How do you play with no magic?

[Myst42]

Just simple question. How do you do it if you do it at all?

 

I've felt the need to try, but that fucking healing spell is right there, then other quests ask you to go to mage school and they give you more spells, and every time you level up, that blue mana bar is tempting you to raise it because otherwise, you're not using it.

 

I wanted to use potions and try an immersive warrior build, but it's always easier to use restoration spells than going to the grocery store to buy potions i wont use anyway because mana

Most low level potions you find on dungeons are crap during the first levels, and you don't get decent heal until you start finding those that heal completely.

 

Does your willpower help?

Can you really resist the temptation of using restoration after a fight and potions instead, even though they ran out and you have to buy more every time because you can't find enough good ones or wait till you find an alchemy lab?

[spoonsinger]

This->>>????

 

 

 https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/40410/?tab=1&navtag=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmoddescription%2F%3Fid%3D40410%26preview%3D&pUp=1

 

 

 

[Reila]

I don't know what to tell you, just don't learn spells and don't invest any points in Magicka. If the starting spells bother you, there are mods to remove them. 

I never play with magic because I find magic boring.  Plus, switching spells all the time is a pain. 

Just stock up on potions or avoid taking hits and you'll be fine. 

[myuhinny]

I usually play a arrow flinger that runs around shooting unsuspecting people in their ass cheeks and usually never get close to most enemies.

[Sagebrush61]

My characters all make their own healing potions, never buy any so it's easy to never use magic.  I do put some points into alchemy to make stronger potions. I have to catch a lot of Monarch butterflies until I have a Hearthfire home, then I grow wheat and blisterwort and Swamp fungal pod and Juniper berries.  You don't have to enter the college of Winterhold to do the main quest. Just head straight north from Winterhold and talk to the crazy guy.  If you can't resist casting spells that's on the player, the game is perfectly doable without magic.

[karlpaws]

I usually play a arrow flinger that runs around shooting unsuspecting people in their ass cheeks and usually never get close to most enemies.

 

I take the stealth route as well, along with a variety of Sexlab mods for persuasion and alternate means of completing quests. Alchemy mods / herb mods (I use CACO's group) help with the power and usefulness of potions. Nothing like a sneak attack lingering poison or frenzy to really even your chances.

 

My characters all make their own healing potions, never buy any so it's easy to never use magic.  I do put some points into alchemy to make stronger potions. I have to catch a lot of Monarch butterflies until I have a Hearthfire home, then I grow wheat and blisterwort and Swamp fungal pod and Juniper berries.  You don't have to enter the college of Winterhold to do the main quest. Just head straight north from Winterhold and talk to the crazy guy.  If you can't resist casting spells that's on the player, the game is perfectly doable without magic.

 

Depending on which mods you use and how they affect the distribution of herbs, you can collect a lot more herbs than usual from plants negating the need for Hearthfire planters. A lot of other house mods also include them so you could role play and work your way up from small town houses with a planter or 3 into a full farm of your own. Many people also comment about gold being quite plentiful (depending on your mod adjustments for carry capacity, weight, item price and such) and other overhauls can add new herbs for armor fortify skills or such.

 

To the OP a lot of what you're asking will depend on what mods you have or are willing to try and how you want to handle your character build.  If you're eliminating magic, do you plan a full might build or would you use stealth instead? A lot of games, and I think including this one, will use a hybrid approach. Full up ebony warrior might work but you may find a cleric type might/magic build more fun.

 

The other thing you can play with for out of combat / post fight healing are food mods. They tend not to provide the instant health that potions do however so they're potentially not as useful mid dungeon.

[afa]

Alchemy to make potion yourself. Enchant resist, health, and regen. Smith for armor

Magicka is a bad investment anyways even for magic build since stacking enchantment can eliminate cost, raw magicka seem to be never be enough having to split between health.

[Myst42]

Now that I read some opinions I think I'll use that no starting spells mod

The "healing" base spell is too much of temptation since it's way easier using it right there than really stacking potions or buying them previously... it's a CBA matter with loading screens in between. One thing leads to another, first, I'm thinking I'm gonna heal just this once and buy potions later, in no time, I'm leveling up restoration and a couple of days later Im going to buy the grand heal party heal spell from that college lady.

