I don't even know if this is possible, but I'd like skills such as Alchemy and Smithing to not add to your total combat level at all. If you decide to become a crafter and focus on such skills, you will be totally gimped in combat until you get your offensive skills up somehow. Is it possible to make such a mod?

You do realize that the entire purpose of skills like smithing and enchanting are to make your equipment stronger, right? That helps you in combat. (And potions give you aid in combat, as well, obviously.)

If you're going to powerlevel your smithing, then make yourself some shiney new gear out of the deal, and having double your previous armor and damage ratings will be your reward for doing so.

Seriously, smithing makes melee combat easier, not harder, you basically deal double damage with a fully upgraded weapon.

Agreed - but only on Smithing and Enchanting. It's a high level in those two that lets me smack anything into the ground in a hit or two, just as much as combat skills. EDIT: Actually, I wouldn't be doing quite so well if I lacked the combat perks to go along with them. So OP kinda has a point for those, as well.

That said, Sneak and Alchemy are MUCH less useful in combat than other skills. (Alchemy, I presume, is only good in combat if you like guzzling potions while doing mediocre damage, or open up your menu to use a poison after every blow...hey, there's an idea. Automatic posion-adding mod.)
And Speechcraft, Lockpicking, and Pickpocket are outright useless.

So I second the OP, just only as, say, reduced "combat exp" for Sneak and Alchemy, and none at all for Speech/Lock/Pickpocket.

I'd make a mod out of it myself if only I knew how. Perhaps it's easier once they release the modding tools.

Well smithing almost double my weapon power and armor level, many say they the crafting skills are overpowered.
Now speech, pickpocket and lock picking don't give much advantage in combat so for them it makes some sense.

The problem is that your max level would be severely decreased, and thus perks. Perhaps you could circumvent this by raising the limits of the skills that would level you up to account for the skill gains lost from the crafting skills.

You're right about that. It didn't occur to me. Back into the thinking tank I go.

1. Sneak is excellent in combat for openers and eliminating one person before anyone knows you are there.

2. Alchemy also has potions that improve your combat skills and total stats ( +25% archery dam potions, +30 health for 300 seconds potions) while not as powerful as smithing or enchanting it is quite powerful in it's own regards (2-3 times more powerful if combined with Smithing and/or enchanting due to the +% smithing/enchanting potions)

This is true, but his point is if you are RPing an alchemist you would be screwed over if you decided to pick up a sword. Yes, pretty much any skill is directly or indirectly useful in combat, but if you are RPing as a city thief or an enchanter or a smith, you can get screwed over.