Okay. so I am a theif. I sneak a lot--and I was wondering if relying on sneak+attack (crit) for dungeons and stuff is a potential way to go. And if so, do I want to get my blade skill up? and would dagger/shield, sword/shield? what is a good weapon choice in Oblivion for "backstabbing"?
Thanks
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yrthwyndandfyre
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[QUOTE=oblivscum]Okay. so I am a theif. I sneak a lot--and I was wondering if relying on sneak+attack (crit) for dungeons and stuff is a potential way to go. And if so, do I want to get my blade skill up? and would dagger/shield, sword/shield? what is a good weapon choice in Oblivion for "backstabbing"?Thanks[/QUOTE]
For what weapon combo is good for getting blade skill up, I'm still working on it. However, the big threat with going whole Hobbit is just that. In a tight spot, sneaking with ranged weapons will get you out if you're good at it. It's an incredibly powerful tactic. The problem being, of course, that it does nothing for your blade skill. Having become a master of ranged and a master of sneak with a whole bevy of sneak-related magic, I'm blind death from above even with plain weapons, so a full-on frontal sortie is a bit rough for me. With a blade, situations that would normally be a laugher for me are tough. I'll let you know if I find a useful means of correcting that imbalance.
For what weapon combo is good for getting blade skill up, I'm still working on it. However, the big threat with going whole Hobbit is just that. In a tight spot, sneaking with ranged weapons will get you out if you're good at it. It's an incredibly powerful tactic. The problem being, of course, that it does nothing for your blade skill. Having become a master of ranged and a master of sneak with a whole bevy of sneak-related magic, I'm blind death from above even with plain weapons, so a full-on frontal sortie is a bit rough for me. With a blade, situations that would normally be a laugher for me are tough. I'll let you know if I find a useful means of correcting that imbalance.
Sic gorgiamos allos subjectatos nunc
(The Addams family motto: Gladly we feast on those who would subdue us)
Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with Ketchup.
(The Addams family motto: Gladly we feast on those who would subdue us)
Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with Ketchup.
[QUOTE=oblivscum]Okay. so I am a theif. I sneak a lot--and I was wondering if relying on sneak+attack (crit) for dungeons and stuff is a potential way to go. And if so, do I want to get my blade skill up? and would dagger/shield, sword/shield? what is a good weapon choice in Oblivion for "backstabbing"?
[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah, sneak attack rocks. I'm running a diplomat/thief kinda character (negotiate or sneak past the danger if I can, and if I can't, kill with as little warning and from as far away as possible). Since most thieves have good Agility, they make pretty good marksmen. And since non-human creatures will never, ever parley, I carry the best bow I can afford, and silver arrows (glass arrows are even better, but rare and pricey until you get up in levels). Another plus for silver - they work on undead. Dwarven arrows hit hard, but they weigh twice as much so you can only carry half as many or they eat into your loot carrying capacity.
In dungeons I sneak constantly (until it's time to run away)! As soon as I see a baddie I stop and figure out if I can get around it undetected. If not, I back as far away as I can get, take careful aim and let fly. They usually don't notice if I miss, and the sneak attack bonus will take down a lot of things in a single hit. If not, and if I'm lucky, it takes them long enough to spot me that the second shot is a sneak attack too, and not many things will live through that. Even better, it's all quiet so even if they have buddies lurking around the corner they often don't notice unless they were looking right at the one that got hit first. I frequently pick off two or three nasties before they even realize where the danger is coming from. If that sounds like fun, increasing your Marksman skill is more important than your Blade skill.
Now, for those times when everything doesn't go according to plan and the bad guys charge, it's still a good idea to have a nice solid blade on a hotkey. Daggers are nice, but I prefer a shortsword - it does more damage, I can swing it almost as fast and it doesn't weigh much more. Anything bigger takes a bite out of how much loot I can carry (maybe not a problem if your Strength isn't mediocre like mine). Shortsword also hits much harder than a dagger on a sneak attack. However, I try never to get close enough to backstab with a melee weapon unless there's absolutely no way to stand off at a distance with the bow.
