This build was born through the convergence of several different desires: a valid unarmed build that doesn't rely on exploits, an intriguing gameplay/roleplay combination, and the intrigue of a thrilling vigilante build. Although you might not anticipate this variety of build to be viable on higher difficulty levels, you'll discover that it actually works surprisingly well and presents you with a refreshing experience. Without further adieu, I present:
The Bat-Man
The Bat-Man is the vigilante protector of the Rift, a man dressed like a bat who fights against evil and strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere. In his secret identity, he assumes the alias of Brusus Vaynius, wealthy member of the aristocracy and notorious playboy; though Brusus is technically his real name, this Brusus is nothing more than a mask-a parody of the man he might have been if his parents had not been murdered before his eyes when he was no more than a boy.
Toutias and Martina Vaynius were walking home from the Temple of Mara one night with their son, when they were held up at knife-point by a mugger who demanded the gold diamond necklace that Martina was wearing; when Toutias refused to surrender it, both he and Martina were murdered in the streets. The criminal managed to escape justice. Fortunately Brusus was raised on his family's estate, with help from his family's wise Steward.
Race: Imperial
Stats: It's recommended that you level 1/2/2 until you reach 200 base Magicka, and from then onwards 0/1/1. Eventually this will provide you with enough Magicka to use necessary spells, enough Health to survive open combat, and enough Stamina to escape if necessary.
Stone: I suggest initially taking the Thief Stone for early leveling, followed by the Lord Stone for a welcome armor bonus.
Quests/Roleplay
Brusus Vaynius swore an oath to rid Skyrim of the evil that had claimed his parents' lives. He spent his youth traveling Tamriel, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learned a variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, disguise, and escape artistry.
At the tender age of 14, Brusus Vaynius began his sojourn, attending courses at the College of Winterhold and the Synod. However, he never stayed in one place for long. Beyond academia, Vaynius acquired more "practical" skills; while abroad he studied and received training in multiple disciplines under various instructors, man-hunting and ambush from the Argonians, stealth and reconnaissance from the Khajit, and hunting and tracking under the Bosmer.
The end of this developmental period, Brusus' return to Skyrim and the polishing of his acquired skills, will serve as the initial phase of your playthrough.
Goals: Become Thane of a hold, build/purchase yourself an elegant mansion, acquire a loyal steward to assist you, invest in several stores, spend some time with various trainers, hone your skills on miscellaneous quests, complete the Bards Questline, study with the Thieves Guild (roleplay that you're stealing from your own estate, as in Batman Begins), acquire the Nightingale Armor (around level 32), use the Face Sculptor to clean yourself up a bit.
Despite all of the skills and methods Brusus had developed for fighting crime, he still felt that there was something missing in his arsenal. Vaynius discovered the answer late one night while sitting in his manor; recalling his childhood fear of bats after a large one crashed through one of his windows, Brusus decided to make his appearance resemble that of a bat. Vaynius acquired a costume and set out on a nocturnal mission to combat the crime and corruption that had spread across Skyrim.
During this portion of the playthrough, you'll finally be roleplaying the Bat-Man. During the day Brusus is a wealthy noble, Thane of multiple Holds; make sure to socialize with high society to keep up appearances.
Goals: Become Thane of your favorite Holds, adopt a ward, clear out various bandit settlements, assist the law-abiding peoples of Skyrim, destroy the Dark Brotherhood, solve the murders of Windhelm
Major Skills
NOTE: You have a role-playing choice to make here as the Bat-Man is a mere mortal. Either you pretend that the magick used by the Bat-Man is simply a variety of technology, or you abstain from magick entirely in favor of scrolls, poisons, potions, and staffs.
Sneak: Everything is taken here, minus the weapon damage modifiers. Shadow warrior will ultimately serve as one of the most important aspects of this build.
Pickpocket: Another critical aspect of this build. Pickpocket allows the Bat-Man to prepare for combat by severely crippling his enemies before the battle even begins.
Light Armor: The Bat-Man's combat style requires great mobility, and light armor balances that requirement with critical defensive needs. You'll be trying to avoid getting hit so this levels slowly, but the entire tree is pretty critical.
