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Event Build: Order of the Hour

Tags: #Character Build Spellsword  #Character Build Knight  #Character Build Alchemist  #Character Build Hero  #Race:Imperial  #Rank:Event Mythic  #Event:Factions  #Kael  #Anuic  #Borom  #Character Build RP 
  • Member
    May 16, 2014
    The Order of the Hour
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    Seated in High Rock is the Akatosh Chantry, home to the most devout worshipers of the Dragon God of Time. The Chantry and its members are protected by a dedicated order of knights known as the Order of the Hour, highly trained warriors and faithful members in their own right. Though the Chantry considers itself above Tamriel's political ebbs and flows, it is always eager to spread the ideals of Akatosh, stability and peace being principle among them. Upon receiving word of the civil war consuming Skyrim, an agent of the Order is dispatched to determine if the Chantry can offer a peaceful solution. Arriving in Skyrim, however, the Knight finds a situation far more dire, and opportunities the Chantry never dreamed of.
    The Build
    There are few candidates for a Dragonborn more fitting than a Knight of Akatosh's own chantry. The Order of the Hour produces highly skilled warriors with unwavering commitment to duty, and it comes as no surprise that Akatosh would call upon the most devoted of these to wield his power. This build depicts what such a warrior might be like. *The build relies on content from the Dawnguard DLC and includes content from Dragonborn and Hearthfire*
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     Race: While the Chantry is located primarily in High Rock, they are not exclusive in race or region. We decided that an Imperial would better reflect the authoritative presence and commanding nature of a Knight of Akatosh. The ability to instantly halt a combat and re-strategize or pass judgment on your enemy is not only thematically fitting, but highly useful, along with the starting bonuses in some of our key skills.

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    Stone: Begin leveling with any of the Guardian stones, then the Lover stone as early as convenient, and move to the Atronach when comfortable, and the Advanced Atronach
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    Primary Skills: One Handed, Alteration, Destruction, Alchemy
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    Secondary Skills: Restoration, Block
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    Key Shouts: Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Slow Time, Elemental Fury
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    Key Spells: ____flesh, Flame Cloak, Frost Cloak, Freeze, Ice Storm
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    Black Book Abilities: Dragonborn Frost, Bardic Knowledge, Secret of Strength/Arcana
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    Attribute Spread1/2/1 or, if you like keeping things even, 2/2/1
     
    Weapons and Equipment
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    The knights of the Order are classically trained in combat, and any one of them is most comfortable with a sword and shield in their hands. Your arrival in Skyrim is greeted with suspicion, and you are immediately deprived of all your equipment. Fortunately, there will be opportunities aplenty to replace it.
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    Weapons: Akatosh is a governing force of nature, and your weapons will reflect that by giving you the superior edge in different situations. Early on, you'll be limited in options, but if you come across a sword with a fire or ice enchantment, hold onto it for as long as it remains effective. If you delve quickly into the early portion of the main quest, you can acquire the Blades sword in Riverwood, which will remain one of your better damage weapons for much of the early game. Your final weapons loadout will include two leveled weapons, so be careful about when you begin their respective quests/dungeons. This loadout is composed of the following weapons:
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    Dragonbane: A legendary Blades sword that will not only give you an advantage against dragonkind, but is also helpfully enchanted to weaken magic users.
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    Red Eagle's Bane: This ancient sword is your tool for purging undead, and with the abundance of Draugr and Vampires in Skyrim, it will see a great deal of use.
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    Chillrend: The powerful enchantments on Chillrend perfectly embody Akatosh's ideals of stasis and stability.
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    Unenchanted Blades, Elven or Skyforge Steel Sword: Choosing a sword to use with Elemental Fury is a matter of personal taste. These three all belong to the same damage class and work well the knightly aesthetic. We recommend keeping them tempered, with the help of found potions.
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    Equipment: The Order of the Hour is symbol of the Chantry, and each knight, a symbol of Akatosh. As such, their armor and equipment brings to mind the nobility and power of the Dragon God.
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    Armor: There may be up to three tiers of armor used by the knight in Skyrim. The first is Elven Armor (Gilded when available), including shield.

    Followed by Glass Armor and shield, and the Endgame is Ancient Falmer Armor with Auriel's Shield.The light nature of this armor gifts the knight valuable speed.

