I don't really have a perk list, but I imagine it'll be mostly Stealth, Archery and Light Armour. Probably a Bosmer.

I'm just worried about my capability to beat the tougher opponents, i.e. the ones I can't just stealth kill.

How have you guys used your assassin builds to defeat dragons and stuff?

(Still waiting on my game from Amazon)
Thanks!

Well my character is a redguard who specializes in archery and dual weld swords. I play on expert and I dont have much of a problem but I would advise getting a companion if your gonna play expert+ so they take the attention off you because they really put a pounding on me when they get close. For dragons and your fighting alone just use a potion of resist fire/ice (depending on dragon) and the blast shouldnt slaughter you.

Arrows will destroy a dragon as long as you've got a companion to pull aggro and a lot of regular enemies go down in 2-3 shots for me. But sometimes I do have to pull out my awesome enchanted sword because not being able to block can be a problem against some enemies.

i play this character and its awesome i play more as a spell sword dark elf though it gives you alittle more punch but really once you have a good set of shouts your pretty versatile i typically pick of groups of enemies with sneak bow attacks then move in for dagger kills (15 x damage sneak attack) and if i get in open combat i use my disarm shout before slaughtering them with a sword and flames spell

I am currently playing a level 17 Bosmer who has majored in sneak and archery and dabbled in enchant and alchemy thus far. This build is very viable. My companion is Faendal, a bosmer archer, he is very helpful for taking down big game(dragons & giants) that have not yet died through a sneak multiplier. For dungeons, I normally solo because this is a very efficient build for tight spaces with such efficient sneak and slow time while zooming.

I am currently wearing light armor. Once my enchant is high enough, it will likely just be clothing with a rotation or fire, frost, and shock bows.

im lvl 32 wood elf archer/assassin...im having no problems beating opponents with a bow, but when i try to mellee i feel kinda underpowered. That's ofcourse because my one handed wapon skill is only 30 and my archery is nearly 90

Depends on how heavily you perk non-combat skills. My Dunmer Assassin has Sneak almost fully perked out as well as plenty of perks into lockpicking and others. I only have 2 into 1-H and I believe 2-3 into archery. Taking down dragons can be tough but you just need to have health potions stocked and tear through him with arrows.

I'm more concerned about my ability to take damage.

Can an assassin build equip heavy armour? Or does this somehow affect how stealthy you can be?

You can equip heavy armour. Even light armor creates noise. From my experience as a sneak archer assassin, requirement for armor is minimal as you take minimal physical damage. Would be better to focus on magic defense in my opinion.

How do I up my magic defense other than potions and alchemy?

Don't worry about it too much, the game is designed to make sure that you'll be able to complete the main quest with ease so long as your build isn't flat out [censored].

Enchanted clothing or armor and or alteration.

I am a Bosmer lvl 11 using ONLY bow.. I havent used a single other weapon to kill something And it works like a charm! I just need a companion and better bows(and loads of money) before i venture up High Hrothgar!

Btw start off with maxing health as much as you can (around 200 in health) and when you get the ''slow time'' skill, choose stamina since it uses that as a source for power when you slowtime
And ALWAYS sneak when you are about to attack! It will damage double if you are hidden when you shoot!
Hope this helped!

I've found that the best way to kill anything as an assassin with a bow (especially dragons and such) is to have a poison that adds weakness to poison.

Got the recipe for it?

My char is a level 15 assassin, dark elf. My top three skills are Sneak, 1 Hand, and Archery. For Dragons, I pepper them with arrows til they land on the ground. I then use the dragon shout that is like a force push to stun the dragon. Then I wail away and hit a few power attacks and the dragon is dead.

I've heard arrows are fairly rare though. How do you maintain your stock of arrows?

I have a level 20. Mostly stealth, bow, and a little bit of one handed.

Humanoids and undead fall before me with ease. Can usually take out a group of three before they get me. Even soloed a giant at 18 by hiding behind a tree and shooting arrows in him whenever he got far away. Have taken out cave bears with a bit of care. Have yet to use a companion, though. I'm wary about their AI following me sneaking around without setting off traps and the like. I'll try them eventually.

It works reasonably well, though things that get close and unload on the damage can be a big problem. Some ice casters are also a big headache. Looking forward to the perk that can paralyze.

I rolled an Argonian stealth/one-handed/bows. I use my bow mostly, but with sneaking up and one shotting people its sweet. and close quaters in no problem with two sweet daggers that are two fast for the opponent. thats all if i choose not to just rip them to shreds as my wolf.