My character build is similar to Mytheos's, though I like to think of my character as a Skirmisher.
His primary offensive skill is one-handed.
Defensives are Light Armor and Block.
He will dabble in Restoration (just enough for the magicka regen, up to to apprentice restoration, regeneration, and respite) and Alteration ( just up to maxing out Magic Resistance, but this will also help him cast his Mage/Candle light spells and some small shielding spells).
And his major skill is Alchemy.
So far I've been playing on Expert (I usually play on Adept) and the challenge is quite nice. I refuse to touch Smithing and Enchanting, which means I have to depend on Alchemy to meet my shortcomings Only about 15 (haven't invested in any of the spellcasting perks yet), and I'm devoting the leveling points evenly between health and stamina.
Quite a nice build. May not the best from a power-gaming perspective, but it's fun and easily possible with a bit of thought and a follower!
This is pretty much exactly how I am. The mage play style is easily my least favorite, I just can't get into it (and yes, I have tried...several times). The sneaky archer is fun, but I don't like playing it full time. As morguen said, I'll weaken opponents with a few arrows, then charge in with my sword and shield or battleaxe.I had a lot of fun with an Imperial knight type character. I used a sword and shield with heavy armor and relied heavily on restoration spells as well.
When I decided to make a new character I couldn't decide if I wanted to be a sneaky archer, or a warrior wielding a two handed warhammer. So I decided to be both.
I rolled with a Nord and I sneak around using a bow and arrow then switch to a warhammer when I'm discovered or need to fight close range.
I usually always increase health when I level up and I use my perks on archery, two handed, sneak, or light armor in that order of priority.
When most people decide to roll a character that is going to rely on sneaking and archery, they don't typically think of Nords. However, combining sneak archery with a two handed warhammer has been a blast so far.