Character Creation Made Simple (and spoiler-free) v1.1 ******************************************************* for THE ELDER SCROLLS III: MORROWIND by Bethesda Softworks Version 1.1 - 2/26/05 (only updated my email address, and briefly considered adding in some user comments before I got lazy and went off to drink coffee instead) INDEX ******** 1. My Spiel 2. The Races 3. The Classes (or "Building A Good Custom Class") 4. The Signs 5. The Skills 6. Final Thoughts on Character Creation 7. A Few Good (and mostly painless) Ways To Make Easy Money 8. Contact Information & Disclaimer 1. My Spiel *********** Okay, so you purchased your copy of Morrowind, popped it into your Xbox or PC, loaded it, and promptly got tossed into the character creation walkthrough. You looked at your included game guide, made a few choices about race, skills and class, and walked out naked and clueless into the enormous and mostly unfriendly world. You made a few choices, probably died or got arrested, and soon enough you noticed that you weren't happy with what you had made for yourself. And that's why you're here. If you're like me, you're pretty anal about how you make a character for these huge games. Nothing ticks you off more than dumping two hours into a character before realizing that you picked a useless skill, or make a dumb race choice. Now you have to start over, because you want your character - whom you'll be spending possibly hundreds of hours with - to be perfect. And that's why I'm here. I'm the kind of guy that likes input. I like lots of people to give me their insights, so I can mesh them all together into one big "suggestion file" for games like these. There are many, many FAQs for Morrowind, and many of them are good (others are incomplete or badly organized). I heartily suggest you read a few of those other FAQs, particularly the "beginner FAQs", because they offer a lot of good commentary. So what the hell am I writing this for, then? Well, I noticed that many of these guides were walkthroughs. And when you're just starting out, you don't always need a walkthrough. And I noticed that the one guide that deals exclusively with character creation (a well-done if somewhat incomplete guide written by "gritta") had left out skills entirely, and approached character creation from a fairly different perspective than my own (I suspect he's much more of a power gamer than I am). So I decided that I had nothing better to do one afternoon, and with my brain chock-full of helpful suggestions I sat down to pen my own character creation guide. Now, a brief mention of what this FAQ is not: - It is not a walkthrough - It does not contain spoilers - It does not contain cheats or bugs - It is not a "go here and do this for the MOST POWERFUL SWORD IN THE GAME" primer My guide is designed for people that want to take the time and effort to explore the world on their own terms, and just want an experienced (and laid-back) gamer's input on the aspects of character creation that are not well-covered in the game book. And although I do offer some suggestions for making early money in the game, my suggestions are by no means exclusive, nor are they the only (or best) way to make a buck. They're just suggestions which are usually fairly easy for a new character to accomplish without undue risk. 2. The Races ************** So you've got a name, and now you're faced with choosing a race. Realize that the #1 reason for choosing a race should be based on what you want your character to look like. Sure, they all get different skill bonuses and inborn abilities, but nothing you gain from a given race is so stupendous that it should absolutely drive the choice. Granted that the Breton make good mages, and a Redguard is a good choice for a fighter, but that doesn't mean you can't go against the mold when picking a race (and it might even make for an interesting character). The races seem to divide up among four categories: "Magic Users", "Warriors", "Thieves" and "Generalists", defined by their skill bonuses, relative use of their Specials, and how their stats are arranged. Below, stats for races are split by male and female values (male first), and all races (and genders) start with a value of 40 for Luck. Argonian: Strength: 40 / 40 Skill Bonuses: Alchemy +5, Athletics +15, Illusion Intelligence: 40 / 50 +5, Medium Armor +5, Mysticism +5, Willpower: 30 / 40 Spear +5, Unarmored +5 Agility: 50 / 40 Speed: 50 / 40 Specials: Resist Disease, Immune to Poison, Water Endurance: 30 / 30 Breathing Personality: 30 / 30 Commentary: With a fairly good mix of stats and skills, the Argonians are a generalist race. They are also one of two "beast races", along with the Khajiit. Beast races, for your information, cannot wear boots or closed-face helms, which limits your armor choices somewhat (and you'll probably want Unarmored as a major or minor skill if you play a beast race). Argonian specials are pretty good: immunity to poison will help often throughout the game (poison sucks), and the water breathing spell lasts two minutes (and you'll be underwater in this game, let me tell you!). Resist Disease, on the other hand, is less useful. I didn't run into disease much in the game, and (*very, very minor spoiler alert*) you end up with 100% disease immunity later in the game. Argonian game use is pretty varied, with females making decent mages or thieves, and males making good thieves or fighters. Breton: Strength: 40 / 30 Skill Bonuses: Conjuration +10, Mysticism +10, Intelligence: 50 / 50 Restoration +10, Alchemy +5, Willpower: 50 / 50 Alteration +5, Illusion +5 Agility: 30 / 30 Speed: 30 / 40 Specials: Fortified Maximum Magicka, Dragon Skin, Endurance: 30 / 30 Resist Magicka Personality: 40 / 40 Commentary: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bretons are one of the two "magic user" races. While they can, of course, tank around as fighters they are better suited to focusing on spells. This goes double for a female Breton, who has lower Strength. Their specials are all gems, with a 0.5x INT magicka multiplier, 50% magicka resistance, and a 50 point Shield power. (Okay, maybe Dragon Skin isn't all that great). If you're planning on using magic in this game, I strongly recommend this class (over the broken High Elves, certainly). Dark Elf (Dunmer): Strength: 40 / 40 Skill Bonuses: Long Blade +5, Destruction +10, Light Intelligence: 40 / 40 Armor +5, Athletics +5, Mysticism +5, Willpower: 30 / 30 Marksman +5, Short Blade +10 Agility: 40 / 40 Speed: 50 / 50 Specials: Ancestor Guardian, Resistant to Fire Endurance: 40 / 30 Personality: 30 / 40 Commentary: Dunmer are another generalist class, and (I suspect) the class that Bethesda Softworks kind of expects most players to play. They have twice as many facial choices (to reflect Ashlanders as well as "civilized" Dunmer), and their skill set lends itself to many skills you'll find useful in the game. Their specials are solid: Ancestor Guardian is a 50 point, 60 second Sanctuary power, and Resist Fire is at 75%. There is one additional benefit to playing a Dark Elf: they're everywhere. Most of the NPCs you'll encounter in Vvardenfell are Dunmer, which means you'll get a slight reaction bonus when you deal with them. (Particularly helpful when dealing with Ashlanders, who don't tend to like anyone, much less outsiders.) High Elf (Altmer): Strength: 30 / 30 Skill Bonuses: Destruction +10, Enchant +10, Alchemy Intelligence: 50 / 50 +10, Alteration +5, Conjuration +5, Illusion +5 Willpower: 40 / 40 Agility: 40 / 40 Specials: Fortified Maximum Magicka, Weakness to Speed: 30 / 40 Magicka, Fire, Frost and Shock, Resistant Endurance: 40 / 30 to Disease Personality: 40 / 40 Commentary: Yuck. Even with the 1.5x INT magicka multiplier and the 75% disease resistance, having a 50% magicka weakness, and 25% weakness toward fire, frost