I was just thinking... what if major skills became something much more useful? What I am talking about is something completely different than what has been done in previous ES games. Let's face it, with enough time and patience, one could easily level up every skill to 100, and be an uber-killing-pwning-GOD LIKE being, right? Well, what if major skills gave you something that minor skills could never give you? What if major skills could provide you with something to actually strive for? I was just reading a thread about acrobatics and the ability for it to be "better", and this revelation just hit me... what if lets just say acrobatics for instance was a major skill set, as opposed to being a minor skill. Let us discuss:

Abilities of Skills as Majors:

Acrobatics - as a major you could do cool acrobatics moves like climb walls, leap off of them, dive from high heights into water, etc. Of course, on top of the abilty to already evade at level 50 like in OB, or water jump (rediculous IMHO) at level 100.

EXAMPLES
---Level 1-24: standard jumping
---Level 25-49: the abilty to attack/use magic while falling and improved sneak attack +(PLUS!!!)+ the ability to do arial attacks (ie leap on top of a target ala Assassin's Creed style, though maybe a NO insta-kill)
-Level 50-74: the ability to dodge +(PLUS!!!)+ the ability to climb walls, or something of this ilk
-Level 75-79: the ability to run-sneak +(PLUS!!!)+ the ability to vault/slide over/under objects
-Level 100: the ability to water jump +(PLUS!!!)+ the ability to dive from high places into water (to escape from being chased)



Abilities of Skills as Minors:

Acrobatics - as a minor you could jump. Plain and simple. Of course, the higher your level the more you can do, but would not get any serious bonus to the levels like if it was your major.


Let me know what you think of this revelation... or if it has been done before. But I hope it hasn't and haven't seen anything like this yet.

How is this 'different than what has been done in previous ES games.' or a revelation, you basically describe how Oblivion skills work, but then only if you have them as a major skill.

Anyway, I don't like the idea. Just because you don't choose acrobatics as a major skill limits you to only jumping, that is just very limiting. Someone with 100 acrobatics should be the same as anyone else with 100 acrobatics.
Just make skill raise slower overall and have a primary, major, minor, miscellaneous, or maybe just major, minor and miscellaneous skill groups and the lower group it is the slower it increases.

Besides I don't like the Oblivion perk system, at level 25, 50, 75 and 100 you shouldn't suddenly become able to do something that you couldn't do at level 24, 49, 74 and 99, you should learn new things gradually. You can try climbing walls from skill level 1, you will simply fall often or be unable to reach a certain ledge or something, making the skill less useful until higher skill levels because it's unreliable and dangerous (if you fail at climbing you will fall, if you fail at disarming or something the enemy can counter attack etc.)

Obviously you missed the point of this. Of course I stated how Oblivion's skills work, but only as a basis for what each skill does. You don't jump with blade. And you don't buy things with athletics. *coughs* troll *coughs* Now, this doesn't have to be "all inclusive" for each skill as a major. I would certainly like to see skills revamped as a whole. I would like to climb walls or jump like a pro without acrobatics being one of my majors, or even as a minor. I merely used these references to get the point across. And it doesn't have to be you getting the new abilities tacked on to the old abilities BECAUSE you have it as a major. But something that gives us an edge for it actually BEING a major. Look, say in real life you have a major in economics. You would have an advanced understanding of how the economy works, and how to (possibly) make it better. You KNOW how to work money. However, you most likely are not going to understand how it is Jackie Chan (insert any renowned martial artist/parkour enthusiast) can do the insane aerobatics he does with his mixed martial arts techniques. HOWEVER! If you are a parkour enthusiast, you know how to get around roof tops and are very nimble and quick like said kung-fu legend, but chances are you have never been to a major college and received a very well paying money making degree. It is the same concept I am going for here.

As a major in a given skill, you can get advantages for having said skill as a major. You major in it because you KNOW it. How is it you will KNOW something you are not majoring in? I may enjoy the idea of the shuttle going into space, but I am no astronaut. I am a computer technician/fantasy novelist. I know computers and writing. I don't know rocket science. Get it?

Now, as I said the advantages don't have to be something as drastic as allowing one to climb walls for acrobatics, but something enough that gives me an edge for having it as a major, like being able to scale a wall twice as quickly. If I study in sword play (aka am a Warrior), I want to have an advantage over my opponent who is not skilled with a sword (possibly an archer). If I can manage get in close enough for them to pull out their own sword, then I want to be able to have that advantage. Or maybe even just allow level perks to happen faster for us.

How about this for Marksman:

Major:

Level 1-14: Shoot a bow

Level 15-24: Shoot a bow withOUT fatigue - in it being a major I don't get fatigued sooner than someone who doesn't have this skillset as a major.

Level 25-44: Shoot a bow with quicker aiming/Zoom feature

Level 45-69: Shoot a bow with the ability to knock down enemies.

Level 70 - 99: Shoot a bow with a chance of paralysis.

Level 100: Shoot a bow with TWO nocked arrows, because I am that Kick-[censored] and have Majored in this skill.


Minor: (Oblivions set standard for using a Bow)

Level 1-24: Shoot a bow

Level 25-49: Shoot a bow without fatigue

Level 50-74: Shoot a bow with ZOOM

Level 75-99: Shoot a bow with percent to knock down enemies

Level 100: Shoot a bow with chance of enemy paralysis


And none of these are set in stone, they are just IDEAS. I would like to see some other people come up with some stuff. My ideas are just my opinion, and I could create better ones than this but I am, as of right now, lacking the time.

TO THE WALL!