1. Add Shapeshifting to Alteration-
A conveniant opportunity for shapeshifting. With the many enchantments you can make on an enchanting altar, you basically wouldn't use any of those skills anyway. Even as a pure mage I never used their spells or trained up that skill until Mora's Soul Trap was added to my spell list tempoarily. Alteration magic alters you, a friend, or an enemy; essentially the same as shapeshifting.
2. Add Shapeshifting as a Power-
There are a few problems with my first option, such as the fact that you would have to be a magical prodigy to reach up to levels of moderately good creatures and that someone who just raises their alteration at level 1 could make the game very easy to complete. This is where the second option comes in. Having it as a greater power could make it work only once a day so the game doesn't get easy. You could also restrict it to certain levels (or maybe to people who have killed the creature my collecting their remains to learn the greater power from a tutor, eg. 6 daedroth teeth to learn shapeshift to daedroth, 25 bonemeal and 2 staves for lich shapeshift power etc.). And as a power, you can ensure that the player can reach a maximum of 1 to 3 powers. It would also prevent people from putting it as an enchantment or a spell.
Advantages of Shapeshifting:
- more variety and technique in gameplay
- possibility to play more styles of fighting
- opportunity to play as favourite creature
- reduce boredom and predictability
- more alteration spells (if first option chosen)
- more side quests (if last option chosen)
What Shapeshifting Does:
- Temporarily changes attributes and skills
- Temporarily changes spell list and active effects
- Temporarily changes inventory and encumbrance (quest items not affected)
- Temporarily changes the way you interact with people and enemies (eg. disguise yourself as ally to enemies or unable to interact with NPCs)
Please comment on your opinions of this option.