Qahnaarin means "vanquisher" in the Dragon languange and is a respected title bestowed upon one dragon from another who has been defeated in a duel. This build came from a desire to play a character that serves justice at any cost. I also wanted to create a build designed to be played on master, and especially a build that didn’t rely on alchemy or restoration for healing. This build incorporates content from Dragonborn and Dawnguard.
*Credit to XianiX for the amazing screenshots*
Qahnaarin
Qahnaarin was born in the Black Marsh under the sign of the Shadow which destined him as a Shadowscale. He was given to the Dark Brotherhood to become a royal assassin. Qahnaarin was quickly becoming a talented assassin, but never felt at home within the Brotherhood. He eventually slipped out from the sanctuary and fled the Black Marsh. His desertion branded him not only a Lukiul (expatriate), but also a traitor.
Qahnaarin decided he would make a stand against the evil of Tamriel and he would use his skills as an assassin to do so. Qahnaarin used several aliases while he travelled Tamriel. He figured Skyrim would provide one of the best options for him to avoid any chance of running into an Argonian that might discover who he was.
Race: Argonian
Stone: Steed (until Conditioning), Shadow (Aetherial Crown), Lord
Stats: 4/0/1 in Health/Magicka/Stamina
Shouts: Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Storm Call, Marked for Death, Dragonrend, Call Dragon, Summon Durnehviir, Unrelenting Force, Bend Will, Ice Form
Major Skills: Two Handed, Heavy Armor, Enchanting
Minor Skills: Block, Sneak, Destruction, Alteration
Quests: Main Dragon Quest, Civil War (Stormcloaks), Dawnguard Quest (Dawnguard), Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, March of the Dead, Missing in Action, Book of Love, Unfathomable Depths, Dragonborn Quest, Black Book Quests
Equipment:
Note on enchantments: Chaos damage benefits from all 6 augment elements perks and all 3 elemental enchanter perks. Once Extra effect is unlocked, these boosts apply to the additional enchantment as well. I focused on enchantments that could boost self healing and increase my damage output. Until the Silence perk is taken, Muffle is necessary to set up sneak attacks and positioning.
Weapons:
Crimson Cataclysm (Ebony Greatsword): Absorb Health, Chaos Damage
Apparel:
Jagged Crown
Arbiter Aegis (Ebony Armor): Health, Healing Rate
Executioner Gauntlets (Ebony Gauntlets): Two Handed, Block
Vindicator Greaves (Ebony Boots): Two Handed, Stamina
Ring of Reckoning (Ring): Two Handed, Healing Rate
Amulet of Reckoning (Necklace): Two Handed, Healing Rate
Combat:
Qahnaarin has many approaches to combat and his tactics evolve as he does. During the lower levels, sneak allows for tactical positioning and Qahnaarin opens each engagement with a sneak attack. With both Silent Roll and Great Critical Charge, sneak attacks can drop most foes in a single strike. Once enemies notice his presence, Qahnaarin tries to swiftly take down the nearest enemy while using footwork to keep his enemies from surrounding him. If surrounded or outmatched, the Shadow Stone allows for a tactical “retreat”. Qahnaarin only moves a short distance from his original spot and waits for his enemies to lose track of him. Once he is completely hidden, he picks off the weakest enemy in the group with a sneak attack and repeats the process until the odds are more in his favor. The Aetherial Crown grants unlimited use of the Shadow Stone which is crucial for earlier levels.
Once Qahnaarin reaches higher levels his focus shifts from stealth to open combat. Once higher armor ratings and weapon/enchantment damage gets higher he uses stealth only as an opener, but chooses to face his foes head on for the rest of the engagement. He uses de Heevastating power attacks to dispatch his enemies including sweep attacks when facing multiple melee opponents. Absorb Health on his greatsword coupled with Fortify Healing Rate on his armor allows him to shrug off any wound and continue his assault.
