Character Creation ( Oblivion ) Character creation is the process of creating a player - character for a new game . Character creation takes three steps : These steps are spread throughout the introduction dungeon ( Imperial Prison Sewers ) which analyzes the player ' s style and introduces the main quest . At the end of the Imperial Prison Sewers , the player can review all elements of their character and change them again as they please . Character creation has " unlimited possibilities . " It is recommended that the player takes time in making their character , as this is the only chance the player has to design their character . The option for character editing ends once the Hero exits the sewers of Kvatch . " Note : If one is new to , It is recommended that they make a second character if they think they are not happy with their current character " . Selecting a race . Race selection is the first action required of a new game . Each of the ten races has one or more racial special abilities , and each also excels in certain skills . The racial special abilities can either be passive , which are inherent effects , or an active spell that can be temporarily cast , such as Voice of the Emperor . Passive abilities are typically resistances or vulnerabilities to spells or illness , or are bonuses of increased Magicka . Skill gains are over 1 . 5 times more effective than Strength and Agility attribute gains in increasing combat damage . Selecting a birthsign . After leaving and then rejoining the Emperor ' s party for a bit of combat tutorials , selecting a birthsign is the second step of character creation . Each of the | thirteen birthsigns add additional unique bonuses to a character , some passive and some active . Some are pure bonuses , while others are trade - offs in which one powerful bonus is countered with one or more negative effects . Most active skills granted by a birthsign can only be used once a day . Selecting a class . Class selection occurs almost at the end of the Imperial Subterrane , once the player has made it through the tutorial Natural Caverns . After the assassination of the Emperor , based on how one played through the Natural Caverns underneath the prison , Baurus suggest which of the 21 pre - made classes would suit one ' s strategy best . After the suggestion , the class selection screen opens . The differences between classes are . Main Attributes Major skills are important for three reasons : A player may also create their own class for complete control over how they wish their character to develop . Custom Class and leveling . Two things are necessary to consider when choosing Major and Minor skills . One is , that some skills are used very often , such as combat skills or Restoration or Athletics , thereby leveling the character if they are chosen as Major skills . The player is urged to consider the impact of these skills leveling very fast . Not only does this lead to imperfect amounts of Attributes being gained , but the monsters throughout the game will be of higher level , while the player ' s power has not increased evenly . So the player is faced with the task of increasing their power , which comes from skills , while raising level , which increases their enemies ' skills , as little as possible . The most effective way to do this is to raise the combat skills . Combat skill gains are over 1 . 5 times more effective than Strength and Agility attribute gains in increasing combat damage . Moreover , three of the combat skills are based on Strength , which has five skills in total . Because there are two ' extra ' skills , at least two of them can be raised without any regard to accumulating Attribute points . Although the bonuses to Major skills will make a skill " easier " to level , because there is no danger of leveling too quickly with Minor skills , they can be raised to 100 as soon as possible . So , counter - intuitively , skills that the player desires to be powerful not only in the long run but also to a lesser extent , sooner , can be made Minor . These skills can be used as often as the player wants and raised as high as the player wants , with no concern for leveling problems . Often - used skills . Determining what skills will be used the most , and for what purpose , is helpful in determining the allocation of Major and Minor categories . Optional skills . Gaining the maximum attribute bonus from each level helps to a small extent in maintaining a powerful character in a game where all monsters become more powerful as one ' s character gains levels , rather than a few powerful monsters being located somewhere that can be avoided until the character is ready to face them . In order to stay stronger than the monsters , it is necessary to level at will , rather than by accident ; this can be expedited by intentionally avoiding picking major skills that are uncontrollably leveled , such as Athletics , and choosing instead those for which there are substitutes . Even Blade , for example , can be an optional skill , because Axe , Blunt , Destruction , Hand to Hand , or Marksman can be used instead to avoid level - up . The skills most likely to level up out of control , gaining the tenth Major skill increase before the ten Major / Minor increases in each of the attributes of choice , are the aforementioned Athletics , and Restoration . Mercantile is effectively uncontrollable in " Oblivion " ( it levels , albeit slowly , whenever the player makes a transaction , where in " Morrowind " it only did so when the player modified the buying or selling price ) . Major skills that are crucial to the completion of quests can require being ready with a substitute , e . g . , Alteration unlocking spells can be used instead of Security , to get past locks that block critical paths in quests or irreplaceable loot , and Charm spells or scrolls can be used instead of Persuasion , when quests require soft - talking a NPC , or taking time out from quests to level up . For more on the importance of gaining maximum attribute bonuses and the means to achieve them , ( see Leveling ) . Keeping level low while exploring Cyrodiil also maximizes opportunities to obtain the best available equipment . NPC smiths can be used to repair armor , dodging backwards can be used to avoid enemy blows ( incidentally , a 100 % damage reduction ) , and light armor , leveled concurrently , can be used if leveling heavy armor is not desired . These are not , of course , the most optional of skills , nor preferred options ; the point is that it is only " having " to level a particular Major skill that leads to uncontrolled character leveling , not the fact that the player " might " use it . Drawbacks of this strategy include : it is time consuming at low levels ( although this is to be weighed against the savings in time of easier fights at higher level ) , and one ' s character ' s key survival skills all start at novice level , making for a steeper learning curve ( to be weighed against the benefits of an easier mid - and late - game ) .