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Event Build: The King of Worms

Tags: #Character Build Necromancer  #Character Build Alchemist  #Character Build Villain  #Rank:Event Legendary  #Hall of Fame Build  #Race:Altmer  #Event:Resurrection  #Curse Never Dying  #Raidriar  #Raidriar Never Dies 
  • Member
    April 2, 2014

    This build is a collaboration between Raidriar and Curse Never Dying

    Hello and welcome to Curse Never Dying’s and my entry for the Resurrection contest! Sorry it’s a tad late, it’s gone through quite a few last minute changes.

    We have decided to take on one of the most infamous characters of the Elder Scrolls universe, Mannimarco. Not only is this a difficult character to pull off, but it was also once a creation of Mason’s, which made it doubly hard to produce a build that wouldn’t leave anything to be desired. But I think we might have just done it.

    In this build we bring everything to the table; rich lore, unique gameplay, intense roleplay, and most of all, synergy. So with that in mind, let us tell you a story…

    "Relinquish your form so that I may be reborn"

    The Build

    Race: Altmer Vampire. Vampirism plays a crucial role in some of the mechanics of the build, and help fit with the whole undead theme.

    Stone: Lord and Ritual. Use the Lord as your primary stone and the Ritual under the Aetherial Crown for a massed undead army whenever one’s needed.

    Shouts: Become Ethereal, Marked for Death, Soul Tear. Become Ethereal is useful for avoiding damage, and both Marked for Death and Soul Tear suit a Lich brilliantly.

    Stats: 5:3:2. Magicka is incredibly important to this build, so pump that up early. The more you have, the more bodies you can raise.

    Major Skills: Conjuration, Alchemy, One Handed, Alteration

    Minor Skills: Sneak, Restoration, Pickpocket

    Weapons: Blade of Woe

    Apparel: Aetherial Crown, Thalmor Robes, Jester’s Gloves, Thalmor Boots, Necromancer’s Amulet, Ring of the Beast

    Quests: College of Winterhold, Dark Brotherhood, Dragonborn, Lost to the Ages, Volkihar

    Mannimarco. No name quite inspires so much darkness and evil. King of Worms, lich, dark mage, deadly assassin, each one a persona of our ultimate embodiment of evil.

    While it may not be the skillset you’d expect from an evil overlord build, do not be disappointed. You will have ample opportunity to exercise your inner commander of chaos as well as your stealthy shadowmancer.

    First off we have Conjuration, a “no-brainer” as you Americans say. Without this skill you would not be a necromancer, and thus not Mannimarco. Initially Conjuration might drag a bit, but mid to late game it will really shine. Obviously, we’re going full necromancy route, to allow us the most powerful zombies.

    Expect to make use of a lot of alchemical concoctions during this playthrough. You’ll have a powerful array of potions and poisons at your disposal as Mannimarco, which act as valuable buffs for yourself and your minions, as well as cruel debuffs for your enemies. With a couple of unique recipes we’re about to give you, buffing your thralls will become much easier, and really bring out the best in your dead.

    One Handed is taken purely for damage, and is used in both combat styles. Either sneaking in the darkness or basking in the destruction of your enemies, a dagger is your best friend. Using the Blade of Woe as your weapon of choice, bothering about healing will become a thing of the past, with every hit absorbing some of your enemies’ health. Sneak is used very offensively in this build; rather than hanging back and killing from the shadows, you can step into the light and vanish in a blink of an eye, to reappear with a recently made corpse’s blood fresh on your blade.

    Alteration and Restoration make up your defence though aren’t necessarily restricted to this. Keeping up the damage is just as important, and both schools of magic provide just the thing. Alteration’s situational utility spells help massively; paralysing powerful enemies for free hits, searching out potential victims with Detect Life/Dead, and immobilising foes with ash spells that are just a little too close for comfort are all accepted into Mannimarco’s spellbook. Restoration brings forth Heal Undead, a useful buff when you cannot be bothered to use a healing poison, as well as Poison Rune to slowly cripple enemies while they battle your zombies. Because undead are immune, the runes can be fired off like there’s no tomorrow, allowing for drastic amounts of DoT.

