A philosopher. A purifier. A killer.
Castigators operate by their own code, and use only the most brutal means. Mercy, moderation and compromise are not in their vocabulary. Disorder has called this Castigator to Skyrim, and only the restoration of Order will free the province from his wrath. *This build depends on Dragonborn DLC content*
The Build
The Castigator doesn't just fight on the battlefield. They control it. A combination of a paladin's aesthetic and ideals, with a darker level of brutality, a Castigator's abilities revolve around managing combat without pausing to think too much about approach. By incapacitating certain threats while others are dealt with, no challenge is too great. This crowd control lets you take full advantage of your dual wielded weapons, or you can maintain a single weapon with a spell in the offhand.
Race: Imperial is ideal. No racial ability does crowd control quite like Voice of the Emperor, and it's fitting to the Castigator's intimidating personality. Nords have a similar advantage with Battle Cry.
Stone: Begin with the Warrior or Mage, and switch to the Lover at the first opportunity. When comfortable, take the Lord or Serpent stone.
Primary Skills: One or Two Handed, Alteration, Destruction, Heavy Armor *I should note here that I used One Handed for the sake of dual wielding weapons. The character would be just as suited to Two Handed, though, and an alternate perk spread will be provided for it.*
Secondary Skills: Enchanting, Smithing
Key Spells: Ash Shell/Rune, Paralysis, Mass Paralysis, Fire Storm, Sun Fire, Lightning Cloak, Lightning/Fire Rune
Key Shouts: Unrelenting Force, Storm Call, Fire Breath, Cyclone
Abilities: Dragonborn Fire, Sun Flare, Secret of Arcana
Attribute Spread: 2/2/1
Level 42 Perks
Note that the inclusion of Speech is, essentially, an RP focused choice. It gives the character opportunities to intimidate outside of combat. Speech can be dropped and those perks spent elsewhere if desired for more power in combat.
Weapons and Equipment
One of my ideals for this build was that it would be quickly achievable. Everything from weapons and armor to lodging and perks is accessible well before the higher levels, where the game is closing. In terms of equipment, this means that things are fairly easy to obtain, and I've broken it into a couple of tiers:
Tier 1: Steel Armor, Gauntlets & Boots + Novice Hood + Steel Sword & Mace
Steel gear can be found within just a few levels of Helgen (where you'll also find the Novice Hood), with Iron gear serving fine until then. If playing a Two Handed Castigator, substitute these weapons with a Greatsword.
Tier 2: Enchantments are listed, primary in bold and secondary in italics:
Arcane Hood: Fortify Alteration/Fortify Magicka
Castigator's Plate Armor: Fortify Heavy Armor/Fortify Healing Rate
Dwarven Gauntlets: Fortify One (or Two) Handed/Foritfy Heavy Armor
Bonemold Boots: Fortify One (or Two) Handed/Fortify Stamina Regen
Castigator's Voice (Mace): Shock Damage/Fire Damage
Castigator's Breath (Sword): Shock Damage/Paralyze
Between diligent adventuring and constructing your Hearthfire base of operations, Smithing levels should come quickly, allowing you to craft your own Dwarven weapons and armor. The Temple Priest Hood can be acquired almost any time...but unless you're an uncharacteristically skilled pickpocket, it requires the death of Galdrus Hlervu. I got over it quickly; no Castigator worth his salt would suffer Galdrus' attitude. Again, if playing as a Two Hander, take a Dwarven Greatsword instead.
Another important item that bears mentioning is scrolls. Limited use and limited effect, scrolls are really fun, roleplay friendly weapons to use, and extremely suited to the paladin-esque style of the Castigator. They can be really helpful for doing damage while saving magicka. The major drawback is frequency. In normal play, relevant scrolls aren't common enough to be any kind of focus. If the idea appeals to you, use the follower duplication glitch to make more. You can collect rolls of paper and sell or dispose of them to incorporate creating new scrolls into your role play. Appropriate scrolls include Guardian Circle, Paralysis/Mass Paralysis, and Fire and Lightning spells. A Scroll of Firestorm is guaranteed to appear on a podium in Dimhollow crypt.
