Tamriel Vault - Character Building Based on Combat Mechanics

Sihastru

Member

August 20, 2013

I am posting the following again here at the recommendation of Batman. The post was initially published as one of my blog entries. I sincerely hope I would be able to update the text below after publishing, since the list is not an exhaustive list (yet).

I got tired of keeping information such as this here and there... so I'm putting it here.

The reason why I started this unfinished list is that it would help me with character building. Personally I was never fond of pure melee characters, as I always fancied to have time to decide my next actions in case I would need it. That is, before the baddies get to me. But favouring one archetype over another would eventually be just that, a personal choice, the list below being able to help with the creation of any character. I should probably mention I am playing Skyrim vanilla, on PC, and I'm not using any mods. And I don't enjoy exploits or game breaking (overpowered) mechanics. Meaning for example... if I decide on a character who uses Sneak and Daggers, then I would give the character penalties, for example increasing the Health pool or using Armor would not be allowed. And maybe it doesn't change much but I play on Master.

So, considering all three major archetypes, Combat, Magic and Stealth, I came up with a sort of list of how a character is helped by skills/ items to 1. do more damage, 2. mitigate damage (take less damage than he/ she should) and 3. avoid damage altogether.

1. DAMAGE DEALING
- Weapon/ Shield
    - damage done (One-handed, Two-Handed, Shield, Unarmed, Conjuration, Smithing, Alchemy, Enchanting)
    - weapon range
    - critical strike potential
- Spell
    - Destruction
    - Alchemy (Fortify Skill - not more damage, but more magicka, hence more damage over a period of time)
    - Enchanting (Fortify Skill)
- Shouts (Marked for Death or Unrelenting Force to name just a few)
- Pickpocketing (if opponents don't have armor, you deal more damage)
- Food - Vegetable Stew, Elsweyr Fondue... - more Magicka/ Stamina means more damage

2. DAMAGE MITIGATION (decreasing damage taken)
- Disarming - Pickpocket (no weapon used against you means less damage taken), Block
- Armor - Light/ Heavy, Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy
- Blocking - Block, Alchemy, Enchanting
- Unique items - Spellbreaker and others
- Magic Armor - aka. Flesh Spells (Alteration)
- Magic Resistance (Restoration/ Alchemy/ Enchanting/ Alteration/ Blocking)
- Spell Absorption (Destruction/ Alteration/ Racial/ Stone)

3. DAMAGE AVOIDANCE
- Fleeing (needs a large Stamina pool or Potions/ Alchemy)
- Evasion (combat grounds exploitation - manipulation of surrounding space)
- Sneaking (Sneak/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
- Muffle (Illusion/ Enchanting)
- Invisibility (Illusion/ Alchemy/ Shout - Become Ethereal)
- The Steed (Stone - 0 weight on Armor)
- Detect Life/ Undead (Alteration)/ Shout
- Paralyze (Alteration/ Alchemy/ Enchanting/ One-handed)
- Stagger (One-handed, Two-Handed, Destruction/ Archery/ Block/ Alteration + Enchanting [through Paralyze's stagger] Shout)
- Summon creatures - Conjure/ Reanimate (Conjuration), staves
- Slow (Destruction/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
- Fear (Illusion/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
- Frenzy (Illusion/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
- Pacify (Illusion/ Items - staves)
- Turn Undead (Restoration/ Enchanting)
- Banish (Conjuration/ Enchanting)
- Waterbreathing (Alteration/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)

This usually helps me when building characters, be they minimalist or powerhouses because it allows me to choose between the mechanics the characters would use.