Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Ash'abah Vindicator

Tags: #Character Build Dual-Wield  #Character Build Bound Weapons  #Character Build No Crafting  #Race:Redguard  #Rank:Recognized  #Kael 
  • Member
    April 15, 2015

    It's been a while, guys. I had a lot of fun with this one. Enough said...

    On with the show!

    So, just who are the Ash’abah? For all you lore lovers out there, here’s a link explaining them.

    The Ash’Abah are a group of outcasts from Reguard Society, as they destroy the undead; this is frowned upon in Redguard Religion. They are tolerated simply for a rite that keeps dead Redguard Royalty from rising, as this is a necessity.

    So, their interactions with the undead are unclean – not only do the redguards abhor the destruction of their own, venerated undead, but necromancy as well. So let’s make them as filthy as possible!

    These pariahs answer to no regional ruler, and shift their whereabouts like the sand itself. It is said the Ash'abah are finishing the work first set out by the three great Ansei who formed the Ansei Wards. As with these ancient heroes, the Ash'abah cast aside their own devotions to serve the lives of the Redguard people. (thanks for this, Phil)

    We can take this passage to mean that the Ash'Abah are rather independent, taking no heed of other races and cultural groups as they do their own thing. I see them to be like mysterious guardians, vanquishing ancient evils without being noticed; humble.

    Race: Redguard. Perfect for roleplay, as well as the boost to 3 of our 5 skills.

    Stat Ratio: 1:2 (Magicka:Health). Prioritise health.

    Stone: MAAS (Modified Advanced Atronach) and Ritual.

    Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Unrelenting Force, Fire Breath, Cyclone, Dragon Aspect, Become Ethereal, Slow time, Battle fury.

    The MAAS and the Advanced Atronach both have 100% spell absorption. However, whereas the Advanced Atronach has -100% magicka regen, the MAAS only has -70%. Furthermore, the MAAS can be obtained with a simple philter of the healer - thus having a level requirement of only level 20! After this, you must take the alteration Atronach perk, and you will gain 100% spell absorption! Neat, yes? (Credit goes to Albino for discovering this).

    Black Book Powers: Dragonborn Flame, Secret of Arcana, Seeker of Sorcery, Companion's Insight and Bardic Knowledge.

     

     

     

     

     

    One-handed: Our primary form of offense, used against humans and the like. We will be dual-wielding here, using Dawnbreaker 

    in conjunction with a Bound sword.

    Archery: Our other form of offense, Archery allows us to bombard our foes with arrows from a distance. We will not be perking this much as the bound bow is too awesome to need perks.

    Alteration: Our first form of defence, Alteration gives us a nice, much-needed boost to our armor rating, allowing us to take a few hits in melee.

     

     

     

    Restoration: Our second form of defence (and offense, against the undead), restoration keeps us alive, power-attacking and obliterating the undead!

     

     

     

    Conjuration: Our final skill, Conjuration, allows us to manifest the extremely powerful bound sword and bow. We will be raising the undead, but will not be perking the necromancy tree. Early game, we use raise zombie. After we obtain the Aetherial Crown though, it's the ritual from there on out!

     

     

    Aetherial Crown (Ritual) – Look like a holy badass! For those who don’t know, there is an exploit (that we will be using) with the Aetherial Crown and Ritual stone. Activate the ritual power, remove and re-equip the crown, and you will find that you can use the power again!

    The Gauldur Amulet – A boost to health, magicka and stamina. Sounds good.

    Fur Armor (Bare-chested with cloak) – Show off those abs! Mow down your enemies as they run from your amazing pecks! But wait, there’s more! Ah, who am I kidding? There really isn’t.

    Steel Plate Gauntlets – Keep warm in style! Try to find these enchanted with fortify archery or one-handed.

    Bond of Matrimony/Other ring of restoration – Restoration spells cost 10% less? Oh boy! I want one of them!

    Ahzidal’s Ring of Necromancy – Watch as your risen “allies” explode into frost around you! Beautiful, isn’t it? Swap out with the other ring for certain purposes.*

    Steel Plate Boots – Keep warm in style! Try to find these enchanted with fortify stamina.

    Dawnbreaker – Amazing against the undead. The explosions are wonderful too.

