ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

Is PES a viable prodigy to take in nightmare? Is it really worth the stat investment?

I mean, you can wear heavy body armour and have insane stats as well.

I feel the same about Tinkers. Good Sawbutcher/Gunslinger builds NEED the second steam generator to function properly, but they are almost non-existent in the wilds.

I feel that early game survival is a great issue for Sawbutchers, how do you remedy that problem?