Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Vampire Count

Tags: #Character Build Necromancer  #Character Build Illusionist  #Character Build Vampire  #Rank:Legendary  #Race:Altmer 
  • Member
    May 7, 2014
    Ah I see. I never really went dual-wielding myself because I prefered to always be able to heal, or cast other spells, in the middle of combat.
  • Member
    May 7, 2014
    -I never used lord form, I found it to be a cheap panic button that took out all the challenge. -It generally was Ok. I never really bothered specifically healing any of my minions. As for friendly fire, your undead resist poison rune, so no worries there.as for the followers, they are simple meat shields for a lofty lord! Who cares about them :p. -The ring of the erudite is just too useful in my opinion to give up.
  • Member
    May 11, 2014

    So, I have a few questions about this build, if you don't mind.

    You say 'this build has no armor rating,'  yet you are using vampire armor?

    You mention juicy role-play but all I'm seeing is gameplay.

    Can you expand on roleplaying this character out of combat?

    What does he do when he isn't casting poison rune?

    You encourage day-walking.  This alone is enough for me to drop the build unless you can explain why that makes any sense (and don't give me some crap about regenerating stamina or health, VAMPIRES ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT)

    I know that in TES vampires get a sneak boost, but in my opinion, it would be very out of character for a vampire of this particular status to go around hunched over, worried about enemies noticing him.  Maybe I'm just jaded when it comes to the sneak skill altogether.

    (I play in 3rd person) Walking slowly through dungeons and keeping a pillar or something in between you and your enemies LoS is more than enough to get the jump on them without constantly leveling up sneak and feeling like a little pussy.  Try it sometime.

    I hate vampires and werewolves unless they are well written in the first place, so don't take my criticism too hard.  I am just yet to find a build that makes me want to be a vampire.  I hate sneak on any character other than a thief or assassin (which are both boring after a while) and I don't think enchanting is necessary for this build that makes so much use of utility spells. Not to mention it's boring to level.

    Please, somebody, give me some good in-game examples of how you roleplayed this vampire and convince me to give it a go.

    Still the best vampire build I have seen (and I'm actively looking for one). +1

  • Member
    May 11, 2014

    1. It is no armor rating worth anything. Having like 50~ armor by level 50 is nothing. 50 armor by level 15 is nothing!

    2. The roleplay is built into the entire build. The intro, the various skill choices, the followers and houses, quests, all that. It is not in a specific section, every part of the write up includes roleplay elements. 

    3. I put in enough "theme" related roleplay that is not related to combat. I am not going to tell you how play each moment of you character.

    4. Using every other spell or weapon in his arsenal.... Daggers, fear, summons, healing, running around while being chased by bears... all of that. 

    5. I never encouraged day walking, I just said it was very possible and viable to do. This guy is the epitome of Vampires, he makes Harkon look like a bunny. Why should they daytime bother him? 

    6. Using a bit of sneak perfectly fits the character. Part of the roleplay aspects of the build is that he is incredibly intelligent. He is a master manipulator, with a terrifying strong intellect honed by centuries of plots, counter-plots, and counter-counter-plots. Why walk up right in front of your enemies when you can watch them die from a distance, wracked with pain and fear, never knowing who sowed the seeds of their doom? Out-thinking enemies is part of the fun. He doesn't just get the job done, he does it in style. 

    7. I don't really see the issue with using a bit of sneak. I did not even perk it. Obviously you misunderstood, sneak was very situational, since I emphasized that he is perfectly fine with open combat. For a character who has 0 armor, charging into a room full of 10 melee enemies is never smart. 

    8. For all that stuff you hate, that is not my problem. Enchanting is 100% necessary. It is your best source of damage, and it lets you cast your spells (for example, by endgame you have to absolutely spam grand healing, without enchanting this would be impossible).

  • Member
    May 11, 2014
    I agree whole heartily, when you take a guy out, do it with some style and class.
  • Member
    May 11, 2014

    I just had a huge comment deleted because I'm on a laptop and now I'm really frustrated because I just want to get back to playing Skyrim :(

    But in the interest of science I will retype my response.