Gameplay
Progressing: One of the best things about playing this build, is that it comes together fairly quickly. Where you go immediately after Helgen matters little. For RP's sake, I followed the quest to Riverwood. Your first objective should be getting and improving your gear. I quickly acquired an Iron armor set (with pauldrons for effect), but this was mostly so that combat would start contributing to Heavy Armor experience early on. After one or two quests, Steel armor and weapons should become available, and will tide you over well until you move to Dwarven. In terms of spells, be sure to collect flesh spells to level Alteration, and a Fire or Lightning rune to level destruction. You won't be able to use the rune right away due to it's high cost, so another destruction spell like Lightning Bolt or Fireball is good until then. Take advantage of Magicka enchantments to increase that pool more quickly.
Following a westward trek from Whiterun is a good way to measure progression, beginning with the first few main quests. After being sent to retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller you can drop the main quest and pick it up again at your leisure. From the tomb, I went to Falkreath with the interest of getting the Lakeview Manor property as a base of operations. Once it was established (this was by around level 8), I tackled Markarth's main quest, The Forsworn Conspiracy, and then the Lost Expedition, which earns you a few levels and a complete set of armor and materials to improve both weapons and armor for most of the middle game.
When the cultists appear to assassinate you, it's safe to make your first trip to Solstheim to "acquire" the Temple Priest Hood. Once there, you've also got a somewhat strategic aesthetic choice to make, depending on your preferences in armor. I hate the vanilla Dwarven boots, and never use them. I replaced them at first with the cultist boots, which have no AR, but fit the visual really well. I later chose, instead, to use Bonemold boots, easily acquired from the dead Redoran guard outside Raven Rock. No longer losing out on armor, and still looking dangerous, your gear should be set.
Train Enchanting when possible, in addition to disenchanting gear you won't use, instead of selling it all. Ideally, you'll want the Extra Enchantment perk. If you really hate enchanting, though, you can get by without it. Smithing can also be trained, though if you have Hearthfire, it levels quickly as you build your homestead. It's important for this character to have decent Smithing in order to keep both armor and weapons competitive in the later levels of the game.
Combat: In the early game play, try to use flesh spells two or three times in combat to help boost your Alteration. This is in anticipation of the crowd control spells you'll get later on. In the mean time, it's simply helping you take more hits.
With your average mob of enemies, telling threats apart shouldn't be too hard. Lead into combat with a disabling spell (Ash Shell/Rune/Paralysis) directed at the most dangerous target of the lot. This is a great move to keep archers and mages from sapping you as you take down melee opponents. If the fight drags on, don't hesitate to disengage and recast the spell. If using scrolls, they are highly effective for opening combat, or in combination with a word of Become Ethereal.
In a situation with only melee threats, you can disable the strongest, or closest enemy, giving you time to shore up your defenses with a flesh spell or cloak (do try to get one of them in; it's good for the Castigator's image to go into battle radiating power), cast an offensive spell, or switch to your second/primary weapon. Leave a rune at your feet, so that when the enemy closes you can quickly begin stacking damage, as well as leveling destruction. With Rune Master, runes become very effective ranged attacks.
Dragons are a challenge to handle alone, and require patience. Whittling them down with Lightning or Firebolts while avoiding their strafing and hovering attacks is the simplest way to handle them. A follower with a decent bow and arrow helps a lot. Once on the ground, most dragons will go down quickly to a flurry of power attacks.
Abilities
Chaff in the Whirlwind- This combination adds to the effectiveness of ash and paralysis spells by scattering enemies in the distance, allowing you to engage them at your leisure. Ash Rune + Cyclone
Purging Fire- Able to end an entire group combat in seconds, the Castigator concentrates all of their wrath in a single, all-consuming blast. Mass Paralysis+Firestorm+Fire Breath (Dragonborn Flame)
Healing Rebuff- Even the most powerful warrior can be overwhelmed. When the enemy presses in, drive them back and regain the advantage. Firestorm+Scroll of Guardian Circle +Vegetable Soup+Venison Stew
Roleplay
The Castigators can be considered a philosophical order. They subscribe to an "Anuic Society", free from radical disorder. Paradoxically, they impose this order exclusively by the blade, because "to bring order, one must sometimes wrought terrible change." Among those who know of them, they have a fearsome reputation. To those who don't, they are usually a terrifying surprise.