and shock means always being afraid of magic (until you build yourself up some enchanted immunities). They're pretty clearly designed to be mages, and combined with the Atronach star sign (more on that later) can start with an insanely high magicka pool. (Up to 270 at first level; most characters start with about 40, by comparison.) However, no amount of free magicka could get me to saddle a character of mine with those kinds of weaknesses. Imperial: Strength: 40 / 40 Skill Bonuses: Speechcraft +10, Mercantile +10, Long Intelligence: 40 / 40 Blade +10, Blunt Weapon +5, Light Willpower: 30 / 40 Armor +5, Hand to Hand +5 Agility: 30 / 30 Speed: 40 / 30 Specials: Star of the West, Voice of the Emperor Endurance: 40 / 40 Personality: 50 / 50 Commentary: White bread, thy name is Imperial. Thinly veiled copies of ancient Roman types (right down to their NPC names), the Imperials are a generalist class with a focus on being social. Their specials are, well, nothing special (one saps 200 fatigue from an enemy, the other is a minor charm effect), but their skill bonuses are great for a starting player that doesn't really know what s/he wants to do in the game. A good weapon bonus (Long Blade), plus Speechcraft, Mercantile and Light Armor bonuses mean that you'll be pretty balanced in being able to deal with enemies, be they at sword point, or across the bargaining table. For generalists, this class is right up there with the Dark Elves. Kajiit: Strength: 40 / 30 Skill Bonuses: Acrobatics +15, Athletics +5, Hand to Intelligence: 40 / 40 Hand +5, Light Armor +5, Security +5, Willpower: 30 / 30 Short Blade +5, Sneak +5 Agility: 50 / 50 Speed: 40 / 40 Specials: Eye of Fear, Eye of Night Endurance: 30 / 40 Personality: 40 / 40 Commentary: There is a reason that many of the thieves you'll meet in this game are Khajiit - they're damn good at it. All of their skills (save Athletics) come out of the "stealth" category, and their two specials both adapt well to thieving. (The Eye of Fear power causes humanoids to flee from you, while the Eye of Night spell helps you see in the dark). Don't look for this race to make great leaps at wizardry, and they don't lend themselves to hack-and-slash fighting (not having armored feet will always leave you with a lower average armor class). Khajjit are also a beast race, meaning no shoes or closed helms for you, snout-boy. Nord: Strength: 50 / 50 Skill Bonuses: Axe +10, Blunt Weapon +10, Medium Intelligence: 30 / 30 Armor +10, Long Blade +5, Spear +5, Willpower: 40 / 50 Heavy Armor +5 Agility: 30 / 30 Speed: 40 / 40 Specials: Thunder Fist, Woad, Resist Shock, Immune to Endurance: 50 / 40 Frost Personality: 30 / 30 Commentary: They're big, strong, and dumb. That'd make them fighters. Having 100% immunity to frost and 50% resistance to shock is a nice touch, but their other specials are only so-so at best (25 point frost touch and 50 point shield power, respectively). If you just want to pound the hell out of stuff, or have a thing for tall, leggy blondes, this is a decent racial choice. However, on a side note: I don't like classes that have multiple weapon and armor bonuses. Throughout the game you'll mostly use one type of weapon and one type of armor, so having multiple skill bonuses for these skill types is usually just wasted points. Orc: Strength: 45 / 45 Skill Bonuses: Armorer +10, Axe +5, Heavy Armor +10, Intelligence: 30 / 40 Medium Armor +10, Block +10 Willpower: 50 / 45 Agility: 35 / 35 Specials: Berserk, Resistant to Magicka Speed: 30 / 30 Endurance: 50 / 50 Personality: 30 / 25 Commentary: Surprisingly (despite popular legend to the contrary) Orcs are not quite as big nor dumb as Nords, Vvardenfell's version of Vikings. They have good skill bonuses (you'll only waste one armor bonus), and their specials are respectable (magicka resistance is at 25%, while Berserk raises health, fatigue and attack while lowering agility). They are, however, butt-ugly, so if you're a vain player you might want to play a Redguard instead (unless you're a vain, racist player, in which case play a Nord, and get some therapy.) Orcs are versatile, useful characters to play, and even if you choose not to use axes, their other skills will come in handy throughout the game. Unless you want to be an orc mage, which is a sad creature indeed. (Sad, and angry, and violent.) Redguard: Strength: 50 / 40 Skill Bonuses: Long Blade +15, Short Blade +5, Heavy Intelligence: 30 / 30 Armor +5, Axe +5, Blunt Weapon +5, Willpower: 30 / 30 Medium Armor +5, Athletics +5 Agility: 40 / 40 Speed: 40 / 40 Specials: Adrenalin Rush, Resist Poison, Resist Endurance: 50 / 50 Disease Personality: 30 / 40 Commentary: With practically every combat skill in the game in their bonus column, saying that Redguards make decent fighters is like saying that oceans are slightly wet. Their 75% poison and disease resistance isn't bad (more so for poison, less so for disease), and the Adrenaline Rush power fortifies all of your combat-related stats for 60 seconds. Their biggest selling point, ultimately, is their +15 Long Blade bonus, which gives them (if you pick it as a major or minor skill) a head start over any other melee class in the "hitting and killing things" category. Their only downside is that the majority of their bonuses are weapons, which means you'll be wasting several points in unused skills. Wood Elf (Bosmer): Strength: 30 / 30 Skill Bonuses: Marksman +15, Sneak +10, Light Armor Intelligence: 40 / 40 +10, Alchemy +5, Acrobatics +5 Willpower: 30 / 30 Agility: 50 / 50 Specials: Beast Tongue, Resist Disease Speed: 50 / 50 Endurance: 30 / 30 Personality: 40 / 40 Commentary: Bosmer are thieves on a par with Khajiit, though perhaps more inclined to sneaking and fighting than straight stealing. Beast Tongue is a junk special (Command 5 creature-levels for ten minutes? Fly, my monkeys! Fly!), and Resist Disease has been adequately mentioned previously. Their skill bonuses are noteworthy, however, in that they are designed to make you very good at three important stealth abilities: sneaking, shooting things far away, and wearing light armor. In addition, they're very short, which makes dealing with Altmer and Nords pretty funny. (They're probably 4-5 feet tall in the game.) 3. The Classes (or, "Building a Good Custom Class") ********************************************************* So you know your name, and what you look like. You next step into the Census & Excise office, and this old joe wants to know what class you are. While you could certainly just pick a class (or let the game pick one for you, based on a short "personality quiz"), you really get the most mileage out of your character by making your own class. Now, this is perhaps the most contentious section of any given FAQ. Everyone has their own style of play, and everyone has an opinion on which skills are most vital to success. And truthfully, most everyone is right. The beauty of this game is that there are as many different ways to beat it as their are ways to play it (although combat figures largely into the game, obviously). You can beat it with magic, combat or stealth (I beat the last enemy of the game without landing a blow), or a mixture of all three. So *your mileage will vary* when designing a class. Chances are, you'll screw up a few times before you get your perfect mixture down. However, everyone can suggest a good skill set, and you can take all of our opinions and use them for what they're worth. Many of my suggestions are along the lines of those you'll find in other FAQs, and they are based solely on my own experiences in the game (which should go without saying). Lastly, know that I prefer a generalist approach to this game (and most games, really), so understand that my choices come from that perspective. Your major skills are not necessarily the skills you intend to use most often. Rather, they should be skills that immediately need high values. Any armor skill you pick (and you should really pick only one) should go here, because a higher skill means that the protective value of a given piece of armor is higher. Any magic skills you decide you want (spell-based skills only; Alchemy and Enchant can be minor skills, and Unarmored should be considered an "armor" skill) should be major picks, simply because you start out with free spells in those skills you pick as major. Other skills that should go here would be skills like Security (which benefits greatly from the higher value because most locks you'll run into have a value of 25 - 50, and having the skill in the major column means a starting value of at least 30), Speechcraft (helpful for bribing and socializing with NPCs, which occurs very, very often in the game), Mercantile (saves money in the long run, and very helpful to new characters, whom are usually broke), and Block (a skill that helps you negate physical attacks, and no one could say that's useless!). I would strongly recommend against placing your weapon skill here, or the skills Acrobatics and Athletics. All three of these skills will raise quickly in the game (they are used often), and you'll actually get more out of their point increases if you make them minor abilities. Minor skills. I would place your weapon skill here (and only one weapon, unless you want to be a pugilist and include Hand to Hand as a skill, or you want Marksman to give you a ranged option), along with other valuable but less important skills like Armorer, Sneak, and Enchant. Contrary to what most other FAQs recommend, I often put Athletics in as a minor skill; I find the rate of increase isn't that rapid, and having 15 points added to my skill total means I move quicker across the land (a very valuable thing, indeed). There isn't really a science to picking favored stats; just read the game book and decide which stats could stand the most boosting. I usually always pick Luck as one favored stat, simply because it's the only stat that can never get an increase multiplier. Specialization, of course, should favor whichever category the majority of your skills fall under. I will include here two sample templates, which while both generalists with similar skills, favor different themes and approaches to the game. I usually draw half my skills from my Specialization list, and sprinkle from the other lists to taste. *The Ranger* Specialization: Combat Favored Attributes: Strength and Luck Major Skills Minor Skills Alteration or Mysticism Armorer Block Athletics Enchant Long Blade Marksman Mercantile Heavy Armor Speechcraft This character favors straightforward combat with long blades, heavy armor and a shield. Armorer keeps the gear in top shape, while Speechcraft and Mercantile help deal with non-combatants and merchants (who charge a lot for good weapons and heavy armor). Enchant will make you a more efficient user of magical items with charges (which you'll be using often, since you're not much of a spell caster), while Marksman is favored over Destruction magic because you'll not only have the Strength to carry bows and arrows, but the higher Agility to use them efficiently. Lastly, Alteration or Mystical magic is included because they include spells you'll be using most often (Levitate, Mark, Recall, Telekinesis, Shield spells, etc). Most of the money you make will come from looting corpses, rather than breaking into houses. A Redguard, Orc or Imperial would do well in this class. *The Bandit* Specialization: Stealth Favored Attributes: Agility and Luck Major Skills Minor Skills Block Acrobatics Light Armor Alchemy Marksman Mercantile Mysticism Short Blade Security Speechcraft This class will be spending a lot of time stealing from people and places, which is actually pretty fun. Security and Acrobatics will help in this regard, and Mercantile will ensure you get the best value for your loot. Marksman and Short Blade skills, along with Light Armor and Block mean you'll be more accustomed to hit-and-run fighting than straight confrontation. Mysticism is chosen again for the Mark and Recall spells, which you'll be using a lot when hauling plunder from distant locations, as well as the Almsivi and Divine Intervention spells, which you'll need to pull your bacon out of the fryer. Alchemy seems a strange choice, until you consider that you'll probably have a pretty high Intelligence attribute (from using Security all the time), and Alchemy can actually help a non-magic user out a great deal by providing much needed magical boosts like healing, telekinesis, stat gains, and levitation. Plus, since you're going to be thieving often, you're going to come across lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of alchemy ingredients, so you'll always have a steady supply. On top of that, as you get better at it you can use Alchemy to make potions which you can sell off for a few extra bucks. (Probably the only skill that pays for itself as you exercise it.) Lastly, Speechcraft is again included to help out with those people you can't rob or kill. This class fits in nicely with Khajiit or Dark Elves, and is custom fit for a Wood Elf. 4. The Signs ************** Okay, so you've got a face and a job. Now, your interrogator feeds you that classic pick-up line: "what's your sign?" Those crazy Imperials... always looking for a booty call. But he does want an answer, and you probably want input from me. (Otherwise, go read someone else's FAQ. I guarantee, however, that mine has better spelling and a mintier aftertaste.) The Apprentice Ability: (Elfborn) - Fortify Maximum Magicka 1.5x INT Weakness to Magicka 50% Commentary: The fat magicka bonus is nice, but I tend to shy away from star signs that penalize the character unduly (a statement I'm about to refute below). I wouldn't recommend this as a starting sign simply because A) there are better choices to be made, and B) as a new player, you don't want to worry about getting whomped by magic-using foes more easily than necessary. If you're going as a straight magic using class this might be a decent sign for you to use, but a fair warning: straight magic-using classes can be a bitch to play, and if you're starting out from that direction you might be asking for trouble. (That's just my opinion, of course) The Atronach Ability: (Wombburn) - Spell Absorption 50 points Fortify Maximum Magicka 2.0x INT Stunted Magicka Commentary: Ahh... The Atronach. There are some who suggest players avoid this sign since "Stunted Magicka" means "you can't rest to gain back magicka". Let me tell you now that taking this sign more often than not means the difference between getting your ass handed to you up and down Vvardenfell, and laughing off the pitiful efforts of powerful mages and magic-using creatures (and there are many, especially at higher levels). With 50 points of spell absorption, you essentially throw off and suck up half of all magic attacks thrown at you. I don't mean "you ignore 50% of the damage done". I mean "50% of all magic attacks simply don't work on you." What's more, those deflected attacks actually refuel your magicka pool. My first character had this attribute, and it wasn't until I made my second character (who didn't have this sign) that I realized how amazingly useful it can be to ignore half of everything magical that opposes you. Lots of things toss magic effects your way. This refuels your magicka. Truthfully, I never rested much in-game anyway (I only really did so to level my character), and I found with subsequent characters that I only needed to rest to refuel my magicka pool! So I highly recommend this sign to start with - doubly so if you don't intend to use much magic (or only use it secondary to weapons). The Lady Ability: (Lady's Favor) - Fortify Personality 25 points Ability: (Lady's Grace) - Fortify Endurance 25 points Commentary: This is a really strong sign. Endurance and Personality are fairly important attributes, and they aren't always the easiest to raise (both only have three skills associated with their leveling). Having a high starting Endurance means more initial hit points at those weaker, earlier levels; while a higher Personality means NPCs tend to interact more favorably with you. (An Imperial with this sign and Personality as a favored attribute can start with an 85 Personality, making him or her only slightly less popular than a plate full of cookies at fat camp.) I would only offer two caveats against this sign: one, taking this means you can't take The Atronach (and monsters mostly don't care how charming you are), and two involves managing your stat leveling bonuses. Many other guides will detail at length exactly how you can get those amazing 5x stat multipliers when you gain levels, and explain how important it is to make sure you exercise the right skills to get that bonus every time. I myself didn't want to spend that much time carefully leveling (I'm anal only to a point), so I just leveled willy-nilly. If you plan to carefully level your attributes, then getting initial fat stat bonuses may end up being wasted in the long run (as you could easily level these two stats with a little time and care). Otherwise, this is a very strong star sign to consider. The Lord Ability: (Trollkin) - Weakness to Fire 100% Spell: (Blood of the North) - Restore Health 2 points for 30 seconds on Self Commentary: I think this sign's full name is "Good Lord You're GOT To Be Kidding Me!" Weakness to Fire 100%?! That makes you only slightly less flammable than gunpowder. And what do you get in return? A crappy, weak healing spell that you could just as easily buy from practically any magic merchant in the game. Hooray for you. Of course you might argue that this spell has a 100% success rate, whereas a non-Restoration magic user could struggle with a comparative spell. My response: shut up or I'll flick my cigarette at you. You're essentially accepting a spell that heals 60 health in return for bathing in lighter fluid. Buy a few healing potions, choose another sign, and smoke 'em if you've got 'em. Last note: I heard someone suggest combining this sign with a Dark Elf racial pick, thereby mostly negating the fire penalty (Dunmer have 75% fire resistance.) I have a response to this, too: don't be an idiot. Trade away one of your racial bonuses, still have a slight weakness to fire, and leave yourself with nothing to show for it but the powers of a weak healing potion! While you're at it, why not choose The Apprentice star sign and play a High Elf? Incredible starting Magicka, and 100% weakness to it, too. Good for those bipolar players ("I love magic, and yet I fear it, too"). The Lover Ability: (Mooncalf) - Fortify Agility 25 points Power: (Lover's Kiss) - Paralyze for 60 seconds on Target Damage Fatigue 200 points on Self Commentary: Most of my comments about the Lady apply here to the Mooncalf ability. A higher Agility means you hit things more often early on, but careful stat selection can negate this at higher levels. The Lover's Kiss is pretty much a waste; Paralyze can be really useful throughout the game, but there are better ways to get this power. (Jinkblades, which paralyze on contact with an opponent, are as common as flies in this game.) Not the worst sign, but not the best, either. The Mage Ability: (Fay) - Fortify Maximum Magicka 0.5x INT Commentary: This sign doesn't offer much, but it doesn't penalize you, either. If you don't want stat bonuses, and you plan to use magic heavily in the game, then this is probably a reasonable pick. (More adventurous players might want to pick The Apprentice instead.) The Ritual Spell: (Blessed Word) - Turn Undead 100 points for 30 seconds on Target Spell: (Blessed Touch) - Turn Undead 100 points for 30 seconds on Touch Power: (Mara's Gift) - Restore Health 100 points on Self Comments: Let's just mention right off that you can buy Blessed Touch for less than 50 gold in a town next door to where you start the game. (And I'm going to bet you can buy Blessed Word somewhere, too). And truthfully, I prefer the spell "Turn Undead... to Bonedust" (material compontent: honkin' big weapon and strong sword arm). And while Mara's Gift is a really good power, you only get to use it once per day. That doesn't go far, and if you've gotten to the point when your only healing option left is a once-a-day effect, then you made a bad choice somewhere earlier in your adventures. I heartily suggest not choosing a sign that doesn't grant at least one permanent effect, which would put this sign in the doghouse. The Serpent Spell: (Star-Curse) - Poison 3 points for 30 seconds on Touch Damage Health 1 point for 30 seconds on Self Commentary: Next! I think Bethesda Softworks put in this sign simply to see if anyone was dumb enough to choose it. If you select this for your character, your computer or Xbox sends out a signal to the government to let them know that you're probably too dumb to drive, vote, or carry sharp objects. Poison is definitely good stuff to use on bad guys, but you can enchant or acquire a better effect on a weapon, and it won't damage you. Granted, the damage isn't severe, but it sure as hell isn't worth the effect it deals to the enemy. The Shadow Power: (Moonshadow) - Invisibility for 60 seconds on Self Commentary: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The answer: not people with this sign. While choosing this doesn't put you in the same category as people who went with The Serpent, you're still taking a sign that doesn't really offer you any benefit. Powers only work once per day, and Invisibility only works as long as you don't do anything other than move. (Attacking or picking up something deactivates the effect, so don't think you'll be sneaking through lairs looting and pillaging unseen. *That* power is called "Chameleon", and it's a different spell altogether.) This sign essentially duplicates the effects of an 80 gold piece potion. Get my point? The Steed Ability: (Charioteer) - Fortify Speed 25 points Commentary: Same as for other stat increasing signs, but this one will make you move a little faster (and improve your functional Unarmored ability somewhat). The Thief Ability: (Akaviri Danger-Sense) - Sanctuary 10 points Commentary: You dodge better. That's about it. Sanctuary is a very common spell to find enchanted on items, and while those spells aren't constant effects, you don't really need a defense bonus when you're not fighting, do you? I'd steer clear of this sign. The Tower Spell: (Beggar's Nose) - Detect Animal 200 feet for 60 seconds on Self Detect Enchantment 200 feet for 60 seconds on Self Detect Key 200 feet for 60 seconds on Self Power: (Tower Key) - Open 50 points on touch Commentary: If Tower Key were a spell instead of a once-a-day power, I'd highly recommend this sign. But it isn't, so I don't. Beggar's Nose may seem like a solid spell (and it is, I suppose), but in my experience the little on-screen map is so small that by the time this spell would "detect" anything, you could probably see the object or enchantment in question. I rate this alongside The Thief, which means just say no. The Warrior Ability: (Waywyrd) - Fortify Attack 10 points Commentary: This gives you a 10% better chance (I believe) to hit things with weapons. If you plan to be a fairly straight-forward hack-and-slash player, and you don't want stat increases, then this is probably a decent choice for a sign. (It's about as useful as The Mage is for spell users.) 5. Skills ********* It's just not enough to look good and have a cool job title (just ask a sports anchor) - you need to have skills to get ahead in the world. And in Morrowind having the right skills can make the difference between inheriting your destiny forty hours into the game, and restarting six times in a row because you keep finding out your character is pathetically unprepared for the multitudinous challenges this game has to offer. So believe me, you want to make as many good choices as you can before you start, because you don't want to have to train up a non-class skill to a decent level because you realized twenty hours into playing that you can't survive without it. So we'll run through the skills, and I'll offer my commentary on each. First, a disclaimer: these are only my opinions. As I mentioned earlier in this FAQ I tend to take a "generalist" approach, and people who play with a very narrowly focused type of play (or character) are going to shake their heads in disgust at my suggestions. So take whatever I (or anyone else) says with a grain of salt. *Combat Arts* : A pretty useful skill, unless you use spells or two-handed weapons. If you successfully block an attack, you completely negate the damage. If you intend to wade into melee range often this is a good choice for a skill - but put it in as a major rather than minor skill, because as a minor skill it will probably be too low initially to train via use. (By which I mean you won't block much, which means it won't raise much, which means it won't be much use to you until you pay trainers to make you better. Go major, or go elsewhere.) : If you're a spellcaster, you can take a pass on this skill. If you're a thief-type, and wear light armor this skill's value is debatable. But if you wear medium or heavy armor this is probably a good skill to take. It can cost a hell of a lot to repair pricey armor after it takes a beating, and since Armorer is associated with Strength, training it means you're exercising that stat (which you're going to want if you wear the heavier armor types). But even if you deck out in heavy armor, I would still only put this in as a minor skill. : The bastard stepchild of heavy and light armor types, medium mostly benefits from being ridiculously friggin' common. Bonemold armor (a decent medium armor) is worn by all Dunmer guards, and you can find it for sale in practically every town, and laying around all over Vvardenfell. However, its protective value is not exceptionally higher than light armor, and on average it weighs only slightly less than your average heavy armor, so the value of this skill is debatable. I'd probably only recommend taking this skill if you want to be a warrior, but don't plan on focusing on your strength attribute (like a fighter/spellcaster mix). : The best protection in the game, the highest enchantment value, and it weighs a ton. High-end cuirasses weigh around 90lbs - whole suits chime in at several hundred pounds easily. However, by the time you find this kind of gear you'll be more than strong enough to schlep it around. If you're going to be a fighter, this is the armor type you should take, and like any armor choice, it should be a major skill. : One of the two most important story weapons you'll find in this game is a blunt object, but don't let that influence your decision. Blunt weapons have their place, being neither great nor useless. They're one-handed, and do respectable damage, but aren't exceptionally common throughout the game. : By and large, this is your first choice for a weapon skill. There are a wide variety of weapon types that fall under the long blade category (both one and two-handed), and they're probably the second-most common weapon in the game (after short blades). Unless you have some burning desire to take a specific weapon type, I'd recommend putting this into a minor skill slot. : Axes are slightly more common than blunt weapons, but in my opinion slightly less useful. If you're playing an Orc or Nord you might want to use axes only to capitalize on their racial skill bonuses. : Why the hell would anyone use a spear? It's two-handed, so no shields (so no blocking, and lower overall character armor rating). They have no versatility in their attacking (thrust, thrust, thrust, repeat), and they are fairly uncommon and underpowered in damage delivery. And none of the high-end magical weapons are spears (excepting one gift you can pick up in the Mournhold expansion, and even that one isn't much to write home about). Maybe fanatical Argonians will play with spears, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else try. : This skill determines how fast and efficiently you run, walk and swim, which means it's a pretty fundamental skill. Most FAQs will suggest you not pick this skill as a major or minor skill because of how easily it raises. But then, most FAQs suggest you tie a rubber band around your controller and leave it on for several hours to cheaply raise this skill without effort, so there you go. Personally, I think this skill makes a good choice for a minor slot (don't waste a major pick) if you've got the room, and don't have anything else you want. *Magic Arts* : If you want to blow crap up, this is the skill for you. There are a variety of other effects (weapon and armor corrosion, fatigue draining, and damage vulnerability) that are encompassed within this skill, but at its heart this skill is about collateral damage. If you intend to be a straight mage, or battlemage combo, then this is a skill you should take (and place it in a major slot). If you don't intend to be a spellcaster, then this is probably not going to be a useful skill for you. Some Dunmer players will take it for their fighter or thief types and use it in place of Marksman (since they get a +10 racial skill bonus to Destruction), but it won't see much use later on when you have more powerful weapons you're better trained in using. : This is a great skill for people who want a little magic for their character. Including such valuable (and needed) spells as Open, Water Breathing, Water Walking, Levitate, and Shield, this skill gives characters a wide selection of spells that offer effects often used in the game. Straight mages can benefit from this skill as well, although they will probably take Enchant instead, and craft these effects into items. Alteration also trains Willpower, an attribute that most fighter or thief skills don't train (but is valuable nonetheless). : This skill can either be critical or useless, depending on how you play. In addition to the expected Invisibility, Chameleon and Paralyze spells this class offers, it also includes defense and charm spells. While these are all useful effects, they generally duplicate skills a character might have otherwise taken. A high personality and Speechcraft negate a need for charm magic, while a good rating in Sneak makes Chameleon less useful. Paralyze, of course, is better suited to weapons than straight spells. Generally I would restrict Illusion to people planning to play straight mage-types, as they will benefit most from the variety of protective and interactive magic this skill offers. Other character types will have much less use for the effects this skill offers. : This skill offers four effects: Turning Undead (useless - kill them instead), Summon Creature (summoned creatures are generally stupid and useless, with badly designed A.I.s), Command (might have its uses), and Bound Item. Only the last effect has any real value in my opinion, and even then is most useful for a mage who wants to permanently enchant himself some weightless Daedric equipment. Normal fighter and thief types can find and use better gear than this spell can summon - with one exception. If you're a Marksman, purchase Bound Longbow (buy it at the Balmora Mage Guild from the Guild Guide), and get it enchanted into an item. Good magical bows are very, very uncommon, and the longbow summoned by this effect is