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| [CBDG03] CHOOSE YOUR BIRTHSIGN |
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There are four basic kinds: Attribute Birthsigns, which are not really
neccessary: you can max your all attributes and then some. They do
provide a nice boost for the first few levels however. Spelllike Ability
Birthsigns to get you one or more abilities. Magicka Birthsigns, to get
higher Magicka. And The interesting Birthsign(tm) - the name says it all.
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| Attibute Birthsigns |
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The Thief
(Fortified Agility 10, Speed 10, Luck 10)
High Boost, since Luck +10 is worth 50 Attribute points,
all in all you get the equivalent of 70 level-up Attribute
points - see character Development Section for explanation
Rating B
The Warrior
(Fortified Strength 10, Fortified Endurance 10)
Equals 20 more starting hitpoints and one more hitpoint at level up
until Endurance is at maximum. 10 Str is not bad either, both for
encumbrance and dishing out damage.
Rating C
The Steed
(Fortified Speed 20)
You will be able to outrun most enemies at early levels, which is
good to get Magicka and Fatigue back up, for hit and run tactics
etc. However, this effect wont last long.
Rating D+
The Lady
(Fortified Willpower 10, Fortified Endurance 10)
20 more starting hit points and one more hit point at level up until
Endurance is at maximum. (Barely) faster Magicka regeneration. Not
as good as The Warrior, but might be a better choice for a mage.
Rating: C-
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| Spell like Ability Birth signs |
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The Lord
(Restore Health 6/sec for 15 sec
Weakness to fire magnitude 25, constant)
Well, this is bad. Restore Health is good for the first 10 levels,
weakness to fire is bad forever.
Rating: F
The Shadow
(Invisibility 60 sec, once per day)
Invisibility is a useful spell, but it IS a spell - and you wont even
need illusion as a major spell to get it...
Rating: D+
The Serpent
(As a single ability
Damage Health touch, magnitude 3 for 20 sec
Dispel (magnitude 90
Cure Poison
Damage Fatigue self, magnitude 100)
60 damage over 20 sec is nothing. Cure Poison and Dispel are ok, but
nothing special. And you pay 100 Fatigue.
Rating: D
The Lover
(Paralyse 10 sec, touch, damage 120 fatigue on self)
10 Second duration, that's the paralyse spell on master level, quite a
treat i think.
Rating: B-
The Tower
(Open Average Lock 1/day
Reflect Damage 5 points for 120 sec 1/day)
Might be a sign for you if you are bad in the lock picking mini game
(its reaction based after all) and don't use illusion. A 5 Point
Reflect Damage is nice only at the start.
Rating: D+
The Ritual
(Restore Health 100, 1/day
Turn Undead (100 for 30 sec, 1/day)
Expert level Restore Health is nice, but you can use potions and spells
instead. Turn Undead is ok, too. If you don't have high restoration,
this might be interesting - but once per day is simply not enough.
Rating: D
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| Magicka Birth signs |
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The Mage
(Fortified Magicka 50)
The standard Birth sign for casters. But all classes that use magic
will benefit from this sign. No strings attached, this is a safe
pick.
Rating: B (A- for mages)
The Apprentice
(Fortified Magicka 100
Weakness to Magicka 100)
50 more magicka than The Mage is not worth dying for. For you will die
with this birth sign. You might pick Breton for a combined Weakness to
Magicka 50 and Maximum Magicka +150, but i don't recommend it.
Rating: F (C for mages)
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| The interesting Birth sign(tm) |
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The Atronach
(Fortified Magicka 150
Spell Absorption 50
No Magicka regeneration! )
This sign is just great. And I'm not talking about the Magicka bonus.
I would pick it even if it had a Magicka malus - the real special is
the 50% Spell Absorption - imagine this: Your Breton gets hit by magic
(at half strength if non-elemental) in 50% of all cases, the rest gets
absorbed completely. If you get items or spells that add another 50%
Spell Absorbtion, thats like immunity to fire, frost, shock and magicka
all in one ! For pure fighters, there is no downside, But you
might think, no Magicka regeneration really gimps a caster ? The
obvious solution - Potions - costs time and money. Shrines and the
like replenish Magicka, but wont help in the middle of a dungeon. Your
Spell Absorption will do the trick: If your enemies don't cast spells
on you anyway, summon a wraith (or ghost), hit it three times and it
will start to attack you with magic only. Full Magicka guaranteed (low
level ghosts may damage you a little and take three or four summons)! If
you foresee a tough fight, you can take the ghost with you to keep your
Magicka up. It also works with other summoned casters, but the ghost/
wraith/gloom wraith line works best.
A possible downside: In big fights, pure destruction mages may run out
of Magicka if all opponents are melee without any magic weapons. This
should not happen very often if you followed my "focus on prime damage
skill and attribute" rule - but keeping some selfmade Magicka potions
just in case won't hurt. Also, if you are first level and your
summoning skill is 25, summoning the ghost might be more expensive
than the mana returned. This won't happen later on (later as in level
3 and more).
[Clarification: Unlike Resistance, Spell Absorbtion 50 absorbs 100%
of a spell - and it will work on 50% of all spells]
Note: The Summon Ghost spell or better is essential for this build,
so first thing out of prison should be a quick trip to Chorrol. If you
don't have enough money, sell the Mage Guilds Alchemy equipment & potions.
Rating: A+
|||| Conclusion ||||
The Atronach is the best birth sign, but it also has a huge impact on
gameplay. If that's not your cup of tea, The Mage is good for, erm,
mages. The Lover is a good ability sign and The Thief is a great
attribute sign.
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