All,

If I invest just enough in the Alteration line to get Atronach and Magic Resistance, do they apply and stack at all times? Or do they only kick in when I've got one of the armor spells running, such as Ebonyskin, etc?

Thanks!

They're passive, which means they''re always in effect, but they don't stack. Magic Resistance and Magic Absorption are two separate mechanics. Magic Resistance will mitigate 30% all incoming spell damage, after which Atronach will give you a 50% chance to completely avoid the remaining damage and regain some Magicka in the process.

Capping Magic Resistance at 85% is more effective and reliable than stacking Magic Absorption. Magic Absorption will also cause your Conjuration spells to fail. Don't get it if you rely on summoned creatures for crowd control.

absorb is broken beyond belief currently. it absorbs ANYTHING that is targeted at yourself e.g. heals summons yes even POTIONS because the game counts them as restoration effects this time.... just useless [censored]. never get this perk. it will ANNOY the hell outa you and there is no way to turn it off once perked. just stupid and definitly needs a patch.

OK then. I'll skip Atronach. I kinda wanted to skip it anyway.

But the Magic Resistance perks themselves, they stack with my racial and with my Mara quest at all times? That'd be nice!

Now I just have to decide if I want to get 2 ranks in smithing (for enchanting/crafting magical armor) so that I can improve Forsworn Armor and stack it with the Lord for a more passive type armor, or whether I want to cast the very expensive Alteration armor spells. Of course, some of the non-armor spells, like Mass Paralysis, are slick.

Thanks!

Atronoch doesn't affect potions or restoration as far as I've seen but it will cause summons to fail pretty darn often. As far as the magic resist perks, yes they will stack with your racial and the gift of mara. That will net you 70% resist right there. That means you'll only need 15% from another source to cap your magic resist. If you want to get even crazier though you can then stack elemental resists which will cause you to resist even more damage of that type (up to 85% of the remainder for a total of 97.5 reduction)

So, at this point, I'm trying to decide between Forsworn Armor, upgraded with only 2 ranks in smithing (so I can put enchants on it) and alteration armor. Which is the way to go?

I do also kinda want to play with the fun Alteration spells like Mass Paralysis and Waterbreathing and Telekinesis. So I am really torn, and points are tight.

Blah.

Atronach does NOT affect restoration or potions, only summons and hostile spells.

Cloth + heavy Alteration.

Contrary to the post above, Absorption doesn't cause pots and healing spells to fail. Conjuration spells and the "Quick Reflexes" effect when Blocking are the only two things it absorbs, so if you don't rely on either, it's not a problem.

If you don't rely on Conjuration, Atronach stone + Atronach perk would be a great idea for you. Magic Resistance perk (30%) + Breton racial (25%) + Mara quest (15%) means you're already at 70% without any enchants. Toss in 80% Absorption to back that up, and you will completely avoid all sorts of stuff. Not just magic damage, but Dragon Shouts, poisons, enemy weapon enchants, etc. That's something only Absorption can provide.

Breton "pure" Mages are, in my opinion, one of the only class/ race combos for which Magicka Absorption is even viable, because you can get your Magic Resistance so high without enchants. Most other race/ class combos have to sacrifice too much for it, which generally isn't worth it. As long as you don't rely on Conjuration, I say go for it.

I do rely on Conjuration. I'll just skip Atronach. Thanks for the info everyone.