    Pickpocket makes up the final skill, and is solely used to plant poisons while sneaking. This tactic is very deadly when used effectively, letting you drop foes inconspicuously while sneaking.

    The faint glow of a dark power emanates from the pendant, like cold black tendrils clenching tightly around my hand as I hold it. My better judgment tells me to destroy it, and yet I cannot bring myself do what I know must be done. Rather, I find myself drawn to the amulet; compelled to study it and unlock its many mysteries. I know not whether curiosity or hubris has gotten the better of me. A part of me fears that it may perhaps be something far worse….

    Lich Form: Doubling your potential

    This is mine and Curse’s method for really becoming Mannimarco. Before we proceed, you’ll need to know a bit about liches. To become a lich, one must bind their soul to an object, called a phylactery. Whenever a lich dies, as long as their phylactery is still alive, the lich can regenerate.

    Something crucial to this build is the Necromancer’s Amulet. It is the ultimate symbol of Mannimarco, and really lets you become a lich. Once you put it on, you immediately start to feel the effects of Mannimarco upon you; Fortified Magicka and Conjuration at the cost of a loss of Health and Stamina Regen. This is the foundation of Lich Form.

    Acquire the amulet as soon as possible. As soon as you reach Whiterun Stables, take the carriage to Windhelm and complete Blood on the Ice. Make sure you find the Strange Amulet in Hjerim and give it to Calixto before finishing the quest! Otherwise you’ll be stuck with a useless build which cannot fully accomplish what Mannimarco is capable of. After finding the amulet, wear it at all times, and get used to the lack of regen. This is the beginning of Lich Form. Once you get a bit further into the Volkihar Questline (I did this around level 20ish) you can start to become a full lich again.

    Becoming a Lich is completed as follows; first, become a vampire lord by siding with Harkon. Duplicate the amulet using your favourite duplication glitch, and then give a follower both copies so you can equip them using the stacking glitch. This results in 50% Fortify Conjuration (nullifying the need for rank perks) and 100 extra Magicka at the cost of -150% Health and Stamina Regen. This is further enhanced by being a vampire and having Necromage perked, increasing the values to 62.5% Fortify Conjuration, 125 extra Magicka, and -187.5 Health/Stamina Regen. That means no passive regen for those stats, ever. Bask in it, as you witness the full extent of the power a lich can hold.

    I’m left with more questions than answers as I delve deeper into research. A faint, indecipherable whisper now accompanies the emanating glow, and again I am resisted at every turn by my own hands as my conscience pleads with me to be rid of this accursed artifact. My dreams are scarred with horrid visions of profane rituals and grotesque experiments – of pain and suffering wrought by my own hands. The visions are frightening yet intimately familiar – as though I have committed these terrible acts myself. Are these visions of a past life or a vision of my future?

    Conjuration is taken purely down the necromancy branch for maximum undead potential, excluding the rank perks due to Lich Form. Alchemy is the most decked out tree, giving us access to the most impressive elixirs. Green Thumb doubles your effectiveness with gathered ingredients, so your potions and poisons can be created en masse. The key perks of an assassin are acquired, allowing you to sneak well and kill from the shadows.

    The Alteration tree is taken up to Expert for Ebonyflesh and Paralyse; the former creates a powerful defence when combined with Mage Armour 3/3, Necromage and Stability, and the latter is very useful for getting free hits on foes. Restoration is perked up to Adept for efficient use of Heal Undead and Poison Rune, as well as up to Necromage to enhance your vampiric prowess and increase the level of undead you can raise. Pickpocket is solely perked for Poisoned

    I look on helplessly, a prisoner within my own mind, as my hand plunges the dagger into the woman’s heart. A sadistic smile befitting a Daedra creeps across my face as I tear the organ out of her body. A strange, unfamiliar incantation escapes my lips and the woman’s lifeless body begins to rise - her heart still beating in my hand….

    Combat

    The best bit of the build, in my opinion. You have two options on how to approach combat, each unique in their own way. Both can flow into each other, and be used multiple times in each encounter.

