Intelligence Usefulness to an Assassin

[damonb10]

I've been reading quite a bit and everything seems to imply that intelligence really doesn't help with Alchemy at all even though it is the "govening attribute." So, my question is why would I choose the standard Assassin class which has intelligence as a favored attribute.

Otherwise I figured I'd be better off creating a custom character that had either agility or strength as a favored attribute over intelligence.

What is the real value of intelligence to an Assassin?

[Vesna]

The classes in Oblivion are more based on lore and common sense more than usefulness in game. Assassins generaly have to be smart to avoid detection (above speed and agility because if you don't know how to use them, plus making poisons with Alchemy is always fun). The favored skill gains +5 at the beginning of the game. Which one you choose if you make a custom class is up to you. None really make a large difference later in the game.

However, I always make a custom class, and my favored attributes are always luck and endurance (unless I'm roleplaying; then I go with the pre-made ones because they make more real-life sense). Luck is very hard to level (+1 a level only) and has a large impact on gameplay. Endurance governs how much health you gain each level, so starting out with a higher amount will give you more HP later in game, as you level.

[Baranor]

Even though I despise myself for it from a role-playing point of view, I have a tendency to do the same, AND to pick the Thief for another +10 Luck, Agility and Speed. I know, its silly from a roleplaying viewpoint, but its too hard to resist.Plus, I like being agily, lucky and quick



I have made a Dark Elf Soulhunter, which essentially equals an assassin. Intelligence is not high in the list of attributes that I prefer for him. Intelligence is not required to make a good assassin. Brute force is.


My soon-to-be Arcane Archer on the other hand will need magic-skills as a good secondary.

[Virtue Of Apathy]

Intelligence gives you more magic and being able to cast invisible spells helps alout with assasins. I would like to suggest you get every attribute to 100.

[Aradinn]

what does luck DO exactly?

[Jeff]

Stealth is the key to being a good assasin. Brute force just makes you a killer. Anyone can smash a sword into someone skull. It takes someone very skilled, and agile & stealthy to be an Assasin, as well as Intelligent.

Thus, Invisivility & Chameleon, and in turn, Intelligence are Very Important. Not to mention several other usefull spells for helping to make your Score an artform, not just a brutal murder.

[Baranor]

My signature is single-arrow-in-the-head. I will go to great lenghts to achieve this effect in NPC's who get killed by me. I thought about leaving an hourglass at each murder site (aka "your time has come") but deceided that would be too fancy-pants...

@Aradinn
For each 4 points in luck above 50 you get a +1 bonus on all skills. Thus, with say 70 luck your effective skills are at +5. Quite nice.

[lowbart]

I agree with the people saying you need Intelligence to be an assassin - both from an RP, common sense point of view, and in terms of actual gameplay mechanics.

You need a lot of magicka just to use one of the baseline Invisibility spells.

[Vesna]

I agree with the people saying you need Intelligence to be an assassin - both from an RP, common sense point of view, and in terms of actual gameplay mechanics.

You need a lot of magicka just to use one of the baseline Invisibility spells.

Strangely enough, though.....illusion's governing skill is personality......Strange, isn't it?

[lowbart]

Yeah, who knows.

[Jeff]

Ture, but you do still need the Magicka.

I think the Personality link is the Calm, Charm, Frenzy, Command & Rally, Demoralize, type effects. It is strange as it also includes Paralyze, Night Eyes, Light, Invisibility, & chameleon too. Illusion is a mix of different effects.

[Vesna]

It is strange as it also includes Paralyze, Night Eyes, Light, Invisibility, & chameleon too. Illusion is a mix of different effects.

Well, if you think about it this way, note, illusionists are people who trick the senses of other people: if night eye tricks your eyesight to brighten light by making it a blue color (like night vision, lack of light results in lack of variety in colors, that is why stars are different colors from blue to yellow to red but they all seem the same in the night sky)

Paralyze tricks the muscles into rigidning, and becoming stiff, rendering the person unable to move. Chameleon does not make you see-through. It makes you unnoticable in the eyes of others, until they spot you, then you can be seen by them (which is why they attack flawlessly). Invisibility does the same thing, alter you in the view of others, thereby tricking them.

That is my intepretation of why illusion stuff is where it is.

[lowbart]

So you're saying Chameleon is kind of like a Somebody-Else's-Problem field?

That would explain why people don't get freaked out if you toss their stuff around with 100% chameleon.

[weka]

So you're saying Chameleon is kind of like a Somebody-Else's-Problem field?....

You hit the nail on the head!! Now that you've said it, that's so obviously what it is!!

[Lunarsweets]

Even though I despise myself for it from a role-playing point of view, I have a tendency to do the same, AND to pick the Thief for another +10 Luck, Agility and Speed. I know, its silly from a roleplaying viewpoint, but its too hard to resist.Plus, I like being agily, lucky and quick



I have made a Dark Elf Soulhunter, which essentially equals an assassin. Intelligence is not high in the list of attributes that I prefer for him. Intelligence is not required to make a good assassin. Brute force is.


My soon-to-be Arcane Archer on the other hand will need magic-skills as a good secondary.

Arcane Archers ROCK, mine is levl 44, and can kill 'bout anyting in one hit

[Vesna]

I don't know. It just feels so more realistic if you're not the one see-through. The people around you THINK you are. Once they spot you, the effect's lost.