Morrowind:Short Blade

Skill: Short Blade
Governing Attribute: Speed
Specialization: Stealth
Increase: Successful Attack: +0.75

Characters with great Short Blade skill are more effective with short, quick, thrusting weapons like daggers, tantos, short swords, and wakizashis.

Character Creation

The following races receive bonuses to their Short Blade skill:

• +10 bonus: Dark Elf, +5 bonus: Khajiit, Redguard

The following classes have Short Blade as a Major skill:

• Agent, Assassin, Nightblade, Rogue, Thief

The following classes have Short Blade as a Minor skill:

• Mage, Pilgrim, Sorcerer

Factions

The following factions include Short Blade as one of their favored skills:

• Berne Clan
• Dark Brotherhood (not joinable)
• House Hlaalu
• Morag Tong
• Thieves Guild

Trainers

The Master Trainer of Short Blade is Todwendy, at the Lucky Lockup in Balmora. Other trainers of note are:

• Nileno Dorvayn at Hlaalu Council Manor in Balmora (up to 74)
• Mathyn Bemis in the Hlaalu Ancestral Vaults in Vivec (up to 72)*
• Athesie Andas on the Upper Level of Andasreth (up to 70)*
• Athyn Sarethi in the Sarethi Manor in Ald'ruhn (up to 70)
• Avon Ravel on the Bottom Level of Hlormaren Keep (up to 70)*
• Faral Retheran in the Redoran Treasury in Vivec (up to 70)
• Navil Ienith at Dren's Villa on Dren Plantation (up to 70)

See Short Blade Trainers for the complete list.
*These NPCs are hostile, and will attack on sight

Books

The following books will increase your Short Blade skill:

• Unnamed Book
• 2920, Sun's Dusk
• 2920, Evening Star
• 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 10
• 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 30

Short Blades

This is a list of base short blade weapons. A complete list of short blade weapons, including enchanted and unique ones, is also available.

The dagger and short sword are Western Imperial weapons. The tanto and wakizashi are styled after Akaviri blades. These weapons are light and fast, most effective against lightly armored opponents, but a skilled user can outlast more heavily armed and armored opponents. The dagger, tanto, and short sword are thrusting weapons, the wakizashi a chopping and slashing weapon. Rank them by effectiveness as dagger, tanto, short sword, and wakizashi, with dagger least effective. - Garothmuk gro-Muzgub

Name ID Chop Slash Thrust Speed Reach Enchant Chitin Dagger chitin dagger 1.5 380 6 3−3 3−3 4−4 2.0 1.0 1 Iron Dagger iron dagger 3.0 400 10 4−5 4−5 5−5 2.5 1.0 2 Chitin Shortsword chitin shortsword 4.0 540 13 3−7 3−7 4−9 2.0 1.0 2 Iron Tanto iron tanto 4.0 500 14 5−6 5−6 6−6 2.25 1.0 2.2 Steel Dagger steel dagger 3.0 450 20 4−5 4−5 5−5 2.5 1.0 2 Iron Shortsword iron shortsword 8.0 600 20 4−9 4−9 7−11 2.0 1.0 4 Iron Wakizashi iron wakizashi 10.0 500 24 7−12 5−10 1−5 2.25 1.0 4.5 Steel Tanto steel tanto 4.0 600 28 5−11 5−11 6−11 2.25 1.0 2.2 Imperial Shortsword imperial shortsword 9.0 700 30 4−10 4−10 6−10 2.0 1.0 5 Silver Dagger * silver dagger 2.4 400 40 4−5 4−5 5−5 2.5 1.0 1.6 Steel Shortsword steel shortsword 8.0 750 40 5−12 5−12 7−12 2.0 1.0 4 Steel Wakizashi steel wakizashi 10.0 600 48 8−11 7−12 2−7 2.25 1.0 4.5 Silver Shortsword silver shortsword 6.0 570 80 5−10 5−10 7−10 2.0 1.0 3.6 Dwarven Shortsword dwarven shortsword 8.0 1,050 300 7−14 7−14 8−15 2.0 1.0 4 Glass Dagger ** glass dagger 1.8 300 4,000 6−15 6−15 6−12 2.5 1.0 1.2 Daedric Dagger daedric dagger 9.0 700 10,000 8−12 8−12 8−12 2.5 1.0 6 Ebony Shortsword ebony shortsword 16.0 1,200 10,000 10−20 10−22 15−25 2.0 1.0 8 Daedric Tanto daedric tanto 12.0 1,100 14,000 9−20 9−20 9−20 2.25 1.0 6.6 Daedric Shortsword daedric shortsword 24.0 1,500 20,000 10−26 10−26 12−24 2.0 1.0 12 Daedric Wakizashi *** daedric wakizashi 30.0 1,100 48,000 10−30 10−25 7−11 2.25 1.0 13.5

Daggers: Chitin, Daedric, Glass, Iron, Silver, Steel Shortswords: Chitin, Daedric, Dwarven, Ebony, Imperial, Iron, Silver, Steel Tantos: Daedric, Iron/Steel Wakizashis: Daedric, Iron, Steel

^* Silver Daggers sometimes appear in a cursed variety, identified as "Ancient Silver Dagger". See Cursed Items for details.
^** A cursed version of the Glass Dagger also exists. The cursed version may be identified on sight by its lower damage values.
^*** The Daedric Wakizashi is the most powerful short blade, as a custom-enchanted weapon, in the entire game (including all official expansions and plugins). While only the third most powerful short blade in stock damage, after the unique and pre-enchanted Fang of Haynekhtnamet (base + Shock Damage) and the unenchanted Goblin Sword^TR (base damage only), it can have up to an additional theoretical 1–109 points in either Fire or Frost Damage. Because the Magnitude slider only goes to 100, the actual minimum non-wasteful enchantment is 10–100 (any combination that adds up to 110 will also use the full capacity of the weapon, e.g. 40–70). Thus, its actual maximum damage per strike is 130 total (plus any bonuses for Strength, Weakness to [effect], etc.); the Daedric Shortsword maxes at 126, the Ebony Shortsword at 94, the Goblin Sword at 80, the Daedric Tanto at 73, and the Fang at 70.