     

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    Ornaments: The knight's skill with Alteration allows for some sacrifices in armor in favor of equipment that strengthens other skills. In place of a helmet, you'll first acquire the Diadem of the Savant in Labyrinthian, or on a chopping block outside Froki's Shack. At the end of the College questline, you'll recieve Morokei, your endgame headgear. You'll of course use the very appropriate Amulet of Akatosh. Prior to finding Azhidal's Ring of Arcana on Solstheim, any useful ring can be used in it's place. Consider a ring of regeneration and a secondary ring and circlet to fortify alchemy.
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    Potions: Speaking of alchemy, this is one of the most valuable skills the knights learn. It comes as a surprise for outsiders to learn of their in depth knowledge of poisons and potion making, but for the Order it only makes sense to take advantage of one of the few means the average mortal has of "manipulating" time. Ingredients are listed in green, their effects in orange.
    Simple Concoctions
    • Blight of Lost Hours: Deathbell + River Betty|Slow + Damage Health
    • Semi Stasis: Deathbell + Salt Pile|Slow
    • Stasis: Canis Root/Impstool + Swam Fungal Pod|Paralysis
    • Hourglass Elixir: Grass Pod + River Betty|Fortify Alteration
    Advanced Alchemy

    • Dragon Infusion: Wheat + Nightshade + Glowing Mushroom|Fortify destruction + Fortify health
    • Akatosh's Wellwater: Canis root + Small pearl + Cyrodilic Spadetail|Fortify restoration + One-handed
    • Draught of Destabilization: Scaly Pholiota/Creep Cluster + Salt Pile + Deathbell|Slow + Weakness to Magic
    • Advanced Atronach Potions
    These concoctions grant the knight undeniable sustainability in any combat, regardless of the enemy's numbers. The easy to find or purchase ingredients allow the knight to keep well stocked, and not spend too much time distracted with searching for reagents.
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    Gameplay
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    Advancing through this build flows fairly naturally with the roleplay of the build, but here we'll look strictly at the tactics and techniques necessary for progressing. The Knight plays very much like an adventurer. Much of what Skyrim has to offer will be important to this character, allowing for very non-linear progression. Your three most active skills are going to be the offensive One Handed and Destruction, and the defensive Block. Don't hesitate to accept training in these and balance using them. Your Destruction gives you ranged potential, so use it as often as the enemy is beyond arm's reach. When that isn't in the case (which will be often) your sword and shield will have their time to shine.
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    Acquiring the necessary equipment for the build is fairly straight forward. One of the easiest ways to start is to begin working the Companions to find the first word of Fire Breath. By the time you find it, Eleven armor becomes available, or soon will be. One of your Endgame swords, Chillrend, has a handy substitute for the early levels: Grimsever. Reaching it is a great leveling opportunity, and grants access to Blackreach, which will be convenient later. Since Grimsever is not leveled, the earlier it's found, the more useful it will be, and between that and your unenchanted blade, it will easily last you until you're ready to claim the true blades of the knight.
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    Combat
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    Open combat by strengthening your defense with a flesh spell, and come prepared with the most fitting blade for the battle. For the knight, combat revolves around time, one thing the Order never lacks. From the very beginning of a fight, your tactics are about giving yourself all the time in the world to act and react. If you have a ranged opportunity, slow your opponents to a crawl with ice magic like Icy Spike or Freeze. As foes come within sword range, keep them sluggish with your poisons, or stop them outright with paralysis, or enhanced Frost Breath.
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    Always keep a Stasis poison or two on hand for enemy mages. These make it unnecessary to create much in the way of resist/damage magicka brews, while also being useful for taking down tougher enemies, and disabling dangerous targets in a group.
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    Combos: 
    Zen: Time manipulation. The most sacred gift a knight of Akatosh can receive. The Chantry and its Order have long used alchemic mixtures to heighten their awareness and create the illusion of time control. Only this one knight has the power to actually do so. Combining both methods creates a potent basis for any attack the knight chooses to launch. The power becomes more potent as the knight learns to control it (Stability Perk), and discovers new word walls. Potion of Fortify Alteration + Slow Time
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    • Zen Defense: In melee combat, the knight can induce near stasis on the world by boosting perception to unprecedented heights, leaving enemies as if they were statues. Potion of Fortify Alteration + Quick Reflexes + Slow Time (+ Bardic Knowledge)
