Birthsigns

A birthsign.

For Birthsigns in Morrowind, see Birthsigns (Morrowind).

For Birthsigns in Oblivion, see Birthsigns (Oblivion).

"The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign."

―Uriel Septim VII

In Tamriel, birthsigns correspond to the thirteen constellations under which a person is born.

By game

• Birthsigns (Morrowind)
• Birthsigns (Oblivion)

Description

Twelve of the thirteen constellations are classified under three archetypes. The Warrior, the Mage, and the Thief. Each of them appear as guardians against the thirteenth sign: The Serpent. Each individual sign bestows unique magical bonuses, that can either be passive or active. They act in a way that may be perceived as a 'blessing' or a 'curse'. Selecting a birthsign is an important facet of Character Creation in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Birthsigns

The main birthsigns of Tamriel are:

Sign	Description
The Apprentice	Confers a bonus to the character's Magicka attribute, but also gives a Weakness to Magic.
The Atronach	Does not allow a character to regain Magicka through resting, but instead confers a Spell Absorption to recharge Magicka. The base Magicka is also increased.
The Lady	Confers a bonus to Personality and Endurance attributes.
The Lord	Gives the power to regenerate Health and a permanent Weakness to Fire.
The Lover	Fortifies Agility and confers the ability, once a day, to paralyze an opponent at the cost of Fatigue.
The Mage	Confers a permanent bonus to Magicka.
The Ritual	Grants a powerful Restore Health spell and the ability to turn the undead.
The Serpent	Gives the ability to cause a slow but potent poison on touch, while simultaneously curing the caster and dispelling magic. Casting this spell costs Fatigue.
The Shadow	Grants the power, once a day, to become Invisible.
The Steed	Grants a bonus to the Speed attribute.
The Thief	Grants a bonus to Agility, Speed, and Luck attributes.
The Tower	Grants the power to open a doors or containers of "Average" lock level or less once a day. Also grants  the power to reflect damage once a day.
The Warrior	Grants a bonus to the Strength and Endurance attributes.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

In Skyrim, birthsigns are not present, instead they are replaced by two different gameplay systems:

• Thirteen Standing Stones to chose from, which affect the character's abilities or confer unique powers. Only one stone can be active at a time (without the Aetherial Crown). Unlike Morrowind, and similarly to Oblivion's Doomstones, the Hero can choose a different Standing Stone blessing at any time.
• Perks, birthsigns appear in the user interface to represent the 18 different skill trees available to the character, and the individual stars of the birth sign represent the various perks available for each skill. Details concerning each sign can be read in The Firmament.

Gallery

The Warrior as seen in The Elder Scrolls: Arena.

The Mage as seen in The Elder Scrolls: Arena.

The Thief as seen in The Elder Scrolls: Arena.

The Tower as seen in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard.

The Thief as seen in Redguard.

The Ritual (Laboratory) as seen in Redguard.

The Lover as seen in Redguard.

The Mage (Mechanist) as seen in Redguard.

The Shadow as seen in Redguard.

The Steed as seen in Redguard.

The Apprentice (Automaton) as seen in Redguard.

The Warrior as seen in Redguard.

The Lady as seen in Redguard.

The Lord and The Serpent as seen in Redguard.

The Serpent (Tail) as seen in Redguard.

See also

• Doomstone
• Standing Stones

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion