Is it possible, without using any mods, to start a new game using the same face as my current character? I've been looking all over for a way to do this, including digging around in the save game files, but there doesn't seem to be a way. There doesn't seem to be a way to display the values for the face codes on the character creation screen, either.

Just reload from your sewers save.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7808 is a program that can copy the face data from one save file and paste it into another. It will even let you use the face of an npc. I sometimes use this to download characters I like, copy their face data, then paste it into a save from the very start of the game. However, it will not work on Vista or Windows 7. Nor on a console system of course.

It's not technically a mod, the Wrye Bash Utility will allow you to import a face from another save. PC only of course.

Not a mod because it is not an esp or esm file that you active. Wrye Bash is a Utility Program.

Thanks for the quick responses. So if I don't have a sewer save for this character (oops), there is simply no way to restart the character (or give a new character the face) without using an external program such as Wyre?

None that I know of. The Face Exchange program and Bash are the only two options I'm aware of.

I guess you could use console to edit your character's stats and quest completion statuses to that of a freshly made character, relocate yourself to the sewer exit, and make a new save there.

You can certainly change stats all around as much as you like. Unfortunately, you can use the command console to advance quests, but not to undo them. That is, setting the stage back to a lesser number or 0 will have no effect.
Reference: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Console_Command_Tutorial#SetStage_BaseID_StageNum

*sigh* I wish I was wrong and you could undo and redo quests multiple times. It is possible to uninstall DLCs or mods, reinstall them and do those quests over. My character has done this to repeat the Mehrunes Razor DLC quest several times.

For OP: You can painstakingly achieve fair results with no mod or utility support as follows: Take very careful notes and ruler measurements of your char gen sliders for the old character (This is much easier if the sliders have numbers but I think mine are provided by my DarnDarkUI MOD). Then start a new character and try to replicate the same 'picture' on all the sliders. This took me a tremendous amount of time because moving one slider tends to affect several others. While frustrating and very time consuming, I did achieve fair results. If I were to try this again, I would certainly simply use the import face feature of my Wrye Bash.

Yeah, it'd be pretty easy if there were numbers, but un-modded doesn't. I've done this in Mount & Blade, which does have numbers (or,rather, eight "clicks" which are easy tell at which "stage" they're at, but I don't think I could handle it in Oblivion because there are 100 "clicks." While I can move them by ten-increments, trying to remember how many increments I've clicked (was that 37 or 47 again?) long enough to alt-tab and write it down, for each of the kerzillion sliders, would be pretty much impossible to do correctly with my terrible memory.

Well, thanks for all the help, folks. I guess I'll have to svck it up and install one of the editing programs. : )

P.S. One last thing--the wiki says that you can export saved games to TXT files and explains how, but can you import that TXT file back into a save (without using one of the savedgame editor programs)? Or is it just for diagnostic purposes?

Second vote for Wrye Bash. Very easy to use. Just start a new character with any old face. Save game, logout. Run WB, choose char face from old save, select new save game and bob's yer uncle. :thumbsup: