Dynamic Skills

==================================================== Dynamic Skills -- by Prometheos ==================================================== 1. The Concept: ==================================================== One of the strongest features of Oblivion is that it\'s a \'Role Playing Game.\' Most of the criticisms leveled at the designers of this masterpiece, is that they weakened the leveling system to appeal to the \'game-console\' user. Dynamic Skills attempts to address this weakness by introducing a fundamentally new concept, which is designed to reinforce the role-playing aspect of the leveling system. By installing Dynamic Skills, you allow your neglected skills to depreciate over time. By allowing Skills and Attributes to be fluid, a truer form of role-playing may be experienced. The adventurer, who uses shield and blade without guile or deception, over several game weeks, will soon discover that his sneak skill has eroded. The mage, who trains his destruction skills by flaming mud-crabs for several days, may notice his blade skill has become a bit rusty. ==================================================== 2. The Design: ==================================================== I modeled the depreciating skill concept from my own real life experience. Physical skills which are not practised simply fade away, as anyone who has played a competative sport will attest. Mental skills, although they are slower to fade, are also subject to loss. Oblivion skills fall neatly into the two main categories of \'mind\' and \'body\'. To state the obvious, Intelligence, Personality, and Willpower are mental attributes, and Agility, Endurance, Speed, and Strength are physical attributes. The skills associated with these attributes, may be further divided into 4 Tiers. Tier 1 represents skills which are easiest to lose and require more attention to keep them from falling. Physical skills such as Blade, Blunt and Hand to Hand, need practice. This is seen throughout Cyrodiil, as swordsmen, hammermen, and pugilists, practice their skills daily. Tier 2 physical skills, represented by Armorer, Block and Marksman, take longer to fade but still require maintenance. Tier 3 physical skills are Acrobatics, Athletics, and Sneak, which last a bit longer and represent a fine degree of physical fitness. Finally, the Tier 4 physical skills are Heavy Armor and Light Armor, which are passive skills and the longest lasting. Tier 1 mental skills are Illusion and Alteration. To be an effective stage illusionist requires much practice. The Tier 2 mental skills of Conjuration, Destruction and Mysticism, and the Tier 3 skills of Restoration and Alchemy, represent knowledge that isn\'t as easy to lose. The Tier 4 skills of Mercantile and Speechcraft, are skills which I\'ve deemed to be the easiest to maintain. ==================================================== 3. The Mechanics: ==================================================== 3. 1