Skyrim Tips and Tricks » Discussions

Debate: Feeling Lucky?

• Vazgen

  

  Member
   

  May 23, 2015

  So, what luck-based content is in Skyrim?

  Items

  Wabbajack, Mehrunes' Razor, Valdr's Lucky Dagger, Bloodscythe + Soulrender, Winshear, Chaos weapons, Konahrik, Hoarfrost, Ahzidal's Armor of Retribution, crossbows, Paralyze-enchanted weapons, Dwarven Black Bow of Fate

  Spells and powers

  Whirlwind Cloak, Sinderion's Serendipity, Prowler's Profit

  Skills

  Pickpocket is purely chance-based.

  Perks

  Bladesman, Deep Wounds, Critical Shot, Bullseye, Deft Movement, Reflect Blows, Paralyzing Strike, Warmaster, Treasure Hunter, Disarming Bash, Power Shot

  Other

  Spell absorption and disease resistance (if < 100%)

  Looks like this is all. Anything else?

  So, what luck-based content is in Skyrim?

  Items

  Wabbajack, Mehrunes' Razor, Valdr's Lucky Dagger, Bloodscythe + Soulrender, Winshear, Chaos weapons, Konahrik, Hoarfrost, Ahzidal's Armor of Retribution, crossbows, Paralyze-enchanted weapons, Dwarven Black Bow of Fate

  Spells and powers

  Whirlwind Cloak, Sinderion's Serendipity, Prowler's Profit

  Skills

  Pickpocket is purely chance-based.

  Perks

  Bladesman, Deep Wounds, Critical Shot, Bullseye, Deft Movement, Reflect Blows, Paralyzing Strike, Warmaster, Treasure Hunter, Disarming Bash, Power Shot

  Other

  Spell absorption and disease resistance (if < 100%)

  Looks like this is all. Anything else?

• Paul England

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  Paralyze weapons are also a % chance.

  Power Shot too.

  Crossbows have a % chance to stagger as well, which is independent of the Power Shot calculation.

  Since we're speaking of stagger chance, this is already noted above, but the Critical Shot perks apparently affect stagger chance too, in addition to dealing more damage.

  Another little-known stagger-influencer is Stalhrim.  Stalhrim weapons have a higher stagger value than other comparable weapons, making a Stalhrim Warhammer the staggeriest weapon in the game (hands off, I'm using this idea! :P)

  What about the mechanics for stealth and detection - is there some random element there?

  If you're playing vanilla and have spell absorption, there's a chance you may 'absorb' atronachs you try to summon, though I have no idea how it's calculated.

  Isn't there also some tentacle power in Dragonborn that has a chance to stagger enemies?

  We should add Imperial Luck to this list - although, due to a bug, every race actually has this power.  

  I suppose also the entire system for determining loot and enemy spawns is chance-based to some extent, though like most of these it's not something you can actually manipulate.  

  Paralyze weapons are also a % chance.

  Power Shot too.

  Crossbows have a % chance to stagger as well, which is independent of the Power Shot calculation.

  Since we're speaking of stagger chance, this is already noted above, but the Critical Shot perks apparently affect stagger chance too, in addition to dealing more damage.

  Another little-known stagger-influencer is Stalhrim.  Stalhrim weapons have a higher stagger value than other comparable weapons, making a Stalhrim Warhammer the staggeriest weapon in the game (hands off, I'm using this idea! :P)

  What about the mechanics for stealth and detection - is there some random element there?

  If you're playing vanilla and have spell absorption, there's a chance you may 'absorb' atronachs you try to summon, though I have no idea how it's calculated.

  Isn't there also some tentacle power in Dragonborn that has a chance to stagger enemies?

  We should add Imperial Luck to this list - although, due to a bug, every race actually has this power.  

  I suppose also the entire system for determining loot and enemy spawns is chance-based to some extent, though like most of these it's not something you can actually manipulate.  

• Vazgen

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  Isn't paralyze enchantment chance fixed? I think you can only modify the duration.

  Good catch on Power Shot and crossbows, added them.

  It is calculated in the same way as hostile spells. The game treats Conjuration spells as spells directed at the player. At least that's how I understand it.

  Mora's Agony has 100% of stagger if I'm not mistaken.

  Isn't paralyze enchantment chance fixed? I think you can only modify the duration.

  Good catch on Power Shot and crossbows, added them.

  It is calculated in the same way as hostile spells. The game treats Conjuration spells as spells directed at the player. At least that's how I understand it.

  Mora's Agony has 100% of stagger if I'm not mistaken.

• Paul England

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  I've actually never used paralyze weapons in Skyrim.  But even if the chance is fixed, isn't that the same as Ahzidal's Armor of Retribution, which is also an unmodifiable fixed chance?

  Also, I just remembered - Hunter's Discipline!

  It's funny how the vast majority of luck or chance-based effects in Skyrim are geared toward the warrior side of things.  There's essentially *no* chance-based effects in the magic skills (though many have argued Impact should have been coded as such), and relatively few in the stealth skills.  But on the warrior side, you've got all these ways of dealing extra damage, disarming, reflecting damage.  

