The Atronach-born
This Khajiit is an unarmed fighter with a focus on mage skills. Of course, this means the build will be similar to Grixis' Flame of Magrus, especially at earlier levels. However, once the build comes into its own, which will be around the late level 30's or early 40's, it will differentiate itself. Eventually, the general combat style will be to use ranged spells at a distance, buff yourself with a flesh spell and a cloak spell, then rush in with your claws.
Truncated Back Story:
M’Khaj was born upon the desert plains between the Elsweyr cities of Dune and Riverhold.. Not only did his mother die during childbirth, but M’Khaj himself came out nearly stillborn, only slightly breathing in an arcane comatose state. It was only due to the efforts of the Clan Mother that M’Khaj survived, who determined that the newborn cub was not in possession of a complete soul. The cub’s salvation was found in a ritual provided on one of the Clan Mother’s archived scrolls, void of any marks of origin except for an icon of an octopus-like creature at the bottom of the parchment. The ritual required three soul gems, each containing the soul of a different elemental atronach. Pieces of each entrapped soul were used to repair the soul of M’Khaj. The ritual was a success, though it came to be viewed as a curse rather than a blessing as the cub grew older.
M’Khaj grew to exhibit strange power (or sometimes afflictions) of elemental nature, which he was rarely able to control. Insulation from flames, occasional, inexplicable chills emanating from his body, attraction to lightning bolts, etc. This made him a source of great fear among his clanmates. Even his father eyed him with suspicion. Chief among their fears was the possibility of M’Khaj suffering a mortal wound in the camp. Though few had seen an atronach up close, all knew that upon exiting the mortal plane, an atronach’s physical body exploded in a torrent of elemental energy. To think of what would happen upon the death of M’Khaj, whose body housed the souls of three atronachs made their whiskers droop.
Finally, after M’Khaj’s 15th birthday, tensions reached a boiling point when an errant icy gust coming from the Khajiit almost froze another young one to death. The clan was ready to kill M’Khaj (from a safe distance, of course), but the Clan Mother intervened.
“Young one,” she said, after escorting M’Khaj a safe distance from the camp,“This one wishes that you could live in harmony with your fellow clanmates, but it is impossible.” Her ears began to droop as she looked away wistfully. “This one supposes she is to blame for that… But what’s done is done, and you cannot stay here. Make your way north, cub, and seek out Hermorah, Cat of the Tides. It was he who gave us the means to curse you with this life. Perhaps he will be the one to save you from it, as well.”
So M’Khaj set out north, first crossing to Cyrodiil, though the alien weather and previously unencountered persecution of his kind drove him west to Hammerfell. It was here that M’Khaj could at least feel some semblance of home in the desert regions. Always, when he reached a new town, M’Khaj went to the temples and the taverns alike, asking for knowledge of Hermorah, Cat of the Tides. Always he was met with revulsion and called a Daedra worshipper (this term was foreign to the young Khajiit). Yet onward he went north, and as the years passed by, he grew in strength and control, until the souls of the atronachs inside of him no longer flared up unbidden, though he still had a long ways to go to use their powers as his own.
By the time M’Khaj was 24 years old, he was making his way across the Skyrim border with some other travelers. Unknown to M’Khaj, one of these travelers was Ulfric Stormcloak, and he was about to involve the Khajiit In far more trouble than he imagined…
Race: Khajiit
Guardian Stones: Mage, later Atronach (+ Lord or Lady if you get the Aetherial Crown)
Key Shouts:
--All Elemental Shouts: These shouts allow M’Khaj to channel the souls of his indwelling atronachs.
--Become Etherial: M’Khaj has an innately tenuous hold on this living plane, due to a near-death experience upon birth, and his subsequent healing via --parts of the souls of atronachs.
--Slow Time: This takes advantage of M’Khaj’s prowess as a nomadic Khajiit.
--Soul Tear: M’Khaj is very familiar with the forces that bind souls.
Key Skills:
--Destruction: This skill tree manifests your relationship to the atronachs that indwell you.
--Heavy Armor: You want heavy gauntlets to maximize your CQC, but you will become proficient enough that it won’t inhibit your movement. You are a Khajiit, after all.
--Enchantment: You are a natural genius in utilizing the energy of souls, since you have had to be aware of yours and those of the atronachs all your life.