    Arcane Eliminator – The first style of combat is that of a typical shadowmancer, with a couple of twists. Sticking mainly to stealth, assassinating enemies becomes critical here. The focus is on how much damage you can do and how many corpses you can leave before being discovered.

    With the Jester’s Gloves, Assassin’s Blade and Armsman 5/5, you’re certainly not lacking for damage. Combined with the Blade of Woe, one of the most powerful daggers in the game, you’ll pretty much one hit kill anything. Your weakness here is your lack of armour. Since you don’t have Quiet Casting, summoning up a flesh spell would reveal your position, and make you an easy target. So staying hidden is of upmost importance.

    Make liberal use of Invisibility, Fortify Sneak and Fortify Marksman potions in this stage, but stick away from the majority of poisons, unless you’re pickpocketing them onto unaware enemies.

    By the time you’re detected, you’ll hopefully have a couple of corpses to work with and have weakened the enemy numbers somewhat, so now it’s time to become the…

    King of Darkness – Arguably the more interesting of the two combat styles. Focusing on debilitating foes while buffing your minions, this is not a path for the cowardly assassin. No, this is the path of the Lich King of Worms, Mannimarco.

    Since you’re detected, it’s time to go guns blazing. Throw everything you have at your opponents, and don’t hold back. You ever wanted to feel like Voldemort, able to raze armies without lifting a finger? Then the King of Darkness is for you.

    Start with using the Ritual Stone. This raises all fallen foes in the immediate vicinity, and turns them against their former friends as mindless zombies. You could sit back as the army you created effortlessly decimates your enemies, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, this style focuses on active buffing/debuffing, getting in the thick of things while lesser mortals fight around you.

    Firstly, begin with beefing yourself up with your strongest flesh spell, and coating your dagger with some deadly poison. Equip either Poison Rune or Paralysis in your other hand, as well as Marked for Death for even more carnage, and get to work devastating your foes with poison, spell and shout. Don’t forget about the powerful buffs you can apply to your zombies, and raise any opponents who happen to fall.

    If things seem to be going badly, you can always return to Arcane Eliminator using Shadow Warrior for a quick getaway, leaving a final zombie to distract remaining opponents.

    The visions, the whispers, the madness – only now, as the last vestige of my conscious mind fades into oblivion, do I understand what has become of me, and the horror I have unleashed upon the world. The King of Worms has returned and I am his vessel. Divines help us all….

    Poisons

    These are a couple of cool poisons we made heavy use of. While I mainly stuck to simple one or two effect creations, these proved exceptionally useful in buffing your minions and debuffing your foes. Something to note is that the Lich's Blood/Intelligence poisons won't work on thralled vampires, since they have 100% resistance to poison as a living enemy.

    Lich’s Blood – Damage Magicka Regen+Fortify Health+Restore Health

    Blue Mountain Flower+Nightshade+Wheat

    Uses: A simple poison used to enhance your minions, which can be harvested en masse with a Hearthfire House. Because the first effect is negative, this actually counts as a poison, so can be applied to other beings. Use it to buff up non magical zombies.

     

    Lich's Intelligence – Damage Health+Fortify Magicka+Restore Magicka

    Briar Heart+Ectoplasm+River Betty

    Uses: The hardest of the poisons to create, so use sparingly. I recommend simply buying the Briar Hearts, which makes creation a lot simpler. Although Damage Health is a lot more impacting, it isn’t as bad as it seems because that health can just be healed back up.

     

    Rotting Curse – Damage Health+Lingering Damage Health+Paralysis

    Human Flesh+Imp Stool+Scathcraw

    Uses: Your go-to poison. Don’t be afraid to use this on any enemy you deem fit, and watch them die a slow, painful death.

     

    Abilities

    Last Breath - Mannimarco vanishes into an intangible shroud of shadows then instantly reappears behind his opponent, delivering a lethal blow to his opponent's vitals

    This move allows Mannimarco to deliver lethal backstabs in open combat on any opponent engaging him. Aside from the advantage of producing a quick easy casualty, this technique will leave you with one less enemy to deal with, or a severely wounded enemy just waiting to die

     

    Requires: Shadow Warrior, Assassin’s Blade, Jester’s Gloves

     

    Blood Ritual - Mannimarco coats his dagger with a strange alchemic mixture and his own unnatural blood. His next two basic attacks against his own undead thralls will heal himself and his thralls as well as granting his thralls buffs based on the mixture's contents.