You can portray the character as a lone wolf, a one-man (or woman) army against the ills of Skyrim, or a domineering mentor who brings a fitting new recruit into the fold. If choosing to use a follower, they should be equipped in the same way, and dual wielding or two-handed followers are the best fit. Rayya, the houscarl from Falkreath is a perfect fit, and her own Alik'r hood is a great substitute until you can give her a Temple Priest Hood. Either way, a base of operations is really helpful. If not using Hearthfire, Vlindrel Hall in Markarth is a great choice, perfectly reflecting the stone hard demeanor of the character. With Hearthfire, any of the three homesteads is suitable due to their isolation. The mannequins in these homestead make it possible to duplicate the rare hood for a follower without having to murder the more agreeable Dunmer priest in Solstheim.
As a Castigator, you are accustomed to control, and the freedom to carry out your purpose. Don't submit to doing meaningless quests for people who have lost their belongings, or can't manage the wildlife. Castigators will not suffer insult or disrespect, so if you know someone will insult you, be prepared to make them pay, or avoid the conversation. If you catch wind of disruptive activity, however, come down on it like a storm. Any person or organization not in line with the letter of the law is subject to "adjustment". Destroy the Dark Brotherhood. Cripple the Thieves Guild. Root out Forsworn and Daedra influence. Track down criminals, thieves, fugitives, cultists and bandits. Cleanse Skyrim.
Here's a brief story to help get you in the mood*: Those Consumed By Order
*Castigator is antonymous with happy endings
Important Quests: The Civil War(for your favored side), Main Quest, Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, Bounties and Daedric Artifact Quests, Black Books
Thanks for reading!
A philosopher. A purifier. A killer.
Castigators operate by their own code, and use only the most brutal means. Mercy, moderation and compromise are not in their vocabulary. Disorder has called this Castigator to Skyrim, and only the restoration of Order will free the province from his wrath. *This build depends on Dragonborn DLC content*
The Build
The Castigator doesn't just fight on the battlefield. They control it. A combination of a paladin's aesthetic and ideals, with a darker level of brutality, a Castigator's abilities revolve around managing combat without pausing to think too much about approach. By incapacitating certain threats while others are dealt with, no challenge is too great. This crowd control lets you take full advantage of your dual wielded weapons, or you can maintain a single weapon with a spell in the offhand.
Race: Imperial is ideal. No racial ability does crowd control quite like Voice of the Emperor, and it's fitting to the Castigator's intimidating personality. Nords have a similar advantage with Battle Cry.
Stone: Begin with the Warrior or Mage, and switch to the Lover at the first opportunity. When comfortable, take the Lord or Serpent stone.
Primary Skills: One or Two Handed, Alteration, Destruction, Heavy Armor *I should note here that I used One Handed for the sake of dual wielding weapons. The character would be just as suited to Two Handed, though, and an alternate perk spread will be provided for it.*
Secondary Skills: Enchanting, Smithing
Key Spells: Ash Shell/Rune, Paralysis, Mass Paralysis, Fire Storm, Sun Fire, Lightning Cloak, Lightning/Fire Rune
Key Shouts: Unrelenting Force, Storm Call, Fire Breath, Cyclone
Abilities: Dragonborn Fire, Sun Flare, Secret of Arcana
Attribute Spread: 2/2/1
Level 42 Perks
Note that the inclusion of Speech is, essentially, an RP focused choice. It gives the character opportunities to intimidate outside of combat. Speech can be dropped and those perks spent elsewhere if desired for more power in combat.
