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Character Build: The Horseman Death

Tags: #Character Build Spellsword  #Character Build Necromancer  #Character Build Elementalist  #Character Build Sorcerer  #Race:Altmer  #Horseman of the Apocalypse 
  • March 17, 2018

    DEATH

    And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with disease, and with the beasts of the earth.

    Revelation 6:7-8

    "My brothers were tortured for countless years only to be released for a short time and be cast into the Pit for eternity. I know that I'm going to the Pit but I'm not going to be the one getting tortured. Afterall, why do you think Lucifer tortured my brothers? It wasn't because he's heartless, which he is, it wasn't because he was trying to mold them into the Horsemen he wanted, it was because I said so. I commanded Lucifer to have my brothers tortured, to have Pestilence locked in a giant bird cage covered in filth, to have War experience near eternal torment to fill him with hate and rage, to have Famine hung over a dining room table covered in all sort of food and none of it to be given to him. My brothers were always weak, but the only thing that could strengthen them was pain and suffering! Now I know what you're thinking; yes, YOU; you're thinking 'Well weren't you trapped in Hell too? Weren't you tortured?' Yes, and no. I was trapped in Hell like my brothers but I was not tortured. Of course Lucifer tried, but my will was far stronger than his own, he tried four times and the fourth time I asserted my will and he fell to me! A palace of Steel, Gold, Silver, Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, and Amythests was created. If you know your history then this may sound familiar, yes, I was the Greek god known as Hades with Thanatos being an avatar of my consciousness. I ruled over Hell in secret from my palace and I would torture souls so they would produce unholy screams to convinced my brothers that I too was in pain. Lucifer was at my command and all souls came to my palace for judgement on which circle of Hell they were to be placed in.

    Millenia I had waited for the seals to be broken but I never heard them; not at the Black Death, the World Wars, nor the Famines. But a time after humanity began to rebuild I began noticing the signs from Revelation and I knew that the end was coming soon. I waited patiently and discovered that several of the Princes of Hell had gone to the human world to assert their will upon the world. I had Lucifer summon them to my palace where I revealed myself to them and gave them each a section of hell to call their own, although some were forced to share it. Auriel created his own pocket realm and called it Sovngarde and requested that I send some souls his way for him to rule over, I agreed but only sent his 'devouted' to him which he would slowly consume overtime without their knowing.

    I soon became known as the Void or Sithis and a cult began to serve me and kill for me, sending souls which I gladly tormented and devoured. The Dark Brotherhood is now under the leadership of my brother War who doesn't seem to fully understand their purpose, only that they can help him start wars within Tamriel with political assassinations. I do not mind this as those they kill are sent to me and their judgements are . . . severe. I have heard each seal being opened and I could sense the Lamb beginning to break the seal of the fourth, I prepared myself and waited for the seal to be completely broken. I was brought up to Heaven where God told me that I was to 'Go into the land and bring with you hell, disease, famine, and war so that the world might remember my words and prophecy of old.' I went and I found my vessal wondering the tombs of Bleak Falls Barrow, he was strong and mighty and capable of destroying life and undead. I entered him and the two of us merged and my power awoken allowing me to devour the souls of the Draugr that lied in the Barrow. I continued on my way and found several other Barrows filled with Draugr which I easily cut down.

    Many were to die in their own time and some I knew would be fround upon, but no one can escape their judgement in the afterlife, no one can hide from their fate, and NO ONE can ever cheat DEATH!."

     

     

     

    Race: High Elf

    Stats:  2 Health, 2 Magic, 1 Stamina

    Stone: Death's vessal had activated the Mage Stone but later on Death himself took control of the Ritual and Atronach Stone.

     

    Major Skills:

    "Swords are no more than danty toothpicks for giants, a real weapon requires both hands to wield."

    Two-Handed- Death is very skilled with Two-Handed weapons and is able to cut down any who oppose, or try to cheat him.

    "Some freeze, some burn, and some fry, no one is immune to my power."

    Destruction- Death knows the strengths and weaknesses of every creature and has a spell to kill each one.