 

Though also reading some of these things, I can't believe how some of you people talk like magic is useless or something

My main and her "absolute power" lighning spells seem to disagree since no enemies get anywhere near her without getting zapped... that is when I choose to use magic since I made her a multi talented assassin. My necro girl also disagrees but she just sits back there and lets her undead minions do all the work

I even have a male paladin but he's a healing tank... heavy armor, Dawnguard restoration damaging and lots of heal plus his tanking armor and sword and shield... it just works.

I was thinking of leveling up 2 different more but this time, no magic for real so...

First is a thief and second is just a boring warrior, but the no heal spells was gonna be the real challenge for these 2.

 

 

[thesteve812]

Less or No Magic Mod

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/57337/?

 

I don't like how just anyone would have access to magic. I usually play stealthy. Get potions from the dead or make my own.

 

[Pauduan]

The speed runs all use waiting/resting/fast travel to heal. During combat, you have to be a bit more prepared though, either one-shotting with high archery skill or running away a lot. 

 

I'm lazy now and prefer to glitch the game (think hunting bow with 78k damage, and a Ebony dagger that can one-shot Alduin at L110, yes, I did that too). But before I discovered mods, my gameplay was far more creative.

[cantdownload22]

take my advice,make your game so hard,that you can't win high level fights,for example a fight against a vampire nightlord,unless you have to use both potions and restoration,basically when i fight someone who's not an absolute noob,i usually end up using both healing potions,restoration,and magic potions,if u get the game to be that difficult,then its more fun,because who said warriors shouldn't be able to use restoration ? and if ur into a darker style character,like the polar opposite point of a paladin like i am,then there are spell mods that add restoration spells for the dark side,like red vampiric restoration spells and stuff,

eighter way,the game is waaaaay more fun when all of it is utulized,i dont understand why you want to limit urself to a bleak generic hack and slash playthrough,i would much rather expand my horizon than try to limit it,hell which one is cooler,a paladin,or a generic mercenary?

[Reila]

In my opinion, the mercenary. 

A mercenary just fits better into Skyrim's setting.  How many paladins do you see walking around? The closest thing would be the Vigilants of Stendarr, but the player never joins their faction, and their HQ gets destroyed.  Paladins exist in the TES universe, but it kind of breaks my suspension of belief playing one in Skyrim.  

Not to mention, Paladins are always super restrictive from a roleplay perspective, since they have a strict code to adhere to. 

If I were to combine magic and melee, I'd go for a spellsword or nightblade instead. 

---

My biggest reason for never using magic is because it creates a lot of plotholes. All these scenarios pop up where you should be able to use your magic to interact with your environment or solve problems, yet you can't because of gameplay mechanics.

For instance, you are cold and may freeze to death.  But you have a flames spell because reasons.  Yet you can't use it to ignite your surroundings or keep yourself warm or use it for cooking.

Or let's say you're tied up. You have 200 different ways to break free using magic, but you can't because gameplay mechanics.

And let's say you were actually able to use magic to solve your problems and interact with the environment.  Then the game is suddenly too easy because you can solve every problem with magic.  It's impossible to balance it, and it opens the door for lazy writing. 

[Myst42]

take my advice,make your game so hard,that you can't win high level fights,for example a fight against a vampire nightlord,unless you have to use both potions and restoration,basically when i fight someone who's not an absolute noob,i usually end up using both healing potions,restoration,and magic potions,if u get the game to be that difficult,then its more fun,because who said warriors shouldn't be able to use restoration ? and if ur into a darker style character,like the polar opposite point of a paladin like i am,then there are spell mods that add restoration spells for the dark side,like red vampiric restoration spells and stuff,

eighter way,the game is waaaaay more fun when all of it is utulized,i dont understand why you want to limit urself to a bleak generic hack and slash playthrough,i would much rather expand my horizon than try to limit it,hell which one is cooler,a paladin,or a generic mercenary?