Qahnaarin uses Fire Breath and Frost Breath against clustered groups of enemies and dragons. The Shadow Stone proves very useful against dragons as Qahnaarin can avoid their breath attacks and wait for them to land. During the early levels a mage or archer follower comes in handy. They only accompany him while travelling outside and especially while hunting dragons. Qahnaarin leaves them behind at the entrance to any dungeon or cave and retrieve them upon exiting. Once he attains higher levels and his defenses are much higher a follower is no longer necessary.
Roleplaying:
Qahnaarin has dedicated himself to a life of justice. He seeks out bandits, monsters, dragons and any other terrible being on a quest to rid Tamriel of evil. Unlike a paladin or noble knight, Qahnaarin will use any means necessary to destroy evil. He doesn’t allow surrender and always executes any who try. He is an assassin and executioner of evil and stands against oppression. He accepts any bounty or miscellaneous quest involving killing or slaying bandits or monsters.
Qahnaarin sees the Empire as a pathetic puppet of the Thalmor and sides with the Stormcloaks as they represent freedom. He also takes vengeance out on any Thalmor or Imperial patrols he comes across in the wilds. Qahnaarin seeks out Northwatch Keep to free Thorald Gray-Mane and execute every Thalmor he encounters in doing so.
Qahnaarin eventually learns that not only does the Dark Brotherhood have a presence in Skyrim, but they have a Shadowscale among them. He slays Grelod as a means to an end, as her death not only benefits the children of Honorhall Orphanage but also leads him to the Brotherhood. After killing Astrid, Qahnaarin heads to their sanctuary and kills every member. This rids Skyrim of an evil organization and prevents Veezara from reporting his location to the leaders in Black Marsh.
Perkspread:
Level 25
Level 50
Special Moves:
Indomitable Will
As Qahnaarin is about to succumb to mortal wounds, he recovers and fights on with renewed vigor.
Requires: Mora’s Boon, Secret of Protection, Histskin
Tiamat’s Rage
Qahnaarin unleashes a torrent of chaotic dragon breath, harnessing the powers of fire, frost, lightning, and force.
Requires: Storm Call, Frost Breath, Fire Breath, Unrelenting Force (in that order)
Dragonforce
Qahnaarin summons two mighty dragons to destroy his foes.
Requires: Call Dragon, Summon Durnehviir
Death Sentence
Qahnaarin appears from the shadows and executes an enemy after causing them to suffer for their sins.
Requires: Marked for Death, Shadow Stone, Silent Roll, Critical Charge
Righteous Indignation
Qahnaarin passes judgment upon his enemies by freezing them in place while their bodies are wracked with pain. Once he deems their punishment adequate, he swiftly ends their life.
Requires: Marked for Death, Ice Form, Devastating Blow
Note on Shouts, Destruction & Alteration:
I used the Blessing of Talos while under the effect of varying strengths of Fortify Restoration potions. As I leveled and my enchanting improved I could make stronger potions and reduce the cooldown even more. Once I reached the late 40s I used a few cycles of the Restoration loop to create a potion of at least 400% Fortify Restoration which allows for 100% shout cooldown when paired with the Blessing. I waited until I was a higher level as the shouts drastically change gameplay and I didn’t want to unbalance the game during earlier levels. This progression reflects Qahnaarin’s quest to imitate the power and terrifying presence that the dragons possess to more forcefully vanquish his enemies.
The role of Destruction in this build was to increase the damage of Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Storm Call, and the Chaos Damage enchantment. Alteration was leveled just for Magic Resistance. Destruction and Alteration were leveled exclusively by training. To do this I joined the College of Winterhold and stopped by every level. Ice Form was used for free training, and this even fits the RP as Qahnaarin would flash freeze the trainers and they didn’t even realize what had happened. He didn’t see this as stealing because they should have trained him for free since their training would further Qahnaarin’s quest against the evil of Skyrim.
