Brand New at this Game. Your Advice Please.

[Albromor]

Recently I purchased a new Asus video card for my PC and Morrowind came with the package. It was a pleasant surprise because I didn't realize I was going to get it. Anyway, since it came OEM there was no Game Manual included. I have done extensive research on the net trying to figure out one goes about creating a character, but this information is only found in bits and pieces. I understand the races and to a degree the importance of attibutes and skills but what I wouldn't give for a Game Manual! I even purchased the official Game Guide, but that deals primarily with quests and very little to do with character creation.

Perhaps you can help me at least start out. I like to play RPG (I have a lot of experience playing D&D RPGs but none like this) combinations of Fighter's who are supported by Magic and thus was looking at either a Redguard Knight or an Imperial Crusader. And I like playing Thieves supported by Magic (but I wonder how well they will survive in melee). At this point I was thinking Wood Elves. Anybody play this race? And if I do play this combo, do I choose Thief or Rogue? What is the difference? For that matter, what is the difference between a Knight and a Crusader?

So, in your opinion what major and minor skills are essential for these combinations? What should I choose as my major attributes. I truly realize that ultimately it has to be my choice, but without certain info. before me it makes the decision process most difficult. Thus, your experienced advice is most welcomed.

Thanks for reading this post. This looks like a good gaming community. Some out there would roast me alive in other forums. Any other advice that you think I need as a beginner would also be welcome.

[cjdevito]

Easiest way to explain this....

Each class has 10 skills (5 major, 5 minor) that they begin with bonuses in. These skills advance more rapidly, and character leveling is tied to these skills. So, you want these skills to be skills your character will actually use throughout their career.

I don't recommend using one of the pre-made classes, I do suggest making a custom class tailored to exactly which skills -you- prefer.

Some good general advice:
- decide on a weapon skill (or two, if you want marksman)
- decide on an armor type (heavy, med, light or unarmored)
The relevent skills for both of these choices should be in your major/minor skills.

Beyond that, make skill choices that make sense for the character you want to play. Stealth, Security, the various magic skills, acrobat, athletics, speechcraft, block are all good choices. There are no -bad- choices, though, it all depends on just what you want to play.

Understand, the skills you choose for your majors/minors are not the only skills you can use. Any character can develop any skill, by either using that skill or training it.

Race choice is more a matter of taste then anything else. Wood elves are fine if you like them, and are indeed well suited (starting stat wise) to thief type characters. So are khajits and argonians.

The honest best advice I can give you is to build an image of the character you'd like to play, then pick your race as one that complements that image, and build a custom class with skills appropriate for that image. Morrowind will pretty much let you do anything you'd like with your character (unlike D&D where even in 3rd edition class rules are limiting), so decide first and foremost what you would like.

[fable]

I agree with @Cjdevito on this: play any mix you like. In fact, you may want to create one or two test characters just to get a feel for have different skill and race mixes work. Take 'em each up a couple of levels. That's so easy to do within the vicinity of your initial arrival point that you can probably manage it easily in a single session.

Then, you may want to decide what spells, weapons and armor you'd really like to use. After that, check their relevant attributes, and try putting those in your major and minor skill groups. This is one of the best guides for newcomers to the game, IMO. Note, he also advises against obsessing on templates: there are simply too many good skills that allow you to build very successful characters in all sorts of ways.

Have fun. It's the best advice I can give.

[j0ckser]

I have developed a rather useful excel spreadsheet to help one decide which race/skill/attribute/class would be best for you; send me a pm or email if you want it.

There are 27 skills divided across 7 attributes and 3 classes; there are between 3 and 5 skills per attribute; and naturally each class has 9 skills; the relationship between class and attribute is murky and unnecessary to the equation.

I would recommend having a skill representing 1 of the each of the 7 attributes as a major or minor. That leaves an extra 3 depending on which class (thief, mage, warrior) you wish to pursue.

You want this spread because, as you improve your skills, you improve your attributes and it is the attribute improvement that drives up your overall level. For example, if you put all of your skills related to Strength as MAJOR's, your strength will improve very quickly and drive up your overall level, BUT once it reaches 100 that's it; it cannot go higher. The rest of your skills (some in minor and the rest in miscellaneous) will then be left to drive your other attributes up (very) slowly and your overall level will rise very slowly.

Fable has a very good suggestion - take a few practice runs. I took 2 before I decided what I wanted.

There is a HUGE wealth of information here, on http://www.euro-rpg.com and on http://www.unforgottenrealms.net to help you out.

Hope this helps.