Birthsigns Options

[Lena Wolf]

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?

[Pseron Wyrd]

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.

This post has been edited by Pseron Wyrd: May 24 2021, 07:13 PM