yes there is a limit. most of the increases come at the start. eg. talk 10 minutes to kaethos and get +1 int. talk for another hour and get another +1. You would probably have to talk for days to get another +1. it is probably a logarithmic relationship i.e. int_boost=log(number_of_chats)*sci_talk_modifier

just talk to BG encourager and talk to BGs until one goes up to deliver banana's to sumo. then stand in door way and hold "c" until another grower comes along. then get let one out and quickly hop into doorway after new grower enters sumo hut. Also if you get hurt bad in UT1-2. just run back to talk to banana growers until you heal.

Thunder hammers, hattifatteners, turox, and wands are other ways to mine crystals. Meteoric steel pickaxe is all you need for prurple and blue light crystal but green light crystal needs something stronger (like mithril). Mined crystals are great for getting Mellis or Silva to like you again.

Here are some pre 20 int/wis sci talk stats. they will be listed Character|Int boost|Wis Boost|Int requirement|Wis Requirement

Kaethos 50 100 10 15
Banana grower 10 25 5 10
Decos 25 0 10 0 (15 Cha requirement, 50 Cha boost)
Gr. Dark Frog 25 10 15 10
Dark Frog 10 5 10 5
App. dark mage 10 5 10 5
light frog 5 2 10 15
App Necro 5 2 10 5

The boosts are all relative but 100 shoud give you about +2 to +3 stat if you sci talk for 1 hr. most gains come in the first 10 min though. Also the likelihood of sci talking vs saying something mundane varies by character. E.g. banana growers have a 1 in 10 chance (so you have to talk longer) whereas kaethos has a much higher chance (80%???)

I always start each game sci taling Banana growers untill i get 2 wis and 1 int boost takes anywhere from 500 to 5000 turns. Smart characters (the 500 guys) will train Int and wis way faster consistently thoughout the game and dumb character are nearly imposssible to get 40 int/wis (so much so that I will fight New attnam if I have a really dumb character). If you get your first wis boost in less than 200 turns then you have a smart characters. Cha varies too, some chars will get first cha boost at 300 but most get it at 600.

it is random whether or not bonefiles are created. Sometimes they are sometimes they aren't. I don;t know what the chance of it happening is but I would guess less than 50%

actually you can mirror 6 - 4 on the ground beneath you and one in each hand then zap yourself. You can only clone 5.

anyone and everyone you talk to boost charisma. I usually start each game by sci talking to farmers and encourager and sumo (last 2 are cha only but kills time when no BG are around).

easyiest way to get high Cha is praying to mellis with bottles, sometimes you get ommel tears.

Kaethos gives a 3 wis 2 int boost once you hit 15 wis. Decos givves a 1 int boost at 15 char. You can usually get 1 wis from the farmers and light frogs (10 wis for farmers, 15 for small light frogs) taming greater dark frogs is worthwhile i think it needs 15 int but maybe it;s 20

Obviously. Those would be Spider Silk

I died. So much for 200 Int/Wis. It'll be another two years before I get dolphins from a fountain again.