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Character Build: The Lich Bane

Tags: #Character Build Crusader  #Character Build Juggernaut  #Character Build Sorcerer  #Rank:Exemplar 
  • Member
    November 2, 2015

     

    For my first build I wanted to write something a little different than the usual character build. What I wanted was roleplay and lots of it; so, I bounced some thoughts around, played with mixtures of different archetypes and finally crafted a character of extraordinary depth and epicness.

    Thus I proudly present a paladin-gone-bad and his awesome quest to undo The Daedric Prince’s influence in Tamriel.

     

     

    The Lich Bane


    ...When we took up The Vigil, we accepted our mission with pride. Rid Tamriel of evil, they told us. Slay the corrupt. Send the filth of the world crawling back to the hole it crawled out of. Not just anyone can become one of The Vigil; you need a pure heart, a fearless mind, an inner light that outshines all the darkness in the world. Once I had that light. Now I'm not so sure.


    Everything changed. We knew our mission was greater than ourselves. The enemy was not who we fought, but what we fought. Evil. Oblivion? They were abominations, unlike anything we had seen before, but not unkillable. Until the day we faced him. Until the day he ripped her from my life.


    Now my enemy has a name. She wouldn't want me to come after her--she knew the risks. But I can't forget her - won't forget her. I'll hunt down the demons who took her from me and send them straight to the grave. Vengeance is my weapon, discipline my hand poised to strike - they will never rest easy, for always I will be their bane…

     

     

    The world is not always as civilized as people might think. There are still those who would follow the blackest paths of magic and become corrupted by the darker powers that flow through Nirn. Morris Arkhan knows this fact well. Once he was part of The Vigil, fighting evil wherever it spawned with his wife Lara.

     

    Together they battled corruption in Tamriel for years, bringing light to darkness and purging those taken by shadow. They were beacons of righteousness: Lara's dedication to their cause never faltered, while Arkhan's kindness and warmth touched the hearts of the many lives they saved. Two parts of one whole, they were devoted and inseparable.

     

    Young and naive as he was, Arkhan truly believed that his world was savable - that he and Lara truly could herald peace and prosperity; until one night, when he and his wife stumbled upon an evil more malevolently twisted than anything they had ever faced before. The two had fought countless abominations, but never one so deviously clever and cruel as The Daedric Prince of Treason, the ruler of deceit, conspiracy, secret plots of murder and assassination - Boethiah himself.

     

    Through their crusade to cleanse Tamriel from undead vermin, Arkhan and Lara had, without knowing, awoken the anger of Boethiah. The Daedra wanted revenge, and she struck the two lovers with a unexpected ploy. To Arkhan’s horror Boethiah tricked Lara and trapped her soul within a prison of shadow, stealing her away for eternity.

     

    Nothing could bring her back, and for the first time, Arkhan faced his mission alone.

     

    Having lost the better half of himself with his beloved wife, Arkhan forged himself into the daedric princes most fearsome foe. He became a man of bitter determination, one who would stop at nothing to purge the undead from the face of Tamriel. In agony of Lara's memory, he gave up his name and vowed to see their mission through to the end; not as Morris Arkhan, but as an instrument of vengeance - as The Lich Bane.

     

     

    • Race: Male Imperial
    •  Stone: The Steed
    • Major Skills: Restoration, One-handed, Enchanting
    • Minor Skills: Heavy Armor, Destruction, Block
    • Shouts: Fire Breath, Unrelenting Force, Dismay
    • Stats: 1 Health / 1 - 2 Magicka / 0 stamina
    • Quests: Main quest, Dawnguard, Dragonborn, The Blessing of Nature, College of Winterhold, Blood on the Ice, Laid to Rest
    • Spells: Chain Lightning, Fireball, Flame Cloak, Wall of Flame / Storm, Fast healing, Vampires Bane, Guardian Circle

     

     

     

    Relentless and hellbent on revenge, The Lich Bane makes use of heavy armor coupled with block and restoration magic to become near unkillable, whilst annihilating evil creatures by light and flame and steel. The thick of combat can be unforgiving, thus, as a last resort, The Lich Bane can unleash the ancient dragon magics by the way of the voice to force his opponents to flee in fear, or simply send them flying.

     

    "She was everything to me... but they took her, and with her, they took my kindness, and my mercy. That was their mistake, because now, all I've got left is a cold heart and a dedicated mind. They thrive on doubt. They feast on fear. These wretched abominations blight this world, and every last one of them will perish by my hand."

     

    Armory


    The Lich Bane makes use of ancient artifacts, that he has collected throughout his journey to aid him on his mission against the daedra. Specially crafted armor and weapons imbued with magics and enchantments serve as an iron skin, protecting The Lich Bane from strikes and magic alike, whilst also boosting his offensive capabilities by fire focused weapon-enchantments.


    *Listed gear is your end game goal, don’t expect to obtain all the items before at least level 25-30 if not higher*

     

     

     

    “A lich hunter’s mind must be tuned precisely to the demonic will. Only then can you know the best vantage point for your attack. Waver and you are dead.”


    Helm of Yngol or Ebony Helm - resist frost and fortify destruction or restoration

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “When a daedra peers into your heart of hearts, Lich Bane, what will he find? Death. Whether it is his or yours depends solely on you.”


    Nordic Carved Armor - fortify health and fortify destruction

     

     

     

     

     

    "I envelop myself in the trappings of my foes, and I learn their ways. I can bathe in the foul darkness of their kind and emerge clean, for I am purified by my vengeance."


    Nordic Carved Gauntlets - fortify block and fortify one-handed

     

     

     

     

     

     

    "I will learn to walk as they do. I will stalk these monsters, and after I have made my kill and faded away, the beasts will find naught but their own treads upon the earth."


    Ebony Boots - resist fire and resist shock

     

     

     

     

     

    “Many a hero has wielded this mace through many an age, and the tales sung of it can be heard from one end of the world to the other.”


    Ebony Mace - fiery-soul trap / shock damage / fire damage and absorb stamina (essential)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    "Do not hesitate to strike down your enemies. Death is their salvation from evil."


    Ebony Shield - fortify block and resist poison

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “A Lich Hunter who fully tempers their hatred with discipline and patience will see their vengeance clearly.”


    Silver Ring and Amulet - fortify magicka and destruction on both

     

     

     

     

    Gameplay


    The Lich Bane plays out like an ‘Unholy Paladin’, a man who does all of the right things for all the wrong reasons, and sometimes the other way around. His primary source of damage comes from his enchanted ebony-mace, the armor penetration from Bone Breaker coupled with the fire / shock damage makes for some surprisingly potent damage that scales very well in the later stages of the game.


    In addition The Lich Bane also makes use of his shield to disrupt enemy power attacks and minimize damage from arrows and spells. Once all the defensive benefits of a shield is added to the long list of protective enchantments you will be putting on your gear The Lich Bane becomes a completely impenetrable tank.


    However, sometimes the hordes of undead prove a match evento this heroes formidable defense and therefore, as a last resort, The Lich Bane can heal himself and his allies with restoration magic. In addition, Perks like Respite, Recovery and Avoid Death help you sustain your magicka and stamina pools - allowing The Lich Bane to invest heavily in health and still rarely run out of magicka and stamina.


    But there still remains one weakness: sword and board characters have a very hard time dealing with larger groups of enemies - no one can block attacks in a 360 degree angle. Luckily The Lich Bane is aware of this and he has therefore sought out The College of Winterhold, to study and learn the arts of destruction. Thus, with spells like chain lightning and fireball, The Lich Bane is ready to take on groups of enemies as well as stronger single targets.

     

     

    Perks Level 25

    Perks Level 50

     

     

    Playthrough


    The first thing you want to do is get hold of a shield and a one-handed weapon (weapon type has no consequence before level 15 or so) and start bashing and swinging away with the cold determination of an angry warrior bent on vengeance.


    I recommend spending your first 10 levels in Whiterun, clearing bounties and other quests, gaining experience, planning your next move against the corrupt Daedra and their worshippers. Whilst in whiterun you should complete the quest The Blessing of Nature as soon as possible to get restoration training from Danica Pure-Spring.


    Once you’ve reached a point of satisfactory skill in one-handed, block, restoration and heavy armor (I was level 16 at this stage) you should consider joining the college of winterhold, utilizing the many trainers to level up enchanting and destruction. However, training is expensive and thus it’s important that you constantly clear radiant quests and bounties for gold and treasure.


    When you reach adept destruction and you can enchant your gear with some solid enchantments, you are ready to battle the Daedra -in particular Boethiah-; The Dawnguard is a good place to start, the destruction of Molag Baal’s servants will weaken his link to the mortal world and thus it would be a large step toward the end of The Lich Bane’s mission.


    But always remember, your crusade is all that matters, if innocents have to die in your wake then so be it… nothing will stop The Lich Bane on his march toward the salvation of his pain. Maybe he will become the very thing he swore to destroy, you’ll never know unless you try the build ;)

     

     

    Click The Book!

    And gain access to my secret library... 

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Member
    November 2, 2015

    Love the presentation on this, and the character sounds like quite a lot of fun!

  • Member
    November 2, 2015

    I like it, is this by any chance inspired by Lucian from league?

    I'm not sure if I missed it or not but is there a list of perks or a link to the calculator anywhere in here? Because if not the build will need either a link or a perk spreadĀ 

  • Member
    November 2, 2015
    Thanks a lot Boro! Spent quite a bit of time on the layout, but it just occoured to me that I'm not quite done yet. Hmm I'll have to finish it up tomorrow, right now I need my sleep xD
  • Member
    November 2, 2015
    Yea I forgot to add a peark spread, will do tomorrow.

    And yes, I stole some backstory from Lucian and Vayne, my own writing was no way near as captivating - should I mention that?
  • Member
  • Member
    November 2, 2015
    Nice :d
  • Member
    November 2, 2015

    Well you do have 24 hours from the point of featuring, which will happen due to that lack, so as long as you manage that it should be fine.

    You can mention it if you want, anyone familiar with the character will probably notice, but it's not something you have to do unless you feel like you should.

  • Member
    November 2, 2015
    I was debating with myself weather or not to do so. The problem is I feel bad about basing such a large portion of the build on something I have not created myself. But by mentioning that I feel like people will notice even more, which makes me cringe my toes... :/
  • Member
    November 2, 2015

    It's not as though it's a bad thing to base your build off a character from another game, in fact the group's holding an event for that purpose.No one's going to look down on this for you having taken inspiration from other sources as a lot of builds do that.