It's early in the game, and I am having trouble getting enough gold to maintain repairs and identifying items. I bought a single level in mercantile, and that was next to useless. Any good tips for farming gold at my level?

Thanks!

Gold farming is difficult in the Eschalon games and generally shouldn't be needed. Mercantile probably isn't a good early-game investment unless you're an archer who wants to buy arrows for 1 each instead of 2 each. I would also advise against spending money to identify items. I like to dump unknown items in a barrel near a quick-travel destination so I can ID them later when I'm smarter/have the Lore skill/have the Lore spell. If you're finding yourself spending a lot on repair, a level in the Repair skill might be a good investment.

A level of repair at the start also allows you to fix equipment so you can sell it at perfect condition price. You can also then buy equipment in the worse conditions and resell it as perfect. This will get you some money.

More tedious is learn the divination spell to make food and sell excess food.

Usually you can find a set of tinkers gloves pretty cheap (If I remember correctly, ~100gp or so) - this will allow you to (rather slowly) repair gear and such while resting.

I'm under the impression that this is frowned upon/considered light-cheating, but if you can get the scroll for create food, you can then cast the spell until you are out of MP, camp (repair gear while you are at it), eat what you need, and repeat. sell the excess food, and get some levels in Foraging from the trainer (and buy the +foraging rings (ring of the boar, i think?) when you come across them). Then you summon food, camp, sell food and reagents, and repeat. It can get slow and tedious (but then, farming anything (especially gold) should have a certain amount of tedium associated with it), but at least you don't have to worry about dying from starvation or being too broke to get something repaired or whatever...

I think I've seen something in the wiki about getting mercantile up high enough to sell things for more then what you buy them, but I think skill points are a rather limited resource in this game, and I'd rather not spend them on non-combat relevant skills (that's just me, though...)

Ah, but wouldn't that be an interesting playthough? Just to see how much you can get out of Fathamurk or something.

All skill points into dodge and mercantile
All attribute points into STR, END, and CON (All but Endurance increase maximum weight).

Ah but w/o any combat how do you defeat the boss at the end and escape?

You can buy a 10 combat skill (or several) with all the money you make. That's enough to get the feats and between that and invisibility potions, you're golden.

DOH!!!! :head slap: I had completely forgotten about that. Heck I think that would be an interesting play thru, no skills but what you *buy.*

It's buy 8 combat skills plus reading a book to get 10 points. Of course on first play through you have to search for a trainer. 2nd+ run thru's you know and can head straight there.

Yes, but you generally buy the books to read them, so that's like buying the last two levels.

Okay I'll concede the point but it still gives the impression you can buy all training from a trainer, which is why I mentioned it.

You're right. I was being more than a bit facetious toward myself with my response.