Does security really need a skill though? If its just a mini game based on player skill again...then I really don't see a need for it to have its own ingame skill. Especially if all the locks are the same in Skyrim.

I like except for one thing:
Armor should be Heavy Armour
and Lock Pick should be replaced with Light Armour.
Lockpicking would come under Sneak.

Dual-wield bro. U forgot it

Its the most likely, actually. The whole combat overhaul just makes hand to hand completely unnecessary. Killing moves for example. A Rocky Balboa uppercut will not make Alduin be your bit*h.

Plus, the whole combat pacing will also make hand to hand seem like not worth the trouble.

So Im 95% sure hand to hand is out. And who cares? The whole D&D "monk" thing is something Ive always found stupid in a sword and sorcery setting. You cant fight armored people, trolls, and deadra by just punching them.

I just really don't think lock picking will be under Sneak. Why would your ability to hide in the shadows have anything to do with your ability to understand the art of picking locks? Armor might be split into heavy and light, but given the fact that they are combining every single weapon skill into one and two handed weapons, it just makes sense that they will combine armor too. Especially if they're going to have perk trees.

Two single handed weapons. Most likely single handed weapon skill. IMO

I really hope its atleast light and heavy armor not just one because otherwise Iam going to be really upset. There was Light, medium and heavy in Morrowind and they took medium out in Oblivion which I wont argue to much about because it wasnt really necessary but making it just one set armor category would be horrible because obviously everyone would use it and it would like practically be mandatory for every character. So I hope your wrong there, I mean there was even an unarmored in Morrowind so if they make it one set "armor" category they should add back unarmored so mage type classes can rock their sick robe and not feel completely left out because they only get three armor enchants instead of like six and absolutely no armor benefit at all.

I think they will keep it just for tradition. You also have to remember that after all of the weapon skill cuts they made, including the ax and spear skills, Hand-to-hand survived. Plus some people really really like to beat the hell out of things. (I do agree that it's not very realistic.)

When i did my 18 skills a while back i had heavy and light armour. But i believe i'm wrong now. With perks like you say,armour will probably be a skill on it's own,does make sense.
I also said that security and sneak would be combined too,but now if heavy armour is not there,maybe security is separate after all. I thought/still think it makes sense,for sneak and security to be combined,but if thats the case and armour is a skill that would leave an empty slot in stealth. Mercantile as been combined with speechcraft,of that i have no doubt,they are one and the same.
You use speech,smooth talking when bartering etc,so that comes under speech,mercantile will not be it's own skill now. Security must still be a skill on it's own,if there is no light armour.
But i didn't think security would have enough decent perks to be separate,but it must do really,because if they are combined as well as what i've said above,that would leave another skill to find...and i can't think of one. So i guess for now sneak and security are separate.

COMBAT: One-handed, two-handed, armour,hand to hand,block,smithing.

MAGIC: Destruction,illusion,alteration,restoration,enchanting,conjuration.

STEALTH: Archery,Alchemy,Speechcraft,Acrobatics,Security,Sneak.

Well, that's fantastic that you find it lame, but that's kind of a horrible arguement for them taking something out. Just because you find it boring doesn't mean every one does.

In a world of magic, why in the world would you hold hand to hand to realism? Train hard enough and a high end perk could be one that makes your hands almost as hard as ebony. Punch people straight through their armor. The kittens of TES have nails that are sharper than glass for crying out loud. Its not that hard to come up with mystical ways for hand to hand to be a viable option of combat in a mystical world full of mystical monsters. Add a weapon that causes an explotion when you hit someone with it, like some of the hand to hand weapons in NV, just a magic version.

Make it so the touch spells are really punches to the face spells, and only monk characters can use that form of magic to its upmost potential.

I think hth should have things like wrist parrys (with guards, works better than a sword parry) and kicking even with other weapons held to further increase the usefulness in all situations. Oh, and also hand to hand weapons such as knuckle dusters, gauntlets, claws and katars.

Hand to hand is more than capable of being it's own skill,it's a combat art in it's self.
It's quicker,your more dexterous,you can disarm,punch,throw,trip,kick,push,pull,grab.sweep.counter,lots of things. It's fun,entertaining and lethal,especially combined with stealth,or dragon shouts.
We may have hand to hand weapons like claws etc,add poison to that,with the moves etc i said above...that pretty lethal...end of story.
And there would be lots of good perks for hand to hand too. :thumbsup:

Something like Iron Knuckles would be fun, Hand-to-had weapons is one thing Oblivion needed. It's something that Fallout got right.

Works with the picture

I think that only having a single armor skill will allow more diversety in the types of armor through perks. I also think that the skill list is plauseble.

Todd Howard in the interview said a one handed skill and two handed skill and archery.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2011/02/03/toddhowardse.aspx

See about 6:10

Instead of acrobatics I think athletics but other than that everything looks right.

If we really want to figure it out all we have to do is cross check this list with

Agility
Endurance
Intelligence
Luck
Personality
Speed
Strength
Willpower

I care. Very much. And I am not alone.
And who says a huge muscled Orc can't punch a troll to death?
And I don't play as a monk or a ninja, just someone who is handy enough in a brawl to beat a bandit to death.
Sounds like another case of I don't want it, no one else can use it.

COMBAT:
One-Handed Speed
Two-Handed Strength
Block Endurance
Smithing Endurance
Hand-to-Hand Strength
Armor Endurance

STEALTH:
Sneak Agility
Security Speed
Archery Agility
Speechcraft Personality
Acrobatics Agility
Alchemy Intelligence

MAGIC:
Restoration Willpower
Destruction Willpower
Alteration Willpower
Illusion Personality
Conjuration Intelligence
Enchanting Intelligence

?

Most of this seems plausible, but everything dealing with attributes is pure speculation.

WHY MERCANTILE is out from the Skills? If the economy is going to be more interesting in SKYRIM?

Sad list but Plausible, if not probable.

Combat Skills:

One Handed Weapon
Two Handed Weapon
Block
Smithing



Stealth Skills:

Sneak
Security
Archery
Speechcraft
Mercantile
Alchemy

Magic Skill:

Restoration
Destruction
Alteration
Illusion
Conjuration
Enchanting.



This is most likely..

We know both speechcraft and mercantile are in because todd talked about communication SKILLS.

We know hand to hand is right out because he bluntly said we have 3 physical attack styles.. one handed weapons two handed weapons and archery. hand to hand is likely like mining and cooking and woodcutting a non skill ability everyone has.

We also know acrobatics is out because of what he said about running and jumping..

We cant be sure about armor as thats a passive skill and its xp gain is rather.. bad gameplay wise. Its FAR more likely that whatever aqrmor perks exist exist under block or smithing or sneak just likie daqgger perks arnt under one handed weapons...

As for the last 2 combat skills..

I think one is leadership. After all there is bound to be a skill controlling followers and also dealing in group on group battles who better to lead nord warriors then a warrior?

And I think the last might be medical skill like daggerfall had. after all magic has restoration stealth has alchemy.....

Personally (FWIW), I think the OP has arrived at the single most plausible set of skills. Additionally, I tend to think that the "unarmored" skill will be included in what the OP describes as hand-to-hand. It seems like it would be easy and straightforward to have an "attack" perk tree and a "defend" perk tree for such a skill.