    Bound Sword – A great weapon, the bound sword (With oblivion binding) dispels summons with one strike! Not only that, but it looks amazing and holds true to the redguard theme! (As followers of the 3 Ansei wards, it makes sense that the Ash'abah would be able to summon their own Shehai).

    Bound Bow – Also a great weapon. Much the same as the bound sword, with one extra perk….Free daedric arrows!

    *If you are on PC, a mod that allows you to equip multiple rings may be useful.

    I like Shiny things. So...Shiny....

    As soon as you're out of Helgen, sell off your rubbish in riverwood and head straight on to whiterun for the Bound sword, Raise Zombie and Oakflesh spells. My first 3 perks taken were novice conjuration, alteration and restoration, followed by armsman, mystic binding and armsman. Head straight for bleak falls, dual-wielding bound swords, armored with oakflesh and protected by raised zombies. Together, these 3 will grant you a number of levels just from bleak falls. From there, I recommend buying Lakeview Manor ASAP (if you have Hearthfire), after which I did Dragon Rising to unlock shouts. Obtaining both Dawnbreaker and the Aetherial Crown are both major priorities, so it's best to get them early.

    With all this done, I was level 20. At this point, I obtained Whirlwind Sprint from the Greybeards. When the cultists attacked, I headed to Solstheim and began unearthed. Whilst I waited for each letter, I did dawnguard. Prioritise getting Florentius to join the dawnguard, and buy Stendarr's aura and Vampire's bane from him as soon as possible.

    This build is a good one with which to go through each of the three main questlines. I myself slew Alduin at level 35 (the civil war is also worth doing).

    I  considered the build itself complete at level 35 (note that there was some conservation of perks), but I then went across Skyrim vanquishing all the draugr and dragon priests I found. You'll complete your shouts this way, too. Being finished in all the barrows, I was level 42 (I just perked up the left side of the archery tree).

    Formes: Assume the role of a war priest, marksman or Paladin.

    Strongest Flesh Spell (+Stendarr's Aura + Restoration Ring) + Bound sword & Dawnbreaker/Bound Bow/Spells

    Use spells against the undead, whereas the other formes may be used against any enemy. Spells can also be used to support your followers.

     

    Rapid Fire: Pelt your enemies with your fury!

    Slow Time + Bound bow/Secret of Arcana & Spells

    An excellent way to begin a fight, Slow time will let you shoot loads of arrows whilst avoiding your enemies (should they get too close). Use the spell variant against the strongest draugr.

    Adjudication: Rush in as you pass judgement on your foe!

    Whirlwind Sprint + Critical Charge

    A great tool for initiating combat. Activate whirlwind sprint to cover distance, begin sprinting whilst the shout is in effect, and power attack!

     

    Champion's Fury: Let loose all your rage!

    Dragon Aspect (+ Bardic Knowledge/Adrenalin Rush) + Adjudication/Rapid Fire/Barrage + Sun flare

    An excellent move against any enemy. Use Adjudication/Rapid Fire depending on your form. Best used after Righteous Exorcism.

    And the Ash'abah's strongest move:

    Explosive Exorcism: Exorcise the evil spirits from your dead foes' bodies in a massive explosion!

    Corpses + Ahzidal's ring of Necromancy + Dawnbreaker Explosion/Vampire's bane/Arrow at Zombie/Fire Breath + Sun Flare (+ Champion's Fury)

    Use against the very strongest enemies. The ritual stone will raise all dead in a radius around you. When your undead army is raised, activate them with a dawnbreaker explosion, a vampire's bane or an arrow shot at one of the zombies, to cause a massive explosion, wiping them and your enemies out. Alternatively, you could activate them with Fire Breath, thus causing fire wyrms to emerge from the explosions. Finally, if they're not dead after the massive explosion chain, use one of the variants of Champion's fury to finish them off. An example of who to use this on is Ahzidal (there are loads of corpses in his room, and they pile up as the fight goes on; it gets stronger as the fight goes on).

    We can approach combat in a number of different ways due to the versatility of this build. If you're fighting Draugr, all 3 of your forms are effective. Against other enemies, the necromage forme is useful only as a supporting forme. Combat is as simple as casting a flesh spell, Stendarr's aura (if fighting undead) and a Bound Weapon in your left hand.

    If you are in your Paladin Forme, it's effective to initiate combat with Adjudication. Against stronger enemies, such as Draugr deathlords, Champion's fury is useful. Rapid Fire is also a good way to initiate combat.

