i don't think any pure mage builds... there is an ash hunter build though.

Character Build: The Ash Hunter - The Tamriel...

I just came home and noticed the race that had ended...yes, this was indeed what I had in mind. :D

Coming back to Skyrim after a break. Looking to play something new and unique. Can anyone recommend a more recent build? I feel like I've played basically every character type imaginable...I want it to be unique with plenty of roleplay. Gender/mods don't matter. Let the recommendations fly!

Three of my favorites are Ponty's Shaper, Gollum's Cutthroat, and Oneness's Gatekeeper.

The Shaper is a Werewolf Mage with a strong elemental magic combat style alongside being able to shift into the wolf for fast takedowns and berserker combat.

The Cutthroat is a melee oriented, lightly armored duellist build with significant offensive ability and some very fun tricks.

The Gatekeeper manages to use all three Bound Weapons, multiple sets of enchanted armor, and a necromantic army for a nice little gamebreaking jaunt.

I'm looking for a build I saw a year or so ago, about a vampiric Ronin who would use unarmed combat but would also use a weapon (Harkon's sword, iirc) when there was a need to. Does anyone know the build?

Hey Doc.  I'm not sure if its what you are looking for but the only vampiric Ronin that I know of is my build the Forgotten Knight based on the ancient Dragon Knights of Akavir.

I don't think this is it, but The Akaviri Bloodlord by Flyin' Hawaiian fits the bill of a vampiric Ronin.

Hey im looking for a build that is pure mage with heavy armor and an awesome back story to go with it

This looks cool, thanks!

I have something along those lines, The Twilight of Meridia. She is a pure blood mage who uses Destruction, Conjuration - Necromancy, Restoration, Alchemy and only a bit of Alteration strictly because of Equilibrium. The build has no emphasis on armor, so you can easily put her in heavy garments. I'm warning you though, without any armor she is very tank-ish for a mage, without sacrificing the fire power at all. Blood magic does that contrary to popular belief. The character is based on a couple glitches, but if you're not into that sort of thing, it can be easily played without them. Have fun reading her backstory!