
How do I develop my skills?
You need to press 'G' to open the skills screen(s).
Gaining Skill Points
Skill points come from several sources:
- Starting the game - You begin the game with a supply of skill points.
- Gaining levels - As you advance in levels, you gain skill points.
- Books - Turning books into the library gives you additional skill points.
- Be sure to identify your books first, by 'I'nspecting them. This also gives you a chance to read a passage from the text and soak in the local color.
- Quest rewards - This is why you ought to do quests in Steamband and do the tougher ones as soon as you are able.
- Skill potions - Very rarely, you will find a Skill potion that will give you some skill points.