Sometimes enemies instantly detect me even though they are facing away from me at max range. Level 2 scamps seem to do this a lot.

Also once detected, they seem to remain permanently detected even if you leave the area and come back? Do enemies never "un-detect" you?

Certain enemies simply detect you much easier than others do... I believe this is based on your sneak skill versus theirs and if yours isn't higher or isn't much higher then you aren't going to have an easy time sneaking by them... Also try going barefoot while sneaking and it'll help as sneaking is partially based on the weight of your boots (not your entire suit of armor)... As far as I know enemies should have to detect you again if you leave an area and come back (never had to personally test this though)... Also you could be getting detected by something you aren't noticing that isn't actually hostile towards you...

If you are on the PC, you can find out who is detecting you by opening the console and typing in swdp. It will spit out a list of everyone who does.

This is what i tried :

-Kvatch oblivion gate

-Detected by a scamp 3 floors below me in a tower or something crazy like that

-Exit the tower

-Combat music still plays, 5 seconds later the scamp teleports next to me

In new vegas i noticed that you could simply run out of sight and sneak for a while to go undetected, but this doesnt seem to apply in oblivion...they seem to permanently detect you.

Well, if an enemy detects you, they will follow you out a door, and the game engine will have them emerge at the same point that you did (because that's where you go to when you enter that cell.)

I don't generally experience being detected by enemies on another level though, assuming that my character has a reasonably high Sneak skill and isn't wearing iron boots. My stealthy characters are usually quite capable of sneaking right past enemies in shadowy areas, sometimes even when they're looking your general direction. In a dark area, like a cave, with a very sneaky character, you can often sneak up on someone who is facing you.

The first time my character Artemisia was in Cheydinhal, she found a guard outside of Aldos Othran's house. She asked him why he was there, and didn't like his answer. So she sneaked around behind him and http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion571.jpg. No one noticed, including the guard. It was at night, but she did not use chameleon or any other magic. Just pure sneak skill.

In dungeons, my characters have a bad habit of sneaking past enemies, and not even noticing they are there! Then they go back later and notice that they just walked past a rat! They have often walked right up to trolls and other critters, who were staring right at them, but never noticed them.

At 100 level sneak, I can dance in front of an enemy, and they won't notice. Before that, if I am detected while sneaking (street shoes) I cast invisibility and take a few steps back, and as long as they don't see you cast the spell, I can go back to being undetected. Usually though at this point I conjure up a buddy to cover my tracks if I have to retreat farther back. Chameleon helps somewhat. If you are still detected, just keep retreating while Invisible, casting again as need be. You need to get out of their radius for about fifteen seconds, or have them focus on your summons.

Hi, just started playing Oblivion recently. Up to Level 10 but not bothered with the MQ at all.

I was in a dungeon recently (don't remember which one - one of the forts) and I managed to sneak close enough to an invisible Vampire Sorcerer to pick her pocket! I had just become an expert in Sneak and was trying things out a bit.