--Alteration: This skill tree represents how the souls of the atronachs have left their mark on your very being.
Minor/Optional Skills:
--Conjuration: You may want to summon atronachs for RP reasons. It does level up quickly, so if you master it, you can get the sigil stone and make your own daedric gauntlets.
--Special Rule for Atronach-summoning: Whichever atronach you choose to summon, you are unable to utilize for your own combat style. For example, if you summon a frost atronach, then you cannot use frost cloak or any other frost magic for the duration of the summon. This is because, in order to summon the atronach, you are calling them “out” of your own soul.
--Sneak: You aren’t really a defensive powerhouse, so you can use this to position yourself before combat. The Khajiit mindset doesn’t have a place for the concepts of honor or fairplay.
--Restoration: Obvious reasons. The Avoid Death perk synergizes with the kamikaze style.
--Smithing: Maybe help out your defense. Our desired gauntlets are dragonplate or daedric, which can be tough to find, so if you want to invest the perks, have at it.
Equipment:
As far as equipment goes, there are few requirements. Get either Dragonplate or Daedric gauntlets, and enchant everything you can with Fortify Unarmed. Khajiit like to adorn themselves with jewelry and even herbs, so wear a circlet (I preferred the Aetherial Crown, myself). Play around to find an aesthetic that pleases you. Note, however, that Khajiit find anything that completely exposes torso fur to be offensive.
Battle Tactics:
Flame Possession: M’Khaj channels the soul of the flame atronach to burn his enemies to a crisp. He charges into battle, covered in fire. Highest dps tactic. Flame Cloak + Fire Breath + Unarmed
Frost Possession: M’Khaj channels the soul of the frost atronach to slow his enemies to a halt. Most defensive tactic (if that’s possible, lol). Frost breath or Ice Form + Frost Cloak + Unarmed
Storm Possession: M’Khaj channels the soul of the storm atronach to electrify his enemies. Great against mages and large outdoor groups. Storm Call + Storm Cloak + Unarmed
Elemental Khajiit: M’Khaj marries his natural Khajiit abilities with his atronach nature to attack his enemies in a blinding flurry of claw and elemental energy. Cloak spell of choice + Slow Time + Unarmed
Yeah...
Style of Play:
For Stat distribution, just get your magicka up to around 250 or so. That way, with cost-reduction equipment, you’ll be pretty well prepared spell-wise (keep in mind you’ll be pretty mage-y for the first 20 levels). After that, just dump the levels into health. No real need for stamina.
During early levels, you are fairly mage-centric, though you will wear heavy armor and resort to claw attacks when out of magicka. My particular battle plan for the first 20 levels or so was flesh spell -> rune spells until magicka was depleted -> claw attacks.
Once you’re past level 25, you can effectively start playing true to this build. I utilized destruction cost-reducing enchantments to keep up cloak spells and adept ranged spells. I’d precast a flesh spell and go into cqc with my claws out. Duck and weave is the name of the game here.
No followers! M’Khaj does not want to be responsible for the possible deaths of others should he perish.
Avoid the Companions! The College and the Thieves Guild are fine, but the Dark Brotherhood will require some rp-justification. You’re not exactly an acolyte for Sithis, nor are you bloodthirsty…unless your own story as M’Khaj unfolds down a darker path. Which leads me to my next, extremely important point…
This build is a journey of self-discovery. M’Khaj strives to find his place in the world as a clanless loner possessed of atronachs, and eventually, as the Dragonborn. What I’m saying here is to experiment in the early levels, quest-wise. Do things that may be out of character for this build. Personally, I let the Dawnguard questline be the catalyst for M’Khaj. I sided with the vampires out of a sense of kinship for people who are ostracized from society. As I progressed, I came to see Harkon as misguided and evil, and I also came to view vampirism as a burden, not a gift. From then on, M’Khaj strove to live a just life. (This build is something of a destination, not necessarily a journey)
Once you believe your character is ready to realize his full potential, perform Hermaus Mora’s quest.
