What do generic destruction mages wear?

[Thomas]

Do they wear just enchanted normal clothing, light armor, or what?

[////]

since destruction school is tes is related to destructive powers of nature (volcanos, lightning, icy mountains, and such), oblivion kinda suggests that mages fully dedicated to destruction are hermit-like. so generic destruction mages should wear simplier and practical clothes.

dunmer culture somewhat confirms this, because they are good at destruction and their native clothes are nomadic. except their high mages, but high mages are not necessarily fully dedicated to destruction school anyways.

altmer kinda deny all this, because they value extravagant clothes natively, and they are also good at destruction (and casting in general).

one thing is certain, destruction mages should never wear any armor. even altmer who are wearing light armor mostly are battlemages, and that is different form mages fully dedicated to destruction.

[IdealPoint]

They should wear heavy armor. Once you get 100 heavy armor you aren't encumbered by the armor any more. That means you will have 100% spell effectiveness with the best armor. And using heavy armor makes it easier to get level ups in endurance, which will increase your max health.
If you were specializing in conjuration, alchemy, or alteration I could see going for no armor as you can use conjured armor or shield effects. But without a substitute for the armor destruction focused mages just die too fast to fast moving melee and archery characters. Adventuring without armor is a self imposed handicap.

[Darth Cannabis]

I would say more naturally a leaning towards robe and no armor. After all, both destruction and alteration (as well as restoration) are based off of willpower. Since you allready build that stat thru the destruction, building alteration is highly likely to be used as a training skill, even if not a major skill anyway. This then makes it more natural to rely on it and the magical protection (which will easily hit cap anyway), than any armor.

Battlemages, would be the key exception to this.

[Bomb Bloke]

Originally posted by IdealPoint:

Once you get 100 heavy armor you aren't encumbered by the armor any more. That means you will have 100% spell effectiveness with the best armor.

Unfortunately spell effectiveness isn't based on equipment weight - you'll still suffer a 5% penalty even at master level.

[Chaos Epoch]

Originally posted by Bomb Bloke:

Originally posted by IdealPoint:

Once you get 100 heavy armor you aren't encumbered by the armor any more. That means you will have 100% spell effectiveness with the best armor.

Unfortunately spell effectiveness isn't based on equipment weight - you'll still suffer a 5% penalty even at master level.

This is true. But it is nothing compared to the armor value. Plus you have at least 2 extra slots for enchantments over robes.

[Darth Cannabis]

Originally posted by Chaos Epoch:

Originally posted by Bomb Bloke:

Unfortunately spell effectiveness isn't based on equipment weight - you'll still suffer a 5% penalty even at master level.

This is true. But it is nothing compared to the armor value. Plus you have at least 2 extra slots for enchantments over robes.

Actually its only one extra slot.

A robe takes up the chest and leg slots. When trading 2 slots for 1, you only gain one extra, not 2. You must still deduct that slot the robe has.

Now you may be thinking, there is no equipment for ones hands, that counts as non armor (light or heavy) but this would also be incorrect. If one keeps the shackles from your cell, you start game with, those can be enchanted, and used as a non armor enchanted item, that equips to glove slot.

So with robe it is cowl, robe, shoes, and shackles, for 4 enchantable pieces. Without a robe (or outfit), and using armor its head, gloves, boots, pants, and chest, for 5 enchantable pieces. At least as far as armor itself.

The only way you can consider it 2 slots, is if you are also considering shield, but that would be a bit of a tangent subject. Any discussion of shield use, has its own aspects as far as whether one uses 2 handed weapons,or always has it equiped to begin with. Its a difference IF one uses one handed weapons, but its a total non factor for a 2 handed melee, bow, or staff use.

I guess you could say "up to 2 slots" but it is not a flat and definately not at least 2 slots. In general its only 1 and at most 2 if one learns of or remembers the shackles.