The Apprentice Stone doubles your Magicka and Magicka Regeneration Speed, but makes you twice as susceptible to spells.

Cool, huh?

I'd be down with that.

The weakness reminds me of the High Elves' weakness in Oblivion. Yes, I know it was just fire, frost, and shock but still...

Never really like the Apprentice. I like The Atronach has more taste to me Spell Absorption is always usefully more If your a warrior well I lest I think so.

Does that replace warrior/thief/mage? As in, do you cease gaining skills at an increased rate? Or do you have both?

Only one guardian stone is active at a time.
So it replaces the increased skill gain rate.

Eww, I'll be looking for another stone. Good information to know though, Thanks OP. Can't be having weakness to magic, no matter the bonus.

From what I understand, these are more or less our birthsigns. So I am thinking it does NOT replace our guardian stones, which are more or less our classes.

It would make no logical sense for the system to work the way you described.

I'll be using the leveling stones until i've gotten enough perks to feel like my class. This sounds like a cool stone to try out eventually though.

They may have mixed classes and birthsigns together, since the classes we know of (mage, thief, warrior) are also the names of birthsigns. Hence my question.

That's true. I am hoping it works the other way: 1 stone active of the 10 randomly on the map (birthsign) 1 stone active on the class. Guess we will see unless someone who has seen a leak says different.

" ... twice as susceptible to spells"? Assuming you could get your absorb and/or reflect high enough that it actually mitigates stuff fairly well, I wonder if you could make that weakness work for you? It certain hasn't been difficult to get reflect/absorb high in past games. Stuff like this makes me thing there are going to be some real beast mages running around end game.

Having 100% magic resistance or absorption through any means would still make you invulnerable to magic. That could be a tall order, though.

I think before it was a Resistance - Weakness = current resistant situation. That'd mean you'd need 200% instead of 100% for the same effect. All that resistance stuff is done first, though, so if you don't even TRY to get any resistance, you'd be reflecting or absorbing (not like you'd need more mana, but hey) twice as strong of spells. If there are other ways to increase your own weakness, it might be possible to get reflect spells even stronger. Kinda unorthodox, I admit, but there were plenty of 100% reflect damage people in Oblivion. Maybe possible this go around for magic? But you're right, it's likely going to be pretty difficult/annoying to pull off, gear wise, unless I'm underestimating enchanting. Might be an interesting set of gear to try to make when I get bored, though.

I'd take this stone for psycho runs anyway. So what if I get hit? They'll die first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uWuaTeBUvg&feature=related skip to 2:15, Todd says that you can only have ONE standing stone active at any time

Yes we have all seen that. The video from way back when the stones gave a 30 percent increase to skills. They now give 20, things changed since then.

Yeah I know, just confirming that you can only have one standing stone active at any time.

Huh.. I wonder if theres a "steed" stone...

There should be, every other birthsign is appearing in standing stone form. I hope the steed gives a bonus to your base speed.

i always liked to combine apprentice with a breton as the Bretons immunity to magic canceled out the apprentice weekness to it, but have a feeling that wont work in Skyrim

It will work, but to a lesser degree than it worked in Oblivion.

Does this mean the atronach stone gives stunted magicka/spell absorption/fortify magicka? =o