newbie at 53

[sennitreborius]

I was a first generation role playing gamer, that is pre D&D. Now that I am semi-retired I would love to try writing a few adventures. I love Oblivion and have just discovered Morrowind (heavily modded). I have decided to use this system. Unfortunately I am rather limited in my computer knowledge. Still trying to find where to put the coal. (Even the language used by moders I find somewhat alien). With this in mind, can anyone point me in the right direction to proceed.
I began RPGing at the diplomacy conventions back in the 70s, and then D&D came along. GMed for years, esp RQ. Even on BBC radio Scotland for a couple of progs. I remember the first computer adventure game that I played: adventure.exe in fortran. (Yeh, did some assembly language proging back in the day, forgot it all now). I had wondered about the creation of a game whereby one player could host half a dozen or so others. Bit like the old D&D, but in oblivion or morrowind. That would be cool.
For your information: I work 2 weeks per month as a nurse, and thus am AFK for prolonged periods. Please do not be disheartened if I do not reply to posts promptly. (I could never get used to checking my emails more than once a week, truth be told). So please be gentle with me guys.
Heapsahugs, Bob
aka SenniTreborius
Not old, just matured. Rather like a nice gorgonzola.
(once again can't get the spell checker to work.)

[sennitreborius]

This is a reply to myself, Just found Doubts on Morrowind thread and its great. Well done to marek0712 for starting this thread and all those that contributed. By the way I'm having a problem playing morrowind as a pure mage. Can't raise magicka without using potions and don't want to sleep before its time to raise level. Maybe i'm playing it with wrong approach.
PS Kudos to Emma on her oblivion donkeys - Grown quite fond of Chico.

[loriel]

Welcome to Morrowind

Some suggestions for playing a mage in Morrowind:
1) Choose breton as race, and atronach as birth sign - although you don't regenerate magic when you sleep, you will absorb it when enemies fire spells at you (most of the time, anyway). And if you choose conjuration as a major skill, you can summon your own ancestral ghost, attack it three times, then it will fire spells at you and replenish your magicka.
2) Join the Temple and/or Imperial Cult - that lets you replenish magicka for a discounted fee at their shrines (and if you get promoted a few ranks it will become free).

Another possibility would be to use the "Galsiah's Character Development" mod, which removes the link between sleeping and levelling.

Loriel

[Jac]

GCD also has magicka regeneration, but that won't be in effect if you have the Atronach birthsign.

[candesco]

I would prefer the Altmer (high elf) for the pure mage. Breton is also good, but High Elves have a larger magicka supply from the start (1,5 vs 0,5). With the Atronach birthsign you have then the highest possible amount of magicka. Base is 1, high elf have itself 1,5 and the atronach gives 2,0. So that means 4,5 x INT, with intelligence at 100 gives you a stunning 450 magicka.
As pure mage you want to have as many magicka as possible. Next to that the High Elf is highly resistant against common disease (including vampirism). Yep, the High Elf have many weaknesses. They have a 25% weakness against frost and shock and 50% with fire and magicka, although the latter isn't something to worry about. But you can tackle those weaknesses. And with chosing the right schools and right spells it will help you to deal with those problems. Pay attention to which bonusses a race does have. A high elf have bonusses in destruction (+10), Enchant (+10), Alchemy (+10), Alteration (+5), conjuration (+5) and illusion (+5). I would set Destruction as a major skill and Restoration too. Conjuration is also something to consider as major. And take Illusion too in your skill list. Paralyze is a good friend to have and that's an illusion spell. As mage you obviously go for Great House Telvanni, when you have to choose one of those great houses. Join the Mages Guild as well. Mages Guild and Telvanni aren't the biggest friends though and you may want to join first the one and then the other later.

I play with a High Elf myself now (played with breton before), but took the mage as birthsign instead. Yeah, i have lesser magicka now and with the atronach i could have the highest possible, but i don't play as a pure mage. Next to that i don't like the idea when i wake up when gaining a level that the magicka bar is still empty. I feel then there isn't something right then.
Anyway, i made a custom class. Specialization is magic, favoured attributes willpower and intelligence. Majors are Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration, Alteration and Longsword. Minors are Alchemy, Illusion, Mysticism, Light armor and Acrobatics. I haven't chosen Enchant as major or minor, because it's very complicated. So far everything goes well.