as good as any you'll find. You'll have a weightless, powerful bow at your disposal (that will fortify your skill 10 points), and all you'll have to do is supply the arrows. : Like Alteration, this skill offers spells representing several highly-used effects, such as Mark & Recall, the two Intervention spells, Telekinesis, and Soul Trap. I find this skill to be slightly more useful than Alteration only because many of the Alteration effects I like to use are better as enchantments than spells, whereas all of the spells in this group make better spells than enchantments. If you're only planning to take one spell skill, than I suggest you make it this one, and place it in a major slot (to reduce spell costs and increase successful casting probability). : This skill, to me, is a tricky one. Most, if not all of the spells in this group (healing, poison and disease removal, attribute restoring) are extremely handy and valuable effects to have access to. However, you can readily buy potions that duplicate all of these effects (like you can for most any other skill), and these potions are very common, inexpensive, and easy to come by. In addition, when you're neck-deep in combat, taking the time to switch to a healing spell usually means death, whereas with a potion you simply pause, and activate it from the item menu. Healing magic is critical to survival in this game, but I personally feel you can get access to that healing more efficiently with Alchemy (or just buying potions and scrolls outright). : Great to have, damn near impossible to train. Even if you don't intend to craft your own magic items in this game (and it's not usually worth it, as the really cool items you want are generally too difficult for an Enchant skill of less than 80-90) this skill has other uses. In addition to enchanting it also makes you a more efficient user of charged items, which means you squeeze more power from a given item. Also, it makes you better at recharging items from a Soul Gem (the only way to do so other than waiting for charges to come back naturally). I generally toss this skill in a minor skill slot, and only leave it out if I desperately need room for something else. Believe me, when your favorite health-draining magic weapon runs dry in Ghostgate, you're going to wish you were good enough to suck a few more charges out of it. : Like Enchant, only much easier to train. This skill is exercised merely by eating potion ingredients, as well as making the potions themselves. If you decide to take no other magical skills I would suggest you at least take this one, since potions can duplicate the effects of practically every other spell available (including some that have no business being potions, like Mark and Recall). Ingredients for most potions are so common they literally grow on the trees in this game, although materials for the more esoteric effects are slightly harder to find. (Daedra Hearts don't, unfortunately, grow on trees.) Later on, when you're shamefully wealthy you may just decide to buy your potions rather than home-grow them, but even at that certain potions are actually easier to make than track down and buy (good restore magicka potions, for example, are hard to locate). : Unless you're a beast race, I can't imagine why you'd take this over another armor skill. The benefit of this skill at high levels does not negate the actual superior protection of wearing even light armor, and even mages are better served donning something other than robes. Still, I guess if you're going for a monkish "walks-the-Earth-like-Kain-in-Kung-Fu" type, then this would the skill for you. *Stealth Arts* : I'm hard-pressed to find a reason not to take this skill. Sure, you could just enchant a 100 point Open spell on an amulet and let the magic do the talking, or carry Ondusi's Unhinging and Ekash's Locksplitter scrolls around with you, but just taking Security is a heck of a lot more efficient. Scrolls run out, enchantments run dry, magicka depletes. But lockpicks are cheap, carry 25 "charges" each, and most locks in the game have less than a score of 50, which means with even a little practice (or a good pick) you'll pop through 70% of the locks in this game without even trying. If you do take this skill, I suggest putting it in a major slot, to ensure you have a much better chance at picking locks right from the get-go. : Useful if you want to pick people's pockets (which really isn't as easy to succeed at as it should be), or sneak around without being seen. This is one of those few instances where I actually think a spell works better than a skill. I played a thief and still never used this skill much - it doesn't train very rapidly (it doesn't train just by going into "sneak mode"; you have to be actively moving around and near someone who could possibly see you), I never had much cause to pick people's pockets, and if I absolutely had to sneak by someone, I used Invisibility (or more commonly) Chameleon. : Like Athletics, this skill helps determine how you move; in this case, vertically rather than horizontally. High levels in this skill make for some pretty spectacular leaps and falls, and many people find they move faster jumping than they do walking. Unlike Athletics, however, I don't normally recommend giving this skill a skill slot, simply because it actually trains faster than Athletics (even though you spend more time walking than jumping), and I feel that Athletics needs the bigger initial point boost. For thief types, however, this is a useful skill to have (for jumping from roof to roof, escaping danger, and reaching items in high places), and they alone might want to give it a minor skill slot (in place of Athletics). : More common that either of the other two armor types, Light Armor is also the weakest, cheapest, and has the least enchantment points. However, one of the best cuirasses in the game is Light Armor, and Stealth or Magic focused players will find Light Armor best suited to their style of play. More combat-oriented players should go for heavier armor; otherwise, Light Armor is a solid skill to pick. Light Armor does have one additional downside; unlike Medium and Heavy Armor types there is really only one kind of Light Armor that is worth having, and that is Glass armor. Most of the other more commonly found Light Armor types are useless after the earliest stages of the game. Luckily, Glass armor isn't impossible to find, and it enchants well. : Easily the most common weapon in the game, and also the weapon type of the other legendary weapon you find in the end game. Short Blade is probably the best weapon choice after Long Blade, and Stealth types should pick this and never look back. : Marksman weapons are a mixed bag; on the one hand, they give you an option for distance attacking, but on the other hand they aren't very powerful, and bows attack fairly slowly. Still, there are times when a tough opponent is best killed by someone standing very high up and out of reach, and generally you can carry much more ammo for a bow than magicka for an attack spell. : Many FAQs suggest taking a pass on this skill, but I disagree. Money makes the world go 'round, and people with high scores in this skill are masters at getting the best bang for their buck. It's just not possible to go through this game without at some point shopping, and a high Mercantile skill gives you the ability to buy low and sell high. No character in this game will avoid dealing with merchants, and therefore no player should pass on this skill. (Unless you like getting ripped off, in which case please email me - I have prime real estate in Iraq to sell you.) : Another skill that people debate over, I also suggest players consider including this skill in their skill set. There are many times in the game you will need people to like you enough to divulge a secret, and this skill makes getting people to like you much easier. Granted, you could just bribe the hell out of someone until their disposition is high enough, but this skill makes that cost you tens of gold, not thousands (and with successful "admire" attempts, it can cost you nothing). Unless you really want to focus exclusively on beating things up, toss this skill in a major or minor skill slot. : I never use this skill, so I can't really comment on its use. It does have the one benefit of being about to incapacitate someone without killing them, but I have rarely (if ever) seen the need to do this. Taking a swing at someone is still a crime, whether you do it with a fist or a sword, and if someone hits you first you can kill them without repercussion. Plus, knocking someone out via fists takes forever, and you're sure as heck not going to be using this against monsters. I don't see any real use for this skill. 