I'm planning to try something new-- a character who utilizes no level-up perks other than Intense Training. There are ten ranks of Intense Training available, so in this game, you can get to level 20 without ever having to take another perk. Sadly, the game seems to force you to choose a perk whenever you have one available.

So, the build I'm contemplating requires the jsawyer mod, which, among other things, reduces maximum character level to 30, and, with the Logan's Loophole perk, to 21.

All perks gained through gameplay (implants, quest-related, Sink Auto-doc, etc.) are fair game.

Here's the build I'm considering, with some comments:

SPECIAL:

S: 7 (Will allow me to use most weapons, can max out with Implant + Reinforced Spine from OWB)
P: 5
E: 9 (to allow for all implants, max out with implant)
C: 1
I: 9 (Maximize skill points, max out with implant)
A: 5
L: 4

Traits:
(1) Logan's Loophole (required)
(2) ????

Tag!

(1) ??
(2) ??
(3) ??

So, major questions:

(1) Should I take a second trait, and if so, what?

Considering: Skilled (further slow XP gain, bonus to skills); Good Natured (generally a good trade-off), Four Eyes (can boost perception more with gear), Hoarder (carry weight will be a serious problem)

(2) What primary combat skill should I use? Without perks, several types of weapons will be difficult to fully exploit-- Melee and Unarmed, in particular, will be very difficult, given the lower HP attributable to jsawyer, and lack of Piercing Strike, Unstoppable Force, etc. So, I'm thinking Guns or EW, supplemented with Explosives.

With Guns, I'd probably focus on sniper-style weapons at range, as (1) sneaking in close will be more difficult without Silent Running, (2) it will be difficult to carry much ammunition with jsawyer and no Pack Rat, Strong Back, etc. Drawbacks I see with Guns are: Shotguns are out of the question without Shotgun Surgeon or And Stay Back!; No Hand Loader, so the only custom hand-load I'll be able to get access to is .44 Magnum SWC (no .308 JSP, no .50MG Match, no JHP rounds of any kind); No Better Criticals (definitely a big drawback for sniper rifles).

With EW, perks are a little less of an issue-- I won't get Plasma Spaz, but won't be using VATS much anyway. I've never liked Meltdown, and Laser Commander is generally lackluster. Not having access to Vigilant Recycler is less of a loss than Hand Loader. Drawbacks are the extremely heavy ammunition (no optimized rounds just enhances this).

Explosives will be less effective without their perks, and I'll have to be more careful without Hit the Deck! (although I can compensate for this with heavy use of drugs due to Logan's Loophole)-- but most explosive weapons are still worthwhile regardless. Lack of Mad Bomber will be felt, but isn't a gamebreaker.

(3) How should I distribute my other 11 free SPECIAL points (10 from Intense Training, 1 from Lonesome Road)? I figure this will depend on my choice of weapons, but anticipate maxing out Agility and balancing the rest between Luck and Perception.

(4) What kind of armor should I use (if any)? No access to perks benefiting Light Armor (Travel light, Tunnel Runner), and no Jury Rigging (so ease of repair will be an issue). I'm thinking one of the heavier medium armors will be the way to go (Desert Ranger, Elite Riot Gear-- good DT, cool-looking, but expensive and difficult to repair w/o Jury Rigging), or perhaps the Vault 34 Security Armor (low weight, high DT, very cheap to repair).

(5) What skills should I tag? I think I'll probably boost Science, Medicine, and Survival heavily, in order to take maximum advantage of chems through Logan's Loophole. Any other ideas are welcome!

(6) What do you foresee as being the major problems and benefits of this kind of build? I figure a lot of the deficits can be remedied through heavy chem use. On that note, would it make sense to drop my starting Strength and rely on alcohol to boost it?