Block: Unfortunately Skyrim doesn't give you the option of unarmed blocking so you will have to equip a shield when engaged in actual melee combat (I prefer to hot-key one and leave it unequipped until necessary). The Bat-Man knows how to effectively block and avoid attacks, so the Quick Reflexes perk is essential and Disarm is also incredibly useful.
Alchemy: Another staple skill, the Bat-Man relies strongly on poisons and potions; this skill is particularly important depending on how you elect to roleplay this character.
Archery: You have to be very careful with this skill depending on how you elect to roleplay this character; regardless of your roleplay, Archery is used as a useful method of deploying poisons. Think of your arrows as Batarangs.
Minor Skills:
Heavy Armor: The only purpose of this skill tree in the build is the acquisition of the perk that fortifies unarmed damage.
Smithing: During his travels Brusus had to learn how to be self-reliant, and he can maintain and improve his own weapons and armor. Steel and Arcane Smithing are the only prerequisites here though.
Enchantment: Some individuals may elect to fore-go this skill, which is perfectly valid; however, its applicable in the sense of all the sophisticated technology used by the Bat-Man in his equipment. This skill will primarily be used to perk Unarmed damage. You might also like to enchant your gauntlets to deal shock damage, in homage to the Shock Gauntlets of Arkham Origins.
Tactics and Combat
NOTE: You have a role-playing choice to make here as the Bat-Man doesn't kill. Either you pretend that the Bat-Man has simply incapacitated an opponent when their health drops to zero (my preferred method and the most pleasant), or you seriously go non-lethal.
Although possessed of no super-human powers, the Bat-Man is one of the world's smartest men and greatest fighters. His physical prowess and technical ingenuity make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. His tactics to oppose crime as a night-time vigilante led to the Bat-Man becoming an urban legend.
The Bat-Man hides in the shadows, terrorizing criminals with the knowledge that he could be lurking around any corner. The key component's of the Bat-Man's success are as follows:
- Sabotage-Vaynius is proficient at stealthily disarming his opponents and debilitating them with various chemical compounds.
- Dissension-Preying on the fears and superstitions of his targets, Vaynius makes use of various frenzy poisons to spread dissension and turn allied enemies against one another.
- Misdirection-Brusus has become a master at confusing his opponents in open combat; one of the Bat-Man's biggest advantage in close quarters is his ability (via the Shadow Warrior perk) to confuse his opponent.
- Preparation-The Bat-Man's greatest asset is his keen analytical mind, and his battles are usually won before they ever begin. By carefully picking targets to debilitate or terrorize, Brusus ensures that opponents are defeated before they ever know what hit them.
Equipment
The Nightingale set is a fairly obvious choice for the second half of the playthrough, and offers some attractive boosts to Brusus' skills. However, the Shrouded Armor set is also aesthetically suited to the task.
Of particular importance though, is the equipment of enchanted heavy armor guantlets that allow you to do additional unarmed damage.
For the initial portion of the playthrough, you may pick whatever Light Armor you prefer; for a more intense challenge, only wear armored boots and gauntlets, with warm clothes as your raiment.
Poisons
- Neurotoxin - The target's nervous system is impaired, and the motor functions begin to shut down.
Briar Heart, Canis Root, Imp Stool, Swamp Fungal Pod
- Smoke Bomb - A cloud of smoke is released that conceals the user; useful for pre-emptive strikes.
Chaurus Egg, Ice Wraith Teeth, Luna Moth Wing, Nirnroot, Vampire Dust
Alternate Options
Depending on how committed to the roleplay you are, there are a couple interesting twists to this character.
The Bat-Man could be a vampiric character; his parents were murdered by maruading vampires, and he was infected with their curse himself. That night, Brusus took an oath to use his undeath as a tool to rid the land of the monsters who murdered his parents.
Additionally, one could make use of the Werewolf-talk glitch mentioned in No-Snake's-Alive's Master Monk build, to make the Bat-Man's unarmed damage truly worthy of his namesake.
