-”There are some Knights who, rather than solely train their marksmanship and sword arm, choose to instead look to the arcane and mystical side of combat. Studying magical tomes and glyphs, Runic Knights specialize in the use of inscriptions and incantations with which to augment their weapon with devastating magic. Deeply attuned to both the magical and natural elements of Mundus, these Runic Knights also tend to possess the ability to shield themselves and allies from harmful magical effects, making them a valuable teammate on the battlefield. Engraving their main weapon with magical runes, those who follow this path are blessed with great power, but harnessing that power is another task entirely”
* ~ * ~ *
Enchanting was one of my favorite skills in Skyrim. Probably my most favorite in fact, as I had many characters who utilized it in varying degrees. In Morrowind I still love it, although it is kind of overpowered when used to replace the other magic skills. I just absolutely love character classes which apply elemental damage to their weapons or use melee weapons to channel their magic. This build was inspired by that concept, drawing primarily from the 'Mystic Knight' class of Final Fantasy V (as well as its appearance in other FF titles) and the 'Ranger' (a mistranslation, supposed to be Fighter-mage or 'Armamentalist') class of Dragon Warrior VII.
However, Enchanting is not its own skill in Oblivion, so unlike Skyrim and Morrowind, it is quite hard to have a build based around it. But more on that later, first here is the build.
* ~ * ~ *
Race: You could be any race you desire, as we know in Tamriel any race can aspire to become any character class, and most races are suitable for this one. I played this character as an Argonian, however I believe Nord, Dunmer, Breton, and Orc are the best choices in terms of starting attributes and racial abilities.
Class: Runic Knight
Favored Attributes: Endurance and Willpower
Specialization: Magic (it helps speed up Destruction's slow leveling)
Major Skills: Destruction, Mysticism, Armorer, Block, Blade, Light Armor, Mercantile
Other Skills: Speechcraft, Alteration
Birthsign: The Lady (or Atronach or Mage)
The Lady grants a bonus to Willpower and Endurance. Endurance is always good to have start high so you gain more Health each level up, and the boost to Willpower helps since Destruction is our only major skill that increases it. You could also go with Atronach, for the protection from spells, as the class archetype this build is based on often has higher defenses against magical damage, or choose the Mage for a bit of extra magicka with no penalties.
Leveling: Endurance - Willpower - Speed
I know what you’re thinking, “what? you aren’t prioritizing Strength, Agility or Intelligence? how are you gonna do damage?” and the answer is, well of course I’m not prioritizing! As I said before, this build is based upon damage from weapon enchantments, not the strength of its sword arm or its casting ability. You're still going to level Strength and Intelligence sometimes, especially if you chose to take the Atronach birthsign (because it makes Willpower useless), but they are not priorities.
Endurance is an obvious choice, as this is a Knight after all, you should be able to survive a beating. Speed is important for mobility’s sake, allowing us to get the first hit in and run circles around the enemy. Willpower boosts the regeneration of magicka, Runic Knights aren’t full fledged wizards and only have some skill in the arcane arts, and also increases the maximum fatigue. Furthermore, Luck is not useful since, unlike Morrowind, in Oblivion Luck does absolutely nothing with enchanting.
* ~ * ~ *
Major Skills
-Destruction- In Oblivion, in order to enchant something, you need to already know and be able to cast a spell with the effect you want to enchant with. By choosing Destruction as a major skill, it will start at Apprentice level, making it much easier to find spells to learn enchanting effects early on. Destruction also has access to Weakness to spells, allowing your enchantments to deal more damage to affected targets. In addition, Destruction provides a means of fighting at a distance.
-Armorer- The reason Armorer is a major skill is because repairing enchanted items requires a Journeyman level of Armorer skill, thus by selecting it as a major it can reach that level sooner. Sure you can pay someone else to repair it, and that's fine, but when you’re off adventuring blacksmiths won’t be around to repair equipment for you, it’s useful being able to do it yourself.
-Block- An obvious inclusion, for Knight’s are skilled in combat after all, whether you choose to use a shield of weapon for defense you must practice blocking and parrying.
-Mysticism- The school of Mysticism has the soul trap spell, a must have for any enchanter. There is also Magic Absorb and Spell Reflection effects available, since the RPG classes this build was based on tend to have high magic defenses or the ability to shield against magic, these spell effects are welcome additions.
-Light Armor- You could go with either Light or Heavy Armor, both will work just fine. However, I chose Light Armor because I felt that Mythril Armor just looked to cool and it fit the look I was trying for. You may opt for a hood instead of a helmet if you wish to emphasize the battlemage-esque abilities of the class. Light Armor also takes up less inventory weight, so you have more room for other things like Varla Stones and soul gems.
-Blade- Either Blade or Blunt will do, but I chose Blade, as my character’s favored weapon type was the claymore. Pick whichever skill your knight favors. Do note however, that slower weapons allow damage over time enchantments to deal more damage in between swings before they are refreshed.
-Mercantile- Why Mercantile? Because there’s a gold tax for enchanting items at the Mage’s Guild. Although Mercantile doesn’t reduce the cost of this tax, it does allow one to save money and make more gold off of selling items to shops. With the amount of enchanting you do, more gold will always be helpful.
Minor Skills
-Alteration- Alteration is our 'eighth major skill', essentially. Usage of Alteration spells help increase the amount of Willpower gains while leveling up. Alteration grants access to fire, frost, and shock shield spells to be used either in battle or as enchantments to improve elemental resistances. This skill also provides us with Open Lock spells which are handy to have when exploring dungeons and ruins.
-Speechcraft- We are knights, not bandits, thus the art of Speechcraft has some importance. It is mainly used to improve relations with nobles and royalty, but also to persuade and intimidate, which can be useful when doing quests.
-Heavy Armor- This might be considered an important minor skill, perhaps you might like the look of steel armor or other types of heavy armor mixed with your light plate. Not always necessary, but the option is there.
Arms and Armor
Helm: Any color of hood(ideally to match the cuirass), or a Mythril Helmet
Cuirass: heraldic armor of any Cyrodiil city (ex. Chorrol Cuirass) to show from which lordship you belong to. (Unfortunately, to acquire this armor a guard must die, so for roleplaying purposes pretend it didn't happen.)
Gauntlets: Mythril Gauntlets
Boots: Mythril Boots
Greaves: Mythril Greaves or Chainmail Greaves
As far as enchanting your armor, Fire/Frost/Shock Shield effects (provided by Alteration) and Spell Reflection/Absorption (provided by Mysticism) should be a priority in order to defend against spellcasters. Other enchantments for armor are easier to get using sigil stones rather than soul gems. Note that you can't get Resist Frost, Fire or Shock as enchantments at an altar because those don't appear ingame as spells, unless you are a Nord or Dunmer, Alteration's shield variants are easier to acquire.
Daedric artifacts should not be obtained, the Daedric Princes are vile and wicked, as a knight you would not commune with them. Not even to get Azura's Star, Spellbreaker, or the Skeleton Key.
-Example Weapon Enchantments-
- Flameslash - 15 Fire damage for 2s, 100% Fire weakness for 5 seconds.
- Freezing Heat - 20 Fire damage for 1s, 10 Frost damage for 5 seconds.
- Iceshock - 15 Shock damage for 2s, 10 Frost damage for 2s, 100% Magic weakness for 5s.
- Elemental Curse - 50% Fire weakness for 10s, 50% Shock weakness for 10s, 50% Frost weakness for 10s.
- Thundersurge - 10 Shock damage for 5s, 100% Shock weakness for 5s, 100% Magic weakness for 5s.
* ~ * ~ *
Gameplay & Starting out
After exiting the prison sewers, start by entering the Fighter’s Guild and doing a few of their quests. Once you have some funds built up, do Mage’s Guild quests until you are given access to the Arcane University, because the only enchanting altars in all of Cyrodiil are located in the Arcane University. Now that you have the ability to use the altars, go back to the Fighter’s Guild, at this point you can go in whatever direction your adventure takes you.
Combat should be opened by casting ranged Destruction spells, but if your opponent uses spells then cast an Alteration or Mysticism spell to protect you from it. Close the distance if your opponent does not, and use your enchanted melee weapon to fight.
Use Acrobatics jumps and dodges, along with Block to reduce the amount of damage you take. Power attacks can be used as much as you like, especially if you use damage over time enchantments, the slower swings let the DoTs finish their durations before reapplying them.
Varla stones should be saved and used sparingly. They recharge all your enchanted items, but are limited in number and do not respawn. Even though they are worth 1000 gold, you do not want to sell them ever. Keeping a supply of filled soul gems is also recommended, empty ones too if you have room for them.