Perk Layout: Level 25
Destruction: Novice – Adept, Augmented Flames (1/2), Intense Flames, Augmented Frost (1/2), Augmented Shock (1/2), Destruction Dual Casting
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut (3/5), Fists of Steel, Cushioned
Alteration: Novice, Apprentice, Magic Resistance (1/3)
Enchanting: Enchanter (4/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter
Restoration: Novice, Apprentice, Regeneration
Perk Layout: Level 50
Destruction: Novice – Adept, Augmented Flames (2/2), Intense Flames, Augmented Frost (2/2), Deep Freeze, Augmented Shock (2/2), Disintegrate,
Destruction Dual Casting
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut (5/5), Fists of Steel, Cushioned, Conditioning
Alteration: Novice-Expert, Magic Resistance (3/3), Stability, Atronach
Enchanting: Enchanter (5/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter, Extra Effect
Restoration: Novice-Adept, Regeneration, Recovery (2/2), Avoid Death
Conjuration: Novice-Apprentice, Summoner, Atromancy
As you can probably see from the perk layout for level 50, we fill out our key skills, plus a minor skill, somewhere in the 40's. I am having a little bit of RP fun pursuing conjuration at these later levels. In my mind, M'Khaj has finally become powerful enough in his own right that he can start summoning his atronachs out of his self into a completely corporeal form. Just my perspective on the endgame there...
Special Notes/Options:
If you want to take on master difficulty, or you would like to loosen up some perk/armor options to look more primal, you can – with much restraint – utilize the restoration/alchemy loop and slap a fortify unarmed +~90 on some hide bracers. This has to be done with a light hand. Save before you do it, since nothing sucks the fun out of a character like god-mode (or you could just sell the equipment for gob-tons of monies). Did I mention that you should use restrain?
It occurs to me that you could draw on M'Khaj's years in Hammerfell (he did spend at least a few of his formative years there), and actually substitute scimitars for claws. There's even another opportunity for synergy: Just enchant three different scimitars according to an elemental theme. For example, one scimitar would be enchanted with fire damage and fiery soul trap for use during the Flame Possession battle tactic. You'd have to tweak the perk choices, obviously, but it's an option nonetheless.
And that's the build, folks. Let me know if there are some ways I can improve upon this. Have fun!
Like this. This much fun is good.
Credits: The above images (except for Grumpy Cat) were sent to me via Vix (many thanks!) from the following sources, respectively: Anhes, Wizards of the Coast, Cheetahpaws, Heather Burton, AlectorFencer, and Tracy Butler.
The Atronach-born
This Khajiit is an unarmed fighter with a focus on mage skills. Of course, this means the build will be similar to Grixis' Flame of Magrus, especially at earlier levels. However, once the build comes into its own, which will be around the late level 30's or early 40's, it will differentiate itself. Eventually, the general combat style will be to use ranged spells at a distance, buff yourself with a flesh spell and a cloak spell, then rush in with your claws.
Truncated Back Story:
M’Khaj was born upon the desert plains between the Elsweyr cities of Dune and Riverhold.. Not only did his mother die during childbirth, but M’Khaj himself came out nearly stillborn, only slightly breathing in an arcane comatose state. It was only due to the efforts of the Clan Mother that M’Khaj survived, who determined that the newborn cub was not in possession of a complete soul. The cub’s salvation was found in a ritual provided on one of the Clan Mother’s archived scrolls, void of any marks of origin except for an icon of an octopus-like creature at the bottom of the parchment. The ritual required three soul gems, each containing the soul of a different elemental atronach. Pieces of each entrapped soul were used to repair the soul of M’Khaj. The ritual was a success, though it came to be viewed as a curse rather than a blessing as the cub grew older.
M’Khaj grew to exhibit strange power (or sometimes afflictions) of elemental nature, which he was rarely able to control. Insulation from flames, occasional, inexplicable chills emanating from his body, attraction to lightning bolts, etc. This made him a source of great fear among his clanmates. Even his father eyed him with suspicion. Chief among their fears was the possibility of M’Khaj suffering a mortal wound in the camp. Though few had seen an atronach up close, all knew that upon exiting the mortal plane, an atronach’s physical body exploded in a torrent of elemental energy. To think of what would happen upon the death of M’Khaj, whose body housed the souls of three atronachs made their whiskers droop.
Finally, after M’Khaj’s 15th birthday, tensions reached a boiling point when an errant icy gust coming from the Khajiit almost froze another young one to death. The clan was ready to kill M’Khaj (from a safe distance, of course), but the Clan Mother intervened.