    "Any who dare to strike me are foolish and will die slowly and painfully."

    Heavy Armor- Who do you think taught War about heavy armor? Death tempers his armor should the need arise for him to face off against Angels and Demons.

    "All souls are under my control and they will serve me!

    Conjuration- Being the eldest of the Horsemen Death has great power and is able to control the souls and bodies of the dead who will fight for him whether it's by choice or against their will. The same goes for the demons which he calls forth from the various circles of Hell.

    "Enchanting, they all think that the souls are destroyed or sent to a religious paradise. HA! All souls from soul gems are consumed by me in exchange for power being infused into a weapon or piece of armor."

    Enchanting- Even the most intelligent mages don't know how the enchanting tables truly work or where the first one even came from. Death created the enchanting tables so he could increase the number of souls that came to his kingdom, he sorts them out and devours his favorites.

    "The minds of mortals and demons are far too simple to command."

    Illusion- It should be no surprise that Death can manipulate mortals into killing their own allies.

     

    Minor Skills:

    "Like a thief in the night, I will come and consume your soul!"

    Sneak- Death is quite sneaky, being able to sneak right past someone only for them to collapse and die.

    "I've tried knocking, but no one ever seems to answer for me."

    Lockpicking- Not everyone is willing to let Death enter their homes but they should know, no one can escape Death.

    "Hide your soul wherever you please, I will always find it."

    Pickpocket- Some try to hide their souls from Death, whether it be in a soul gem or a phylactery, Death will claim your soul.

    "Death has intrigued mortals for millenia and some have gone as far as to bargain with me so it shouldn't be a surprise that some may do anything I ask."

    Speech- Some have a silver tongue but none can compare to Death's as he's made kings commit suicide just so their lineage could continue for a few more decades.

     

    Perks:

    Two-Handed: Barbarian 5/5, Limbsplitter 3/3, Great Critical Charge, Devastating Blow, and Warmaster (and all the other perks required for them).

    Destruction: All (except Rune Master)

    Heavy Armor: Juggernaut 5/5, and Conditioning (and all the other perks required for this)

    Conjuration: All

    Enchanting: All

    Illusion: All

    Sneak: All

    Lockpicking: Unbreakable, Master Locks, and Wax Key (and all the other perks required to get them)

    Pickpocket: Key Master and Perfect Touch (and all the other perks required to get them)

    Speech: All

     

     

     

    Gear:

    Harvester

    "Sharper than iron, hungry as Famine, and hotter than Hell Fire, Harvester rips through flesh, bone, and soul giving me their life blood and their souls."

    (enchant with Absorb Health+Firey Soul Trap)

     

    Visage of Death

    "I had many servants but only one was granted my mask, Konahrik. When he died he did as I instructed and hid my mask within a pcoket realm that only the wooden mask could access. The mask was burried with him but it seems that someone found it, at least they were unable to retrieve my mask."

    Konahrik, or the Visage of Death, is a mask crafted with an small portion of Death's own essence which protected the wearer from dying should they be on the verge of death.

     

    Ebony Mail

    "When the Princes and Princesses of Hell made themselves known to the world, they each requested an artifact of their own, I gave Boethiah my Ebony Mail but she seemed to have lost it to a foolish mortal. I pretended to be a servant of hers and I retrieved my armor, she was pleased and left me alone after that . . . I can't wait to devour her in the Pit."

    Death gave Boethiah his Ebony Mail to use as her "artifact" but it never seemed to obey her completely and only returned to it's original state when the seals started being opened.

     

    Claws of the Soulless

    "These gauntlets are infused with my own will and darkness, the only mortal who was able to use these gauntlets was Hitler . . . fascinating."

    The Claws of the Soulless were created by Death during the time of Christ as he wanted them so he could personally tear Lucifer's soul apart in the pit, it managed to make it's way to earth and fell into the hands of a mortal named Adolf Hitler. The Claws were designed for only a truly soulless person to use, when Adolf wore them Death was intrigued as to how it was possible for a mere mortal to be as dark as he was. Hitler curently resides as Death's butler and torturer on the days Death's too tired.

