In Oblivion, the Luck attribute affects gameplay in a broad but subtle way by modifying almost all your skills behind the scenes rather than governing any specific skill directly. A Luck value of 50 is neutral, meaning it neither benefits nor harms you. Values above 50 provide a positive bonus, increasing your skills, while values below 50 impose a penalty, effectively decreasing your skills. Specifically, Luck increases your skills by 40% of the amount your Luck is above 50. For example, if your Luck is 60, you gain a +4 bonus to all skills (40% of 10), and at 100 Luck, you get a +20 bonus to all skills. However, this bonus is hidden and does not count toward unlocking skill perks, which depend on your base skill levels. Conversely, having Luck below 50 decreases your skills similarly. This bonus applies to almost all skills except Acrobatics, Athletics, and Speechcraft
. Beyond skill modification, Luck influences various probabilities in the game, such as:
- The chance of winning bets in the Arena by affecting gladiator health.
- The chance that striking an opponent with Mehrunes Razor triggers its special effect.
- The likelihood of tools like Repair Hammers breaking after use.
- The success rate of lockpicks and other random events where chance is involved
Luck does not affect loot drops from containers or leveled lists
. In summary, Luck in Oblivion acts as a hidden multiplier for your skills and affects many random chance events, making things more likely to go in your favor when Luck is high, and more likely to go against you when it is low. However, investing heavily in Luck may not be the most efficient way to improve your character since the skill bonuses it provides are relatively modest and do not unlock skill perks