Weapons and Equipment
One of my ideals for this build was that it would be quickly achievable. Everything from weapons and armor to lodging and perks is accessible well before the higher levels, where the game is closing. In terms of equipment, this means that things are fairly easy to obtain, and I've broken it into a couple of tiers:
Tier 1: Steel Armor, Gauntlets & Boots + Novice Hood + Steel Sword & Mace
Steel gear can be found within just a few levels of Helgen (where you'll also find the Novice Hood), with Iron gear serving fine until then. If playing a Two Handed Castigator, substitute these weapons with a Greatsword.
Tier 2: Enchantments are listed, primary in bold and secondary in italics:
Arcane Hood: Fortify Alteration/Fortify Magicka
Castigator's Plate Armor: Fortify Heavy Armor/Fortify Healing Rate
Dwarven Gauntlets: Fortify One (or Two) Handed/Foritfy Heavy Armor
Bonemold Boots: Fortify One (or Two) Handed/Fortify Stamina Regen
Castigator's Voice (Mace): Shock Damage/Fire Damage
Castigator's Breath (Sword): Shock Damage/Paralyze
Between diligent adventuring and constructing your Hearthfire base of operations, Smithing levels should come quickly, allowing you to craft your own Dwarven weapons and armor. The Temple Priest Hood can be acquired almost any time...but unless you're an uncharacteristically skilled pickpocket, it requires the death of Galdrus Hlervu. I got over it quickly; no Castigator worth his salt would suffer Galdrus' attitude. Again, if playing as a Two Hander, take a Dwarven Greatsword instead.
Another important item that bears mentioning is scrolls. Limited use and limited effect, scrolls are really fun, roleplay friendly weapons to use, and extremely suited to the paladin-esque style of the Castigator. They can be really helpful for doing damage while saving magicka. The major drawback is frequency. In normal play, relevant scrolls aren't common enough to be any kind of focus. If the idea appeals to you, use the follower duplication glitch to make more. You can collect rolls of paper and sell or dispose of them to incorporate creating new scrolls into your role play. Appropriate scrolls include Guardian Circle, Paralysis/Mass Paralysis, and Fire and Lightning spells. A Scroll of Firestorm is guaranteed to appear on a podium in Dimhollow crypt.
Gameplay
Progressing: One of the best things about playing this build, is that it comes together fairly quickly. Where you go immediately after Helgen matters little. For RP's sake, I followed the quest to Riverwood. Your first objective should be getting and improving your gear. I quickly acquired an Iron armor set (with pauldrons for effect), but this was mostly so that combat would start contributing to Heavy Armor experience early on. After one or two quests, Steel armor and weapons should become available, and will tide you over well until you move to Dwarven. In terms of spells, be sure to collect flesh spells to level Alteration, and a Fire or Lightning rune to level destruction. You won't be able to use the rune right away due to it's high cost, so another destruction spell like Lightning Bolt or Fireball is good until then. Take advantage of Magicka enchantments to increase that pool more quickly.
Following a westward trek from Whiterun is a good way to measure progression, beginning with the first few main quests. After being sent to retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller you can drop the main quest and pick it up again at your leisure. From the tomb, I went to Falkreath with the interest of getting the Lakeview Manor property as a base of operations. Once it was established (this was by around level 8), I tackled Markarth's main quest, The Forsworn Conspiracy, and then the Lost Expedition, which earns you a few levels and a complete set of armor and materials to improve both weapons and armor for most of the middle game.
When the cultists appear to assassinate you, it's safe to make your first trip to Solstheim to "acquire" the Temple Priest Hood. Once there, you've also got a somewhat strategic aesthetic choice to make, depending on your preferences in armor. I hate the vanilla Dwarven boots, and never use them. I replaced them at first with the cultist boots, which have no AR, but fit the visual really well. I later chose, instead, to use Bonemold boots, easily acquired from the dead Redoran guard outside Raven Rock. No longer losing out on armor, and still looking dangerous, your gear should be set.
Train Enchanting when possible, in addition to disenchanting gear you won't use, instead of selling it all. Ideally, you'll want the Extra Enchantment perk. If you really hate enchanting, though, you can get by without it. Smithing can also be trained, though if you have Hearthfire, it levels quickly as you build your homestead. It's important for this character to have decent Smithing in order to keep both armor and weapons competitive in the later levels of the game.
