I never really tried the stealthy thief playstyle before but a friend's stories convinced me to try it. So far I am surprised how much fun I am having misdirecting and sneak-sniping people with a bow-and-arrow playstyle. Looking forward to a bit of burglary and maybe even some assassinations down the line. :3

What I want to know though, is if it is viable to do this playstyle using clothing instead of (or minimal use of) Light Armor. I've got a lot of things I want to perk up (Archery, Sneak, Lockpick, Pickpocket, Alchemy, and will probably need Enchanting) and I don't know if I have room for Light Armor or Smithing (although I may need to squeeze in Smithing to maximize my weapons now that I think about it...) if I want to get proficient at thievery and ambushing skills. I also want to have more variety of armor to wear instead of just the same old craftables. The craftable/standard armors like Glass and Dragonbone become ludicrously better than more diverse flavors like Falmer and Forsworn due to better Improvement potential when Smithed, but I'd love to be able to mix-match armor more for my character's look. I really like the look of hoods instead of helmets, so if I want to go for this look I see little point investing much into Light Armor (no armor-set bonuses if I use a hood). And since armor noise affects sneaking, I wonder if going full cloth might be a good idea. But wearing cloth armor then getting jumped by mobs is a scary prospect.

Thoughts?

If you're going to be using all three crafting skills, then any play style is viable.

If you're playing a stealthy archer, you can get buy without any crafting and only wearing cloth. Sneaking and remaining unseen is your armour.

I'd say if your skills get up there high enough then who needs an armor rating?

A strong bow, good arrows and remaining hidden will go a long way. But if you must use armor eventually I say stick with light armor.

Just get a TON of health... like 500 health

Do I not need to use crafting? I dunno if I can see higher levels scaling up well without it, I mean...

Check out my Ranger (in my avatar and signature). While he utilizes stealth, he is no thief and engages in direct melee combat. The only armor he wears are thieves guild boots and gloves. He is doing fine (though I've taken a break on the character, at the moment).

The issue for you is that your attacks need to be strong enough to do good damage before enemies can engage you in open combat. Even without crafting, you'll be able to find/buy strong potions/poisons and enchanted gear. You'll also be engaging strong enemies rarely enough that you won't need to use those potions/poisons too often, so you won't quickly run out of them.

But even if you want to use crafting, you really only need one crafting skill, especially if you're sneak attacking.

I personally think a pure stealth based character such as a thief / assassin should wear clothes. A pure stealth character kills without being detected or sets traps (poisons) rather than engage in 1-to-1 combat scenarios.

A light armored warrior such as a ranger who relies on timing and agility is the ones I see most suited to light armor.

Considering I kept my bard in clothes or robes only until lvl 40ish without sneaking, or Alteration, or shield, backing up his illusion magic with only a one-handed sword for close combat (no blocking), I'd say it's perfectly viable.

The great thing about playing an archer is that you don't REALLY need any other attribute than health. As a thief, you don't want to get hit and if you do you have alot of health. You might want a bit of stamina mind you, if you want to zoom in alot. But personally I would go all health, as I am doing with my Bosmer thief atm.