Just having a real browse through for some deep thinking into character creation.

So why the hell does the Assassin template include Intelligence as one of its major attributes?
The only skill goverened by Intelligence in the template is Alchemy, and your Intelligence level has no effect at all on anything you create in Alchemy.
There are no Magic classes on the template either, which means you're not even able to utilise Intelligence to fund your casting of higher level spells.
The only use I can think for it is if you wanted to still use some magic but needed to cast better and more expensive spells. However, given that none are a major skill for the template and Magic isn't the governing sphere for the class, they would be hell to level.

So what's the point?

The only thing I can think of is either that Alchemy was originally intended to have the effectiveness of potions/poisons affected by Intelligence, or there was meant to be another magic skill included on the initial template in place of one of the others. I would assume it would be Illusion as it both fits the class quite nicely, and is also on the Dark Brotherhood armour.

Thoughts?

For Alchemy and Illusion? Poisons and night-eye/chameleon are super useful for guerrilla tactics.

EDIT: Oops, Illusion is personality! doh! Summoning stuff as a diversion so you can escape works well too.

Intelligence has *no* affect on Alchemy, so is not needed.
Illusion is not on the template, and therefore not helped by the Intelligence stat as much. Further more, as an Assassin template is a Stealth and not Magic class, and also no Magic schools are on the template, they will be incredibly difficult to level and a high Intelligence will not benefit you so much as you wont be able to cast the better spells due to having almost no skill in the Magic schools.

*Edit - in response to your edit - Conjuration is not on the template either and will suffer greatly for the above mentioned reasons.

you can repeatedly use conjure dagger, sheathe it, cast again to level conjuration... but ya, I think they purposely make the "pre-made" classes to be a bit off so that people have more incentive to create their own.

Maybe Intelligence is there for reasons outside of in-game bonuses. Intelligence would be an important trait for a real life assassin, I should think - the ability to plan your attacks efficiently and execute them accordinly requires at least some active brain functions. Assassins are technically smart, sneaky and speedy.

Look at the pre-made classes. Now take away luck because none of the pre-made classes have luck as a major. And take away Intelligence because it doesn't matter what your intelligence is when it comes to making potions, and Willpower because the build doesn't use any magic skills governed by it. Of the attributes that remain, what makes sense for an assassin?

Agi & Spd – Taken (Thief)
Agi & Per – Taken (Agent)
Agi & End – Taken (Acrobat)
Agi & Str – Taken (Archer)
Spd & Str – Taken (Barbarian)
Spd & Per - Taken (Rogue)
Spd & End - Taken (Scout)

Given all that, you are left with having to use Intelligence simply because Alchemy is 'governed' by it.

First of all, intelligence is vital to anyone dabbling in alchemy. Not only high intelligence increases the chance to create a potion, it also makes the effects stronger (some mods even removed the "Fortify intelligence" effect from ingredients, to make the skill more balanced). Also (technically) security is governed by it - though it has no effect on the chance to open a lock/disarm a trap.

Aoart from that, I have to agree with Troyatz - from a RP point of view, an assassin needs to be intelligent to have a succesfull career

PS - regardless of the governing attribute, all spells use Willpower to determine the chance to cast them, Intelligence has no effect on it whatsoever (apart from more magicka to cast more spells).

Dude..... Wrong game. This is Oblivion, there is no chance to cast. Or chance to create potions.....

Morrowind methinks you thinking of!!!

Intelligence doesn't have anything to do with the chance to create a potion. Potions aren't chance based. If you have the ingredients then you can make them.
Also, Intelligence doesn't make the effects stronger. I dont know if you've perhaps downloaded a mod that does do these things, but they aren't in the standard game.

I get the RP point of view thing, that does make a level of sense, but I dont think quite enough to justify it as a mechanic. Destri's observation on it simply being the only combination left though could be correct.

*edit - tech seems to have solved the reasons for your chance to cast assertions

These little oddities are why i use custom classes every time.

Woops, sorry bout that :blush2: Guess everyone has to make this mistake once

Curiously, when I rp'd a Shadow Assassin, her two attributes were Agility and Intelligence. Obviously, intelligence in the sense mentioned by a few posters here - cunning, planning studying... not the shallow attribute it is in O.