* ~ * ~ *
"Thanks for reading!" -Chris H
-”There are some Knights who, rather than solely train their marksmanship and sword arm, choose to instead look to the arcane and mystical side of combat. Studying magical tomes and glyphs, Runic Knights specialize in the use of inscriptions and incantations with which to augment their weapon with devastating magic. Deeply attuned to both the magical and natural elements of Mundus, these Runic Knights also tend to possess the ability to shield themselves and allies from harmful magical effects, making them a valuable teammate on the battlefield. Engraving their main weapon with magical runes, those who follow this path are blessed with great power, but harnessing that power is another task entirely”
* ~ * ~ *
Enchanting was one of my favorite skills in Skyrim. Probably my most favorite in fact, as I had many characters who utilized it in varying degrees. In Morrowind I still love it, although it is kind of overpowered when used to replace the other magic skills. I just absolutely love character classes which apply elemental damage to their weapons or use melee weapons to channel their magic. This build was inspired by that concept, drawing primarily from the 'Mystic Knight' class of Final Fantasy V (as well as its appearance in other FF titles) and the 'Ranger' (a mistranslation, supposed to be Fighter-mage or 'Armamentalist') class of Dragon Warrior VII.
However, Enchanting is not its own skill in Oblivion, so unlike Skyrim and Morrowind, it is quite hard to have a build based around it. But more on that later, first here is the build.
* ~ * ~ *
Race: You could be any race you desire, as we know in Tamriel any race can aspire to become any character class, and most races are suitable for this one. I played this character as an Argonian, however I believe Nord, Dunmer, Breton, and Orc are the best choices in terms of starting attributes and racial abilities.
Class: Runic Knight
Favored Attributes: Endurance and Willpower
Specialization: Magic (it helps speed up Destruction's slow leveling)
Major Skills: Destruction, Mysticism, Armorer, Block, Blade, Light Armor, Mercantile
Other Skills: Speechcraft, Alteration
Birthsign: The Lady (or Atronach or Mage)
The Lady grants a bonus to Willpower and Endurance. Endurance is always good to have start high so you gain more Health each level up, and the boost to Willpower helps since Destruction is our only major skill that increases it. You could also go with Atronach, for the protection from spells, as the class archetype this build is based on often has higher defenses against magical damage, or choose the Mage for a bit of extra magicka with no penalties.
Leveling: Endurance - Willpower - Speed
I know what you’re thinking, “what? you aren’t prioritizing Strength, Agility or Intelligence? how are you gonna do damage?” and the answer is, well of course I’m not prioritizing! As I said before, this build is based upon damage from weapon enchantments, not the strength of its sword arm or its casting ability. You're still going to level Strength and Intelligence sometimes, especially if you chose to take the Atronach birthsign (because it makes Willpower useless), but they are not priorities.
Endurance is an obvious choice, as this is a Knight after all, you should be able to survive a beating. Speed is important for mobility’s sake, allowing us to get the first hit in and run circles around the enemy. Willpower boosts the regeneration of magicka, Runic Knights aren’t full fledged wizards and only have some skill in the arcane arts, and also increases the maximum fatigue. Furthermore, Luck is not useful since, unlike Morrowind, in Oblivion Luck does absolutely nothing with enchanting.
* ~ * ~ *
Major Skills
-Destruction- In Oblivion, in order to enchant something, you need to already know and be able to cast a spell with the effect you want to enchant with. By choosing Destruction as a major skill, it will start at Apprentice level, making it much easier to find spells to learn enchanting effects early on. Destruction also has access to Weakness to spells, allowing your enchantments to deal more damage to affected targets. In addition, Destruction provides a means of fighting at a distance.
-Armorer- The reason Armorer is a major skill is because repairing enchanted items requires a Journeyman level of Armorer skill, thus by selecting it as a major it can reach that level sooner. Sure you can pay someone else to repair it, and that's fine, but when you’re off adventuring blacksmiths won’t be around to repair equipment for you, it’s useful being able to do it yourself.
-Block- An obvious inclusion, for Knight’s are skilled in combat after all, whether you choose to use a shield of weapon for defense you must practice blocking and parrying.
-Mysticism- The school of Mysticism has the soul trap spell, a must have for any enchanter. There is also Magic Absorb and Spell Reflection effects available, since the RPG classes this build was based on tend to have high magic defenses or the ability to shield against magic, these spell effects are welcome additions.