6. Final Thoughts on Character Creation *************************************** So far, I've tried to maintain a fairly balanced opinion on creating a character. I've based skills on their (in my estimate) relative use, and tried to maintain a perspective of "all types of characters have value". Now, however, I'm going to be damned blunt about what I think, what I've seen work, and what I've seen fail. A) Forget combat magic. This game is not very magic friendly, at least as far as combat magic is concerned. The most powerful spell you could build (and successfully cast) is not really equal to the most powerful weapon you could haul around and swing. In addition, casting spells drains Magicka, whereas swinging weapons only drains Fatigue. Weapons drain very little Fatigue, and you are likely to have two or three times as much Fatigue as you are Magicka. Also, casting magic is slow, prevents the use of a shield, and can be reflected, absorbed, or ablated by spell shields, whereas weapons can only be blocked (and not usually with 100% effectiveness, like spells). Your main method of attack in this game should be with a weapon, relegating magic to a secondary role as a ranged weapon or support magic. Personally, if I know I'm going to need a magical attack effect, I just buy a few scrolls or enchant an item, and leave it at that. B) Just take Long Blade. You want to. Bethesda wants you to. All of the best weapons in this game are long blades almost to a fault, and you can find very powerful long blades long, long before you can find even halfway decent weapons of any other variety (save short blades). Only thief types should consider another weapon type (not that they have to), and for them the best choice is Short Blade (because of their specialization bonus). C) You need social skills, you maladjusted little twerp. If you're just planning on building an ass-kicking warrior with all combat skills, and don't intend to talk much to the natives, then why the hell are you playing Morrowind? Go play a first-person shooter or D&D emulator. The heart of this games lies not only in exploration of the massive world, but in interacting with the many characters within it. Skills like Mercantile and Speechcraft, along with a strong Personality score make doing the latter much, much easier. Otherwise, be prepared to shell out 1000 gold bribes just to get people to tell you the time of day. D) Beast races walk funny. This isn't really a character creation rule, merely an observation. Khajiit are cat-like, so wouldn't you presume they should move with grace and nimbleness? They waddle, people. They freakin' waddle! When they walk they lean side to side to compensate for their goofy, huge-looking feet. That's just sad. E) Go Heavy or go home. Medium Armor just doesn't have much going for it. Generally, if you're not planning on fighting much Light Armor is the better choice, but if you plan on fighting a lot (and you WILL be fighting a lot), you'll certainly have the Strength to wear Heavy Armor. Granted, a full suit of Ebony Armor can weigh in at about 250lbs, but my 46th level Thiefly type has an adjusted Strength attribute of about 125, which grants him a carrying capacity of 590lbs. Plus, practically all of the best armor pieces (Oren Bearclaw's helm, Masque of Clavicus Vile, Fists of Radagalf, Dragonbane Cuirass, etc) are from the heavy category. Heavy Armor is like Long Blade - even if you don't start out using it, you'll end up training in it before you're done. So start early. F) If I had to lay down what I thought would be the character best suited to dealing with as many different choices as you get faced with in this game, I would make someone that looked like this: Race: Dark Elf or Imperial Class: Adventurer Specialization: Stealth Favored Attributes: Strength and Luck Star Sign: The Atronach Major Skills Minor Skills Block Armorer Heavy Armor Athletics Marksman Long Blade Mysticism Mercantile Security Speechcraft A good mix of Combat and Stealth skills with Mysticism thrown in, the Adventurer should have no problem with practically anything he or she will face in Vvardenfell. Were I to make this class I would be sure to train (via trainers) my Enchant skill up whenever I had the money to do so: it's not really worth using in a skill slot (because you won't use it very often), but you'll still want it at a respectable level to help reduce charge usage in magic items, and to increase recharge amounts from soul gems. Ultimately, the best advice I can give you (on top of all the other crap I just dished), is to look at what Bethesda built right into the game. Morrowind is ultimately a story about two races: the Dark Elves native to Vvardenfell, and the Imperials who have conquered it. Everyone else is basically window dressing. So, that being the case, the two races of Dark Elf and Imperial are probably best suited to playing this game. (Not the only races, merely the best in my opinion.) And even if you don't choose to play either of those races, look at the skills they have been given bonuses in: Long Blade, Destruction, Light Armor, Athletics, Mysticism, Marksman, Shortblade, Speechcraft, Mercantile, Blunt Weapon and Hand to Hand. Tossing out a few (Blunt and HtH), you can see many of the skills that you will be using over and over again throughout the game. Let that serve as a suggestion guide when you're building the character you intend to play. 7. A Few Good (and mostly painless) Ways To Make Easy Money So the character's done and you're standing in a room with two Imperials, and nothing in your pockets except lint. Out there in that big world there are many, many things you are going to want to buy. This will require money, and right now you have less disposable income than an Enron janitor. Unfortunately for you, most of the best ways to get lots of money involve a significant chance of you dying, and there's no profit in that. Fortunately for you, there are many opportunities to earn painless cash that take nothing more than a small amount of patience, and an even smaller amount of luck. Here are a few below. (Note that I have excluded anything that might actually endanger your character, anything related to quests, or items you find placed out in the wilderness. What I list is things you can find in towns, and require little if no personal danger. Perfect for beginning characters.) First, a (very) quick primer on thievery. Very simply - if you're caught, not only do you have to pay in gold the face value of the stolen goods, you lose *everything* in your possession that you've ever stolen. Therefore, if you are about to get caught by a guard, it would be in your best interest to make sure that there is nothing on your person they might want to reclaim. Make sure you immediately sell off stolen goods, or drop them when you're attempting thievery. A second note on thievery: unfortunately, the game seems to