[loriel]

Agreed that altmer are the other race to consider when playing a mage. I like the "Boots of Blinding Speed", and it's much easier to use them as a breton. Also breton and spell absorption provide one solution to the original poster's problem (lack of magicka).

Perhaps it is just my imagination, but altmer have always seemed more vulnerable to clipping issues with their taller statures - I have often found myself falling through the floor after jumping when playing a high elf. It doesn't seem to happen so often with other races.

I find the ethics of House Telvanni repugnant, so difficult to roleplay, but it's the best house for a would-be-mage, far easier to advance in.

Loriel

[candesco]

As with that falling: it happened to me with a breton. Some areas just have some clipping issues. I know that the High Fane canton of Vivec have this problem. Try to jump for a while there and you will fall through the floor and in the water. Happened to me a couple of times. The High Elf does have the problem of hitting the ceiling sometimes, especially in tombs. It causes some "funny" issues. It doesn't happen often though and it plays just as normal as with a breton.
Well, those other great houses aren't better. Hlaalu are backstabbers and is controlled by the criminals of the camonna tong. And Redoran is deeply tied with that treacherous temple.
Roleplaying in Redoran or Hlaalu is just as difficult as Telvanni. Actually i find House Redoran the most difficult to roleplay, especially since you're going to be the nerevarine.
I find it myself not a big problem to roleplay a Telvanni. Sure, they are independent, hate almost everything, is ruled by thousand years old wizard who are quite familiar with the arts of necromancy and solve their problems by kill someone sometimes. And some of those old wizards are quite arrogant, stubborn and rude, like Neloth and Gothren. Dratha too, except if you're a female. But they are not all that bad. Aryon is the most open minded and once you get to know Baladas he seems ok too. Therana is just funny. Totally whacky and her dialogue goes nowhere. Sometimes i just visit Therana to have a good laugh again.

[blockhead]

At the risk of going off-topic, I found Redoran's ties to the Temple not so much the problem as the Redoran Archmaster being a ****!

I thought Telvanni was fun to play. Hlallu is easiest to understand for someone born in 20th or 21st century Terra.

p.s. - I've always found it hard to play a "pure" mage. What I end up doing, regardless of the Class I select, is play as a warrior and then only after I have leveled up a bit do I gradually shift to using more magic.

p.p.s. - I recommend practicing alchemy as soon and as often as possible, regardless of your class. Will take a while but eventually you'll be making restore potions that are much better (and cheaper!) than any you can buy.

[sennitreborius]

Oct 18, 2011 19:38:15 GMT loriel said:

Welcome to Morrowind

Some suggestions for playing a mage in Morrowind:
1) Choose breton as race, and atronach as birth sign - although you don't regenerate magic when you sleep, you will absorb it when enemies fire spells at you (most of the time, anyway). And if you choose conjuration as a major skill, you can summon your own ancestral ghost, attack it three times, then it will fire spells at you and replenish your magicka.
2) Join the Temple and/or Imperial Cult - that lets you replenish magicka for a discounted fee at their shrines (and if you get promoted a few ranks it will become free).

Another possibility would be to use the "Galsiah's Character Development" mod, which removes the link between sleeping and levelling.

Loriel

thank you for helpful suggestions. Hadn't thought of Atronoch will go imperial

[sennitreborius]

Oct 19, 2011 1:24:15 GMT Jac said:

GCD also has magicka regeneration, but that won't be in effect if you have the Atronach birthsign.

Now you've got me thinking!