    (enchant with Fortify Unarmed+Fortify Two-Handed)

     

    Boots of the Hell Strider

    "I fashioned these boots to allow certain mortals safe passage across the circles of Hell."

    The Boots of the Hell Strider allow mortals to pass through the various circles of Hell without being harmed. The boots, however, return to Death whenever he wants and many souls got trapped in a circle of Hell that they weren't supposed to be in due to them taking their time.

    (enchant with Muffle+Resist Fire)

     

    The Necromancer's Amulet

    "The graves will quake and the corpses shall awake."

    The Necromancer's Amulet was created by Death as an artifact for yet another devouted servant who wished to control an army of the dead.

     

    The Bow of Pestilence

    "I gave this to Auriel when he asked for an artifact of his own . . . I'm surprised that Pestilence never found it when he arrived."

     

    The Ring of Death

    "Ahh . . . the darkest of souls lies in here."

    At first glance Death's ring looks like an ordinary Silver Amythest ring, but closer axamination reveals that the stone is a fragment of a black soul gem that contains anywhere from 90 to 100 billion souls!

    (enchant with Magic Regen+Fortify Conjuration and Magic Regen)

     

    Arvak

    "One of my last servants stole my steed Arvak and when he died brought Arvak with him to my vault. I did not know they were in the vault until I got there and saw Arvak running past me. I retrieved his skull and my servant, not knowing it was me, gave me a spell to call Arvak, he probably thought that by giving a stranger the spell Arvak would be lost to me forever . . . what a fool!"

     

    "Mortals, Demons, Angels, nothign can run away from Death!"

     

    Gameplay

    Out of all the Horsemen, Death is the one that you should fear the most. He is unkillable, darker than the darkest knight, and controls the powers of Pestilence, War, and Famine! He cares not for humanity but despite his true heartlessness, he will occasionally help people especially if it involves killing someone. He is rather elegant and wears fine clothes when off duty and dines on the most exquisite cuisine the world has to offer. When on duty all should fear him as he's on the search for a soul who's time is up and he will kill all those who get in his way.

    When Death learns about the return of Alduin he is greatly angered as he knows Alduin wants to rewrite the prophecy of Revelation by destroying the world now. Death fills with rage and hunts down every fallen angel, or dragon, until he finds Alduin and sends his soul to his palace where he will slowly torture him.

    When provoked, Death summons a couple of demons to his side and uses a variety of magic to cut down the fool. Should he have to angage in combat, Death will bring out Harvester and cut down the mortals with ease. Death is not merciful and will kill all in his path, men, women, children, dog, cow, everything just to get to his goal! Now if Death is in a situation that involved too many enemies, he kills as many as he can and uses the Aetherial Crown to help raise countless dead to his aid.

    When Death finds a Barrow, he will not hesitate to enter and slaughter all the Draugr who have refused to die. He walks in with Harvester and slaughters all before him, taking their souls and ensuring their deaths are final.

     

    Quests

    Main Questline: "Alduin has returned and I will NOT stand for his arrogance! He will suffer and he will die, as will Paarthurnax!"

    Dragonborn Questline: "I sense the nephilim, Miraak, still lives . . . he has eavaded Death long enough, he will meet his fate and I will devour his soul along with the souls he stole from me ages ago!"

    Dawnguard Questline: "My vessal is limited and the only way I can use my full power is if he has become a vampire . . . I will join the Volkihar and then kill Harkon. The Dawnguard must die as well, their guild died out years ago and it should remain dead!"

     

    Powers:

    "I will ride into the land and Hell will follow me bringing devestation and carnage!"

     The Fourth Rider- Storm Call Shout+Arvak+Harvester

    "I don't have enough time for this . . . let's make some new reapers."

     The Unknown Reapers- Black Soul Gems+Mayhem (reove weapons from targets, place soul trapped enchanted weapon in inventory along with 5 black soul gems, they'll kill each other and the souls will be yours).

    "Darkness fell over the land and the corpses raised and killed their families."