    • Zen Assault: At range, this focused time control can level the playing field for the knight against more proficient mages, as magicka reserves seem to stand still as well. Potion of Fortify Alteration + Slow Time + Secrets of Arcana
    Dragontrial: Despite what the Nords believe, the Chantry knows dragons aren't all evil. Each dragon fought offers a glimpse into it's soul, the chance to find good, or put the beast down. Dragonrend + Potion of Fortify Destruction +Frost/Fire cloak+ Dragonbane sword +  Augmentation perks + Slow time
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    Roleplay
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    While untrained in the ways of the voice, the Chantry and the Order of the Hour are familiar with some of the dragon language. When a new member is inducted, a new surname is given in the dragon tongue.
    • When creating your Knight, give them a suitable last name in the Dovah language. Kael and I both went with time related names, but any knightly name works fine.
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    The Knight dispatched to Skyrim was sent to investigate the Civil War, and, if possible, help the people there find a stable resolution. What that resolution may be, we have decided to leave to the player, as either choice will bring the peace back to Skyrim. Much more concerning is the return of the dragons, and the revelation that this knight of the Order is the long awaited Dragonborn. This is a responsibility that will esteem the character as a leader in the Chantry forever. And that authority will be essential, for with dragons in Skyrim, and rumors of powerful dragon artifacts, the Order will need a stronger presence in the land.
    • Establish a headquarters for the Order in Hjaalmarch by erecting Windstad Manor. The attached hatchery, garden, and greenhouse allow for new members to be trained in all the Chantry's alchemical arts.
    • Induct your favored follower into the Order. Equip them with armor one tier below yours to represent your status as the head of the Order in Skyrim.
    • Though hired stewards and spouses won't equip armor while not following you, they too can be inducted into the Order.
    • You are a force for good in the land, promoting peace and stability. Give to the poor, help where needed, and defend the defenseless.
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    The longer the knight spends in Skyrim, the more there is to find of value to Akatosh and the Chantry.
    • Taking the Dragonborn calling seriously means learning what Akatosh has left to teach. Seek out Word Walls at every opportunity, with the exception of the darker shouts, Soul Tear, Durnehviir, and Drain Vitality.
    • The Dragonpriest masks are relics that must be reclaimed for the glory of the Chantry! Gather them all, along with the gemstone dragon claws.
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    Quests
    • Main Quest
      • Spare Paarthurnax
    • College of Winterhold
    • Dawnguard Main Quest
      • Side with the Dawnguard
    • Dragonborn Main Quest
    • The Civil War
      • Choose a side
    • The Legend of Red Eagle
    No key shouts are quest locked, but one of your final weapons, Chillrend, is. A knight of the Order of the Hour would not associate with the Thieves Guild, so it will be necessary to use these techniques to acquire the sword.
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    Closing Words: Kael'than and I had a blast bringing the Order of the Hour to Skyrim, and hope you'll have a blast playing one of its knights. Comments and critiques are, of course, welcome; we look to continue improving the build wherever possible. We apologize for the persistent tildes; Ning didn't feel like formatting the build correctly. Hope you enjoyed!
    Time be always on your side...
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  • Member
    May 16, 2014
    Woo! Great job Borom, it's been great working with you.
  • Member
    May 16, 2014

    I especially like how you used Stability + Fortify Alteration + Slow time in synergy I will definitely try this out one day. Cool Build +1 

  • Member
    May 16, 2014

    I was looking forward to this one, and you don't disappoint! This is a great interpretation of the order, and it looks like a fun playthrough.

    As a newly converted lover of Alchemy, your potions section is really cool: easily available ingredients with crazy-useful benefits (especially your Slow poisons (I love Slow)... and it fits the build perfectly: time will always be on your side ).

    You guys did a great job on this.

    BTW--I found the perk spread a bit difficult to read in parts... I wonder if reversing the colors (white lettering with black outlining) might make it a little easier to read. That's all I've got by way of suggestions... everything else is awesome!

  • Member
    May 16, 2014

    Thanks a lot Shin! We appreciate it!

    You really think the spread might be easier to read with reversed text? It's worth a shot. I knew that was the most likely issue. I kept trying to make the image smaller without losing too much detail or overcrowding it. I'll give it a tuning after work/Godzilla today ;D

  • Member
    May 16, 2014
    It is absolutely CRUCIAL... that you let me know what you thought of Godzilla ;D