-Light Armor- You could go with either Light or Heavy Armor, both will work just fine. However, I chose Light Armor because I felt that Mythril Armor just looked to cool and it fit the look I was trying for. You may opt for a hood instead of a helmet if you wish to emphasize the battlemage-esque abilities of the class. Light Armor also takes up less inventory weight, so you have more room for other things like Varla Stones and soul gems.
-Blade- Either Blade or Blunt will do, but I chose Blade, as my character’s favored weapon type was the claymore. Pick whichever skill your knight favors. Do note however, that slower weapons allow damage over time enchantments to deal more damage in between swings before they are refreshed.
-Mercantile- Why Mercantile? Because there’s a gold tax for enchanting items at the Mage’s Guild. Although Mercantile doesn’t reduce the cost of this tax, it does allow one to save money and make more gold off of selling items to shops. With the amount of enchanting you do, more gold will always be helpful.
Minor Skills
-Alteration- Alteration is our 'eighth major skill', essentially. Usage of Alteration spells help increase the amount of Willpower gains while leveling up. Alteration grants access to fire, frost, and shock shield spells to be used either in battle or as enchantments to improve elemental resistances. This skill also provides us with Open Lock spells which are handy to have when exploring dungeons and ruins.
-Speechcraft- We are knights, not bandits, thus the art of Speechcraft has some importance. It is mainly used to improve relations with nobles and royalty, but also to persuade and intimidate, which can be useful when doing quests.
-Heavy Armor- This might be considered an important minor skill, perhaps you might like the look of steel armor or other types of heavy armor mixed with your light plate. Not always necessary, but the option is there.
Arms and Armor
Helm: Any color of hood(ideally to match the cuirass), or a Mythril Helmet
Cuirass: heraldic armor of any Cyrodiil city (ex. Chorrol Cuirass) to show from which lordship you belong to. (Unfortunately, to acquire this armor a guard must die, so for roleplaying purposes pretend it didn't happen.)
Gauntlets: Mythril Gauntlets
Boots: Mythril Boots
Greaves: Mythril Greaves or Chainmail Greaves
As far as enchanting your armor, Fire/Frost/Shock Shield effects (provided by Alteration) and Spell Reflection/Absorption (provided by Mysticism) should be a priority in order to defend against spellcasters. Other enchantments for armor are easier to get using sigil stones rather than soul gems. Note that you can't get Resist Frost, Fire or Shock as enchantments at an altar because those don't appear ingame as spells, unless you are a Nord or Dunmer, Alteration's shield variants are easier to acquire.
Daedric artifacts should not be obtained, the Daedric Princes are vile and wicked, as a knight you would not commune with them. Not even to get Azura's Star, Spellbreaker, or the Skeleton Key.
-Example Weapon Enchantments-
- Flameslash - 15 Fire damage for 2s, 100% Fire weakness for 5 seconds.
- Freezing Heat - 20 Fire damage for 1s, 10 Frost damage for 5 seconds.
- Iceshock - 15 Shock damage for 2s, 10 Frost damage for 2s, 100% Magic weakness for 5s.
- Elemental Curse - 50% Fire weakness for 10s, 50% Shock weakness for 10s, 50% Frost weakness for 10s.
- Thundersurge - 10 Shock damage for 5s, 100% Shock weakness for 5s, 100% Magic weakness for 5s.
* ~ * ~ *
Gameplay & Starting out
After exiting the prison sewers, start by entering the Fighter’s Guild and doing a few of their quests. Once you have some funds built up, do Mage’s Guild quests until you are given access to the Arcane University, because the only enchanting altars in all of Cyrodiil are located in the Arcane University. Now that you have the ability to use the altars, go back to the Fighter’s Guild, at this point you can go in whatever direction your adventure takes you.
Combat should be opened by casting ranged Destruction spells, but if your opponent uses spells then cast an Alteration or Mysticism spell to protect you from it. Close the distance if your opponent does not, and use your enchanted melee weapon to fight.
Use Acrobatics jumps and dodges, along with Block to reduce the amount of damage you take. Power attacks can be used as much as you like, especially if you use damage over time enchantments, the slower swings let the DoTs finish their durations before reapplying them.
Varla stones should be saved and used sparingly. They recharge all your enchanted items, but are limited in number and do not respawn. Even though they are worth 1000 gold, you do not want to sell them ever. Keeping a supply of filled soul gems is also recommended, empty ones too if you have room for them.
* ~ * ~ *
"Thanks for reading!" -Chris H