“Young one,” she said, after escorting M’Khaj a safe distance from the camp,“This one wishes that you could live in harmony with your fellow clanmates, but it is impossible.” Her ears began to droop as she looked away wistfully. “This one supposes she is to blame for that… But what’s done is done, and you cannot stay here. Make your way north, cub, and seek out Hermorah, Cat of the Tides. It was he who gave us the means to curse you with this life. Perhaps he will be the one to save you from it, as well.”
So M’Khaj set out north, first crossing to Cyrodiil, though the alien weather and previously unencountered persecution of his kind drove him west to Hammerfell. It was here that M’Khaj could at least feel some semblance of home in the desert regions. Always, when he reached a new town, M’Khaj went to the temples and the taverns alike, asking for knowledge of Hermorah, Cat of the Tides. Always he was met with revulsion and called a Daedra worshipper (this term was foreign to the young Khajiit). Yet onward he went north, and as the years passed by, he grew in strength and control, until the souls of the atronachs inside of him no longer flared up unbidden, though he still had a long ways to go to use their powers as his own.
By the time M’Khaj was 24 years old, he was making his way across the Skyrim border with some other travelers. Unknown to M’Khaj, one of these travelers was Ulfric Stormcloak, and he was about to involve the Khajiit In far more trouble than he imagined…
Race: Khajiit
Guardian Stones: Mage, later Atronach (+ Lord or Lady if you get the Aetherial Crown)
Key Shouts:
--All Elemental Shouts: These shouts allow M’Khaj to channel the souls of his indwelling atronachs.
--Become Etherial: M’Khaj has an innately tenuous hold on this living plane, due to a near-death experience upon birth, and his subsequent healing via --parts of the souls of atronachs.
--Slow Time: This takes advantage of M’Khaj’s prowess as a nomadic Khajiit.
--Soul Tear: M’Khaj is very familiar with the forces that bind souls.
Key Skills:
--Destruction: This skill tree manifests your relationship to the atronachs that indwell you.
--Heavy Armor: You want heavy gauntlets to maximize your CQC, but you will become proficient enough that it won’t inhibit your movement. You are a Khajiit, after all.
--Enchantment: You are a natural genius in utilizing the energy of souls, since you have had to be aware of yours and those of the atronachs all your life.
--Alteration: This skill tree represents how the souls of the atronachs have left their mark on your very being.
Minor/Optional Skills:
--Conjuration: You may want to summon atronachs for RP reasons. It does level up quickly, so if you master it, you can get the sigil stone and make your own daedric gauntlets.
--Special Rule for Atronach-summoning: Whichever atronach you choose to summon, you are unable to utilize for your own combat style. For example, if you summon a frost atronach, then you cannot use frost cloak or any other frost magic for the duration of the summon. This is because, in order to summon the atronach, you are calling them “out” of your own soul.
--Sneak: You aren’t really a defensive powerhouse, so you can use this to position yourself before combat. The Khajiit mindset doesn’t have a place for the concepts of honor or fairplay.
--Restoration: Obvious reasons. The Avoid Death perk synergizes with the kamikaze style.
--Smithing: Maybe help out your defense. Our desired gauntlets are dragonplate or daedric, which can be tough to find, so if you want to invest the perks, have at it.
Equipment:
As far as equipment goes, there are few requirements. Get either Dragonplate or Daedric gauntlets, and enchant everything you can with Fortify Unarmed. Khajiit like to adorn themselves with jewelry and even herbs, so wear a circlet (I preferred the Aetherial Crown, myself). Play around to find an aesthetic that pleases you. Note, however, that Khajiit find anything that completely exposes torso fur to be offensive.
Battle Tactics:
Flame Possession: M’Khaj channels the soul of the flame atronach to burn his enemies to a crisp. He charges into battle, covered in fire. Highest dps tactic. Flame Cloak + Fire Breath + Unarmed
Frost Possession: M’Khaj channels the soul of the frost atronach to slow his enemies to a halt. Most defensive tactic (if that’s possible, lol). Frost breath or Ice Form + Frost Cloak + Unarmed
Storm Possession: M’Khaj channels the soul of the storm atronach to electrify his enemies. Great against mages and large outdoor groups. Storm Call + Storm Cloak + Unarmed
Elemental Khajiit: M’Khaj marries his natural Khajiit abilities with his atronach nature to attack his enemies in a blinding flurry of claw and elemental energy. Cloak spell of choice + Slow Time + Unarmed
Yeah...