If you prefer a more "up close and personal" sneak attack M.O., a shortsword is definitely better, more damage and you don't have to get quite as close to strike. A longsword would be even better (more damage, even longer reach) if you're strong enough to carry it and still have room for loot. All that assumes we're talking about blades made of the same material. Don't compare apples to oranges - a silver dagger does more damage than an iron shortsword, for example, though it still doesn't have as long of a reach. And you'll definitely want to get your Blade skill up for that.
To me the shield is a tossup, a roleplaying decision. I assume most thieves will prefer light armor. Until you get into the cool light armor like Mithril or Elven, a light shield doesn't provide much more protection than just blocking with your blade. It does save some wear and tear on your blade though. On the other hand, most "heavy" shields aren't really that heavy in terms of weight, just in a different armor category. My character's a total wuss, and if I have to get my blade out it's usually because things didn't go according to plan, so I carry a heavy shield for emergencies and just live with the fact that I have to split experience between Light Armor and Heavy Armor skills.
[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah, sneak attack rocks. I'm running a diplomat/thief kinda character (negotiate or sneak past the danger if I can, and if I can't, kill with as little warning and from as far away as possible). Since most thieves have good Agility, they make pretty good marksmen. And since non-human creatures will never, ever parley, I carry the best bow I can afford, and silver arrows (glass arrows are even better, but rare and pricey until you get up in levels). Another plus for silver - they work on undead. Dwarven arrows hit hard, but they weigh twice as much so you can only carry half as many or they eat into your loot carrying capacity.
In dungeons I sneak constantly (until it's time to run away)! As soon as I see a baddie I stop and figure out if I can get around it undetected. If not, I back as far away as I can get, take careful aim and let fly. They usually don't notice if I miss, and the sneak attack bonus will take down a lot of things in a single hit. If not, and if I'm lucky, it takes them long enough to spot me that the second shot is a sneak attack too, and not many things will live through that. Even better, it's all quiet so even if they have buddies lurking around the corner they often don't notice unless they were looking right at the one that got hit first. I frequently pick off two or three nasties before they even realize where the danger is coming from. If that sounds like fun, increasing your Marksman skill is more important than your Blade skill.
Now, for those times when everything doesn't go according to plan and the bad guys charge, it's still a good idea to have a nice solid blade on a hotkey. Daggers are nice, but I prefer a shortsword - it does more damage, I can swing it almost as fast and it doesn't weigh much more. Anything bigger takes a bite out of how much loot I can carry (maybe not a problem if your Strength isn't mediocre like mine). Shortsword also hits much harder than a dagger on a sneak attack. However, I try never to get close enough to backstab with a melee weapon unless there's absolutely no way to stand off at a distance with the bow.
If you prefer a more "up close and personal" sneak attack M.O., a shortsword is definitely better, more damage and you don't have to get quite as close to strike. A longsword would be even better (more damage, even longer reach) if you're strong enough to carry it and still have room for loot. All that assumes we're talking about blades made of the same material. Don't compare apples to oranges - a silver dagger does more damage than an iron shortsword, for example, though it still doesn't have as long of a reach. And you'll definitely want to get your Blade skill up for that.
To me the shield is a tossup, a roleplaying decision. I assume most thieves will prefer light armor. Until you get into the cool light armor like Mithril or Elven, a light shield doesn't provide much more protection than just blocking with your blade. It does save some wear and tear on your blade though. On the other hand, most "heavy" shields aren't really that heavy in terms of weight, just in a different armor category. My character's a total wuss, and if I have to get my blade out it's usually because things didn't go according to plan, so I carry a heavy shield for emergencies and just live with the fact that I have to split experience between Light Armor and Heavy Armor skills.
Can the answer to this question be "No"?
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Fljotsdale
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I have a character with a class I call Sneakybolt, currently lvl 20: with Blade (so I get STR bonuses, and thus more carrying capacity), several Magic skills, and Sneak. Not much good with Marksman, but it is useful in some circumstances, even so.
Even if Marksman and Sneak are your principle methods of action, I strongly recommend building up either Blade or Blunt - equally good for Sneak or open Melee attacks - or even Hand-to-Hand. Why? Well, of course, a melee weapon will always stand you in good stead! But, besides that, you get STR points to add when you level up, which gives greater carrying capacity, and greater power to your strikes. Stroll along shorelines killing crabs to improve your level.
