Isn't a spellsword someone who also uses other schools of magic, like Destruction and whatnot? I only use Restoration to heal myself after a battle. So maybe not that extensively.

If I had to use technical terms, your class would be a crusader or paladin. To me, its just warrior. In oblivion, their knight class had illusion...

This may as well be German. This has got to be MMO mentality or something. You put too much on labels and names.

I think enchanting was much better implemented in Oblivion where you had to complete the Mage quests to enable you to join the arcane university before you could learn to enchant (other than using sigil stones). Enchanting in Skyrim just seems to be a bit of a "free for all" really.

Your "warrior" is however using a school of magic is he not? By other schools of magic I take it you mean anything other than restoration which doesn't really count as magic in your book.

Ever played with Borgakh as a follower? As soon as you heal her with a spell she says - "Healing magic? An Orc lets her wounds heal naturally..." - basically a true Warrior lets his wounds heal naturally, rather than carrying a ton of a potions (which sometimes it's just ridiculous to think a person can carry more than 50 potions inside their pockets) or making usage of Restoration Magic. That makes you a Spellsword, by the way, and if you're carrying other weapons, that would make you a Battlemage, but never a Warrior.

That is true. But as far as I can remember, it didn't really take any magic skill to join the mages guild to use those things. TES has always thrown "traditional" roles of things out the window, which is what I like about it. Ancient Nords were warriors who utilized their magic users often, through enchanting or spells. And besides those, they had "pure" warriors utilizing the thu'um, yet no one calls a Tongue a mage.

Orcs have mages too, so thats not a broad mention for warriors. Nords are a warrior race too, and as the guards point out, they love restoration.

In Skyrim you can become Archmage without leveling a single point in any school of magic, pretty legit, just as a "warrior" carrying potions and using Restoration spells.

Ha, good point I'll give you that. Still, outside fantasy terms really have no business in TES. That's probably why Beth got rid of them.

You're working with magic, learning enchantments like you would spells, and infusing said magic into objects. The arcane enchanter makes it easier for common folk, but that seems like a mage skill to me.

Not to mention the fact that in past games you did need to know the spell and be able to use it before you could enchant an object with the effect.

Some Warriors would go for survival, considering it wise to learn about living off the land. Instead of popping down to Arcadia's Cauldron for potions, it's hiding out in a cave somewhere brewing up something that'll help deal with that nasty wound before it gets infected.

Which certainly makes sense, though I'd rather play a Ranger in such situation, adding sneak to it and using nothing but a bow as a weapon.

Well that's past games. In the past, alchemy was a "magic" skill as well. It involves magic, but so does recharging the weapon, which warriors would need to do for their bought magic equipment.

As I said, no one calls Nord Tongues mages.

I think it's safe to say that enchanting has certainly been "dumbed down" considerably for Skyrim to make it user friendly for any character type, which to me is a bit of a shame.

Quite

If I'm playing a warrior-type I probably won't invest perks in alchemy or restoration but the character will still use the little knowledge they have

TES has been a series where everyone can learn a little magic since Daggerfall. "Pure" classes can stay in D&D as far as I'm concerned

M'yes, and alchemy does in fact need more knowledge than just being able to identify herbs. At least if you're going beyond simple potions and poisons. The phases of the moon, the placement of your tools and certain other factors affect your brews, at least according to in-game books. No one calls alchemists or enchanters magi either.

That said, after making the Arcane Enchanter comment it had stuck me. You may be right. Any idiot with money(i.e. our character) can be an enchanter. The limit of effects on both Alchemy and Enchanting and the ease in which you can make an enchanted item means that no matter how we may roleplay, the game does not allow you to be anything more than a mother [censored] Apprentice. It just plain does not. You don't study magic, you dabble in it. You read books that teach you a neat trick. You learn how to use said neat trick in slightly better ways but that's it. You're not a wizard.

I may be overreacting, but [censored] it this is one of the major reasons I will never put this game above the previous installments.

As far as races associated with classes, I'd say Nords, Redguards, and Orcs are principally thought of as warriors. Bretons, Dunmer, and Altmer are traditionally mages. Khajiit, Bosmer, and Argonians are thought of as thieves. Imperials are thought of as generalists.

That being said, the mechanics of the game encourage generalist characters. Nords cannot get any better with two-hand weapons than Altmer. Khajiit can get no better at sneaking than orcs. Dunmer cannot get any more efficient at Destruction than Imperials. If your character can develop a skill, why not develop it?

Some of my characters do choose not to use certain skills. But no character I create will ever dispense with Restoration. It is, in my opinion, the most important skill in the game.

In Oblivion the life bar doesn't replenish on it's own unlike Skyrim where it does. That being said there is no real need to use restoration magic for an armoured tank really is there, other than impatience I guess.

Depends on the difficulty I guess. I love it against things like the ebony warrior and dragons. And it makes dungeon crawling easier (draugr).

Ironically...

The Archmage couldn't weave their own spells.

J'Zargo, with tight pants, can weave a spell of his own. Another apprentice managed to create a freaking transformation spell.

It kind of makes that werewolf form less exclusive

lol Exactly.

Literally everyone else at the college is better suited for the position, especially the actual apprentices.

It's almost insulting, actually. It's like you're being kicked upstairs where you can't cause any harm.
Oh gods, we're http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Trebonius_Artorius At least we would be if any sort of magical skill would be required to advance in the College.

I had a warrior that has a total aversion to spells but who practiced alchemy.

I also have warriors that use healing spells.

There is a difference between playing as a warrior and playing a 'pure' warrior. In my personal interpretation of a 'pure' warrior, he or she would do neither-he would rest between battles and retreat in cases of sure death.

More importantly, class and RP are two different things. Class is a dead concept. It's trying to enjoy a character by pretending their class defines them and applies context and richness where none really exists. Characters should transform with time, make decisions. RP is dynamic. It's about character history, belief, transformation. To play a warrior class and to RP a warrior are VERY different things. To play a warrior class is to adhere to strict rules about gameplay mechanics and make arbitrary decisions based on preconceived notions about that class. To RP a warrior is to start as a warrior, with a set of beliefs, choices, origins, but then allow those to transform and change with time. A true RP could begin as a warrior, adapt into a mage and finally end up a thief!

What is a pure warrior, though? So you use : one handed, two handed, smithing, light armor, heavy armor, block?

pure mage is : alteration, restoration, enchanting, destruction, conjuration, illusion?

Do you see the problem here? The top one has overlapping skills.....giving you very few options if not including the other trees. The game wasn't really designed for "pure" warriors

The only thing that makes sense to me is to define it by gameplay in this series. Do you bash people's heads in with a warhammer? You're a warrior.

Meh, the concept of class itself is pretty ridiculous to me. Sure, with pen and paper it's kind of easier to define strict rules, but when you play something like Skyrim, you don't just "I spy with my little eye a treacherous spy, and shall to the sky will he fly, along with Nazeem", you see things, you interact with things, and you dynamically form strategy.

The concept of "class" should be forgotten IMO and people should use "specialization" instead. People use whatever is available to survive, a warrior would use a healing spell if it's either use the spell and bring a lion home or not use the spell and call a lion's stomach home. They simply won't be skilled at those.

If a carpenter uses a pipe to hold his lumber steady, would you call him a plumber?