Question about "birth signs"

xxGambitxx · Post by **xxGambitxx** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:48 am

I am a new Oblivion player... I stayed at a friends house out of town for a week and couldnt stop playing! So I went out and got it for myself....

I am wanting to choose a birthsign that wont become pointless in later levels... for example, the invisibility one you can get in potions and spells. It seems that many of the Birthsigns become obselite at later levels with spells or potions....

I was interested in the birthsign, "The Lover".... it seems being able to paralyze an opponent for 10 seconds and wailing on them while they cant move would be a good option. It would also work to paralyze and flee.

Is anyone here born under that birthsign? Does it have a "long life" and is it useful? Before I advance too far I would like to know.

Thanks!

supercharlieb · Post by **supercharlieb** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:56 am

tough one... The lover is good for a hit and run player but it would be useless against more than one enemy. you probalby want something that fortifies an attribute!! but in the end it is your desicion.

enjoy

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 12:02 pm

Paralyze is a great spell, but it doesn't always work, and the Lovers version is touch-based, as I recall. This means that if it doesn't succeed, your opponent gets to cheerfully demonstrate their latest slicing-dicing technique on your duodenum.

Unfortunately, Paralyze is otherwise a high level spell, which means you won't be able to create a targeted version of it (or a melee weapon enchanted with it) until some time into the game.

xxGambitxx · Post by **xxGambitxx** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:13 pm

thanks for the tips.... well, I will probably choose the Lover or the Thief. The Thief seems to give me a big boost in attributes, especially since I am a sneaky, quick, type of player.

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:35 am

Well all the signs have thier own unique abilities, just like each race, but it's really up to you to decide which one works better for the type of character you had in mind. Yes, it's true, that some of them may "seem" to be absolete later in the game, but keep in mind that your birthsign is for the LIFE of your character. Potions and spells only last for a period of time. My character is a Paladin sort of character, so I chose the Warrior as my sign, since pretty much anyone who needs to haul alot of stuff and swing a sword ALOT, needs the extra STR and END attributes. But as I said, it just depends on what TYPE of character you're looking to make.

P.S.: Paralyze is something you'll be able to find at a decent level as a *Poison*. Poisons are the "green bottles". All you have to do is "equip" the potion, and it will give you the option to poison your equiped weapon. I *used* to throw them away, but found that they are MOST useful, especially in the planes of Oblivion!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

UncleScratchy · Post by **UncleScratchy** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 5:38 am

Probably the only birth signs that don't become obsolete are the magicka boosting signs (mage, atronach and apprentice). I usually choose one of these. Atronach can be tricky but if you want to be able to cast the really big spells its a must with its 150 magicka bonus. Just be prepared to carry lots of restore magicka potions (higher level homemade potions are best as they can restore lots of magicka over a very long time period), welkynd stones and visits to either Ayleid shrines (the green ones that both recharge and boost your magicka for a duration of time) or chapels/church healing alters. The thief sign is pretty good for its boost to some skills but especially for its permanent boost to luck which is unlikely to become obsolete as you will problably max out your level ups before achieving high luck levels.

Dowaco · Post by **Dowaco** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:36 pm

At master marksman a shot from your bow can either paralyze or knock down an opponent even without poisoning the arrow. So I would say Lover's kiss would be pretty useless deep into the game if you go the sneak/sniper route. Besides, you can only use the greater sklls once a day. I would go for a constant effect.

yrthwyndandfyre · Post by **yrthwyndandfyre** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:08 pm

For my money, when you're dealing in birthsigns, think less about what it will give you that you have trouble getting later on, and what will be handy in the beginning. Your birth-sign is mostly about short-term survival skills. Eventually, you can get everything else on your own. The trick is to live so long.

Fljotsdale · Post by **Fljotsdale** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 5:32 am

A thing to bear in mind is that 'Powers' given by a Birthsign are one-a-day-only, so they are virtually useless and seem only meant be used in emergencies. So - forget the Power a Birthsign offers; look for Attribute bonuses - and check to see if there are penalties attached to the sign!

Good signs with permanant advantages and no penalties are:

The Mage: +50 Magica
The Warrior: +10 Strength, + 10 Endurance
The Thief: +10 each to Agility, Speed, Luck
The Lady: +10 Willpower, +10 Endurance
The Steed: +10 Speed

As has been mentioned, The Atronach is a VERY good sign for Mage types, but holds a serious penalty of NO MAGICA REGENERATION, and can be very difficult and frustrating in the early game.

Olorin · Post by **Olorin** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 8:47 am

Both in Morrowind and now in Oblivion I was a fan of the Atronach. Yes, you need to become a master alchemist (or at least a really good one) and you will spend much of the early parts of the game buying ingredients and brewing potions. The upsode to this is that you can buy ALL the ingredients in the shop, brew everything you can, and then sell back all the non-essentials for a tidy profit. Eventually, a master alchemist can make potions from one ingredient which makes "Restore Magicka" potions a snap.
I do not believe that the 150 pt magicka bonus is the big selling point of the sign, though. It's the 50% chance to absorb the magicka of the spells thrown at you. Later in the game, when every Daedric monster is throwing magick at you, a 50/50 chance to boost your own magicka reserves and not suffer the effects of the spell is amazingly helpful. Also, there are items you can find in the game which you can equip which also can absorb magicka.
The character I am playing now has a ring and an amulet that absorb magicka, and when you couple that with my Atronach sign, I have a 93% chance to absorb magicka. Needless to say, at this point I almost never use my restore magicka potions. Every time I'm attacked I just move out of close range attack distance and make then throw magick at me. I'm full in moments and I'm practically impervious to magicka attacks. So, even if it slowed me down in the beginning, the Atronach is hard to pass up.
I have decided to choose the thief next time, for the attribute bonuses. It seems to give you quite a boost to the attributes which is always good.