Greetings everyone! Little do you probably know, I've been snooping around the character building forums for a couple of years or so, and I've been longing to release a character build for a while now, but never had the time to do it! I've managed to free up some time and finally get started on a few builds. I was always wanting to make a Redguard mage build, but the issue was always aesthetics; I wanted clothes to match the Redguard hoods so bad, but the answer was right in-front of me! Telvanni Robes! So without further ado, here is my first Character Build.
–AN OUTCAST OF THE OUTCASTS–
Born under care of the Ash'abah tribe, the Hammerfell Warlock grown an affinity to magic, particularly in the school of destruction. He used the powers of Fire and Shock to destroy all un-dead found. However, tables turned when the young apprentice warlock came across his ability to make the purged un-dead, un-dead once more... Revealing his ability to the tribe leaders only made matters worse; as the leaders portrayed conjuration as forbidden and of the dead, the young warlock saw it instead as a gift; a tool, that if used correctly could render him remarkably powerful. He began studying the school and practised reanimation frequently while on errands to slay the un-dead. Alas, he was soon caught, and banished from the Ash'abah Tribe. Shunned from an already shunned community, the young warlock of the Alik'r Desert had no choice but to leave Hammerfell entirely, fleeing for the land of Skyrim; home of the Mage's College, and of course ancient tombs home to the ancient un-dead. Upon entering the border, he was caught up in an Imperial ambush and sent to Helgen, destined for the chopping block. To the Warlock's luck, a dragon attacked the town and was his queue to escape the legion and start his life anew.
The Hammerfell Warlock is first and foremost from a hot, dry environment facing creatures weak to heat. He is fond of fire and shock destruction, and has little use for ice magic when it comes to slaying the un-dead. He preferably kills the un-dead as quickly as possible, then to practice reanimation on the slayed bodies. He will experiment with them, soon using them to fight their own allies. Upon entering the Mage's college he will soon learn that investing in the school of illusion will eventually allow him to tap into the minds of his un-dead army. As fond as he is of ingredients found in the Alik'r Desert, he must start alchemy afresh in the colds of Skyrim; potions such as fortify conjuration and destruction will enable him to gain the edge over his college rivals, and enchanting will aid him in gaining a larger magicka pools, ease of the mind to use less magicka when needed the most, and enchant a weapon that can ultimately draw life forces from his foes to himself. He does retain a natural melee combat ability that most Redguards possess, and will often carry a sword when locked in close-quarter engagements. Nevertheless, his concentration is all on the magic schools; brains over brawl, and will not invest time into melee combat. He cares not for his foes, and only shows care for those who will aid him in his studies. After being shunned, he has lost his religion and cares little about the consequences of his acts. His craving for knowledge and power will only devour his mind the more experienced he gets, the more his followers and assistants become mere tools. He will become much darker, and will strive to improve only himself and his works, splitting himself apart from those who aided him in the past.
Race: Redguard
Stone: Mage, Lord, Ritual
Shouts: Battle Fury (DB), Become Ethereal, Slow Time, Unrelenting Force
Major Skills: Destruction, Conjuration, Alchemy, Enchanting
Minor Skills: Illusion, Restoration, One-Handed
Magicka/Health/Stamina Ratio:4/2/0
–SKILLS AND PERKS–
Destruction – The main offensive skill of the Hammerfell Warlock, learnt and studied for years previous. He will primarily use fire spells, well aware of their efficiency in combat. However, he will also use shock, mainly against foes also trained in magic. Augmented Flames and Augmented Shock are both important perks, as is impact, useful for pushing enemies back into the wall of flames you sprayed around them.
Conjuration – His reasons for fleeing, his skill of reanimation, forbidden in his homeland yet only disliked in Skyrim. Most of his concentration is on reanimation of the dead, and conjuring daedra is not of the warlock's concern. He will also find soul trapping very advantageous to his enchanting studies.
Alchemy – An important aspect of the Hammerfell Warlock's studies, will create and carry many potions and concoctions to aid in battle, from lengthening conjuration spells to nullifying incoming damage and increasing his own damage output.
Enchanting – The ability to literally tie magical forces to clothing, jewellery and weapons intrigues the Hammerfell Warlock, and will dearly suck the souls of the living to fuel his work on the un-dead, to improve his own apparel, stretch his magicka pool and concentrate his spells, making them more efficient.
Illusion – A minor skill, rarely used but a few important spells to overpower the warlock's un-dead army. Master of the Mind is a critical perk, and Master Illusion allows for the very powerful spell 'Call to Arms' to be cast with a decent amount of magicka.
Restoration – Studied only for the perks it can bring the warlock, restoration aids in dealing more damage to the un-dead and avoiding death all together without the use of a single spell.
One-Handed – Purely a back-up skill, the Hammerfell Warlock knows how to use a sword, and will use it when the time calls for it. Perks will not be invested, as buffs can be achieved through Alchemy and Enchanting. Early on, a silver sword is ideal for tough un-dead bosses,but later on it's nice to trade it for something that matches aesthetically; dwarven or elven. A scimatar works too; he is a Redguard after all, and well... Curved. Swords.
–LEVEL 20: THE APPRENTICE WARLOCK–
By level 20, the Warlock is getting into good grips with the cool, crisp Skyrim environment. As his goal is success, he works and studies all skills accordingly to buff himself as much as he possibly can. Roleplay-wise, it's good to read books that increase magic skill levels as well as the books which can be obtained from the College of Winterhold. Possessing power, the apprentice warlock will take any artefacts of magical power he can find, use them and unbind their power at an arcane enchanter.
Destruction is the main skill in use, used for offence, defence and fuel for his work, the warlock should learn how to reduce focusing to cast spells, decreasing their overall cost. By level 20, Destruction should be well past 50, and in doing so, the Warlock can efficiently cast rune spells, allowing him to set up traps. If spotted and chased, the Warlock can fire bolt spells at his enemy, drawing them into his runes which would drain the last of his foes' health. Augmented Flames will increase the damage by 25%, as will Augmented Shock if using shock spells against mages. At this point, fireball and chain lightning are still expensive, when with the Adept Destruction perk, so so should only be used when there are enemies close to one-another.
Alchemy will boost damage output even more, and will put less strain on the limited magicka pool the warlock possesses. Unlocking the first two levels of Alchemist will boost the strength of concoctions by 40%, while benefactor increases helpful potions by an extra 25%, so an additional 65% strength can be achieved to fortifying Destruction, as well as fortifying Conjuration, which will dramatically increase the amount of time your reanimations will remain before turning into ash. It doesn't hurt to make potions of restoring health and stamina either, and regeneration spells are also useful. They also benefit from Physician; a further 25%. Here's a list of a few potions which can be made early into the game:
Fortify Conjuration: Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, Lavender. These can all be found when leaving Helgen, through Riverwood and around Whiterun. The mixes can create Damage Magicka Regen side-effects however, but that's all a part of learning.
Fortify Destruction: Glowing Mushroom, Nightshade. Found in many caves and tombs, the latter in cities such as Solitude and Riften too. This potion will definitely give you the edge over magic foes. Mixing Snowberries into the potion will given a nice resistance to shock too, useful for slowing the magicka drain when foes are using shock-type spells against you.
Restore Health & Fortify Health: Blue Mountain Flower + Wheat. Wheat can be harvested from farms all around Skyrim. As well as restoring health, this potion will also produce a very nice fortify health buff.
Restore Magicka: Mora Tapinella + Red Mountain Flower. A potion which can be made virtually at the start of the game; can use Delphine's alchemy table to create a few of these before heading out to begin dirty work.
Conjuration early on will provide the most defence to the Warlock. Reanimating even the weakest of foes can change the tide of battle; a skeever can be used simply as a distraction. The Adept Reanimate spell will enable you to raise most dead creatures at this point. A draugr wight is a good example, and can deal a lot of damage themselves. While soaking up damage in melee, you can concentrate all your magicka on ranged spells such as firebolt and lightning bolt, or use the time to build up magicka to raise another corpse to your aid.
One handed is useful at lower levels because of the limited magicka pool available. Often enough I found myself slashing a kneeling draugr simply because of lack of magicka remaining, or because I'd rather spend it on a foe with a lot of health still remaining. Simply a back-up, no perks are invested in One handed. Levelling one handed can lead to free perks to be spend on the more important magic skills. A silver sword is a great option as it deals an extra 20 damage to un-dead. A soul trap enchantment placed on it can fuel your enchanting needs.
The point in this build was aesthetics. I wanted a Redguard to be able to mix his traditional attire with clothes of Skyrim. The pale blue Alik'r hood can bought from Radiant Raiment in Solitude, or by killing an Alik'r soldier during the quest 'In my Time of Need'. Novice robes can be gained from Helgen prison, or when joining the mage's college, however the Apprentice Robes match much better. The preferred enchantment is Destruction. Skyrim is cold and so gloves seem a wise choice for the Hammerfell Warlock, not just an extra enchanting slot. College boots keep with the theme of joining the college and being in the cold. Resist frost enables extra defence against the un-dead's favoured spell type. The Saarthal Amulet is a good choice of neckwear to begin with, but later proves to be inferior to your own creation which increases your pool of magicka. A ring made to fortify alchemy will boost your potions enough to see a noticeable difference.
Description – Sizzle groups of nearby foes by mixing the Chain Lightning spell with destruction perks and ultimately a +100% fortify destruction potion you brewed up earlier, dealing an outrageous 120 damage per foe! A very deadly connection indeed...
–INTANGIBLE–
Requirements –Spell: Any Cloak + Spell:Any Wall + Perk: Augmented Flames/Shock 2/2 + Potion: Fortify Destruction + Shout: Become Ethereal
Description – Cook your enemies as they helplessly try to kill your invulnerable self. Drink a potion, Cast a cloak spell, then spray a wall spell around yourself. Then shout Feim Zii Gron!and laugh as your enemies fall before you.
–IN MY TIME OF NEED–
Requirements –Stone: Ritual Stone + Perk: Master of the Mind + Perk: Master Illusion + Spell: Call to Arms + Shout: Battle Fury
Description – Dead all around you but still creatures to kill, activate the Ritual Stone spell, and wait for all dead around you to rise. They will gain +100 health if Dark Souls is spent. Call to Arms raises all their combat skills +25, and additional 25 to health, stamina and magicka, and finally shouting Mid Vur Shaan! will increase your reanimated thralls' swings by 50%!
This build may seem like a 'destroy everything' build at first, but it's not; with a small health pool, no armour and no flesh spells, it is very easy to die, especially on higher difficulties. Be cautious, sneak if you must, set up traps and lure your foes to their ultimate doom! Try the abilities I've came up with, or experiment with your own ideas! This is my first build, so please do not hesitate to criticise and/or suggest changes and improvements. Thank you, and happy reanimating!
–VIDEO–
Thanks to HeroicXCV, who made a fantastic build video based on the Hammerfell Warlock, using Perkus Maximus to really give this build an edge!
Greetings everyone! Little do you probably know, I've been snooping around the character building forums for a couple of years or so, and I've been longing to release a character build for a while now, but never had the time to do it! I've managed to free up some time and finally get started on a few builds. I was always wanting to make a Redguard mage build, but the issue was always aesthetics; I wanted clothes to match the Redguard hoods so bad, but the answer was right in-front of me! Telvanni Robes! So without further ado, here is my first Character Build.
–AN OUTCAST OF THE OUTCASTS–
Born under care of the Ash'abah tribe, the Hammerfell Warlock grown an affinity to magic, particularly in the school of destruction. He used the powers of Fire and Shock to destroy all un-dead found. However, tables turned when the young apprentice warlock came across his ability to make the purged un-dead, un-dead once more... Revealing his ability to the tribe leaders only made matters worse; as the leaders portrayed conjuration as forbidden and of the dead, the young warlock saw it instead as a gift; a tool, that if used correctly could render him remarkably powerful. He began studying the school and practised reanimation frequently while on errands to slay the un-dead. Alas, he was soon caught, and banished from the Ash'abah Tribe. Shunned from an already shunned community, the young warlock of the Alik'r Desert had no choice but to leave Hammerfell entirely, fleeing for the land of Skyrim; home of the Mage's College, and of course ancient tombs home to the ancient un-dead. Upon entering the border, he was caught up in an Imperial ambush and sent to Helgen, destined for the chopping block. To the Warlock's luck, a dragon attacked the town and was his queue to escape the legion and start his life anew.
The Hammerfell Warlock is first and foremost from a hot, dry environment facing creatures weak to heat. He is fond of fire and shock destruction, and has little use for ice magic when it comes to slaying the un-dead. He preferably kills the un-dead as quickly as possible, then to practice reanimation on the slayed bodies. He will experiment with them, soon using them to fight their own allies. Upon entering the Mage's college he will soon learn that investing in the school of illusion will eventually allow him to tap into the minds of his un-dead army. As fond as he is of ingredients found in the Alik'r Desert, he must start alchemy afresh in the colds of Skyrim; potions such as fortify conjuration and destruction will enable him to gain the edge over his college rivals, and enchanting will aid him in gaining a larger magicka pools, ease of the mind to use less magicka when needed the most, and enchant a weapon that can ultimately draw life forces from his foes to himself. He does retain a natural melee combat ability that most Redguards possess, and will often carry a sword when locked in close-quarter engagements. Nevertheless, his concentration is all on the magic schools; brains over brawl, and will not invest time into melee combat. He cares not for his foes, and only shows care for those who will aid him in his studies. After being shunned, he has lost his religion and cares little about the consequences of his acts. His craving for knowledge and power will only devour his mind the more experienced he gets, the more his followers and assistants become mere tools. He will become much darker, and will strive to improve only himself and his works, splitting himself apart from those who aided him in the past.
Race: Redguard
Stone: Mage, Lord, Ritual
Shouts: Battle Fury (DB), Become Ethereal, Slow Time, Unrelenting Force
Major Skills: Destruction, Conjuration, Alchemy, Enchanting
Minor Skills: Illusion, Restoration, One-Handed
Magicka/Health/Stamina Ratio:4/2/0
–SKILLS AND PERKS–
Destruction – The main offensive skill of the Hammerfell Warlock, learnt and studied for years previous. He will primarily use fire spells, well aware of their efficiency in combat. However, he will also use shock, mainly against foes also trained in magic. Augmented Flames and Augmented Shock are both important perks, as is impact, useful for pushing enemies back into the wall of flames you sprayed around them.
Conjuration – His reasons for fleeing, his skill of reanimation, forbidden in his homeland yet only disliked in Skyrim. Most of his concentration is on reanimation of the dead, and conjuring daedra is not of the warlock's concern. He will also find soul trapping very advantageous to his enchanting studies.
Alchemy – An important aspect of the Hammerfell Warlock's studies, will create and carry many potions and concoctions to aid in battle, from lengthening conjuration spells to nullifying incoming damage and increasing his own damage output.
Enchanting – The ability to literally tie magical forces to clothing, jewellery and weapons intrigues the Hammerfell Warlock, and will dearly suck the souls of the living to fuel his work on the un-dead, to improve his own apparel, stretch his magicka pool and concentrate his spells, making them more efficient.
Illusion – A minor skill, rarely used but a few important spells to overpower the warlock's un-dead army. Master of the Mind is a critical perk, and Master Illusion allows for the very powerful spell 'Call to Arms' to be cast with a decent amount of magicka.
Restoration – Studied only for the perks it can bring the warlock, restoration aids in dealing more damage to the un-dead and avoiding death all together without the use of a single spell.
One-Handed – Purely a back-up skill, the Hammerfell Warlock knows how to use a sword, and will use it when the time calls for it. Perks will not be invested, as buffs can be achieved through Alchemy and Enchanting. Early on, a silver sword is ideal for tough un-dead bosses,but later on it's nice to trade it for something that matches aesthetically; dwarven or elven. A scimatar works too; he is a Redguard after all, and well... Curved. Swords.
–LEVEL 20: THE APPRENTICE WARLOCK–
By level 20, the Warlock is getting into good grips with the cool, crisp Skyrim environment. As his goal is success, he works and studies all skills accordingly to buff himself as much as he possibly can. Roleplay-wise, it's good to read books that increase magic skill levels as well as the books which can be obtained from the College of Winterhold. Possessing power, the apprentice warlock will take any artefacts of magical power he can find, use them and unbind their power at an arcane enchanter.
Destruction is the main skill in use, used for offence, defence and fuel for his work, the warlock should learn how to reduce focusing to cast spells, decreasing their overall cost. By level 20, Destruction should be well past 50, and in doing so, the Warlock can efficiently cast rune spells, allowing him to set up traps. If spotted and chased, the Warlock can fire bolt spells at his enemy, drawing them into his runes which would drain the last of his foes' health. Augmented Flames will increase the damage by 25%, as will Augmented Shock if using shock spells against mages. At this point, fireball and chain lightning are still expensive, when with the Adept Destruction perk, so so should only be used when there are enemies close to one-another.
Alchemy will boost damage output even more, and will put less strain on the limited magicka pool the warlock possesses. Unlocking the first two levels of Alchemist will boost the strength of concoctions by 40%, while benefactor increases helpful potions by an extra 25%, so an additional 65% strength can be achieved to fortifying Destruction, as well as fortifying Conjuration, which will dramatically increase the amount of time your reanimations will remain before turning into ash. It doesn't hurt to make potions of restoring health and stamina either, and regeneration spells are also useful. They also benefit from Physician; a further 25%. Here's a list of a few potions which can be made early into the game:
Fortify Conjuration: Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, Lavender. These can all be found when leaving Helgen, through Riverwood and around Whiterun. The mixes can create Damage Magicka Regen side-effects however, but that's all a part of learning.
Fortify Destruction: Glowing Mushroom, Nightshade. Found in many caves and tombs, the latter in cities such as Solitude and Riften too. This potion will definitely give you the edge over magic foes. Mixing Snowberries into the potion will given a nice resistance to shock too, useful for slowing the magicka drain when foes are using shock-type spells against you.
Restore Health & Fortify Health: Blue Mountain Flower + Wheat. Wheat can be harvested from farms all around Skyrim. As well as restoring health, this potion will also produce a very nice fortify health buff.
Restore Magicka: Mora Tapinella + Red Mountain Flower. A potion which can be made virtually at the start of the game; can use Delphine's alchemy table to create a few of these before heading out to begin dirty work.
Conjuration early on will provide the most defence to the Warlock. Reanimating even the weakest of foes can change the tide of battle; a skeever can be used simply as a distraction. The Adept Reanimate spell will enable you to raise most dead creatures at this point. A draugr wight is a good example, and can deal a lot of damage themselves. While soaking up damage in melee, you can concentrate all your magicka on ranged spells such as firebolt and lightning bolt, or use the time to build up magicka to raise another corpse to your aid.
One handed is useful at lower levels because of the limited magicka pool available. Often enough I found myself slashing a kneeling draugr simply because of lack of magicka remaining, or because I'd rather spend it on a foe with a lot of health still remaining. Simply a back-up, no perks are invested in One handed. Levelling one handed can lead to free perks to be spend on the more important magic skills. A silver sword is a great option as it deals an extra 20 damage to un-dead. A soul trap enchantment placed on it can fuel your enchanting needs.
The point in this build was aesthetics. I wanted a Redguard to be able to mix his traditional attire with clothes of Skyrim. The pale blue Alik'r hood can bought from Radiant Raiment in Solitude, or by killing an Alik'r soldier during the quest 'In my Time of Need'. Novice robes can be gained from Helgen prison, or when joining the mage's college, however the Apprentice Robes match much better. The preferred enchantment is Destruction. Skyrim is cold and so gloves seem a wise choice for the Hammerfell Warlock, not just an extra enchanting slot. College boots keep with the theme of joining the college and being in the cold. Resist frost enables extra defence against the un-dead's favoured spell type. The Saarthal Amulet is a good choice of neckwear to begin with, but later proves to be inferior to your own creation which increases your pool of magicka. A ring made to fortify alchemy will boost your potions enough to see a noticeable difference.
Description – Sizzle groups of nearby foes by mixing the Chain Lightning spell with destruction perks and ultimately a +100% fortify destruction potion you brewed up earlier, dealing an outrageous 120 damage per foe! A very deadly connection indeed...
–INTANGIBLE–
Requirements –Spell: Any Cloak + Spell:Any Wall + Perk: Augmented Flames/Shock 2/2 + Potion: Fortify Destruction + Shout: Become Ethereal
Description – Cook your enemies as they helplessly try to kill your invulnerable self. Drink a potion, Cast a cloak spell, then spray a wall spell around yourself. Then shout Feim Zii Gron!and laugh as your enemies fall before you.
–IN MY TIME OF NEED–
Requirements –Stone: Ritual Stone + Perk: Master of the Mind + Perk: Master Illusion + Spell: Call to Arms + Shout: Battle Fury
Description – Dead all around you but still creatures to kill, activate the Ritual Stone spell, and wait for all dead around you to rise. They will gain +100 health if Dark Souls is spent. Call to Arms raises all their combat skills +25, and additional 25 to health, stamina and magicka, and finally shouting Mid Vur Shaan! will increase your reanimated thralls' swings by 50%!
This build may seem like a 'destroy everything' build at first, but it's not; with a small health pool, no armour and no flesh spells, it is very easy to die, especially on higher difficulties. Be cautious, sneak if you must, set up traps and lure your foes to their ultimate doom! Try the abilities I've came up with, or experiment with your own ideas! This is my first build, so please do not hesitate to criticise and/or suggest changes and improvements. Thank you, and happy reanimating!
–VIDEO–
Thanks to HeroicXCV, who made a fantastic build video based on the Hammerfell Warlock, using Perkus Maximus to really give this build an edge!
Yep, like the use of Ritual + Battle Fury. I don't think I've seen that before; I had planned to use it in some future build, but I'm glad to see it here. :)
Yep, like the use of Ritual + Battle Fury. I don't think I've seen that before; I had planned to use it in some future build, but I'm glad to see it here. :)
Yes it's an interesting combination. I haven't had the DLCs very long so I didn't know about it till recently either, but damn it works well. Call to Arms also increases the damage output of each individual thrall too. It really is overpowering.
Yes it's an interesting combination. I haven't had the DLCs very long so I didn't know about it till recently either, but damn it works well. Call to Arms also increases the damage output of each individual thrall too. It really is overpowering.
In your deadly connection special move you have augmented flames listed where I believe you intended augmented shock to go.
I like the art and I like the look. Not seeing much for gameplay honestly.
You make note of the lack of defenses but don't really say how you survived. Did you just summon stuff and hide? Rely on player skill and movement? Wall spells are also mentioned a few times - something relatively uncommon, are they a big part of the build or just auxiliary damage?
It's a good start but I'm not sold quite yet. Keep working on this, there's potential (:
In your deadly connection special move you have augmented flames listed where I believe you intended augmented shock to go.
I like the art and I like the look. Not seeing much for gameplay honestly.
You make note of the lack of defenses but don't really say how you survived. Did you just summon stuff and hide? Rely on player skill and movement? Wall spells are also mentioned a few times - something relatively uncommon, are they a big part of the build or just auxiliary damage?
It's a good start but I'm not sold quite yet. Keep working on this, there's potential (:
Very nice especially for a first build. I especially like the unique presentation style. The only flaw that stands out to me is in the perk and equipment spreads. The letters are quite difficult to read.
Very nice especially for a first build. I especially like the unique presentation style. The only flaw that stands out to me is in the perk and equipment spreads. The letters are quite difficult to read.
Thanks, it was getting late (2am) so I had to try and finish as I couldn't find a way to save as a draft, so unfortunately there are parts I've missed out.
Is there a way I can edit this build?
Thanks, it was getting late (2am) so I had to try and finish as I couldn't find a way to save as a draft, so unfortunately there are parts I've missed out.
Is there a way I can edit this build?
Cheers, and yeah sorry about that; originally the images were 1920x1080 but resizing to 750 width has taken its toll haha! I can always edit them and make them bigger. I was just in a rush last night given j didn't know if I could save drafts.
Cheers, and yeah sorry about that; originally the images were 1920x1080 but resizing to 750 width has taken its toll haha! I can always edit them and make them bigger. I was just in a rush last night given j didn't know if I could save drafts.
