It's a great build, and I'm really impressed that you managed to make it console-friendly. That said, I play on PC, and my game is heavily modded. UFO allows me to be pickier about who I chose and more able to arrange follower inventories without pickpocket, Apocalypse Spell Package for more spells and Forgotten Magic for spells that get their own perks as you use them. And SkyRe makes each skill significantly more perk intensive, introduces Destruction scaling (especially with perks!), and adds a lot to the Restoration tree, including auras to buff followers, and the Imperial power of "Orders" you can use as powers with a 10 minute cool down to have your followers adopt offensive or defensive "stances (do/take more or less damage)." It also gives Imperials a significant (I think 25%) bonus to buying/selling. I think my races module is a bit bugged, because it's supposed to *replace* Imperial Luck and Voice of the Emperor, but it keeps those, as well. In addition, the new Speechcraft tree includes perks called "Loyalty" and "Strength in Numbers," which give bonuses to experience gained and damage dealt as long as you have a follower, and implement the damage bonuses to your followers, respectively.
With all the mod-given advantages, I really don't see a need for necromancy (which I don't like anyways), and I thought of replacing it with Destruction instead of archery. This would allow me to replace Esbern/Serana with, well, myself, since most mage followers don't seem to use higher spells. Do you think it's viable? Thinking a fireball or two while my melee troops close in at range. I'd probably go with a smaller force---Jordis as tank, Jenassa as rogue, Erik the Slayer as 2h warrior, and perhaps Onmund/Brelyna/Marcurio.
Added to this, what do you use for defense? Armor really matters in SkyRe, so I wonder how you keep yourself alive from arrows, which can slip through your party to nail you in the face (or the knee).
So in the end, I guess I'm asking if Restoration/Illusion/Destruction/Alteration (Or Heavy Armor)/Enchanting would work, with a bit of investment in Speechcraft. SkyRe smithing has been nerfed somewhat, and it now has 5 perks that increase tempering by 20/40/60/80/100, as well as all the perks for materials. The difference is that you can't temper anything but Iron, fur, and hide at all without the relevant perk, so it's too heavy an investment for someone who already has maybe 4 or 5 skills. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
It's a great build, and I'm really impressed that you managed to make it console-friendly. That said, I play on PC, and my game is heavily modded. UFO allows me to be pickier about who I chose and more able to arrange follower inventories without pickpocket, Apocalypse Spell Package for more spells and Forgotten Magic for spells that get their own perks as you use them. And SkyRe makes each skill significantly more perk intensive, introduces Destruction scaling (especially with perks!), and adds a lot to the Restoration tree, including auras to buff followers, and the Imperial power of "Orders" you can use as powers with a 10 minute cool down to have your followers adopt offensive or defensive "stances (do/take more or less damage)." It also gives Imperials a significant (I think 25%) bonus to buying/selling. I think my races module is a bit bugged, because it's supposed to *replace* Imperial Luck and Voice of the Emperor, but it keeps those, as well. In addition, the new Speechcraft tree includes perks called "Loyalty" and "Strength in Numbers," which give bonuses to experience gained and damage dealt as long as you have a follower, and implement the damage bonuses to your followers, respectively.
With all the mod-given advantages, I really don't see a need for necromancy (which I don't like anyways), and I thought of replacing it with Destruction instead of archery. This would allow me to replace Esbern/Serana with, well, myself, since most mage followers don't seem to use higher spells. Do you think it's viable? Thinking a fireball or two while my melee troops close in at range. I'd probably go with a smaller force---Jordis as tank, Jenassa as rogue, Erik the Slayer as 2h warrior, and perhaps Onmund/Brelyna/Marcurio.
Added to this, what do you use for defense? Armor really matters in SkyRe, so I wonder how you keep yourself alive from arrows, which can slip through your party to nail you in the face (or the knee).
So in the end, I guess I'm asking if Restoration/Illusion/Destruction/Alteration (Or Heavy Armor)/Enchanting would work, with a bit of investment in Speechcraft. SkyRe smithing has been nerfed somewhat, and it now has 5 perks that increase tempering by 20/40/60/80/100, as well as all the perks for materials. The difference is that you can't temper anything but Iron, fur, and hide at all without the relevant perk, so it's too heavy an investment for someone who already has maybe 4 or 5 skills. I'd love to hear your thoughts!