Why hello there! Thanks for checking out my first real build! I loved playing as this character, mainly because of the lore and complex playstyle! I saw the Bakeneko a while back while I was looking online, and the thought of a character build just sounded too good to pass up.
In Japanese folklore, house cats are often said to gain magical abilities as they age, sometimes turning into yokai. The bakeneko is one such case. Bakeneko love to dance, and will go out at night with a cloth on top of their heads to do so (kinda sounds like a new Miley Cyrus music video huh?). They possess shape-shifting abilities, immunity to poison, the ability to summon ghostly fireballs, and reanimation. Bakeneko bring horrible curses on their owners if they don’t devour them first. A bakeneko can and will use their shape-shifting abilities to turn into a human in order to deceive or even kill strangers. They were feared for their cunning and ruthless behavior, and young cats often had their tails bobbed as kittens to prevent them turning into such a dangerous beast.
You are a bakeneko, possessing great magical abilities. Your exact origin is a mystery, but you have spent centuries roaming the province of Elsweyr, terrorizing citizens as you went. You became a legend, people leaving out offerings at night to please you. Eventually, however, you grew bored. Traveling around the province many times had grown dull. You decided to travel around Tamriel, eventually ending up in Skyrim, where you are captured.
1:0:0
Yup, you read that right. This build has no health or stamina, you want to put it all into Magicka. This is because in general, domesticated cats are fragile, and are only built to sustain short bursts of vigorous activity. This also adds a bit of challenge to the build, as the distance that you can blast foes with magic can sometimes make the game a little too easy. Besides, you will need all the Magicka you can get for all of your spells.
Atronach Stone. Ok, so the lord stone does give you some armor, but takes away some of the fragile housecat feel of this build. With the atronach stone, you absorb some of the damage taken from magic, which is the only thing that's really going to threaten you. Storm mages take away your magicka pool more than I'd like to admit, so some absorption is needed.
Destruction:
Bakaneko have the ability to summon fireballs at will, often burning down houses and scorching their enemies. Their tails are torches, lighting everything they touch with an intense flame.
This is where your main damage will come from, and is your most important skill. You will be using fire spells, obviously, and your main objective with these is to cause panic on the battlefield, and incinerate was my go to spell.
Illusion:
Trickery is the bakeneko’s specialty. They rarely have to use force, getting what they want through communication. They bend your mind through twists and turns, making you their puppet until they get bored of you.
Illusion contains your best support options. If you’re overwhelmed, a quick rout or pacify can give you some room. Invisibility and muffle boost make you virtually undetectable, and can even be used to escape a conflict if you’re good enough. Overall, use this with sneak to get a good position on your opponents.
Conjuration:
Bakeneko can reanimate fresh corpses, using them as puppets when they want something, or as toys when they’re bored.
Conjuration is meant to work with destruction, reviving the enemies that you defeat. The thralls serve as a distraction, keeping the enemies off of you, which is crucial, considering your health. While your thralls are distracting the enemy, you can pelt fireballs at them without taking much damage at all.
Enchanting:
Bakeneko are very magical creatures, possessing much knowledge about the elements and how to harness them. Few can manipulate magic in the way they can.
This is here to augment your abilities and reduce the cost of your spells. Fortify Magicka and destruction are godsends, and allow you to last longer in battle.
Sneak:
Being cats, bakeneko can move silently through almost any terrain. They are not seen or heard, and can strike without warning.
Sneak is basically how you position yourself so you aren’t one-shot. Try to get on the higher ground, or a dark corner while you prepare your assault. Quiet casting will help keep you hidden and give you a few extra hits on the enemy. For late game enemies, this can decide life or death at times.
Alteration:
Bakeneko are crafty creatures, protecting their fragile bodies with pure magic. This ancient technique has saved many bakeneko from their demise.
Alteration is for armor spells, which will be the only real protection you will have against enemy attacks. Detect life and detect undead will also get you information on the enemy, which can be very helpful in leaving unscathed.
Restoration:
While I didn’t invest any perks in it, restoration proved helpful when fighting ranged enemies, keeping my health somewhat intact while we traded shots.
Speech:
This was mainly for roleplaying purposes, as bakeneko are manipulative and clever. No perks were invested, but if you want to really get into the role-playing aspect of this build, you may explore this tree.
This is really all you need to flourish with this build. If you need to continue leveling further, you can invest in dual casting, go up to silent roll in sneak, and get impact for destruction. A small warning, however, if you do that. This character might start to become a little too easy after about level 50 or so.
Let me put this as simple as possible. You are a yokai; you like to cause mischief. Frenzy, fear, fireball, and incinerate are your favorite spells. Try to create confusion and chaos on the battlefield, don't just beam spells mindlessly. The more chaotic, the better. Think of it as a performance, and you are the puppet master. Your enemies are tools, which you should use for entertainment, not solely for offense. You should still do damage, just do it in the most explosive and chaotic way possible.