have a bit of a glitch in that once you have stolen a given item type (examples: iron cuirass, glass longsword), the game seems to forevermore assume that *any* of that item type you are carrying is stolen. You could sell that item, and then buy a completely different one in a new town from a new person, and yet if you're caught by a guard for anything, he'll take that item away from you. So just be sure that the majority of the things you steal are for the sake of cash only, and just buy (or win in combat) the items you intend to regularly use. Or just don't get caught. And now, the easy money: A) "Oops! I'm Sorry Officer, That Platter Must Have Fallen Into My Pocket By Mistake": The first place you'll want to look for money is right in the room you're in. To your immediate right, on a bookshelf to the left of the fireplace is a Limeware Platter. This is worth 650 gold, and is easily stolen. However, it does take a small amount of deftness. As soon as you pick it up, enter your inventory screen ("B" button on the Xbox) and drop it to the ground. After the guard chastises you, pick it up off the ground and it's yours. B) "How Nice Of Them To Put Everything Worth Stealing in One Room": As you move through the Census office, you'll notice that there are a plethora of items just laying about. Leave them laying there for now, and head through the door into the next room, where you'll meet yet another smarmy Imperial. On the shelf behind the Imperial (roughly at eye level on the far right side of the bookshelf to his left) is a small key called the "warehouse key". This key opens the building right outside the one you are currently in, and has several thousand gold worth of plunder just waiting for your greedy mitts to thieve. However - be warned! The Imperial is *very* close to that key, and if you're not quick he'll catch you and confiscate it. And since you can't save yet you only get one chance at grabbing and dropping it. I suggest you drop your Limeware Platter (and anything else you've stolen) before you try for it. If you do steal it, it opens the warehouse right across from the Census office. All of the crates and barrels inside the warehouse are on the left side. Happy looting. C) The Sword of White Whoa!": Before you're finished in Seyda Neen you'll probably (if you ransacked the warehouse) have a bunch of Moon Sugar and Skooma that Arille won't touch. Don't worry, Ajira at the Balmora Mage's Guild will happily buy it all. Eventually you have to head there anyway, so why not pay her a visit? And while you're there, check out the East Guard Tower, second floor. On top of the closet is an excellent long blade worth 17000 gold. Way too much to sell off now, but a good weapon to hang on to and use if you're the Long Blade type. Also in that closet is a set of Bonemold armor just asking to be pilfered. The key to getting this stuff (if you don't just use telekinesis), is to creep slowly forward in Stealth mode until you can open the closet, but before the guard sees you. This is easy to do (I've done it with a 5 in my Stealth skill). D) "A Real Fix-It Deal": In Suron the Pawnbroker is selling a Glass Dagger (normally retails at 4,000 gold) for less than 25 gold. Why? Because its Condition rating is non-existant (items at their full Condition sell for more than damaged items). Buy this blade, then buy a few hammers from the smith next door (or just pay him to fix it, but that's lazy and wasteful, especially if you have the Armorer skill). Use the hammers to repair it and bingo! You've turned 25 gold into 4000. If you're *really* cheap, join the Fighter's Guild in Balmora and just take repair hammers out of their community equipment chest. E) "Redoran Garage Sale": In both Ald'ruhn and Maar Gan there are guard towers, easily recognized as being long, phallic spikes poking high into the air. There are two in Ald'ruhn (by the entrance to town, just to the right of the Silt Strider), and three in Maar Gan (around the temple). Inside these two-floor buildings are one restless guard and many crates. These crates usually have randomly placed alchemical supplies and weapons, but *every* tower has at least one set of Bonemold armor. Considering that Bonemold suits retail for around 1200-1500 gold each (modified by your Personality and Mercantile skill), that's a nice wad of dough. The trick to getting these things is pathetically simple: the guard wanders around constantly. Click into Stealth mode, and the icon will activate when the guard is not in your line of sight. Position yourself next to a crate you want to loot, and when you see the icon, steal like a bandit. There are armorers in both towns that have plenty of money to buy these suits off you (and thoughtfully won't alert the guards you've stolen from them). F) "Sure, I'll House-Sit For You, Mr. Tax-Fattened Noble": For a steady supply of small income items (10-100 gold stuff) pay visits to peoples' houses, particularly the noble houses in Balmora, Ald'ruhn and Vivec. These people tend to have unlocked closets and drawers with expensive clothing and jewelry in them. And oftentimes, those people aren't even in the same room as their stuff. G) "Caldera Meth Lab": In the Caldera Mages Guild there is a door on the first floor behind the Bosmer merchant. Inside are many crates filled with loot. Even better, up the stairs there is a complete set of Master's Alchemy equipment. Best of all, there's no one in the tower to notice you liberating it. If you're an Alchemist, this is the second-best set of equipment you could own. If you're a scummy-criminal, the Alchemist in Balmora will gladly pay you several thousand gold for these items. Note of Warning: don't try to sell this stuff to the Bosmer in Caldera. It's his. H) "Leading a Better Life By Stealing Office Supplies": By joining the Mage's and Fighter's Guilds you gain access to their community equipment chests. Inside are various valuables you can take and resell. They eventually restock as well, and there are three "branch offices" for each guild (Balmora, Ald'ruhn and Vivec), so visit often. 8. Contact Information & Disclaimer *********************************** My email address is dao_jones@hotmail.com. At least, that's the one I'm giving you. Be sure to mention the Morrowind FAQ in the email header, since that account gets a lot of spam. I can't imagine a reason anyone would want to contact me, but if you have a burning need - there you go. Suggestions are welcome, but I probably won't add them to the FAQ unless I incorrectly stated something, and I need to correct it. Submitted opinions on skills or races, etc won't be included here (go write your own damn FAQ). Flames (why would anyone flame a FAQ writer?) will be lightly skimmed, and dismissed as the pathetic ranting of an undersexed teenage mongoloid. I've been online for over a decade - I've flamed with the best of them, and I've seen it all. Now, here's my disclaimer: nothing mentioned in this FAQ is a trademark challenge to the rightful owner of anything contained within the game, any other FAQ, or the universe at large. As far as *this* FAQ is concerned - do what you want with it. Read it, use it, include it into your own FAQ, cut it, paste it, publish it in a book and make a mint - I don't care. I'm not selling trade secrets here, and if you can get rich publishing my opinions and game suggestions, then more power to you. However, if you do decide to reuse, reprint or redistribute this humble little game guide, I would appreciate it if you emailed me to let me know - that way I can gloat about my 1337 FAQ-writing skillz, and mock all of you non-FAQ writin' peons as being inferior to me. Well, maybe not for that reason. But I would feel pretty pleased if someone decided the stuff I hammered out here merited inclusion or posting anywhere other than in my own head. Thanks.