Hey all! New to the forums here. I was hoping you guys could give a fellow TES fan some suggestions on what I should be for a new playthrough. I've been a warrior, a mage, a sneaky archer type, frankly a lot of things. But I didn't end up getting very far as I got bored. I'm hoping some of you all can suggest a unique and fun custom class to me! Also, I'm on PC, so any mods that may add to the experience are welcome!

-Michael Dagoth :foodndrink:

Well, you must have liked it well enough to come back for more again, so what was it you liked best before? I, for instance, got bored and quit after trying to start with the sneaky archer type, but found myself liking it a great deal more when I took a swords-and-sorcery approach with the next character. Anything in particular off limits or especially desirable to you this time?

No, nothing particularly desired, or off limits. I'm open to anything and everything. Although, I do like magic a bit. But the pure mage type was very boring.

Well you could always try something like a Spellsword or Battle Mage, something that combines both magic and melee. As for the boredom thing, you might want to try FCOM, though if you're new to mods it can be difficult to set up correctly.

What exactly is FCOM?

I run Oblivion on the 360 so I can't be much help mods wise.....But I can at the very lest let you know about the types of characters I roll with. I usually end up making a custom Battlemage or Ranger type, or some other kind of hybrid character. I think by going the hybrid route I can mix up how I approach any given quest/situation.

For an added challenge I will then pick a race that usually doesn't suit the class I created. For example Magic and a Nord.

Little tweaks like these in my opinion help to really set your character apart from the masses in Tamriel.

Cheers

Hmmm, what do you guys think of this?

Name: Michael
Race: Imperial
Birthsign: ?
Class: Ranger (maybe you guys can come up with a better name?)
Major Skills: Alchemy, Marksman, Blade, Light Armor, (your guys' thoughts on the other three?)

I would say play an altmer (I don't know if there is a preset class for this) spellsword that doesn't use armor. Personally I would make he/she born under the apprentice so that they have weak defenses but can be improved with magic. Also since you can use mods (I'm on xbox so I can't) you can mod in some awesome looking robes. The character I have in my head is
Altmer
Sign of the Apprentice
Magic or Combat
Whichever two attributes you want
Blade
Block
Destruction
Restoration
Illusion
Alteration
Conjuration

but obviously any changes you would want are up to you. I'm mainly suggesting this because I'm thinking of making a character like this and you said you wanted a non-pure mage with magic skill

Sounds like a fun concept to me. Mixing two combat skills makes it more likely that you can build some variety into your game. I'd say the specific skills to pick depend on whether you're going more for roleplaying ("What would my character be good at?") or tactical efficiency ("How can I game the system to give me the best stat boots each time I level?").

If you're going for the former, consider some appropriate magic skill like Alteration (for "survival skills" spells, like water breathing or elemental resistances), Illusion (for sneaking up on things, calming/controlling creatures, etc.), or Mysticism (for Detecting Life around you, as a seasoned ranger might). You may also want to go for Athletics or Acrobatics (but see below).

If you're going for more efficient leveling, consider instead putting in some skills you can opt NOT to use if you want, so you have better control over when you level. Magic skills are generally good for this. Athletics is bad for this, as it's constantly boosting as you move around. Alchemy is of questionable use, as it's really, really easy to level, and if you rely on poisons much, you don't want to have to stop making them just to hold off on leveling. A spell school you use only occasionally and can cast repeatedly if you feel like practicing just for the purpose of leveling, like Conjuration, is often a particularly good bet. (I found myself frustrated to have picked Illusion for this because when you need to cast Invisibility or Paralysis RIGHT NOW in order to survive, you don't have the luxury of worrying whether you're going to level earlier than planned...)

EDIT: Also, for Birthsign, I rarely see folks recommend anything other than one of the Magicka-boosting or straight-up stat-boosting signs, as most powers can be replicated with spells eventually. For a Ranger, The Warrior, The Steed, or The Thief seem especially roleplaying-appropriate. The Serpent was kind of not super useful when I tried it on an earlier character, but it also seems thematically appropriate. The Lord and The RItual might be more useful and still potentially RP-appropriate powers.

Check out my Signature link.

It's a compilation of various mods that normally can't be used together which completely change the way the game plays, making it much more difficult. The main mods it uses are Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, Franscesco's, and Mart's Mutant Monsters. If you're interested, just look those up in the Mods section, along with FCOM.