Although it can be a bit buggy at times, one mod I couldn't live without is http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13505. It's definitely not for the faint of heart but great for those that want to add a whole new level of suspense into vanilla dungeons.

Here are some of my favorites that I think are not too popular:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5571 by redwoodtreesprite. Adds a 75% chance of finding a level-based empty soulgem, and a 25% chance of finding a special Welkynd Stone inside all those Welkynd clusters you see in Ayleid ruins.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6745 by redwoodtreesprite. This mod doesn't do much but I like it. It allows the player to "recycle" all the broken crates in the game. The player can sell all of this recycled wood to merchants for 1 gold per crate. I don't know why but it really tickles me to pick up broken boxes and sell them for almost nothing. I guess I'm easily amused.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29007 by Khettienna. Varla & Welkynd stones inside Ayleid ruins respawn every two to four weeks. Stones located in interiors remain untouched. Very compatible in my experience with other mods that alters these stones.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32086 by Raestloz. This removes that scowling look the player characters seems to keep on their faces forever after a fight. This is practically a necessity for anyone who likes to takes screenshots of their character.

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=2839 by Wrye. Less well-known than Wrye's other leveling mod, Wrye Leveling, and much, much less well known than most other character leveling mods. Using this mod the player only advances a skill by buying training from a trainer. The player is allowed unlimited training per level. Adds a book to the game listing trainers. I prefer this mod over Wrye Leveling because it feels more immersive to me. Among the advantages of this mod are complete control over what skills are leveled and when they are leveled. Leveling, in this mod, becomes almost a kind of ongoing quest (particularly if, like me, your character runs/walks/rides everywhere), as one needs to travel all over Cyrodiil to level up.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14545 by Ryu Doppler. Attempts to make the Imperial City match Koldorn's Ayleid textures. The Imperial City is supposed to be Ayleid in origin and so ought to look a bit more like Ayleid ruins, is the theory behind this mod. I don't much care about the lore aspect of the mod, I just like the way it looks.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26612

I always found oblivion's item system to be quite bland, you tend to pick up a lot generic items, this makes those generic items have a competitive role. Oh, a rusty short sword, I'll pick up that gold instead.

With stackable equipment, you can combine items to make better items. Works well with Display Stats As well as you can see exactly the statistics changed.

Checkin' out Audacious Magery, thanks

One of the things that ruins immersion for me in vanilla is never having to eat, sleep or drink, and being able to run endlessly but then getting tired in combat.

I've tried a variety of "basic needs" mods (Vim & Vigor; Simple Essentials; etc.) but the one I've stuck with is

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24079

When you run, you lose fatigue. When you are completely fatigued you run slower. Over time, you get hungry and thirsty, and must eat and drink (food and beverages sate). Over time you also get sleepy and must sleep (beds alleviate sleepiness). There are fairly modest attribute drains from pushing your endurance which get alleviated when you drink, eat or sleep enough. For example, you can typically get by on 7 hours of sleep every day, but if you are very active it seems you need more. I find I typically need to drink and eat about 3 times per day, with meat foods sating more substantially than non-meat. Typically something like: ham + cheese + bread will sate your hunger for 6 or 7 hours. Bigger meals seem to sate longer.

The mod also adds purchasable bedrolls and "well keys" from General Stores. Owning the bedroll enables two Lesser Power spells Open and Close Bedroll. The Well key enables one Lesser Power "Get Water" which, when cast near a well creates one "Water" bottle potion in your inventory. Drinking one or two "water" potions will slack your thirst.

There are a few things that would enhance this mod even further, but I've never really looked into adjusting some of the settings myself. Would be neat if one of you mod-savvy guys checked it out.
1. You cannot sleep whenever you want to. There should at least be some chance that you can fall asleep whenever you want, or rather, you should be able to sleep whenever you want, but some chance that you wake up after only one hour ("You couldn't sleep . . ."
2. The fatigue loss when running still seems a bit severe to me. Halving it might be good, though it really does make Athletics a valuable skill. The difference between say Ath 30 and Ath 50 is pretty dramatic.
3. Water weighs 1 Enc point which seems a lot. Not sure on that. It does force you to plan ahead and if you make a long trip into the wilderness to plan accordingly.
4. You cannot collect water from streams and pools.

You could try http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24441

Thanks...TD is now my latest INSTADL.

@Wetblanket: that would be so cool, if I could get it to work with Hungry Thirsty Sleepy Tired. I fear that they would fight though. I'm pretty sure there is some code in HTST that calculates how long since you last sleep (modified by how active you have been) and doesn't allow you to sleep unless you are sleepy.

Ah. I actually downloaded Hungry Thirsty Sleepy Tired a few days ago but haven't yet examined it. There's quite a choice of quality mods in that area currently, all with their own little quirks.

Secret favorite mod? That would have to be the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35579 :blush: With my home-made plugin to make them similar to Ohmes-Raht of the RBP mod.

Sounds interesting!

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20120

Love these mods - the ones that add little touches that add so much.