    1. Then don't wear armor that will slow you down if you aren't going to perk into it.  Vamp armor is ugly in my opinion anyway.  Also, don't say 0 armor rating.

    2. You don't provide any clear thoughts on how your character reacts to the world.

    "The Vampire Count is all about being what I consider a “classic vampire”. That means impeccably dressed, arrogant, suave, manipulative, and utterly ruthless."

    This is not enough detail for anyone to decide the motivation and personality of your character.  "He wants to take over the world" is not what I'm fishing for when I say that either. 

    "These undead rulers constantly meld society from the spires of their castles. Every political decision, every war, and every important change that takes place was either started by a Vampire Count or will be manipulated by one"

    This is great, but how does it transition into the game?  You can't affect any outcomes without getting directly involved.  Becoming a lowly foot-soldier in the civil doesn't equate to "melding society from the spires of my castle".  One or two small examples is enough, no need to document your every step.

    3. No you didn't.  Not going to tell me how to play every moment of my character?  That's fine.  Not going to tell me how to play ANY moment of my character.  Not fine.

    It helps alot to just give a summary of your first few hours in game and reasoning behind your decisions that will really help alot of people get into character.  You provide ZERO specific examples of anything you did.  No recommended quests don't count.

    4. Everything except daggers is totally viable without enchanting at all, bro.  May I ask what difficulty you were playing on?

    5. Saying it's very possible is totally fucking stupid though.  If you are ROLEPLAYING as a VAMPIRE you can't walk around in daylight no matter if the game punishes you for it or not.  I'm not sure you know what roleplaying means.

    6. I won't argue sneak with you.  I'm jaded.  I hate crouching and creeping.  You can sneak just as effectively by walking slowly and staying out of direct LoS.  It's much more fun and feels waaaaaay more vampirey than sneaking and spectating.  Just my opinion, though. I won't say you are wrong about this because it is a matter of opinion.

    7. Charging in and walking up to, but not into, are two different things.  But again, not arguing sneak.

    8. I wouldn't have tried to argue enchanting with you either, because it's a matter of taste, but why do you have to absolutely spam grand healing by endgame?  I have never had to do that before.  Your playstyle should not include you taking damage at all, based on what I've read.

  • Member
    May 11, 2014
    Dude, Vampires can day walk. Have you ever seen Blade? There's a Trope for it, with examples. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DaywalkingVampire
  • Member
    May 11, 2014
    Hey, you do realize that he said that you can wear whatever you want, and he just went with vampiric armor because it looks cool, right? I'm wearing Ulfric Clothes, Silver and Sapphire circlet, Vampire Boots and Ulfric Bracers. he gives you an start in RP, you need to do the other choices since this is your vampire, unless you plan on playing a clone of his count, then it's just weird. *Vampires can't daywalk - then don't do that, it's not as if he's pointing an magnum to your head and saying WALK AT THE LIGHT OF THE SUN OR YOUR BRAINS WILL BE DECORATING THE WALL!
  • Member
    May 11, 2014

    Yes, but in my opinion, Wesley Snipes and Edward Cullen are not true vampires.  The term Vampire has been around for a long time but its meaning has been bastardized since Twilight was published. 

    Real Vampires don't sparkle.  They take their newfound power with it's unique drawbacks.  It's a compromise that the vampire must live with for eternity. 

    In my opinion, if you are going to have a good, immersive roleplay build, you really need to set as many limitations and restrictions on yourself as you can.  The less generic a character is, the more you feel like you are actually in his shoes.

    Yes, I know Serana puts on a hood and it's all good, and this is the main reason I haven't found a vampire build I want to play.  I would like to focus on his strengths, sure, but that doesn't mean I want him to be invincible.  For example, I always see builds that recommend Dunmer for vamp since they get the fire resist, but in my opinion that's just absurd.  Why even be a vampire if you don't make any compromises to become one?

    If anyone knows a build on here that sounds like what I'm looking for, please recommend it!

  • Member
    May 11, 2014
    Dude, in old vampire folklore, Ty didn't die, they just got weak. If you wanna play a by the books vampire, then don't go near temples or near water.