Alteration Magic is also perfect for a Stealth character, especially if you are low Strength, since it gives you a Feather spell to lighten your load. And Illusion Magic will give you Light/Starlight/Nighteye spells so you don't need to carry torches and can therefore carry a shield - a VERY useful extra protection, espcially when you have built up Block a bit.
When you get to around lvl 6 you will start to get Chain; then Mithril armour at around lvl 10, Elven at lvl 15, and Glass at 20. But you will probably start finding weapons in those materials much sooner.
Although it is useful to have some skill in both Light and Heavy Armours, wearing only type of armour confers some benefits in the form of bonus to weight at - I think - Expert level. If you wear mixed armour you will not get the benefit.
Even if Marksman and Sneak are your principle methods of action, I strongly recommend building up either Blade or Blunt - equally good for Sneak or open Melee attacks - or even Hand-to-Hand. Why? Well, of course, a melee weapon will always stand you in good stead! But, besides that, you get STR points to add when you level up, which gives greater carrying capacity, and greater power to your strikes. Stroll along shorelines killing crabs to improve your level.
Alteration Magic is also perfect for a Stealth character, especially if you are low Strength, since it gives you a Feather spell to lighten your load. And Illusion Magic will give you Light/Starlight/Nighteye spells so you don't need to carry torches and can therefore carry a shield - a VERY useful extra protection, espcially when you have built up Block a bit.
When you get to around lvl 6 you will start to get Chain; then Mithril armour at around lvl 10, Elven at lvl 15, and Glass at 20. But you will probably start finding weapons in those materials much sooner.
Although it is useful to have some skill in both Light and Heavy Armours, wearing only type of armour confers some benefits in the form of bonus to weight at - I think - Expert level. If you wear mixed armour you will not get the benefit.
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time for a change
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time for a change
"Dogs come when they're called. Cats take a message and get back to you."
my stelathy character is a khajjit male. he fights unarmed, merely because i wanted to try an unarmed character, and it works better than i thought. basically i get around sneaking. sneak past enemies and get through a dungeon without even a scratch. if i cant, i sneak behind them and slash them in the back. if there are more than one, a sturdy bow is good enough
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yrthwyndandfyre
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[QUOTE=yrthwyndandfyre]For what weapon combo is good for getting blade skill up, I'm still working on it. However, the big threat with going whole Hobbit is just that. In a tight spot, sneaking with ranged weapons will get you out if you're good at it. It's an incredibly powerful tactic. ... I'll let you know if I find a useful means of correcting that imbalance.[/QUOTE]
OK, posting to my own post, but I wanted to give it context. How to get your blade skill up. SPOILERS
Say, for example that you're a master of sneak with no useful blade skills. Say you happen to have enough magical appurtenances to get your chameleon to 70%. Say you happen to be the Grey Fox. Say you happen to have a couple of heavily enchanted glass swords and a glass bow, with a whole bunch of arrows.
As it turns out, such a character can prowl a dungeon littered with greater souls (I trap them - it's a decent hobby, as hobbies go) with total impunity, slaughtering as they go - with the blade. I was uncomfortable with it in the beginning - getting really close and all, but you can sneak right up to them and put that sword through their ribs before they know you're there.
Handy-dandy, and voila - increased blade skills. All too easy.
OK, posting to my own post, but I wanted to give it context. How to get your blade skill up. SPOILERS
Say, for example that you're a master of sneak with no useful blade skills. Say you happen to have enough magical appurtenances to get your chameleon to 70%. Say you happen to be the Grey Fox. Say you happen to have a couple of heavily enchanted glass swords and a glass bow, with a whole bunch of arrows.
As it turns out, such a character can prowl a dungeon littered with greater souls (I trap them - it's a decent hobby, as hobbies go) with total impunity, slaughtering as they go - with the blade. I was uncomfortable with it in the beginning - getting really close and all, but you can sneak right up to them and put that sword through their ribs before they know you're there.
Handy-dandy, and voila - increased blade skills. All too easy.
Sic gorgiamos allos subjectatos nunc
(The Addams family motto: Gladly we feast on those who would subdue us)
Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with Ketchup.
(The Addams family motto: Gladly we feast on those who would subdue us)
Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with Ketchup.