Is there a level cap, and if so, what is it?

[DoesUntoOthers]

I'm not trying to start a discussion on if there should be or not, I just want to know what the cap is, assuming there is one. I saw one discussion about this that was old, but there was no definitive answer, just that it used to be 20, and if there still is one, it is now higher. I did a couple searches and looked at the wiki, but nothing I found gave a solid answer.

[Hurodrik]

There is one, yes. Level 25.

[DoesUntoOthers]

Thanks. now to figure out where that leaves me as far as possible stats lol

[Giant Space Hamster]

Also, just to note, it is entirely possible to hit max level before the end of the game using both the oddity and classic XP systems. Just in case that's a concern. Personally I find the oddity system preferable for this game (it's very well done) but up to your preference.

[Hurodrik]

Suffice to say, if you try to make a Jack of trades, you are going to have a bad time. =]
You will need to figure out how you want to play the game and plan your character accordingly. Notice that on the character menu you can toggle "show all feats". That helps a lot to see what level you will need each stat to be at. Keep in mind that you'll gain 1 feat every second level, and one stat point every fourth. You can have stats at higher than 10, but 10 is the highest requirement for any feat. Feats are very important in this game, so be sure to check them out.

[Giant Space Hamster]

My recommendation: Pick one weapon skill to max. If you want psionics, pick one school to max (i do not recommend taking all three, it makes for an extremely boring game). After that, grab whatever fits your play style.

Stealth is extremely useful. Whether you use it to initiate combat and go first or to sneak by unnoticed without combat it is useful.

Pickpocketing is fun and you can use it on pretty much everyone. It also provides access to a lot of oddities that you might otherwise miss on NPCs you aren't planning on killing, along with keys and access cards for various areas that you likewise wouldn't get unless you killed those NPCs.

Lockpicking and Hacking mostly provide extra loot income, but also provide access to some interesting places here and there. Both are useful. More useful in combination (nice! I hacked the door! Crap! The locker inside requires lockpicking...) If you're going stealthy and only want to take one of Lockpicking or Hacking, take Lockpicking. It's used to open ventilation shafts which are very useful for sneaking around in combination with stealth.

Persuasion and Intimidation have enough useful cases to warrant taking them, although you may not want to bother putting points into both. Mercantile should probably be skipped.

Crafting skills are tricky. A number of good items require two or sometimes three craft skills. I recommend doing research in the forums and looking carefully over the wiki to see what you are going to want to craft. I also recommend both maxing whatever craft skills you take and making your Int higher than 4 (7 is a good number). There are some gems (metaphorical, not literal) that you can craft with low skill ranks but you'll need to identify them and plan that into your skill progression if you want to try not maxing a crafting skill.

[DoesUntoOthers]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep them in mind.

[Goral]

Pickpocketing above 60 is rather pointless. With that number (actually it was 45 but thanks to my Dex at 8 I got +15 bonus) I could pickpocket almost anyone and I've managed to get every unique oddity (which weren't that many mind you, it was worth maybe 5 XP in all IIRC with every oddity worth only 1 XP) and had way more hypos, super hypos, adrenaline, morphine, ammo, etc. than I could use. And you can always eat eel sandwich to increase your dexterity and get a bonus if someone has an oddity but your skill is too low (I haven't used that trick for that though, didn't have to).