Qahnaarin means "vanquisher" in the Dragon languange and is a respected title bestowed upon one dragon from another who has been defeated in a duel. This build came from a desire to play a character that serves justice at any cost. I also wanted to create a build designed to be played on master, and especially a build that didn’t rely on alchemy or restoration for healing. This build incorporates content from Dragonborn and Dawnguard.
*Credit to XianiX for the amazing screenshots*
Qahnaarin
Qahnaarin was born in the Black Marsh under the sign of the Shadow which destined him as a Shadowscale. He was given to the Dark Brotherhood to become a royal assassin. Qahnaarin was quickly becoming a talented assassin, but never felt at home within the Brotherhood. He eventually slipped out from the sanctuary and fled the Black Marsh. His desertion branded him not only a Lukiul (expatriate), but also a traitor.
Qahnaarin decided he would make a stand against the evil of Tamriel and he would use his skills as an assassin to do so. Qahnaarin used several aliases while he travelled Tamriel. He figured Skyrim would provide one of the best options for him to avoid any chance of running into an Argonian that might discover who he was.
Race: Argonian
Stone: Steed (until Conditioning), Shadow (Aetherial Crown), Lord
Stats: 4/0/1 in Health/Magicka/Stamina
Shouts: Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Storm Call, Marked for Death, Dragonrend, Call Dragon, Summon Durnehviir, Unrelenting Force, Bend Will, Ice Form
Major Skills: Two Handed, Heavy Armor, Enchanting
Minor Skills: Block, Sneak, Destruction, Alteration
Quests: Main Dragon Quest, Civil War (Stormcloaks), Dawnguard Quest (Dawnguard), Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, March of the Dead, Missing in Action, Book of Love, Unfathomable Depths, Dragonborn Quest, Black Book Quests
Equipment:
Note on enchantments: Chaos damage benefits from all 6 augment elements perks and all 3 elemental enchanter perks. Once Extra effect is unlocked, these boosts apply to the additional enchantment as well. I focused on enchantments that could boost self healing and increase my damage output. Until the Silence perk is taken, Muffle is necessary to set up sneak attacks and positioning.
Weapons:
Crimson Cataclysm (Ebony Greatsword): Absorb Health, Chaos Damage
Apparel:
Jagged Crown
Arbiter Aegis (Ebony Armor): Health, Healing Rate
Executioner Gauntlets (Ebony Gauntlets): Two Handed, Block
Vindicator Greaves (Ebony Boots): Two Handed, Stamina
Ring of Reckoning (Ring): Two Handed, Healing Rate
Amulet of Reckoning (Necklace): Two Handed, Healing Rate
Combat:
Qahnaarin has many approaches to combat and his tactics evolve as he does. During the lower levels, sneak allows for tactical positioning and Qahnaarin opens each engagement with a sneak attack. With both Silent Roll and Great Critical Charge, sneak attacks can drop most foes in a single strike. Once enemies notice his presence, Qahnaarin tries to swiftly take down the nearest enemy while using footwork to keep his enemies from surrounding him. If surrounded or outmatched, the Shadow Stone allows for a tactical “retreat”. Qahnaarin only moves a short distance from his original spot and waits for his enemies to lose track of him. Once he is completely hidden, he picks off the weakest enemy in the group with a sneak attack and repeats the process until the odds are more in his favor. The Aetherial Crown grants unlimited use of the Shadow Stone which is crucial for earlier levels.
Once Qahnaarin reaches higher levels his focus shifts from stealth to open combat. Once higher armor ratings and weapon/enchantment damage gets higher he uses stealth only as an opener, but chooses to face his foes head on for the rest of the engagement. He uses de Heevastating power attacks to dispatch his enemies including sweep attacks when facing multiple melee opponents. Absorb Health on his greatsword coupled with Fortify Healing Rate on his armor allows him to shrug off any wound and continue his assault.
