Forums » Elder Scrolls

Anti-magic in Skyrim

    • 700 posts
    November 25, 2015 4:27 PM EST

    You've just been thrown into Cidhna Mine as part of the Forsworn Conspiracy quest. Your weapons and armor have been stripped and you've been left completely vulnerable. Your skills become redundant and you have to play Madanach's game to get out. That is, unless you're a mage. Skyrim makes no attempt to hinder a mage in prison, Cidhna Mine or otherwise, which raises a couple questions. 

    Is the lack of anti-magic in Skyrim a game oversight? A lore oversight?

    What ways might you suggest Bethesda fix this in future ES titles? 

    • 288 posts
    November 25, 2015 4:36 PM EST

    A werewolf or a vampire lord will also have little trouble against ole' Mad and his gang.

    An assassin who uses daggers can easily kill Mad once he gets the shiv.

    In fact it's mostly fighters and archers that are screwed in Cidhna.

    • 1441 posts
    November 25, 2015 8:44 PM EST

    Perhaps have some sort of ring or necklace that is put on mages, like a chain collar, that either prevents the use of magic outright, and can't be removed when in jail, or maybe, it stunts magicka regen so its very limited, or non existent

    • 694 posts
    November 25, 2015 10:17 PM EST
    Initially I thought this was an oversight, but after reading Overhate's comment I'm starting to think it's just intentional bias because of the limitations of the game. I do remember playing a dagger wielding assassin that had no trouble dispatching M. I do think there should be a level setting mechanism in place though. I'm not sure from a lore perspective what that might look like... But I suspect logically that would mean employing magic of some stripe in order to achieve it. I feel like if you're bringing magic into the equation for preventing its use, then you're also logically looking at it for prisoner control tactics I general too (runes or guards who could actually use magic).

    Maybe the devs thought it was
    too messy with the limitations of the schools of magicka as they were laid out. That's not to say they were right to make it stilted; just... a possible explanation..?

    In terms of future remedies, I guess they either look at: expanding options for how magicka is operationalized; just say fuck all the rules you knew up to now; or just decide they're ok with imbalance and leaving us scratching our heads over it.
    • 288 posts
    November 26, 2015 12:58 AM EST

    Racial powers and dragon shouts are not stunted in Cidhna too. An Orc could Berserk+Elemental Fury or Marked for Death, for example; an Argonian could use his Histskin against Mad. If you have addons you also get access to Soul Tear, Bend Will, Dragon Aspect and the Stone and Black Book powers; if you've beaten the main quest you have the hero summon shout, if you've progressed into the DB questline enough you have the ghost of the assassin; and if you have the Ritual Stone you can first kill all the easy prisoners and then raise them all to fight Mad.

    Only a character who depends solely on his gear/consumables for combat prowess would suffer.

    • 6 posts
    November 26, 2015 7:31 AM EST

    After all they put the option to go against Mad, I think this was on porpouse, I think the real question is to ally the Forsworns or not, so you could kill Mad easily if you have the proper skills.

    • 694 posts
    November 26, 2015 9:42 AM EST
    So thorough Overhate! Color me impressed. :D
    • 700 posts
    November 26, 2015 12:51 PM EST
    And that's clearly an issue, right? That the game would so clearly favor one type of offense while neutering another in a context where you would reasonably expect both to be neutered.
    • 66 posts
    November 26, 2015 8:11 PM EST

    Lore-wise spells that make others unable to cast spells are very real.

    • 168 posts
    November 26, 2015 10:45 PM EST

    Didn't Morrowind and Oblivion have silence spells? I dont think they stopped casting completely, just increased the chances of spell failure.

    And the Lyrezi vampire bloodline specialized in silencing opponents, at least in lore they do.

    • 700 posts
    November 26, 2015 11:13 PM EST

    Are they reasonably simple to operationalize in-game? 

    • 66 posts
    • 700 posts
    November 28, 2015 2:00 PM EST

    Curious that this would be taken out of Skyrim. I have no idea if it was in Oblivion. Note to Bethesa: train prison guards in Mysticism. 

    • 168 posts
    November 29, 2015 4:17 PM EST

    I meant I don't think the vampire npcs ever cast it, or even know it. But I havent played a lot of Daggerfall so I don't know.