Fortify Attribute vs Skill

[generaldurandal]

Would it be better to Fortify Speed or Athletics in order to move/swim faster?

Would it be better to fortify Strength or Weapon-Skill to increase weapon damage?

Would it be better to fortify Inteligence or Magic-Skill to increase magic efficiency?

[asd]

To increase speed, I think you should make fortify speed spells / potions

And I think magic damage is based on the spell you cast, so if you fortify your intelligence or magic skills, it won't increase the chance to cast. However I don't think intelligence has an effect on chance to cast. Intelligence will increase your mana. So if you have a spell that requires a lot of mana to cast, you could cast a fortify intelligence first, drink a potion and then cast away with your increased magicka. But if you want to increase chance to cast, then get a fortify destruction / restoration etc... the skill whatever kind of spells you want to cast.

[AlexTheSkjegg]

Fortify Speed is better than both Fortify Athletics and Swift Swim.

Fortifying your weapon skills will not increase the damage like fortifying strength would. It merely increases your chance to hit.

Intelligence governs how much magicka you have and not how efficient your spells are. You need to fortify the individual magic skills to do so. Willpower increases the chance of successfully casting spells, so keep that in mind.

[DerEider]

WRT magic SPELLs, each spell is from a specific School of Magick. This is noted in the description for each spell.

In addition to using "Fortify" potions, Improving your PC's skill level in the specific school for each spell {and other spells from the same school} WILL directly improve your PC's "chance" for success in casting that skill.
That goes directly to "efficiency" {I.E., PC's probability of a successful cast}. You don't want to be wasting good magicka on "failed" casts ! Each time you increase PC's level in a school of magick, check out the "chance" for the various spells PC has in the Spell Book at the lower right corner of PC's Inventory/Skills/Map/Spells display.
Makes one want to go out and buy all the Magick training one can afford

A good way to quickly increase your PC's level in a "School" {if he/she has the bucks septims} is to pay a "Trainer" for training in that school.

As mentioned in earlier posts, Intelligence does not directly improve your spell efficiency.

[ashlandroadwarrior]

Originally posted by generaldurandal:

Would it be better to Fortify Speed or Athletics in order to move/swim faster?

Would it be better to fortify Strength or Weapon-Skill to increase weapon damage?

Would it be better to fortify Inteligence or Magic-Skill to increase magic efficiency?

Weapon skill determines hit chance, STR is the damage modifier.

INTxMagicka Multiplier (base is 1.0, signs can give you up to 3.0)=magicka. 100 INT on (say) an Imperial knight is only going to have 100 magicka, but an Altmer Atronach is going to have 450 (I think.)

Magic skill, Willpower, and Luck determine spell success.