This build was born through the convergence of several different desires: a valid unarmed build that doesn't rely on exploits, an intriguing gameplay/roleplay combination, and the intrigue of a thrilling vigilante build. Although you might not anticipate this variety of build to be viable on higher difficulty levels, you'll discover that it actually works surprisingly well and presents you with a refreshing experience. Without further adieu, I present:
The Bat-Man
The Bat-Man is the vigilante protector of the Rift, a man dressed like a bat who fights against evil and strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere. In his secret identity, he assumes the alias of Brusus Vaynius, wealthy member of the aristocracy and notorious playboy; though Brusus is technically his real name, this Brusus is nothing more than a mask-a parody of the man he might have been if his parents had not been murdered before his eyes when he was no more than a boy.
Toutias and Martina Vaynius were walking home from the Temple of Mara one night with their son, when they were held up at knife-point by a mugger who demanded the gold diamond necklace that Martina was wearing; when Toutias refused to surrender it, both he and Martina were murdered in the streets. The criminal managed to escape justice. Fortunately Brusus was raised on his family's estate, with help from his family's wise Steward.
Race: Imperial
Stats: It's recommended that you level 1/2/2 until you reach 200 base Magicka, and from then onwards 0/1/1. Eventually this will provide you with enough Magicka to use necessary spells, enough Health to survive open combat, and enough Stamina to escape if necessary.
Stone: I suggest initially taking the Thief Stone for early leveling, followed by the Lord Stone for a welcome armor bonus.
Quests/Roleplay
Brusus Vaynius swore an oath to rid Skyrim of the evil that had claimed his parents' lives. He spent his youth traveling Tamriel, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learned a variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, disguise, and escape artistry.
At the tender age of 14, Brusus Vaynius began his sojourn, attending courses at the College of Winterhold and the Synod. However, he never stayed in one place for long. Beyond academia, Vaynius acquired more "practical" skills; while abroad he studied and received training in multiple disciplines under various instructors, man-hunting and ambush from the Argonians, stealth and reconnaissance from the Khajit, and hunting and tracking under the Bosmer.
The end of this developmental period, Brusus' return to Skyrim and the polishing of his acquired skills, will serve as the initial phase of your playthrough.
Goals: Become Thane of a hold, build/purchase yourself an elegant mansion, acquire a loyal steward to assist you, invest in several stores, spend some time with various trainers, hone your skills on miscellaneous quests, complete the Bards Questline, study with the Thieves Guild (roleplay that you're stealing from your own estate, as in Batman Begins), acquire the Nightingale Armor (around level 32), use the Face Sculptor to clean yourself up a bit.
Despite all of the skills and methods Brusus had developed for fighting crime, he still felt that there was something missing in his arsenal. Vaynius discovered the answer late one night while sitting in his manor; recalling his childhood fear of bats after a large one crashed through one of his windows, Brusus decided to make his appearance resemble that of a bat. Vaynius acquired a costume and set out on a nocturnal mission to combat the crime and corruption that had spread across Skyrim.
During this portion of the playthrough, you'll finally be roleplaying the Bat-Man. During the day Brusus is a wealthy noble, Thane of multiple Holds; make sure to socialize with high society to keep up appearances.
Goals: Become Thane of your favorite Holds, adopt a ward, clear out various bandit settlements, assist the law-abiding peoples of Skyrim, destroy the Dark Brotherhood, solve the murders of Windhelm
Major Skills
NOTE: You have a role-playing choice to make here as the Bat-Man is a mere mortal. Either you pretend that the magick used by the Bat-Man is simply a variety of technology, or you abstain from magick entirely in favor of scrolls, poisons, potions, and staffs.
Sneak: Everything is taken here, minus the weapon damage modifiers. Shadow warrior will ultimately serve as one of the most important aspects of this build.
Pickpocket: Another critical aspect of this build. Pickpocket allows the Bat-Man to prepare for combat by severely crippling his enemies before the battle even begins.
Light Armor: The Bat-Man's combat style requires great mobility, and light armor balances that requirement with critical defensive needs. You'll be trying to avoid getting hit so this levels slowly, but the entire tree is pretty critical.