Mischief is what keeps this character sane. Switching others' possessions and 'misplacing' items around cities is your specialty. Randomly attacking people is fine too, just try not to kill them unless you are EXTREMELY bored. If you do kill them, go all the way. Revive them and watch the poor thrall fight the guards as you escape. Another thing to keep in mind is that you are a cat. Errands are not your thing. Gathering, delivering, and any small, pointless task should not be performed. You are in it for a benefit, not just to be nice. If there isn't something in it for you, don't do it. Imagine yourself as a teenager with necromantic powers and the ability to incinerate annoying people.
These are techniques like most builds have, but I'm calling them dances. This is because The Bakeneko loves to dance.
I Burn: Flame Cloak+Fireball/Incinerate+Wall Of Flames
This is for enemies that are getting too close. Flame cloak and wall of flames will add some much-needed splash damage, while fireball or incinerate finish them off. This is basically a DPS setup, mainly for fast, squishy enemies.
Calling All The Monsters: Dread Zombie+Healing+Frenzy(Optional)
Use this 'Dance' to get some breathing room. Health management is crucial, and sometimes the chip damage adds up. Summon some thralls, and lay back and heal. If you're good with it, frenzy can also be used to pit your enemies against each other.
Chaos and Disorder: Frenzy+Fireball/Incinerate+Dread Zombie
Your main form of mischief. You make them rip each other apart, and you revive them and pelt fire at them in the process. Simple, fun, effecctive.
All of the fortify enchants greatly reduce spell cost, helping to manage your Magicka. There is a bit of resist shock for a filler, but other than that, the enchantments are pretty self-explanatory. Be sure to save the footwraps from the beginning of the game, they’ll be the only ones you get. Try progressing through each robe class, preferably destruction, as soon as possible. Your progression should look something like this:
Well, this seems to be it, thanks so much for reading my build! I hope you like it, I certainly loved playing it.
Sources/Images so I don’t get this build taken down over something stupid:
http://whaateven.deviantart.com/art/Khajiit-Mage-439051835
http://yokai.com/bakeneko/
Special Thanks, To:
Zero-Mizukun, your music kept what’s left of my sanity intact while making this.
Why hello there! Thanks for checking out my first real build! I loved playing as this character, mainly because of the lore and complex playstyle! I saw the Bakeneko a while back while I was looking online, and the thought of a character build just sounded too good to pass up.
In Japanese folklore, house cats are often said to gain magical abilities as they age, sometimes turning into yokai. The bakeneko is one such case. Bakeneko love to dance, and will go out at night with a cloth on top of their heads to do so (kinda sounds like a new Miley Cyrus music video huh?). They possess shape-shifting abilities, immunity to poison, the ability to summon ghostly fireballs, and reanimation. Bakeneko bring horrible curses on their owners if they don’t devour them first. A bakeneko can and will use their shape-shifting abilities to turn into a human in order to deceive or even kill strangers. They were feared for their cunning and ruthless behavior, and young cats often had their tails bobbed as kittens to prevent them turning into such a dangerous beast.
You are a bakeneko, possessing great magical abilities. Your exact origin is a mystery, but you have spent centuries roaming the province of Elsweyr, terrorizing citizens as you went. You became a legend, people leaving out offerings at night to please you. Eventually, however, you grew bored. Traveling around the province many times had grown dull. You decided to travel around Tamriel, eventually ending up in Skyrim, where you are captured.
1:0:0
Yup, you read that right. This build has no health or stamina, you want to put it all into Magicka. This is because in general, domesticated cats are fragile, and are only built to sustain short bursts of vigorous activity. This also adds a bit of challenge to the build, as the distance that you can blast foes with magic can sometimes make the game a little too easy. Besides, you will need all the Magicka you can get for all of your spells.
Atronach Stone. Ok, so the lord stone does give you some armor, but takes away some of the fragile housecat feel of this build. With the atronach stone, you absorb some of the damage taken from magic, which is the only thing that's really going to threaten you. Storm mages take away your magicka pool more than I'd like to admit, so some absorption is needed.
Destruction:
Bakaneko have the ability to summon fireballs at will, often burning down houses and scorching their enemies. Their tails are torches, lighting everything they touch with an intense flame.
This is where your main damage will come from, and is your most important skill. You will be using fire spells, obviously, and your main objective with these is to cause panic on the battlefield, and incinerate was my go to spell.
Illusion:
Trickery is the bakeneko’s specialty. They rarely have to use force, getting what they want through communication. They bend your mind through twists and turns, making you their puppet until they get bored of you.