     The Dark Rising- Auriel's Bow+Bloodcursed Arrow to Sun+Ritual Stone on Aetherial Crown

     

     

  • March 18, 2018

    Cool man, I like the images you used. They're badass and give it a really cool vibe. You might want to refine the perkspread a little though. The skills you chose make it like a lv125 build or something crazy like that. I would really recommend trimming it down since that's a lot to keep track of and you're unlikely to actually use all those skills together in the gameplay of a single build. Maybe play through it and see what you end up favoring. Any cool ideas you cut from this build can always just be used to inspire your next one, so you don't have to feel like anything is getting thrown away.

    I can definitely see why you'd want to present Death incarnate as excessively OP though, so if you want to keep your build at a round lv125, then you should definitely share with us how you arrived there. That's a long journey that requires making a few skills legendary to surpass the level cap of 81 (iirc). So maybe you could carry us through the process of becoming Death. Do you start as a Barbarian? A Battlemage? A Thief? A Necromancer? What skills do you focus on from lv1-25? Do you add anything at lv25-50 or do you max your core skills first? What skills do you make legendary when you reach the level cap? Once you have enough skills to be able to fit the roll of several different classes, do you switch between tactics or limit how many skills/abilities you can use at once or just be crazy OP? If you switch between classes is there an interesting RP reason behind it, like how Death is an often self inflicted inevitability so he ultimately reflects the class and fighting style of his current victim? Things like that would go a long way towards giving the build a sense of progression and maybe even provide you with challenges to overcome that will make gameplay more interesting. It's a really cool concept though and I think it has a lot of potential!

  • March 18, 2018

    Tysoyaha, I actually play every build I make and I never use mods (unless it for certain creations that actually require them for the character's design or gear). Death was very enjoyable and wasn't as time consuming as you might think... depending on which way you take it. If you don't want any glitches then just do a couple Dark Brotherhood missions 'till you get Shadowmere (I have 4 Horsemen builds and they're all connected which is why part of the backstory removes certain things), and just have some enchanted gear making your destruction spells cost nothing. Then take a couple of rubber bands, pull the triggers and let your character just hit Shadowmere with everything you've got. In an hour or so Destruction should be level 100, and you can repeat this several times. One of the easiest ways to get the perks is to just have Healing in one hand and Equilibrium in the other and just leave the controler for a while. Alteration and Restoration will be up, just make legendary and repeat. Now what I did was I did the Oghma Infinium duplication glitch. I got the house in Markarth (any house works really) a bookshef upgrade, and of course the Oghma Infinium. Now many may know this glitch and know that you cannot read the book more than once, all I did was sell the duplicates and used the money to buy knowledge from companions. After you pay your companion, take their money from their inventory and have them teach you again (you have to level up though to unlock the next teaching).

     

    These are the ways I used to level up Death (and all other characters that need a high level). You could just use mods but this is what works best for people who don't have, or like to use, mods. I can't share any gameplay videos as I don't have anyway to actually do a video and upload it here, however, if you or anyone were to play this build, mix up some fottage and send me the link I would be more than happy to add it to this. Also, do you know how I can get the video at the end of the build to auto play? I know it's possible I just don't know how.

  • Member
    March 18, 2018
    I actually say use mods, as they can improve the game
  • March 18, 2018

    The Darkness said:

    Tysoyaha, I actually play every build I make and I never use mods (unless it for certain creations that actually require them for the character's design or gear). Death was very enjoyable and wasn't as time consuming as you might think... depending on which way you take it. If you don't want any glitches then just do a couple Dark Brotherhood missions 'till you get Shadowmere (I have 4 Horsemen builds and they're all connected which is why part of the backstory removes certain things), and just have some enchanted gear making your destruction spells cost nothing. Then take a couple of rubber bands, pull the triggers and let your character just hit Shadowmere with everything you've got. In an hour or so Destruction should be level 100, and you can repeat this several times. One of the easiest ways to get the perks is to just have Healing in one hand and Equilibrium in the other and just leave the controler for a while. Alteration and Restoration will be up, just make legendary and repeat. Now what I did was I did the Oghma Infinium duplication glitch. I got the house in Markarth (any house works really) a bookshef upgrade, and of course the Oghma Infinium. Now many may know this glitch and know that you cannot read the book more than once, all I did was sell the duplicates and used the money to buy knowledge from companions. After you pay your companion, take their money from their inventory and have them teach you again (you have to level up though to unlock the next teaching).

