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Character Build: The Father

Tags: #Character Build Shouts  #Race:Nord  #Character Build Crusader  #Character Build Knight  #Rank:Recognized  #Motty Build 
  • Member
    September 11, 2015

    (Art Credit: "Viking" by Thomas Wiesvegg via Deviant Art)

    Introduction:

    This is part one of a "Trinity" of builds I'm working on: "The Messiah" (a restoration based, spell-breaking Jesus-monk) and "The Holy Ghost" (a sneaky, angel summoning, silver sword wielding, judgment bringing badass) will round out the complete set.

    Please note: this is my first posted build. While it's difficult to find any truly new build styles or mechanics at this point in Skyrim, I think my concept is unique. Please enjoy! 

    Build Concept:

    My goal for The Father was to create a Dragonborn build that will rely on shouts and reduced cooldown mechanics. This is an area I had never explored and felt like a good fit for a divine father figure in the spirit of Tiber Septim re-incarnate. I have always wanted to utilize the Nordic Carved armor in a build and felt that this suited the character aesthetic quite well.

    Trinity Lore:

    Throughout this "Trinity" build project, I am attempting to merge the Christian concept of trinity (Father, Son & Holy Ghost) with that of Elder Scrolls lore. With the help of the good folks over in the lore group, I've learned that there is indeed a pervasive Trinity throughout the Elder Scrolls.

    As told to me by Tom, this ES trinity consists of "The King, the Rebel, and the Observer. One who rules, one who usurps, one who watches. And, one is always maimed."

    In Elder Scrolls lore, the most fitting example for my build concept is the Talos Oversoul. While there is controversy around the Vault as to whether or not these three are actually "Three-in-One" (as seen in the Christian tradition), the Talos Oversoul consists of Tiber Septim, Wulfharth, and Zurin Arctus. It can be observed in lore that Tiber Septim usurps Wulfharth, and Zurin is maimed.

    For the purposes of my builds, this leaves us with the following trinity parallels:

    Tiber Septim = King & Ruler = The Father
    Wulfharth = Rebel & Usurper = The Holy Ghost
    Zurin Arctus = Observer & Maimed = The Messiah 

    In my first build then, The Father is the king figure of the trinity, presiding in the heavenly realms and now dipping into humanity. For an Elder Scrolls connection, The Father is the Tiber Septim patriarch. 

    The Holy Ghost in the gospels does "take over" on earth once The Messiah is sacrificed and returns to the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Therefore, from a timeline perspective, we might view The Father's initial "rule" on earth as phase one, the Messiah's observance of creation and ultimate sacrifice the second era, and lastly the Holy Ghost's ultimate conviction of evil on earth as a final reclamation. 

    Backstory:

    The Father reappears as a bearded older gentleman with Skyrim’s best interests in mind. He is a warrior and protector of Skyrim and of its virtuous purposes and people. He is no racist, and has a love of all cultures and creatures who seek peace and justice. Seeing the current state of the world (dragons, vampires, bandits, and bears oh my), The Father decides it’s time to intervene on his people’s behalf. He is not a pacifist and will judge those he deems unworthy of continued occupancy in Skyrim with eternal reckoning. 

    Race: Male Nord, older, bearded, gray hair

    Stone: Warrior for leveling, Lord for defense. You could argue for Steed (I love this option in most heavy armor builds for movement improvement and perk saving). But I picture our Father as the slower moving, methodical sort. Additionally, speed and movement can be easily offset in the gameplay using shouts.

    Stats Distribution: 0 Magicka | 3 Health | 2 Stamina

    Equipment:

    Early:  Ancient Nord Great Sword, Ancient Nord Armor, Ironhand Gauntlets, Amulet of Talos, Ring (best available fitting to the character), Helm of Yngol

    Late: Nordic Great Sword (Absorb Stamina), Nordic Carved Armor (fortify health), Gauntlets (Fortify Two-handed), Boots (Resist Fire), Amulet of Talos, Ring (Fortify Resist Magicka), Helm of Yngol 

    Major Skills:

    Two Handed: Main damage dealer

    Block: Defense, Quick Reflex, Bash

    Alchemy: Using creation to create. 5/5, Physician, & Benefactor necessary for reduced shout cooldown.

    Enchanting: 5/5, Insightful Enchanter also for reduced shout cooldown.

    Minor Skills:

    Heavy Armor: Protection & Aesthetic

    Smithing: Advanced Armors Perk to make & improve Nordic Carved Armor & Great Sword

    Speech: Everyone listens when The Father speaks. (The Merchant Perk can really speed up training.)

    Level 20 Perks – Skyrim Calculator

    Level 40 Perks – Skyrim Calculator

    Shouts:

    • Aura Whisper – a shout that reveals all creatures great and small
    • Become Ethereal - seems about as god-like of a shout as there is. Useful for dipping into "heaven" to heal and for defense since you’re fighting alone. I use it as a battle initiator (See "Every Knee shall Bow" below).
    • Bend Will – No one can withstand the Father’s call
    • Call Dragon - Yes indeed, call a dragon for large crowd control. 
    • Clear Skies – shine some heavenly light into the darkness.
    • Dragon Aspect - stacks with combination shouts (see abilities).
    • Kyne’s Peace – no need to kill his creatures when he can calm them.
    • Slow Time – with quick reflexes (block) can make for a truly divine feeling.
    • Storm Call – There is lightning in his footsteps and thunder in his fists. (Isaiah 30:30)
    • Unrelenting Force – the classic shout representing the all-powerful voice of the divine incarnate.

    Gameplay & Getting Started:

    The Father will initially be checking in on his children. Visiting many places and assessing and attending to the many emergency situations Skyrim has to offer. Make a trip to White River Watch to snag the Ironhand Gauntlets. Join the Companions and get your heavy armor and two-handed skill going. Visit Kjenstag Ruins at night and put the ghost there to rest, snagging his full set of Ancient Nordic Armor. When you feel ready, pop over to Yngol's Barrow and get your Helm. Prioritize the Dragonborn Questline to acquire the Dragon Aspect and Bend Will shouts. Make sure to pick up an Amulet of Talos asap.

    In battle The Father summons all manner of Thu’um (representing the voice of god) and thus will be doing some targeted word hunting. Proficient in two handed, he wields a great sword frequently. He rarely utilizes followers, but is happy to help any in need. He enacts justice, judgment, and generosity where he sees fit.

    A word on reduced shout cooldown mechanics:

    For my play through, I eased into reduced shout cooldown by first using the Amulet and Blessing of Talos (40%). As the game progressed, I decreased the cooldown using Fortify Restoration potions of varying strength based on my current ability. I found that great shout combos could still be used by limiting the cooldown to about 80% and played most of the game this way without having to grind both alchemy and enchanting all the way to 100 just to get the build going.

    Later on I boosted the potions to achieve full shout cooldown and you could certainly take the build to 100% cooldown earlier by using any of the means described in the Shout Cooldown link. Or, you could do less crafting, and utilize the fortify restoration glitch to get an appropriate level potion (about 150%). Your call!

    I sought to find a balance of gameplay flow, role-play and immersion using a great sword without the temptation of unlimited shouts and switching to the menu constantly for said shouts. 

    Every Knee Shall Bow”

    Requirements: Become Ethereal + Devastating Blow + Force Without Effort + Power Bash

    Description: Bring your opponent to his knees. Initiate combat with a strong foe by using Become Ethereal. After they have swung through your heavenly body, wind up with your power attack and stagger the opponent to their knees. Before they recover, swing through with a regular attack, followed by a power bash and a final killing blow or two.

    "Omniscience"

    Requirements: Dragon Aspect (DA) + Aura Whisper (AW)

    Description: No one escapes the eye of The Father. AW gets a +50% boost in duration from DA. Use this to simply feel like the all seeing eye of God, or to scout a location with many enemies. A great precursor for other combinations. 

    "Omnipotence"

    Requirements: Dragon Aspect + Quick Reflexes + Slow Time (ST)

    Description: With DA activated, your attacks and defense will be much stronger, but it also buffs the duration of ST. DA only has a 5 sec recharge normally, and with our shouts fortified you can switch right to slow time. Activate ST right after blocking an opponent's power attack (quick reflexes perk) for some seriously prolonged bullet time and epic domination.

    Special Alchemic Brew: "The Cooling Hand of God" (Fortify Two-handed + Fire Resistance)

    Requirements: Dragon's Tongue + Fly Amantia

    Description
    : As a Nord with the Helm of Yngol, you're seriously resistant to frost, but fire could use a little help. This combo potion is a real help against fire users to boost your offense and defense, especially before your shout game is advanced. 

    Quests:

    • Main Quest: Alduin represents a threat to your “children” and world. Eliminate that threat.
    • Dragonborn: Upon hearing about the false prophet Mirrak, a visit to Solstheim is in order to set things straight. Vital for access to Bend Will and Dragon Aspect shouts.
    • Join the Companions – The Father has little interest in werewolves, but paying a visit to the Harbinger and giving them some initial aid and guidance is a good tradeoff for access to two-handed, block and heavy armor training. Also, see Shout Cooldown link below if you prefer the werewolf stacking Amulet of Talos glitch.
    • Dawnguard  For Yellow Mountain Flower (for boost to fortify restoration) in the Ancestor Glade.
    • Word Hunt Not a quest per se, but shouts are so vital to the character, it’s worth the time and fits the exploration part of the RP.

    Closing Notes:

    Many thanks to the wonderful builders and vigilant moderators on this site. It's been super inspiring to see how many different ways one can take on the world of Skyrim. Also to the folks in the Lore group for helping me connect the trinity dots.

    Thanks to Dragonborn1721, Vlad and Chris Dionko for early help, and Legion for late edits in the Workshop. 

    Link to the Tamriel Vault on Shout Cooldown Mechanics by Teccam.

    Link to Ponty's complete guide to shouts

    Stay tuned for the next two in the series!

  • Member
    September 11, 2015
    Awesome build going here man. Really interested by the Holy Spirit build. Nice to see another take on builds that I haven't seen done so far.
  • September 11, 2015
    This is a great concept you have going here. I really like the parallels you are drawing. I look forward to the next two builds in the trinity.
  • September 11, 2015

    Nice!  Good job on the pictures, and really, everything.  I look froward to seeing the other two parts.

    I don't know if you need more tags, but it'll benefit you to do so.  It'll show up in more searches that way. Here's the CB Archive with all the tags and instructions on how to tag, though it looks like you got that part down.  Tags can be super finicky, so well done.  

  • Member
    September 11, 2015
    Thank you! The Holy Spirit was actually my original idea that started this trinity project...and she's really fun. It's prob my favorite play through. And I've played a lot! Got a few more things to tighten up, but hopefully in a few weeks it'll be up. Thanks again!
  • Member
    September 11, 2015
    Thank you so much! I appreciate that.
  • Member
    September 11, 2015
    I was thinking about that. I'll look and add some. Any suggestions?
  • Member
    September 11, 2015
    Very well done dude, how you incorporate the Holy Trinity and the Oversouk
  • September 11, 2015

    Hmm.  How about Crusader and Knight? 

  • Member
    September 11, 2015

    Pretty damn cool I'm only slightly disappointed you didn't go with Reman because this worked out so well.