Well, to each, their own.

I get you don't like paladins and find em boring, but I AM on the other side of the spectrum

From the sounds of it, you like morally ambiguous mercenaries and I can respect that

Me, I like more pure characters.

And my absolute freedom is played with my main. I think I mentioned she's an asassin, so blades and bows, but she's also a mage, so heal and lightning (technically a spellsword?). The way I made her, I can't play in ane difficulty lever lower than the maximum, however...

At changing characters, it is precisely the limitations what makes it challenging. So yeah, bleak generic hack and slash is hard for me.

My magic using paladin is also something I like precisely bacause there are no paladins. Everyone is an edgy double faced traitor and I prefer something pure, it's not even about restrictions in code, it's about the intention to do good. But he's not the character in question.

Your description sounds interesting though, I like to try all in terms of character build. So... a "death knight" maybe?

 

My biggest reason for never using magic is because it creates a lot of plotholes. All these scenarios pop up where you should be able to use your magic to interact with your environment or solve problems, yet you can't because of gameplay mechanics.

And yeah, this is also true. Like that time you get sent to cidhna mine... "Noooo nooone escapes cidhna mine!!"

A few fried spiders and automatons later you're free

And why the hell would you need a shiv when you can toast anyone?

[yatol]

And let's say you were actually able to use magic to solve your problems and interact with the environment.  Then the game is suddenly too easy because you can solve every problem with magic.  It's impossible to balance it, and it opens the door for lazy writing. 

 

magic is magic, it's stupid to try to apply commen sense

but if you wanna try

 

when you are put to jail, the prisoner rags you got have an object effect that reduce your mana to 20% and magic damage to 40%

if you escape jail, you have to find a thief or mage that know the spell to remove those prisoner rags you can't unequip

 

for your frostfall problems, to the thing that damage your health if you glagla too much, you add player.addactiveeffect frostfallmage

 

active effect frostfallmage

disable spellcasting

description you glagla too much to cast spells properly

 

you wake up, astrid whine you did her job, you get up, fus do rah her and cast a fireball with your attached hands to get free

you aren't free, you have just burn your hands much more than the rope around them

frost won't help much either, summoning a dremora to untie you is a bad idea, casting healing spell on the rope do nothing

why don't you transform to werewolf, to check if it's the rope that break or your hands

 

you get ambush by the rabbit from don't remember

you don't stand a chance and you can't outrun him

you cast a spell to levitate out of there

the rabbit levitate with you and finish you off

 

 

 

 

[Bragh]

When I played vanilla I just went with heavy armor, smithing, enchanting, and dual-wielding the most badass one-handed weapons I could get my mitts on or make.  With enough health levels, enchantments, and a stint into stealth you become untouchable to even dragons.  By then, the only things that can even challenge you are dragon priests and even then you can charge them and wreck them with dual-wield power attacks, popping a potion or two if you need to.

[Mud]

I don't really mind having that magic. Unless you're roleplaying as a Nordic son of Skyrim, chances are your character doesn't have any particular aversion to magic. If that's the case, it's not too outlandish that you were taught basic magic growing up, or learned it for the purpose of travelling in the wilds - the spells you already know are, after all, a standard fire spell useful for lighting campfires and a basic healing spell for patching up minor wounds.

[Jexsam]

I just ignore it.

[Lodakai]

Just use a mod or edit your race file so that magic regeneration is always 0

Then magic no longer becomes a tool for everything, but rather just a supportive tool.

[cantdownload22]

Just use a mod or edit your race file so that magic regeneration is always 0

Then magic no longer becomes a tool for everything, but rather just a supportive tool.

LOL,thats the smartest thing anyone'(myself included) said on this thread

but i think it would be much more ''realsitic-esce'' if ''Magic,had a cost'' like u know,there was a mod,where u used magic and bad things happend,like u had a chance of being impared for a set amount of time,like an event u know,where u black out and shit.

or maybe where u got cancer from it,like radiation and shit,u know,like...Enderal xD.

or maybe if ''skyrim unbound'' allowed u to set ur magic affinity  like it allows u to choose if ur dragonborn or not , now wouldn't that be sth?

