In Oblivion, casting Destruction spells always got you detected.

So, would you like some kind of "stealthy Destruction magic" for a mage-assassin type character?

Already in. Use Enchantment magic to add Destruction effect to nice stealthy backstabbing blade, bow, or arrow. Stealthy magic attack, done. :thumbsup:

And no- spellcasting is, and should remain, a noisy affair.

I meant more of a melee type thing (i.e. you sneak up behind someone, and silently kill them with a cold touch).

I'd like the touch spells to deal a lot more damage when we get a sneak attack with them, maybe even an animation. But should it be silent? A mans head exploding? Meh, I don't know.

I think it's fine as is. I always thought sneak attacks gave bonus damage to melee/ranged players because they could pick the weak spot in the opponents armor to strike, since the opponent wasn't defending themselves. As opposed to magic, where hitting someone with a fireball in the leg or the head would have the same effect.

i was thinking that it could be interesting to have spells that affect npc's from a distance without necessarily having to fly through the air to hit them. for example, instead of shooting a fireball, perhaps there could be a spell that you cast at a target which causes them to simply burst into flames. in that way it would be more stealthy. but i could see how spells like that could create a seriously unfair advantage and might make playing too easy.

Destruction magic will be more stealthy in Skyrim because we'll be able to use elemental traps (like the frost trap mentioned in many interviews)

Aside from that, it would indeed be nice if destruction magic got a sneak multiplier when we managed to sneak right behind an enemy and then casted a spell. There was a mod in Oblivion that allowed just that: Supreme Magicka. Sneak spells on touch were so much win

I've always thought this. My current character is a sneaky mage on Oblivion, and it is just annoying how I'd sneak up behind someone, cast a touch spell, and then someone would hear it and attack me, and had telepathically told the guards that I just attacked them.

AC style where you walk up behind two enemy NPC's with frost touch in both hands.

A mere walk through the middle of them, with the gentlest of touches and they're frozen as statues

As a stealth-mage player, I am all for it.

Naturally you would need to balance it by making sure only "quiet" spells can get bonus sneak damage. And to nerf them slightly so if you just cast them as a normal attack spell, they would be weaker than a non-silent variety. (i.e. You use the silent spell only if you are dedicated to sneak attacks all the time.)

I am replaying Oblivion right now. I literally fire from beyond visual range by using a maxed detect-life hood to track my enemies. It feels great to blast them from so far away that they literally can't see me. Though of course, the attack spell I use is so expensive that it uses nearly all my mana per cast.

Sneaky touch spells would be nice.

I agree that touch spells silent + sneak attack damage would be really nice!

otherwise I'll just have to stick with enchanting my blades

They did? :facepalm: