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Character Build: Hunter of the Unnatural

Tags: #Character Build Crusader  #Character Build Thief  #Character Build Rogue  #Race:Breton  #Rank:Bloodworks 
  • Member
    June 20, 2016

    "The belief in a supernatural source of evil is

    not necessary, men are quite capable of every wickedness."

             This build revolves  around investigating cases of the unnatural or supernatural, killing these things, saving people who are affected by these beings, and deciding the fate of humans who voluntarily involve themselves with the supernatural. This build combines sneaky gameplay with the RP archetype of a paladin or purifier, much like a Vigilant of Stendarr (though you're not to use any magic of any sort), but with dagger combat. The build will use stealth skills, speech, one handed, light armor, and lockpicking. This build uses no magic whatsoever, not even shouts, unless you absolutely have to (enchanting is an exception).

                    

        You come from a long line of hunters like yourself, your father was a hunter, and his father and father before him, and so on and so forth. You learned everything you know about hunting and fighting from your father when you lived in Cyrodil, where you were born. You had grown up with him your whole life, until you were 22 years old, learning everything he could teach you about the wicked and evil abominations that roam Tamriel, how to find it, track it, and most importantly... kill it. Unfortunately his actions weren't always praised, and he was seen as a criminal. Dead bodies and burned corpses in his trail seemed to contribute to that belief. When they came for you and your father, he told you to go on ahead, and that he would follow behind you. Instead, he sacrificed himself so that you could escape.

    If you'd like to read the full backstory, visit the Profile page here.

                 This character is all about killing unnatural beings anytime you can, so most of the gameplay should be dedicated to finding these abominations. Anything from werewolves and vampires, to Daedra and undead, is considered evil and needs to be exterminated. Exceptions may be made in, say, the case of Serana, as she is not evil when you meet her. When you find something that you decide needs to be killed, use sneak to get as close as you can, and a dagger. attempt a sneak attack, but initiating open combat isn't a terrible thing either, as you'll have skill in both sneak as well as one-handed. It's also RP friendly to explore any ruin that you suspect could contain any undead, these also are unnatural.

    Sneak: Probably the most important skill for a hunter. Being a human, you lack the same strength that a werewolf or vampire would have, so the element of surprise is important. Silent Roll is an excellent asset to this build, it provides a way to quickly get around, while staying silent. Pair the Silent Roll with Assassin's Blade, and you can quickly roll in and out of the shadows, dispatching enemies with deadly dagger strikes.

    One Handed: Having a dagger as your primary weapon is great when you're sneaking, but when in open combat it can be harder to use, yes its faster, but it lacks damage and range, that's where the One Handed skill tree comes in. It's an easy way to increase the damage output of the weapon. Armsman and Fighting Stance allow you to maximize your damage.

    Light Armor: This one is self explanatory, being a sneak character, it's extremely useful. Agile Defender and Custom Fit are great. (As an alternative I like to turn the difficulty down a notch and wear normal clothes, for RP reasons, and it looks better.)

    Enchanting: This is the one exception to using magic, because it can work in your favor. Enchanting your dagger is another way to get an edge over evil magical beings, like fighting fire with fire. 

    Speech: Protecting people is important to you, and getting information or other things from them without hurting them is useful. Also great when selling anything you find in your travels. Or anything you steal. Bribery, Persuasion, and Haggling will serve you well.

    Lockpicking: Getting into locked places is essential, especially when vampires could be posing as normal people. Pair this skill with the sneak skill and you can get the jump on anybody. Quick Hands and Locksmith are the most practical for the build.

    Race: This build doesn't really require a specific race, but using a race with proficiency in magic would be pointless. Breton is an exception because it's nice to have a resistance to magic when fighting potentially magic using vampires, so I chose Breton.

    Stone: Lord Stone to compliment Breton's already good magic resistance.

    Attribute Distribution: Health: 2 | Magicka: 0 | Stamina: 1

    Credit equipment spread design to Golden Fool.

    • Main Quest- Dragons tend to kill humans, so you see no problem with doing your part in stopping their comeback.
    • Dawnguard- "Killing vampires? Where do I sign up?"
    • Destroy the Dark Brotherhood- So people use human bones, human flesh, Nightshade, and a ritual to put a hit out on somebody. If it sounds unnatural it's because it is, and people can't just be able to kill anyone they want with a call to this so-called "brotherhood". You have yo put an end to this.
    • Daedric Quests- Only the ones which do not side with a daedra or at least allow you to betray them. (Break of Dawn, House of Horrors, Mind of Madness...)
    • Thieves Guild- Think of it as practice for your stealth skills, with some free coin on the side.

                     

                  Fighting in open combat relies primarily on stealth, so attempting a sneak attack should always be your first move. Then, after your initial attack, and open combat is started, use tactics similar to that of a rogue character. Keeping moderate distance is important, and try outwit your enemies in any way possible, think of traps or clever flanking spots, or even ways to lose your enemy, and return after becoming hidden again. Try to achieve multiple sneak attack kills in a row. For best results, combine the dagger sneak attack, with the increased damage of a power attack while sneaking, and the perk Fighting Stance reduces stamina consumption on standing power attacks, allowing multiple sneaking power attacks for max damage. The opponent you're fighting should determine your plan of attack. If the opponent is numerous, but not individually strong, then attempt to draw them out one by one by making noise. You should keep an extra bow and some arrows with you for these situations. These combat rules should be used when fighting most common enemies, such as undead, bandits, etc... However, if you're against something more like a werewolf, or powerful vampire, keep poisons with you to give you an extra edge, and be patient. Wait for the best opportunity to get a sneak power attack, and blend back into the shadows if needed. When it comes to dragons, its not wise to attempt to take on the beast alone. So, try to have a follower with you. Either that, or lead the dragon to a defensible area, with a lot of cover. Take cover when the dragon uses ranged magic, and attack when it finishes. Be sure not to lead it to a populated town, city, or settlement. Above all, be smart and use the environment to get the upper hand in any combat situation.

  • Member
    June 20, 2016
    Some advice: First off, you can't like your own build, otherwise it will get deleted. Second, I would shorten the lore/backstory, and add some pictures or spacing; it is kind of hard to read. I would expand on how you fight in open combat, because you don't really explain it that well. I can't even really picture how you would fight a dragon with this build, so explaining how to fight enemies in open combat is something you should fix, fast. Presentation is pretty decent throughout.
  • Member
    June 20, 2016
    Your advice is much appreciated! One shortened and spaced Backstory comin'right up! And let me think about how to word the open combat rules, and I'll add it soon.
  • Member
    June 20, 2016

    Steezy more or less said everything I was going to say in terms of criticism, so I won't bother repeating it here. Still, there's some good stuff here and it's clear you put a lot of effort into this so you get my like. 

  • Member
    June 20, 2016
    Thank you! I'm currently adding a section on open combat as well, so it'll be done soon.
  • Member
    June 21, 2016

    You have an incredibly detailed backstory here, very well thought out and nicely written too. I am getting very D&D Ranger vibes from it in a way, almost to the point I was expecting a "favoured enemy" bonus in the combat section 

    Just as has already been said it may pay to shorten it. But don't cut it! Rather, consider making a RP Profile in the RP Group and link it to here and vice versa. Having aspects of a character in different areas of the site is quite an achievement. Hard work but very rewarding to be able to present what is almost a directors cut, the character as you see it presented in its entirety, with each aspect living in the group where it will not be compromised. The added benefit is that others get to see it and maybe be inspired by it in turn.

  • Member
    June 21, 2016
    "Pudding!" I can totally see a Supernatural inspiration in the backstory. I love that show. As some others have said you have a great start. Keep building upon it, and my like will follow as well!
  • Member
    June 21, 2016

    So you're suggesting I only summarize it here, and link a RP Profile for the full backstory?

  • Member
    June 21, 2016

    Thank you! I'm always adding and improving the best I can, so let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see added. 

  • Member
    June 21, 2016

    Exactly that  But it is your build Santiago, your creation. If you are happy with it as is, who am I to tell you different? However, if your goal is to make this build more streamlined then that could be a good place to start. Not only will it allow you to explore the full backstory in a place designed for it, but will also allow you to get creative all over again with new art and the like. Plus the opportunity to interact with a different group and different members.

    The choice is yours, though.