    If your followers are dying/low on health, grand healing combined with waters of life wil bring them back quickly.

    • D&D alignment for this guy would be Chaotic good. Nobody tells you what to do; you do what you want, as long as it's for the greater good. Use evil for good purposes.
    • Have your tribe be independent; you don't need anybody else. Try and sell only to your spouse. Don't linger in cities.
    • I recommend that you do not fast-travel. It grants you an excellent boost to levelling, as well as making this build much more organic. It makes sense that the Ash'abah, as outcasts, would have learnt to survive in harsh conditions.
    • Cleanse all barrows of Draugr. This is your sacred mission in Skyrim (and Solstheim).
    • Try not to loot the dead, except for quest items.
    • Build your own Tribal Community with hearthfire. Command your own order (Which may only consist of redguards). My set-up was: Anwen (Spouse), Rayya (Steward), Ahtar (Follower) and Alesan (Child).
    • You may have a follower, but they must be a redguard. The only two options are Ahtar and Rayya, sadly.

     

    The Draugr are not your only enemies...

    • Main Quest - Vanquish Alduin, an ancient evil. Slay his legions of draugr and dragon priests. Save Skyrim, and all Tamriel!
    • Dawnguard - Dawnguard side - As a vanquisher of the undead, this is child's play for you.
    • Dragonborn - Vanquish another ancient evil...
    • Falkreath Thane quests - Get a nice building plot and a great, dual-wielding redguard follower, to boot!
    • Civil war - Stormcloaks - Despite being an outcast, you still look out for Hammerfell. The imperials ruined it. Make them pay!
    • Heart of Dibella - Get a wife and kill women easier. Not that many of your main enemies will be women...
    • Unearthed - Great practice for your draugr-vanquishing skills. Slay Ralis at the end. Only weak-willed people are possessed. Therefore, the weak-willed are dangerous. Not to mention the amazing ring of necromancy!
    • Others you may find fitting - Vanquishing ancient evils. Examples: Siege on the Dragon Cult, A scroll for Anska, Coming of Age.
    • Black Book Quests - You need more power to combat evil!
    • Alteration Ritual Spell - Get Dragonhide!

    Thanks to Albino for his discovery of the MAAS.

    Thanks to Elysium for redoing the perk spreads.

     

  • Member
    April 15, 2015
    Dude this is awesome! I freaking love the Ash'abah, the idea of an exiled clan of necromancer Redguards is just so cool. The presentation looks good, banners are a great fit. Gameplay seems legit, Dawnbreaker and Ahzidal's Ring of Necromancy are such a fun combo. You ever check out James' discussion on Taper Mechanics? You'll be a lot wiser as a result, it shows just how much Necromage can fuck up undead. My one complaint would be too many special moves. When playing, I don't want to be forced to have your build up on my phone or something so that I need to know which combo to choose from. Try trimming it down to five/six maybe? Other than that an easy +1 mate!
  • Member
    April 15, 2015

    What he said.

    I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of abilities but this sure looks great. I won't be playing it any time soon though, as I am currently trying out a similar concept.

    Anyway nice work!

  • Member
    April 15, 2015

    The Redguards are in my opinion the most underrated people in TES5. They have such a rich lore, but that is almost completely ignored in the game.

    Awesome build and a great example of what Redguard lore has to offer! This is one bad ass necro spellsword!+1

  • Member
    April 15, 2015

    Thanks a lot, Raid and Tein!

    The Ash'Abah do really have some interesting lore, don't they? No, I don't believe I have read that discussion. Or it went in one ear and out the other :D

    The special moves, I can see what you mean. I have a problem...I like my special moves way too much xD. I'll try trimming down the special moves, yeah. They're all really variants of one another lol.

  • Member
    April 15, 2015

    Thanks, Syphyr! Redguards really are amazing, aren't they?

  • Member
    April 15, 2015

    Right, well I've cut out some of the special moves. I've instead combined them into bigger moves with more variation, simply because there's so much versatility xD

  • Member
    April 15, 2015
    Definetly one of my favourite builds, very well done +1
  • Member
    April 15, 2015
    Thanks :D
  • Ken
    Member
    April 15, 2015

    Excellent Concept and Presentation,  I hardly see anyone using fur armor for a build. It's always Daedric,  Ebony, or Steel Plate +1