[sennitreborius]

Oct 19, 2011 9:42:22 GMT candesco said:

I would prefer the Altmer (high elf) for the pure mage. Breton is also good, but High Elves have a larger magicka supply from the start (1,5 vs 0,5). With the Atronach birthsign you have then the highest possible amount of magicka. Base is 1, high elf have itself 1,5 and the atronach gives 2,0. So that means 4,5 x INT, with intelligence at 100 gives you a stunning 450 magicka.
As pure mage you want to have as many magicka as possible. Next to that the High Elf is highly resistant against common disease (including vampirism). Yep, the High Elf have many weaknesses. They have a 25% weakness against frost and shock and 50% with fire and magicka, although the latter isn't something to worry about. But you can tackle those weaknesses. And with chosing the right schools and right spells it will help you to deal with those problems. Pay attention to which bonusses a race does have. A high elf have bonusses in destruction (+10), Enchant (+10), Alchemy (+10), Alteration (+5), conjuration (+5) and illusion (+5). I would set Destruction as a major skill and Restoration too. Conjuration is also something to consider as major. And take Illusion too in your skill list. Paralyze is a good friend to have and that's an illusion spell. As mage you obviously go for Great House Telvanni, when you have to choose one of those great houses. Join the Mages Guild as well. Mages Guild and Telvanni aren't the biggest friends though and you may want to join first the one and then the other later.

I play with a High Elf myself now (played with breton before), but took the mage as birthsign instead. Yeah, i have lesser magicka now and with the atronach i could have the highest possible, but i don't play as a pure mage. Next to that i don't like the idea when i wake up when gaining a level that the magicka bar is still empty. I feel then there isn't something right then.
Anyway, i made a custom class. Specialization is magic, favoured attributes willpower and intelligence. Majors are Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration, Alteration and Longsword. Minors are Alchemy, Illusion, Mysticism, Light armor and Acrobatics. I haven't chosen Enchant as major or minor, because it's very complicated. So far everything goes well.

OVERLOAD!!! I think that a breton character suits my Rincewindish Mage character better. Haven't even met any of the houses yet so I'll play that by ear, like the skill choices.

[candesco]

Not an overload if you only rely on magic only. With lesser magicka you run faster out of magicka when casting spells. 450 or 350 is a difference of 100. But it's your choice offcourse.
As with the Great Houses: keep in mind you can only join one. If you join one you can't join the others anymore. And there is no turning back, except to load an earlier save. So if you want to try all 3 of them then make a save before joining.

[sennitreborius]

Breton mage born under the sign of the Autranoch, way to go. Well I've played my first game to lvl13 and reached Ald'ruhn. Mainly by being kept alive by companions Susan and Sam (with the occasional friendly fire). Suddenly realised the implications of unlimited potion drinking, who needs bug musk (if only one could harvest bloat- (Alchemy 71)). Carried around daedric weapons that noone can afford to buy -I've 25K (thanks for the donkeys Emma-lifesaver would have a pack guar too, but feel using a console command is a bit like cheating). Had graphic problems on the bitter coast south of Hla Oad (yellow prisms everywhere). Found the journal useless (any mods to alter it or take your own notes). Got lost in Vivec (drowned twice). Been attacked by companions once when summoning a skeleton before an attack by ruffian south of Caldera. (didn't get anything from blades sorceror in Caldera either-pout). IN SHORT I AM TOTALLY ENAMOURED OF THIS GAME.
One problem though, I keep 'hearing' sniffing and am worried that my companions may be ill. Don't know how to check or what to do (they don't use potions that I give them).

[blockhead]

Yellow prisms everywhere might be missing meshes. If so, this would be some plugin where you've put in the .esp file but the .nif's needed by it were not put in, or were put into the wrong subdirectory.

The journal is not as ... structured ... as in Oblivion. The Oblivion technique of just taking every quest you can and sorting it out later does not work as well in Morrowind.

Alchemy totally rules in Morrowind. It can nearly become a cheat. Did I say that already? If so, sorry.

Glad that you are enjoying the game. It's older and thus primitive in the graphics, but in some ways, to some people, still the best game.

EDIT: as for the "sniffing" ... it could be normal. There are some odd noises in the game. Those of us who've played for years don't notice them any more, or, rather, they are so familiar that they are not consciously noted ... but I remember them being disconcerting if not downright scary, when I was new to the game. Critters like the netch (big jellyfish looking things floating in the air) make odd noises. Different areas have their own ambient sounds. Sometimes it sounds like there is someone walking near you, etc.

[heilkitty]

AFAIK, NPCs cannot get disease, unless it's a part of some quest.
You can install abot guars mod and have pack guars without console commands. They are also rideable and stuff.