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Yeah, I tried to register but I think the emails are hitting a spam filter or something. You can merge 'em if you want but then our conversation won't make sense! :P

There are a few errors in the above posts -- after starting a few more games, Nurnberg's armor selection is semi-random, and sometimes it does have full plate sets.

I also think I've figured out the "powergamiest" builds possible, though others may disagree. Oblate/Oblate/Oblate seems to be the strongest possible starting alchemist build, since you avoid the str/end penalties from alchemist/master alchemist and still can start with 43 int at age 30, 3 formulas, and enough alch skill to get somewhere. I like that character from a roleplaying perspective too -- a fallen monk, seduced by the alchemical sciences . . .

For a charisma/speaker character, you can start with 39/39 str/end, 34 Chr, and 41 starting speak common at age 30 by going a fairly bizarre route -- nobility birth, travelling merchant, noble heir, knight. I'm still sortof trying to figure that one out from a roleplay perspective.

With healing, if you're limiting yourself to 30 year olds, I don't think you can start with a character that has 30 healing and thus enough to heal 2/day, since healing breaks every 15 points as best I can figure out so far (you might be able to with Physician, but that character wouldn't be good for anything else). On the other hand, a laborer/laborer/recruit can start with 15+ healing and heal just as well as anyone else would. So that gives your 43/43 Ox character something to study while everyone else is training alchemy or whatever. Also hard to make sense of in roleplay terms though (I like to imagine he just got sick of work accident injuries all the time and started collecting folk remedies).

As an aside, I'm really enjoying that the sweet spot for age in Darklands is 30-35. Makes me feel not quite so old when I think about how long it's been since I first played this game :P