Hello and thanks for reading.

As many of you know (all too well by now, with my many threads), I've just embarked on my first moderately modded game. I'm pleased with nearly all of my choices thus far and the game seems pretty stable (and I'm extremely grateful to all the folks who have been helping me get it there).

Since the general consensus is that vanilla leveling encourages metagaming antics that are decidedly unfun, I decided to go with Oblivion XP. But now that I've been able to (thankfully) turn my attention from mod installation and playtesting to actually "getting into character," I'm questioning that choice. Here are my aims for the game:

• Above all, consistent, balanced challenge — I want to have to "work for it" without it being an exercise in frustration (as I've said elsewhere)
• Experience much of what the game has to offer in one playthrough (I know with Oblivion you can't see/do it all in one go, especially with mods, but since I don't expect to pursue multiple playthroughs, I want to experience as much as possible this first time around)
• Consistent with the above, this means a "Jack-of-all-trades" character who will feel at home in the Thieves, Warriors and Mages Guilds (and, yes, the Dark Brotherhood as well...Arena too)

Based on my admittedly limited play experience thus far — and what I like/dislike in other games — the skills I will most enjoy in Oblivion will be: melee and magic, with perhaps a bit of archery thrown in. Melee is active, magic has the most potential for creative strategies...and I find shooting the bow just plain fun. I know, that sounds like the whole kit, but allow me to point out few major areas I didn't mention: stealth and alchemy. I have plenty of games purpose-built for stealth play currently installed, so I think I can get my fill there. Plus, taking the thief's route and stealing my way to a fortune seems like a distraction from what I wish to get out of Oblivion, and may too easily circumvent the challenge of earning a fat purse. And the idea of picking up every plant in the countryside to grind into potions sounds more like work than fun.

So, while it's a lot more practical than fun, I also think Mercantile is going to have to be a focus for me. For if I'm not making potions or stealing items, how else am I to acquire these than the old-fashioned way of actually buying them?

This combination means I'll be cutting across all three areas of specialization:

1. Blade, Block, etc. from Combat
2. Destruction, Restoration and possibly Illusion and Mysticism from Magic
3. Light Armor (to not radically nerf spell potency), Mercantile and possibly Marksmanship from Stealth

And while Oblivion XP will let me put points where I choose, it inherently rewards focusing in on just a few abilities and skills because nothing increases through use...you either invest or you don't. Also, in my little time playing I've been very aware that this system — so common in other games — isn't consistent with the spirit of Oblivion. For while I have a vision for my character (above), I also believe part of the point here is just going where the game takes you (I committed 100% to this approach in Fallout 3 and it paid big dividends in immersion and fun).

So, I'm looking for a better integrated alternative. Perhaps Realistic Leveling or nGCD, neither of which I'm particularly familiar with (thoughts?). Also, I'm wondering what will best combine with the mods I've got installed now, because I've got more than a few that seem to adjust leveling and challenge:

• Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul makes numerous changes to combat challenge, the magic system, item and other costs, etc.
• Race Balancing Project affects starting stats and racial powers, and also possibly character progression as it relates to race (after reading the readme, I still found this area unclear)
• OMOBs, which is fully compatible with OOO (hence the "O" in OMOBs), alters combat and weapon damage (perhaps more)
• Less Annoying Magic Experience (LAME) and Supreme Magicka (both currently installed, with LAME dominating) both change magic
• Enhanced Economy not only impacts item and house values and merchants, but also can affect the Mercantile skill

I've read that all of these can play nicely together; however, that's quite a bit of edited mechanics to take into account.

Any guidance on how this all blends together would be greatly appreciated. Moreover, I'd very much like recommendations on leveling mods that will suit my abovementioned aims.

Thanks!

- ELB

Either nGCD or Realistic Levelling will work fine with those mods. I think Realistic Levelling might be a little more conducive to a Jack of Trades character. That's what I use, but both are good.