and he dodged the arrow! how the hell did he (npc) know it was incoming!

this keeps happening to me. my main attack is via bow as my char is based around stealth. but when shooting from afar they do that instant dodge like they do when in normal combat so to make arrow attacks not so easy.

but for some reason this 'rule' still applies even when they dont know that your there!? totally ruins the emersion for me this does.

anyone else (archers) notice this aswell?

I have seen this happen from time to time, and it can be quite annoying. I have not found a fix for it, it just happens.

Don't think it's a dodge per say... They just happen to move.

this is a 'dodge' as often happens with archery combat. if you do alot of it you will see it more often.

its understandable that they do this else they would be a statue only to be filled with arrows... but this shouldnt happen when you are in stealth (unless they have a spider-scense)

Why complain? The realism makes it that much more fun...If an arrow was racing towards you, wouldn't you dodge it?

They are much skilled at blocking so they have enough reflex to dodge when they hear the arrow coming.

It can happen when you are stealth though and they would have no idea an arrow was hurtling towards their back. All of a sudden they will just leap to the left and you miss completely, and they just go about their business like nothing happened. I can't find a way to counter it though, I think it's just one of those things.

This

I suppose its chance based, they'll automatically ninja dodge some arrows. Which is pretty dumb in my opinion -.- Whats next, dodging melee blows and spells? Would probably have been better if they'd use their weapons to deflect it rather than do some uber matrix dodge.

Happend to me alot of times
Preparing a shot,perfectly lined up,in sneak mode and just as i fire enemy moves
Talking about random luck
But it happens too often it seems so maybe its not random

I never seen they "dodge". What I've seen is them moving in the final instant but hey, s#!t happens.

Get the perk that slows time when you're aiming.

I think it's just a bug. It's probably linked to the dodge manoeuvre, however in stealth situation it should not be triggering. Because for me, it's not even the dodge animation you see when an NPC sidesteps your shot during combat, which is a legitimate move, but rather the game just quickly svcks them out of the way and they carry on walking as if nothing happened and you have no option but to try your shot again.

My primary attack is bow.

When hidden there is no doubt it's "just movement" otherwise the AI is [censored].

If they know im shooting at them then it's a dodge and the AI is fine.

Sorry, but if you're in sneak mode and undetected, you would not see it coming in real life. You may see it a split second before it hits you, but there would not be enough time to dodge it. I'm sure there are players who use bows in real life that can confirm this? Arrows may not travel as fast as bullets, but still faster than your reaction time if you see it, which is doubtful.

OP: I'm seeing that a lot on my assassin now, she's nearing level 40, and even with the "slow time" perk, or whatever it's called, it still happens.