  If you're cynical, you could argue that this is just yet another 'gift' Bethesda gave to warriors this time around....

  Side question - what's so great about Valdr's Lucky Dagger?  Is there something I'm missing?  I mean, as a steel dagger its base damage has got to be around 6 or so... get a crit and you're talking 3 extra points of damage.  But people talk about it like it's a great option.  

  I've actually never used paralyze weapons in Skyrim.  But even if the chance is fixed, isn't that the same as Ahzidal's Armor of Retribution, which is also an unmodifiable fixed chance?

  Also, I just remembered - Hunter's Discipline!

  It's funny how the vast majority of luck or chance-based effects in Skyrim are geared toward the warrior side of things.  There's essentially *no* chance-based effects in the magic skills (though many have argued Impact should have been coded as such), and relatively few in the stealth skills.  But on the warrior side, you've got all these ways of dealing extra damage, disarming, reflecting damage.  

  If you're cynical, you could argue that this is just yet another 'gift' Bethesda gave to warriors this time around....

  Side question - what's so great about Valdr's Lucky Dagger?  Is there something I'm missing?  I mean, as a steel dagger its base damage has got to be around 6 or so... get a crit and you're talking 3 extra points of damage.  But people talk about it like it's a great option.  

• Vazgen

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  Fair point. More so, since I already had Chaos listed. Added those. 

  One can argue that Paralyze enchantments are on the mage side of the fence, since Enchanting is classified as magic skill. Speaking of those, added Whirlwind Cloak :)

  I remember a build once that mentioned Valdr's dagger staggering targets on critical hits (one of Zach's or Teccam's builds, if I'm not mistaken). I wasn't able to replicate it though.

  Fair point. More so, since I already had Chaos listed. Added those. 

  One can argue that Paralyze enchantments are on the mage side of the fence, since Enchanting is classified as magic skill. Speaking of those, added Whirlwind Cloak :)

  I remember a build once that mentioned Valdr's dagger staggering targets on critical hits (one of Zach's or Teccam's builds, if I'm not mistaken). I wasn't able to replicate it though.

• Paul England

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  Huh, I didn't know Whirlwind Cloak was chance-based!

  That's true about Enchanting.  As another side note, I wish Enchanting had been made a bit more interesting in Skyrim.  In Morrowind, you could enchant just about any effect on either weapons or armor, so you could have a sword that made you invisible or a cloak that cast fireball.  With the Oblivion/Skyrim model of worn enchants being constant effect only and weapon enchants being cast-on-strike only, you have a situation where a "pure" mage arguably wouldn't use half of the enchantments available, since they require a weapon to use.  So the greatest mage crafting skill in Skyrim is actually Alchemy, which is put into the stealth tree.  Enchanting seems to me great for a battlemage/spellsword hybrid (which it seems the devs assumed everyone would be anyway, the way they pushed you into all those disparate quests).  

  End rant :)

  A dagger that staggers would be a great thing... I've always just looked at that dagger, said "meh", and never used it.  

  Huh, I didn't know Whirlwind Cloak was chance-based!

  That's true about Enchanting.  As another side note, I wish Enchanting had been made a bit more interesting in Skyrim.  In Morrowind, you could enchant just about any effect on either weapons or armor, so you could have a sword that made you invisible or a cloak that cast fireball.  With the Oblivion/Skyrim model of worn enchants being constant effect only and weapon enchants being cast-on-strike only, you have a situation where a "pure" mage arguably wouldn't use half of the enchantments available, since they require a weapon to use.  So the greatest mage crafting skill in Skyrim is actually Alchemy, which is put into the stealth tree.  Enchanting seems to me great for a battlemage/spellsword hybrid (which it seems the devs assumed everyone would be anyway, the way they pushed you into all those disparate quests).  

  End rant :)

  A dagger that staggers would be a great thing... I've always just looked at that dagger, said "meh", and never used it.  

• Curse Never Dying

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  Again dont forget the famed piratw swords Bloodscythe and Soulrend. One has a % chance of lowering enemy armor, and the other enemy magic defense. 

  Again dont forget the famed piratw swords Bloodscythe and Soulrend. One has a % chance of lowering enemy armor, and the other enemy magic defense. 

• Balazs Krekacs

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  To be honest, Skyrim is my first ES game. It was very strange - if not frustrating - that you do not have attributes, only mana, health and stamina and neither have you class. Luck could be implemented as a 4th attribute. It should give a small chance to higher damage and/or increasing all the things that has X% chance e.g. Reflect blows.

  To be honest, Skyrim is my first ES game. It was very strange - if not frustrating - that you do not have attributes, only mana, health and stamina and neither have you class. Luck could be implemented as a 4th attribute. It should give a small chance to higher damage and/or increasing all the things that has X% chance e.g. Reflect blows.
• Paul England

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  The Black Bow of Fate is another chance-based weapon - just remembered!

  The Black Bow of Fate is another chance-based weapon - just remembered!

• Vazgen

  

  Member
   

  May 24, 2015

  Added 

  Added