Block: Unfortunately Skyrim doesn't give you the option of unarmed blocking so you will have to equip a shield when engaged in actual melee combat (I prefer to hot-key one and leave it unequipped until necessary). The Bat-Man knows how to effectively block and avoid attacks, so the Quick Reflexes perk is essential and Disarm is also incredibly useful.
Alchemy: Another staple skill, the Bat-Man relies strongly on poisons and potions; this skill is particularly important depending on how you elect to roleplay this character.
Archery: You have to be very careful with this skill depending on how you elect to roleplay this character; regardless of your roleplay, Archery is used as a useful method of deploying poisons. Think of your arrows as Batarangs.
Minor Skills:
Heavy Armor: The only purpose of this skill tree in the build is the acquisition of the perk that fortifies unarmed damage.
Smithing: During his travels Brusus had to learn how to be self-reliant, and he can maintain and improve his own weapons and armor. Steel and Arcane Smithing are the only prerequisites here though.
Enchantment: Some individuals may elect to fore-go this skill, which is perfectly valid; however, its applicable in the sense of all the sophisticated technology used by the Bat-Man in his equipment. This skill will primarily be used to perk Unarmed damage. You might also like to enchant your gauntlets to deal shock damage, in homage to the Shock Gauntlets of Arkham Origins.
Tactics and Combat
NOTE: You have a role-playing choice to make here as the Bat-Man doesn't kill. Either you pretend that the Bat-Man has simply incapacitated an opponent when their health drops to zero (my preferred method and the most pleasant), or you seriously go non-lethal.
Although possessed of no super-human powers, the Bat-Man is one of the world's smartest men and greatest fighters. His physical prowess and technical ingenuity make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. His tactics to oppose crime as a night-time vigilante led to the Bat-Man becoming an urban legend.
The Bat-Man hides in the shadows, terrorizing criminals with the knowledge that he could be lurking around any corner. The key component's of the Bat-Man's success are as follows:
- Sabotage-Vaynius is proficient at stealthily disarming his opponents and debilitating them with various chemical compounds.
- Dissension-Preying on the fears and superstitions of his targets, Vaynius makes use of various frenzy poisons to spread dissension and turn allied enemies against one another.
- Misdirection-Brusus has become a master at confusing his opponents in open combat; one of the Bat-Man's biggest advantage in close quarters is his ability (via the Shadow Warrior perk) to confuse his opponent.
- Preparation-The Bat-Man's greatest asset is his keen analytical mind, and his battles are usually won before they ever begin. By carefully picking targets to debilitate or terrorize, Brusus ensures that opponents are defeated before they ever know what hit them.
Equipment
The Nightingale set is a fairly obvious choice for the second half of the playthrough, and offers some attractive boosts to Brusus' skills. However, the Shrouded Armor set is also aesthetically suited to the task.
Of particular importance though, is the equipment of enchanted heavy armor guantlets that allow you to do additional unarmed damage.
For the initial portion of the playthrough, you may pick whatever Light Armor you prefer; for a more intense challenge, only wear armored boots and gauntlets, with warm clothes as your raiment.
Poisons
- Neurotoxin - The target's nervous system is impaired, and the motor functions begin to shut down.
Briar Heart, Canis Root, Imp Stool, Swamp Fungal Pod
- Smoke Bomb - A cloud of smoke is released that conceals the user; useful for pre-emptive strikes.
Chaurus Egg, Ice Wraith Teeth, Luna Moth Wing, Nirnroot, Vampire Dust
Alternate Options
Depending on how committed to the roleplay you are, there are a couple interesting twists to this character.
The Bat-Man could be a vampiric character; his parents were murdered by maruading vampires, and he was infected with their curse himself. That night, Brusus took an oath to use his undeath as a tool to rid the land of the monsters who murdered his parents.
Additionally, one could make use of the Werewolf-talk glitch mentioned in No-Snake's-Alive's Master Monk build, to make the Bat-Man's unarmed damage truly worthy of his namesake.