Illusion contains your best support options. If you’re overwhelmed, a quick rout or pacify can give you some room. Invisibility and muffle boost make you virtually undetectable, and can even be used to escape a conflict if you’re good enough. Overall, use this with sneak to get a good position on your opponents.
Conjuration:
Bakeneko can reanimate fresh corpses, using them as puppets when they want something, or as toys when they’re bored.
Conjuration is meant to work with destruction, reviving the enemies that you defeat. The thralls serve as a distraction, keeping the enemies off of you, which is crucial, considering your health. While your thralls are distracting the enemy, you can pelt fireballs at them without taking much damage at all.
Enchanting:
Bakeneko are very magical creatures, possessing much knowledge about the elements and how to harness them. Few can manipulate magic in the way they can.
This is here to augment your abilities and reduce the cost of your spells. Fortify Magicka and destruction are godsends, and allow you to last longer in battle.
Sneak:
Being cats, bakeneko can move silently through almost any terrain. They are not seen or heard, and can strike without warning.
Sneak is basically how you position yourself so you aren’t one-shot. Try to get on the higher ground, or a dark corner while you prepare your assault. Quiet casting will help keep you hidden and give you a few extra hits on the enemy. For late game enemies, this can decide life or death at times.
Alteration:
Bakeneko are crafty creatures, protecting their fragile bodies with pure magic. This ancient technique has saved many bakeneko from their demise.
Alteration is for armor spells, which will be the only real protection you will have against enemy attacks. Detect life and detect undead will also get you information on the enemy, which can be very helpful in leaving unscathed.
Restoration:
While I didn’t invest any perks in it, restoration proved helpful when fighting ranged enemies, keeping my health somewhat intact while we traded shots.
Speech:
This was mainly for roleplaying purposes, as bakeneko are manipulative and clever. No perks were invested, but if you want to really get into the role-playing aspect of this build, you may explore this tree.
This is really all you need to flourish with this build. If you need to continue leveling further, you can invest in dual casting, go up to silent roll in sneak, and get impact for destruction. A small warning, however, if you do that. This character might start to become a little too easy after about level 50 or so.
Let me put this as simple as possible. You are a yokai; you like to cause mischief. Frenzy, fear, fireball, and incinerate are your favorite spells. Try to create confusion and chaos on the battlefield, don't just beam spells mindlessly. The more chaotic, the better. Think of it as a performance, and you are the puppet master. Your enemies are tools, which you should use for entertainment, not solely for offense. You should still do damage, just do it in the most explosive and chaotic way possible.
Mischief is what keeps this character sane. Switching others' possessions and 'misplacing' items around cities is your specialty. Randomly attacking people is fine too, just try not to kill them unless you are EXTREMELY bored. If you do kill them, go all the way. Revive them and watch the poor thrall fight the guards as you escape. Another thing to keep in mind is that you are a cat. Errands are not your thing. Gathering, delivering, and any small, pointless task should not be performed. You are in it for a benefit, not just to be nice. If there isn't something in it for you, don't do it. Imagine yourself as a teenager with necromantic powers and the ability to incinerate annoying people.
These are techniques like most builds have, but I'm calling them dances. This is because The Bakeneko loves to dance.
I Burn: Flame Cloak+Fireball/Incinerate+Wall Of Flames
This is for enemies that are getting too close. Flame cloak and wall of flames will add some much-needed splash damage, while fireball or incinerate finish them off. This is basically a DPS setup, mainly for fast, squishy enemies.
Calling All The Monsters: Dread Zombie+Healing+Frenzy(Optional)
Use this 'Dance' to get some breathing room. Health management is crucial, and sometimes the chip damage adds up. Summon some thralls, and lay back and heal. If you're good with it, frenzy can also be used to pit your enemies against each other.
Chaos and Disorder: Frenzy+Fireball/Incinerate+Dread Zombie
Your main form of mischief. You make them rip each other apart, and you revive them and pelt fire at them in the process. Simple, fun, effecctive.
All of the fortify enchants greatly reduce spell cost, helping to manage your Magicka. There is a bit of resist shock for a filler, but other than that, the enchantments are pretty self-explanatory. Be sure to save the footwraps from the beginning of the game, they’ll be the only ones you get. Try progressing through each robe class, preferably destruction, as soon as possible. Your progression should look something like this:
Well, this seems to be it, thanks so much for reading my build! I hope you like it, I certainly loved playing it.
Sources/Images so I don’t get this build taken down over something stupid:
http://whaateven.deviantart.com/art/Khajiit-Mage-439051835
http://yokai.com/bakeneko/
Special Thanks, To:
Zero-Mizukun, your music kept what’s left of my sanity intact while making this.