Style of Play:
For Stat distribution, just get your magicka up to around 250 or so. That way, with cost-reduction equipment, you’ll be pretty well prepared spell-wise (keep in mind you’ll be pretty mage-y for the first 20 levels). After that, just dump the levels into health. No real need for stamina.
During early levels, you are fairly mage-centric, though you will wear heavy armor and resort to claw attacks when out of magicka. My particular battle plan for the first 20 levels or so was flesh spell -> rune spells until magicka was depleted -> claw attacks.
Once you’re past level 25, you can effectively start playing true to this build. I utilized destruction cost-reducing enchantments to keep up cloak spells and adept ranged spells. I’d precast a flesh spell and go into cqc with my claws out. Duck and weave is the name of the game here.
No followers! M’Khaj does not want to be responsible for the possible deaths of others should he perish.
Avoid the Companions! The College and the Thieves Guild are fine, but the Dark Brotherhood will require some rp-justification. You’re not exactly an acolyte for Sithis, nor are you bloodthirsty…unless your own story as M’Khaj unfolds down a darker path. Which leads me to my next, extremely important point…
This build is a journey of self-discovery. M’Khaj strives to find his place in the world as a clanless loner possessed of atronachs, and eventually, as the Dragonborn. What I’m saying here is to experiment in the early levels, quest-wise. Do things that may be out of character for this build. Personally, I let the Dawnguard questline be the catalyst for M’Khaj. I sided with the vampires out of a sense of kinship for people who are ostracized from society. As I progressed, I came to see Harkon as misguided and evil, and I also came to view vampirism as a burden, not a gift. From then on, M’Khaj strove to live a just life. (This build is something of a destination, not necessarily a journey)
Once you believe your character is ready to realize his full potential, perform Hermaus Mora’s quest.
Perk Layout: Level 25
Destruction: Novice – Adept, Augmented Flames (1/2), Intense Flames, Augmented Frost (1/2), Augmented Shock (1/2), Destruction Dual Casting
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut (3/5), Fists of Steel, Cushioned
Alteration: Novice, Apprentice, Magic Resistance (1/3)
Enchanting: Enchanter (4/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter
Restoration: Novice, Apprentice, Regeneration
Perk Layout: Level 50
Destruction: Novice – Adept, Augmented Flames (2/2), Intense Flames, Augmented Frost (2/2), Deep Freeze, Augmented Shock (2/2), Disintegrate,
Destruction Dual Casting
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut (5/5), Fists of Steel, Cushioned, Conditioning
Alteration: Novice-Expert, Magic Resistance (3/3), Stability, Atronach
Enchanting: Enchanter (5/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter, Extra Effect
Restoration: Novice-Adept, Regeneration, Recovery (2/2), Avoid Death
Conjuration: Novice-Apprentice, Summoner, Atromancy
As you can probably see from the perk layout for level 50, we fill out our key skills, plus a minor skill, somewhere in the 40's. I am having a little bit of RP fun pursuing conjuration at these later levels. In my mind, M'Khaj has finally become powerful enough in his own right that he can start summoning his atronachs out of his self into a completely corporeal form. Just my perspective on the endgame there...
Special Notes/Options:
If you want to take on master difficulty, or you would like to loosen up some perk/armor options to look more primal, you can – with much restraint – utilize the restoration/alchemy loop and slap a fortify unarmed +~90 on some hide bracers. This has to be done with a light hand. Save before you do it, since nothing sucks the fun out of a character like god-mode (or you could just sell the equipment for gob-tons of monies). Did I mention that you should use restrain?
It occurs to me that you could draw on M'Khaj's years in Hammerfell (he did spend at least a few of his formative years there), and actually substitute scimitars for claws. There's even another opportunity for synergy: Just enchant three different scimitars according to an elemental theme. For example, one scimitar would be enchanted with fire damage and fiery soul trap for use during the Flame Possession battle tactic. You'd have to tweak the perk choices, obviously, but it's an option nonetheless.
And that's the build, folks. Let me know if there are some ways I can improve upon this. Have fun!
Like this. This much fun is good.
Credits: The above images (except for Grumpy Cat) were sent to me via Vix (many thanks!) from the following sources, respectively: Anhes, Wizards of the Coast, Cheetahpaws, Heather Burton, AlectorFencer, and Tracy Butler.
