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Posted by: Lena_Wolf May 24 2021, 09:38 AM

What is your birthsign? How about your character's? Do you even use birthsigns? In Oblivion you have to choose one of course, but you can make a safe choice that doesn't do much, or you can be more adventurous and take on a curse. How about your followers? Oblivion NPCs don't have birthsigns, but of course you can add them. Skyrim doesn't have birthsigns - standing stones are not the same, you can no more change your birthsign as you can change your birthday. So there are mods to add birthsigns, and anyway it's easy to do yourself, even just through role play. So, do you? Declare yourselves!

I'll start.

Lena Wolf was born under the Apprentice, and she carries that in Skyrim as well (personal start mod). That's +100 magicka and 100% weakness to magic.

I give birthsigns to my companions as well. Hauk was born under the Lord, for example.

My own birthsign is the Lady (infatuation with shoes and chocolate).

How about you?

Posted by: SubRosa May 24 2021, 10:03 AM

I like the birthsigns. One of my favorites is a modded one I created: The Undine. It gives its possessors the ability to breathe underwater, and to regenerate health when it is raining or they are swimming. (I basically copied the latter from the Grummites in the Shivering Isles).

Posted by: Decrepit May 24 2021, 10:43 AM

As to my decrepit avatar, the honest answer is that I don't know his birth sign. He and I didn't hook up until rather late in our lives. He's never disclosed his actually birthday, assuming he knows it himself. He's not very forthcoming about his early days, though I know a good deal about them, in a general way, from eavesdropping on his conversions with Vilja during their constant road patrols and leisure activities. How much truth there is in what I overhear is anyone's guess. What his says has the ring of truth in that it is not overly complimentary. If anything it's the opposite.

Posted by: Renee May 24 2021, 01:13 PM

Depends on the character, and as you know Lena, I've got a lot of characters.

I'd have to get back to you on this one. Maybe I should stick to only my current characters, but even if we just focus on those there's still quite a few. Off the top of my head...

MORROWIND

Ana Khannda -- The Serpent (as this fits her name)
Hera Ticch -- The Atronach
Joan of Arkay -- The Ritual

OBLIVION

Lady Saga -- The Lord
Joan of Arkay -- The Ritual
Renee Gade III --

SKYRIM

Lord Haaf-Mersey
Mycharonna the Ice Witch -- The Mage
Claire Voyance -- The Mage
Sir Vyvoor

The problem with Skyrim (without mods) is there are only three starsigns available early in the game. Even in my PC game I still haven't used a mod which makes all 13 of them available right off the bat. That mod (if it exists) needs to be on my list.

Posted by: Lena_Wolf May 24 2021, 01:37 PM

Sorry, don't know about PC. But for PS4 there are several, so I would expect some to exist for PC as well. My favourite is "https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/4154686" - oh wait, this one is just for PS4. Well, you could try "https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/4070764", it too has all the standing stones ready for you, plus you can re-enter the realm later on as well.

Posted by: Pseron Wyrd May 24 2021, 07:09 PM

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of permanent numbers in roleplaying games. I favor fluctuating values that reflect our character's actions. Use a skill, it goes up; stop using the skill, it goes down. Carry a lot of weight, wield a heavy weapon or wear heavy armor, our strength goes up; stop carrying a lot of weight, wielding a heavy weapon or wearing heavy armor, our strength goes down...and so on. This is how it is in life, and I believe this is how it should be in a modern roleplaying game as well.

For this reason I prefer Skyrim's system of magically-imbued stones over the earlier game's permanent astrologically-oriented birthsigns. I am not a believer in astrology and I disagree with all forms of Essentialism. So birthsigns have always rubbed me the wrong way. Skyrim's stones feel more in tune with the freedom-oriented spirit of Elder Scrolls design philosophy to me.