Qahnaarin uses Fire Breath and Frost Breath against clustered groups of enemies and dragons. The Shadow Stone proves very useful against dragons as Qahnaarin can avoid their breath attacks and wait for them to land. During the early levels a mage or archer follower comes in handy. They only accompany him while travelling outside and especially while hunting dragons. Qahnaarin leaves them behind at the entrance to any dungeon or cave and retrieve them upon exiting. Once he attains higher levels and his defenses are much higher a follower is no longer necessary.
Roleplaying:
Qahnaarin has dedicated himself to a life of justice. He seeks out bandits, monsters, dragons and any other terrible being on a quest to rid Tamriel of evil. Unlike a paladin or noble knight, Qahnaarin will use any means necessary to destroy evil. He doesn’t allow surrender and always executes any who try. He is an assassin and executioner of evil and stands against oppression. He accepts any bounty or miscellaneous quest involving killing or slaying bandits or monsters.
Qahnaarin sees the Empire as a pathetic puppet of the Thalmor and sides with the Stormcloaks as they represent freedom. He also takes vengeance out on any Thalmor or Imperial patrols he comes across in the wilds. Qahnaarin seeks out Northwatch Keep to free Thorald Gray-Mane and execute every Thalmor he encounters in doing so.
Qahnaarin eventually learns that not only does the Dark Brotherhood have a presence in Skyrim, but they have a Shadowscale among them. He slays Grelod as a means to an end, as her death not only benefits the children of Honorhall Orphanage but also leads him to the Brotherhood. After killing Astrid, Qahnaarin heads to their sanctuary and kills every member. This rids Skyrim of an evil organization and prevents Veezara from reporting his location to the leaders in Black Marsh.
Perkspread:
Level 25
Level 50
Special Moves:
Indomitable Will
As Qahnaarin is about to succumb to mortal wounds, he recovers and fights on with renewed vigor.
Requires: Mora’s Boon, Secret of Protection, Histskin
Tiamat’s Rage
Qahnaarin unleashes a torrent of chaotic dragon breath, harnessing the powers of fire, frost, lightning, and force.
Requires: Storm Call, Frost Breath, Fire Breath, Unrelenting Force (in that order)
Dragonforce
Qahnaarin summons two mighty dragons to destroy his foes.
Requires: Call Dragon, Summon Durnehviir
Death Sentence
Qahnaarin appears from the shadows and executes an enemy after causing them to suffer for their sins.
Requires: Marked for Death, Shadow Stone, Silent Roll, Critical Charge
Righteous Indignation
Qahnaarin passes judgment upon his enemies by freezing them in place while their bodies are wracked with pain. Once he deems their punishment adequate, he swiftly ends their life.
Requires: Marked for Death, Ice Form, Devastating Blow
Note on Shouts, Destruction & Alteration:
I used the Blessing of Talos while under the effect of varying strengths of Fortify Restoration potions. As I leveled and my enchanting improved I could make stronger potions and reduce the cooldown even more. Once I reached the late 40s I used a few cycles of the Restoration loop to create a potion of at least 400% Fortify Restoration which allows for 100% shout cooldown when paired with the Blessing. I waited until I was a higher level as the shouts drastically change gameplay and I didn’t want to unbalance the game during earlier levels. This progression reflects Qahnaarin’s quest to imitate the power and terrifying presence that the dragons possess to more forcefully vanquish his enemies.
The role of Destruction in this build was to increase the damage of Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Storm Call, and the Chaos Damage enchantment. Alteration was leveled just for Magic Resistance. Destruction and Alteration were leveled exclusively by training. To do this I joined the College of Winterhold and stopped by every level. Ice Form was used for free training, and this even fits the RP as Qahnaarin would flash freeze the trainers and they didn’t even realize what had happened. He didn’t see this as stealing because they should have trained him for free since their training would further Qahnaarin’s quest against the evil of Skyrim.
