[Fallout 2] Luck and gameplay questions

[brfritos]

I'm in my fourth F2 playthrough and noted something regarding Luck. According to the wiki and some searchs on the forum, Luck influence the critical hit chance, gambling and the actual chance on the game dice roll. But that's the catch, my previous character had 9 LK and 75% on lockpick and almost every lock I picked was succefful on the first try.
Now I have 105% in lockpick and a LK of 6 and sometimes I fail repeatedly somentimes even on medium locks.
The same happened with Outdoorsman for example, when it reached 50% with my 9 LK build I had very few bad encounters - I was able to find the bridge keeper on level 6 and that robe is damn good in the game beginning! - but now I have 6 LK and 105% outdoorsman and still find A LOT of bad ones.

I'm in level 23 and haven't found a single one of those "hubbologists fighting some bandits/highway men" with my 6 LK build, wich provides tons of loot and money, but in my 9 LK (later 10) they were common.
So, is better to have higher Luck than a higher skill?

Also, I know this is a single player game and remembering Redding "opinions are like assholes Dan, everyone has one", but raising your stats with drugs for taking a perk isn't kinda of cheating?

I'm thinking on playing a next playthrough with the Jinxed trait for fun purposes (like we don't already have enough in the normal game, hun? ). The game's description says "The good thing is that everyone around you has more critical failures in combat, the bad thing is - so do you!".
So this means is better to play a melee build than using guns, right? I remember critically failing one time when firing a Gauss pistol and the result was losing all my ammo, it was bad!

 

[Sub-Human]

Critically missing when in melee can be pretty bad too. I think I remember breaking my arm once, but then again, I'm not sure. Ammo's nothing compared to not being able to hit properly...

I'm yet to try out a high luck build, usually end up with a 5 or 6. It's not too bad though - doesn't matter if you can't open a lock from the first try, what matters is if you can open it at all.

 

[brfritos]

Critically missing when in melee can be pretty bad too. I think I remember breaking my arm once, but then again, I'm not sure. Ammo's nothing compared to not being able to hit properly...

I'm yet to try out a high luck build, usually end up with a 5 or 6. It's not too bad though - doesn't matter if you can't open a lock from the first try, what matters is if you can open it at all.

Yes, but that's what is curious, with a high luck I have a easier time lockpicking, disabling traps and repairing than with 5 or 6 luck.

What you say is true, if you fail you can try again, that's not a problem, but is odd that even with a very high developed skill the roll dice still counts.
Even with 150% in lockpick you still can fail a pick if your luck is low.

I aborted my playthrough and started over again with the Jinxed trait.
Good lord, this thing makes the game hard but even more fun.

I encoutered a group of 2 slavers and 3 slaves fighting off 4 Golden Geckos when going to Vault City. The geckos begin to attack the slavers, while I positioned my team and wait a little to join the fight.
First gecko attack a slaver and did 1 HP damage, then missed and broke his arm; second gecko attack and did not damage at all; third gecko tried to attack and missed his turn; fourth gecko attacked and succeed, but did little damage.
Then one slaver armed with a Desert eagle shoted the first Gecko, "making his goo come out", and critically failed his second shot, losing all his ammo; the other slave fired once and in the second shot critically missed, dropping in the ground, losing some HP and missing his next turn.
Vic tried to attack the slaver and critically missed, losing his weapon, then tried to hit him and drop on the ground, missing his next turn; Sulik is pretty much imprevious to critical failure, only once he missed and lose a turn, but never dropped or losed the weapon ; then a slave pick Vic's dropped combat knife and tried to attack the slaver, critically missing, dropping the weapon, then attacked once more and dropped on the ground, taking damage and losing her next turn.

This goes on and on, the fight lasted A LOT more than a normal game because everyone was losing turns and suffering something from critical failure. I take'd more damage from my critical failures than the proper attacks, it was awsome!

Of course I forgot to mention this was the third try, because in the first two times a slave armed with a 10mm SMG caused critical hits of 97 HP and 120 HP damage on me. Since I had only 36 HP to spare...

 

[Kanhef]

I've partially decoded the critical failure tables. Luck has a significant effect on how bad they are; having at least 6 will prevent you from getting the very worst ones. I'd suggest having that much, as they can be devastating in difficult fights (e.g., Melchior). Unarmed failures cripple a random limb, firearms are destroyed, and energy weapons and grenades explode in your hands. I haven't worked out all the big gun failures yet, but flamers can explode and set you on fire.

 

[Fallout]

Also, I know this is a single player game and remembering Redding "opinions are like assholes Dan, everyone has one", but raising your stats with drugs for taking a perk isn't kinda of cheating?

No, it is not cheating. It is playing the game. It is also not cheating if you take drugs to pass the Vault City citizenship test. I think you need 9 Luck 9 Int 9 Per.

 

[Lazarus Plus]

I think it is just an opinion, whether it is cheating. I say no, the drugs aren't there not to be used. I use them all the time in playthroughs. When you have the Jet antidote why the hell not I say? I didn't steal and kill for all this pharmacopeia for nothing.