    Mannimarco's unique way of buffing his minions. This approach allows him to use alchemy rather than magic to buff his thralls, which allows Mannimarco to both stay close to his thralls, and save his magicka for other purposes such as healing his thralls and disrupting the enemy

    Requires: Zombie, Blade of Woe, any buffing poison, Concentrated Poison

     

    Dark Chalice - Mannimarco sacrifices an enemy, using their life force rather than his own to replenish his magicka, and its soul to replenish the charge of his enchanted dagger. A sacrificed foe will return as a vengeful soul to fight by Mannimarco's side for 60 seconds.

    In true lich king fashion, Mannimarco is able to replenish both his magicka, and the charges on his weapon at no cost to his own life. This combo grants Mannimarco a high level of sustainability. Used wisely, this combo will allow Mannimarco to keep his health, magicka, and souls charged.

    Requires: Equilibrium, Blade of Woe, Soul Tear

     

    Decripifying Prison - Mannimarco afflicts an opponent with a virulent plague that rapidly eats away their body. He then entraps the enemy within a magical prison, and leaves him to wither and rot away within. The affected enemy cannot move and lose massive amounts of health and armor per second.

    This technique provides Mannimarco with an excellent means of initiating combat, as it almost guarantees taking an enemy out of the fight for long periods of time and severely crippling him in the process. Used wisely, this will allow Mannimarco to focus on the weaker enemies of the group while the strongest among them lies motionless, rotting away.

    Requires: Rotting Curse, Poisoned, Marked for Death, Poison Rune

     

    Tactics

    • You will want to keep close to your thralls in order to provide timely buffs and healing. Be careful of how much agro you draw as Mannimarco is not equipped to safely dispatch multiple opponents on his own. Use your thralls to draw the focus of tougher enemies while you pick off the weaker enemies within the group. Look for opportunities within the battle to disrupt your enemies either through magic or poisons.
    • Decrepifying Prison makes for an excellent way to start off the battle. Pick out the strongest enemy you're able to sneak up to and use the skill on him. Once he's down, be prepared to fight as Mannimarco is not capable of silent casting. Once Decrepifying Prison's expires the previously trapped enemy will be severely weak to physical attacks if not outright killed beforehand.
    • Gauge what level of marked for death to use with Decrepifying Prison based on how urgently you will need a shout available. One word Marked for Death will still lower armor by a massive 1500 points with a drastically lower cool down than its three word version
    • Last Breath is a powerful tool against any enemy focused on Mannimarco. Once the combo is initiated, the enemy will shift from engaging Mannimarco to searching for him, exposing the enemy to a lethal sneak attack. Last Breath is very useful for providing a quick extra body for resurrection.
    • Due to Soul tear's massive cool down time, Dark Chalice is best used close to the end of a fight or out of combat. Dark Chalice can still greatly benefit Mannimarco in the midst of combat by allowing him to siphon free magicka from his enemies.

    Be sure to check out this awesome demonstration video by HeroicXCV (PS: The moves are actually fairly easy to pull off. 

    Closing Notes and Credits:

    Let us first say, it has been an absolute pleasure creating this build. Curse and I have loved it, and we hope you do too! Let me apologize about the length as well, it’s pretty large but we managed to get across everything we wanted to in this. Be glad it wasn’t 4000 words like the first draft!

    A massive thanks for Curse, for agreeing to put up with me again on this collaboration

    Thanks to Sage for opening me up to the concept of poisoning zombies

    Thanks to the various artists from Thraen, Deviantart and Google

    Thanks to Mason for hosting the contest

    And thank you for reading!

    Don't forget to check out Curse's and my pages for other awesome builds!

  • April 2, 2014

    I love the ramdon undead mayans picture. It goes fittingly with an undead Bosmeri army.