[Mud]

That's... pretty much what happens when untrained mages try to use magic beyond their ability in TES. Folks like those missing mages from the college who immolated themselves or were devoured by their thralls. Who would use magic if even trained mages ran the risk of blowing themselves up casting a beginner-level fire spell?

[Darkpig]

I always found it silly that mages can fireball me at pointblank range without blowing themselves up. Are there any lore buffs that can explain why that is the case?

[karlpaws]

That's... pretty much what happens when untrained mages try to use magic beyond their ability in TES. Folks like those missing mages from the college who immolated themselves or were devoured by their thralls. Who would use magic if even trained mages ran the risk of blowing themselves up casting a beginner-level fire spell?

 

In conjuration this is very much a thing. Summon something too powerful to control and it'll turn on you.  I think that's what's going on with the various "witch vs fire elemental" random wilderness encounters you can come across. On the other hand, they were able to control the spell, and were able to summon the daedra. Trying to summon a fire spell that you can't manage sometimes just means the spell fizzles and nothing happens. In other systems the feedback of the magic you couldn't control and channel into the spell sometimes blasts you, but that'll leave a more arcane mark then poor Ysra burned to a crisp.

 

I think part of the problem Nords in particular have with magic is that a single warrior won't blow up a city... while they think magic could. Many are not capable of being mages or understand how magic works and people tend to fear, distrust or avoid things they do not understand.

 

I always found it silly that mages can fireball me at pointblank range without blowing themselves up. Are there any lore buffs that can explain why that is the case?

 

It was not a TES book (something by Mercedes Lacky, in her Elementals series), but one explanation is that when you cast a spell you imprint it with your control signature and also use that same sig in your warding. Thus spells would not be able to penetrate your own wards and opponent wizards are trying to break through with brute force instead of using the key. If someone was able to learn or imprint your key they could cast a spell directly at you and bypass your protections. This would also explain why you could, or could not, damage your friendlies. If you had enough power and control you could ward them against your own spells. You might not have enough to protect them against the opponent, but that's why they know how to dodge.

 

In the end, a lot of single player computer games are just not going to have self damage as an option when you have melee units getting close to casters. I don't think the vanilla game has a useful high damage targeted spell to use instead, so fireball is it.

[Darkpig]

 

I always found it silly that mages can fireball me at pointblank range without blowing themselves up. Are there any lore buffs that can explain why that is the case?

 

It was not a TES book (something by Mercedes Lacky, in her Elementals series), but one explanation is that when you cast a spell you imprint it with your control signature and also use that same sig in your warding. Thus spells would not be able to penetrate your own wards and opponent wizards are trying to break through with brute force instead of using the key. If someone was able to learn or imprint your key they could cast a spell directly at you and bypass your protections. This would also explain why you could, or could not, damage your friendlies. If you had enough power and control you could ward them against your own spells. You might not have enough to protect them against the opponent, but that's why they know how to dodge.

 

In the end, a lot of single player computer games are just not going to have self damage as an option when you have melee units getting close to casters. I don't think the vanilla game has a useful high damage targeted spell to use instead, so fireball is it.

 

 

Makes sense. I guess my only other issue is how mages don't always have wards up when casting spells.

 

 

[karlpaws]

 

 

when you cast a spell you imprint it with your control signature and also use that same sig in your warding. Thus spells would not be able to penetrate your own wards and opponent wizards are trying to break through with brute force instead of using the key.

 

Makes sense. I guess my only other issue is how mages don't always have wards up when casting spells.

 

I think the idea is that you have two kinds of wards. One protects you from your own magic and lets it flow around you. The other is the actual "ward" or "-skin" spell you can create with magic to protect yourself against outside damage.

 

[53army]

i never use magic in warrior/hunter playthrough,only shout and physical attack.The only times i use magic in non-mage playthroughis is my assassin, and i only use illusion calm/frenzy spell, nothing else