Combat: In the early game play, try to use flesh spells two or three times in combat to help boost your Alteration. This is in anticipation of the crowd control spells you'll get later on. In the mean time, it's simply helping you take more hits.
With your average mob of enemies, telling threats apart shouldn't be too hard. Lead into combat with a disabling spell (Ash Shell/Rune/Paralysis) directed at the most dangerous target of the lot. This is a great move to keep archers and mages from sapping you as you take down melee opponents. If the fight drags on, don't hesitate to disengage and recast the spell. If using scrolls, they are highly effective for opening combat, or in combination with a word of Become Ethereal.
In a situation with only melee threats, you can disable the strongest, or closest enemy, giving you time to shore up your defenses with a flesh spell or cloak (do try to get one of them in; it's good for the Castigator's image to go into battle radiating power), cast an offensive spell, or switch to your second/primary weapon. Leave a rune at your feet, so that when the enemy closes you can quickly begin stacking damage, as well as leveling destruction. With Rune Master, runes become very effective ranged attacks.
Dragons are a challenge to handle alone, and require patience. Whittling them down with Lightning or Firebolts while avoiding their strafing and hovering attacks is the simplest way to handle them. A follower with a decent bow and arrow helps a lot. Once on the ground, most dragons will go down quickly to a flurry of power attacks.
Abilities
Chaff in the Whirlwind- This combination adds to the effectiveness of ash and paralysis spells by scattering enemies in the distance, allowing you to engage them at your leisure. Ash Rune + Cyclone
Purging Fire- Able to end an entire group combat in seconds, the Castigator concentrates all of their wrath in a single, all-consuming blast. Mass Paralysis+Firestorm+Fire Breath (Dragonborn Flame)
Healing Rebuff- Even the most powerful warrior can be overwhelmed. When the enemy presses in, drive them back and regain the advantage. Firestorm+Scroll of Guardian Circle +Vegetable Soup+Venison Stew
Roleplay
The Castigators can be considered a philosophical order. They subscribe to an "Anuic Society", free from radical disorder. Paradoxically, they impose this order exclusively by the blade, because "to bring order, one must sometimes wrought terrible change." Among those who know of them, they have a fearsome reputation. To those who don't, they are usually a terrifying surprise.
You can portray the character as a lone wolf, a one-man (or woman) army against the ills of Skyrim, or a domineering mentor who brings a fitting new recruit into the fold. If choosing to use a follower, they should be equipped in the same way, and dual wielding or two-handed followers are the best fit. Rayya, the houscarl from Falkreath is a perfect fit, and her own Alik'r hood is a great substitute until you can give her a Temple Priest Hood. Either way, a base of operations is really helpful. If not using Hearthfire, Vlindrel Hall in Markarth is a great choice, perfectly reflecting the stone hard demeanor of the character. With Hearthfire, any of the three homesteads is suitable due to their isolation. The mannequins in these homestead make it possible to duplicate the rare hood for a follower without having to murder the more agreeable Dunmer priest in Solstheim.
As a Castigator, you are accustomed to control, and the freedom to carry out your purpose. Don't submit to doing meaningless quests for people who have lost their belongings, or can't manage the wildlife. Castigators will not suffer insult or disrespect, so if you know someone will insult you, be prepared to make them pay, or avoid the conversation. If you catch wind of disruptive activity, however, come down on it like a storm. Any person or organization not in line with the letter of the law is subject to "adjustment". Destroy the Dark Brotherhood. Cripple the Thieves Guild. Root out Forsworn and Daedra influence. Track down criminals, thieves, fugitives, cultists and bandits. Cleanse Skyrim.
Here's a brief story to help get you in the mood*: Those Consumed By Order
*Castigator is antonymous with happy endings
Important Quests: The Civil War(for your favored side), Main Quest, Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, Bounties and Daedric Artifact Quests, Black Books
Thanks for reading!