     

    These are the ways I used to level up Death (and all other characters that need a high level). You could just use mods but this is what works best for people who don't have, or like to use, mods. I can't share any gameplay videos as I don't have anyway to actually do a video and upload it here, however, if you or anyone were to play this build, mix up some fottage and send me the link I would be more than happy to add it to this. Also, do you know how I can get the video at the end of the build to auto play? I know it's possible I just don't know how.

    Ah, so it's a power leveling build! That makes sense. I'd still be curious to see how the character develops into that though. I didn't really mean you should share the method of leveling so much as the order you chose your skills and how that affects gameplay. Like, what skills did you use while fighting your way up to Shadowmere? As a member of the Dark Brotherhood, did you use sneak and two handed? That's pretty interesting! Maybe you used a different combination your eventual skills, but probably not ALL of them right?

    I mean, you have like ten skills or so, if you tried training all of those at once from the start of the game you'd be spread pretty thin and seriously under powered until you reached Shadowmere. Then again, that's not really a bad angle, it might be interesting to have the early levels seriously challenging with becoming crazy later OP as kind of a reward for persevering. It even makes quite a bit of sense that a Horseman of the Apocalypse wouldn't unlock his true power without first reuniting with his horse.

    There are some great builds on here that utilize multiple perkspreads to show the characters progression through the different stages they go through. Say you had a soldier who lost so many brothers in battle that he took up necromancy and eventually became a Deathknight, they'd have a perkspread for the lv1-20 Soldier, one for the lv21-40 Necromancer, and one for the lv40+ Death Knight. I think something like that would greatly benefit this build and give it a sense of identity and a more well defined approach to gameplay.

    I also agree with Chris, Mods would go a long way towards removing the tedium of power leveling (I use them to test my end game strategies before I even play test the rest of a build now. I've been burned to many times by playing through an entire build just to find out my endgame didn't work the way I had hoped...). Plus, the provide plenty of ways to balance such an OP character so that things don't get too easy and boring.

    I suggest trying an Enemy AI/Combat enhancing mod of your choice and maybe something like Deadly Bosses. That way, you can run around easily bringing entire holds to their knees like Death would, but there would also be bosses around Skyrim that are your equal and therefore much more fun to battle. Some of the Deadly Bosses are pretty epic so you could RP them as the other gods and primordial beings of different myths. For instance, it places a GIANT wolf outside the exit to Bleak Falls who could easily be Finrir, the norse wolf said to devour the sun during Ragnarok. 

     

  • March 18, 2018

    Yeah mods would help quite a bit but I realize that some people have no access to mods or if they do they won't always use them. Each build is a vanilla build. As for using the skills early on, the moment I got into Helgen I used Flame until I could get a two-handed axe, after that I switched between them using fire for distance and immediately switching to the axe when enemies got too close.

     

    Leveling Destruction, Heavy Armor, and Two-Handed are the first ones to level up as you can work on the other skills later. I do realize that the build is a very high level but the point is to be OP, but not TOO OP. Death can still be killed but that's what Harvester and Konahrik are for as they both keep him alive during combat. Enchanting is a very good skill to level up first as it doesn't take as long as the others. Just do the Dawnstar glitch and that'll help with that. With the enchanting all the way up, enchant your weapon (can be easily found in any Barrow) and there's part one of Death completed. If you have any mods then by all means use them, this build is just for being completely OP for Vanilla players or people who want a challenging/time consuming build.

     

    In all honesty Death is my favorite of the Horsemen but due to trying to keep them in a certain order, same world (somewhat), and mixing the Bible with the game, it's just real difficult and the backstory barely fits with the game. All my other builds are, and are going to be, focused on the game and not anything else (especially the Bible as it's WAAAAAY too tricky to mix the two properly).