Stealing and lock picking:

How to train your sneak skill - Find a shop with a lone shopkeeper. Stand at the corner and press the CTRL button. The steal/pickpocket button should be flashing on and off. If it doesn't, look for a better spot and try again (Please make sure that you are not facing the shopkeeper). Put some weight on top of the CTRL key and go watch a movie or take a nap (It takes a few minutes to increase 1 point of the skill).

Too many people in the shop - No problem. First, stand near a NPC and wait for him(or her) to turn around to face you. Then, back up and move away from him. Notice that he will not turn back to his original direction. Do the same to all the NPCs (including the shopkeer) and it should be easier for you to sneak and steal things from the shelf.

Make use of your surroundings/environment - If possible, stand behind a beam to cover yourself. Once you are "hidden" from the shopkeepr/guard, you can steal without getting caught. I have used this method to *borrow* The Sword of White Foe in Balmora.

To practice lock picking - Buy a spell of "lock" (Not an easy spell to get). Then buy plenty of lockpicks and find a small empty room (or store room) with a chest. Cast the "lock" spell to lock the chest and then pick the lock. Repeat the process to advance your lockpicking skill AND your alteration skill; killing two birds with one stone, eh?

To increase your stats:

Secret Master exploit - Once you have found the appropriate secret master. Enchant an item to raise your related stat to 100+. Train your skill up and gain the stat bonus when you level up.
What if your (for example) Athletics is already at 100 but your Speed rating is only at 80? No problem, keep paying for the "training" and you will not gain any skill beyond 100 BUT your progress toward next level will still increase and you get to level up and gain the stat bonus. Note that this trick only applies to your major/minor skills ONLY.

not bad not bad i already covered the last 2 spoilers though i even gave a list of the secret masters.
you forgot to mention though that the master will not train the skill past its governing attribute.
i.e. blocks attribute is endurance. if your block skill is at 70 and your endurance is at 60 he says he will not train beyond your governing attribute.

My oversight. I assumed that most of the people here already knew that. Anyway, stat bonus enchantment/potions/spells are quite easy to get. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Where is this "sword of white foe," eh? It's in Balmora, so its easy to get to. And is it better than a daeradric longsword?

The sword of White Foe is basically an Ebony broadsword with drain health 1- 10 pts enchantment of 500/500 charges. It is a good starter sword since you can get it fairly early in the game (if you know where to find it)

Hint: It is on a cupboard in one of the Guard Towers (Balmora) but there is a guard next to it. Stand behind the nearby beam and jump while pressing the space bar. You will need to repair it because initially it was quite damaged.

Additional Tips

Save you game before opening chests. Some of the items inside are generated randomly, and sometimes you may get better loot if you give it a few retry.

Also if you are at a higher level (25+), save before entering any Deadric shrine. Some monsters are also generated randomly, for example Golden Saint and Dremora Lord. I am now at level 50 and I get a lot of goodies from fallen Dremora Lord (Deadric Katana, Dai-kata and etc)

And also I noticed that after you have looted the dead bodies, dispose all the bodies and leave the area by the using door; the next time you enter the area, new monsters are respawned. By exploiting this, you may be able to collect a lot of Deadric weapons.

[ 06-20-2002, 11:14 PM: Message edited by: Paladin2000 ]

There's a guard tower in Balmora? where?

I can't remember if they call it "Guard Tower" in Balmora but there is 4 of those tower like buildings in Balmora. One of them is next to the South Corner Club, the other one is next to Caius's house and 2 more near on the higer ground somewhere near the Hlaalu council club.

duh, it seems I didn't explore every nook and cranny. ;)