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Oblivion Build: Priestess

Tags: #Oblivion  #Build  #Priestess 
  • September 27, 2017

    Oblivion Build: The Priestess

    Race: Imperial, Breton or Altmer are the best choices (in that order)

    Birthsign: Apprentice

    Class: Priestess

    Gender: Female (obviously)

    Specialization: Magic

    Attributes: Willpower, Personality

    Skills: Alteration, Conjuration, Desturction, Illusion, Marksman, Restoration, Speechcraft

    Essential Quests: Mages Guild, KOTN, Meridia, Azura, Order of the Virtuous Blood, The Gravefinder's Repose, The Ghost Ship of Anvil, Where Spirits Have Lease, Through a Nightmare, Darkly, The Forlorn Watchman, The Wayward Knight, A Shadow Over Hackdirt, Origin of the Gray Prince, Unfriendly Competition, Whom Gods Annoy, The Sunken One & Unearthing Mehrunes Razor (you will never use it, just keep it out of reach of anyone who would use it dreadful power).

    Forbidden Quests: Thieves Guild & Dark Brotherhood

    Equipment: Quilted Doublet (Shield), either Tan or Light Brown Linens (Fortify Magicka), Quilted Shoes (Fortify Agility), Two rings of choice (Fortify Magicka & Fortify Marksman seperately), necklace of choice (Fortify Speechcraft) & best possible bow (Fire Damage & Turn Undead)

    Background: The priestess was born in Anvil to the chapels high priestess mother and primate father. Both her parent were devout followers of the nine and were well recognized by the people of Anvil as the most humble and gentle souls in Cyrodiil and the priestess ended up taking after her parents. Her favorite saying was what her mother taught her from an early age and that was: "The road to happiness lies directly in the valley of love and charity." And those words always stuck to her throughout her whole life. She studied her teachings hard throughout her youth and by the time she was 15, she was able to recite almost all teachings from the books of Mara, Dibella, Stendarr & Arkay from memory. Her parents were proud of her so much so it almost brought a tear to their eyes. Her mother taught her basic spells in restoration and alteration and like other things she expected, the priestess learned them with ease. Her father knew schools that her mother did not necessarily approve of, but reluctantly agreed for her daughter to be taught them. Her father taught her basic spells in destruction, illusion and how to summon a Scamp. Once again, the priestess mastered these low level spells with the greatest of ease. She became a natural in all five of these schools by the time she became 18. Her parents could not have been more proud of her if they had tried. 

    When the priestess turned 21, she soon became tasked with tasks that were, to her, quite different from what she had been accustomed to. Her mother asked her to follow her one day to the west end of the docks of Anvil. When they got to their destination, the priestess noticed their were archery targets set up down the way and a table with two bows and several quivers of arrows. What was going on? she thought to herself. Then her mother told her that it was the ripe time to let her in on a little secret. She said that while she spends most of her time in the chapel preaching the word of Dibella, she had been given another task by her mother when she turned the priestess' age. The priestess was to be given the title of Priestess of Dibella and that prior to initiation, she had to learn how to use a bow and arrow. The priestess was confused. What do we need weapons for? she asked. Her mother replied, Life is a precious gift to us from the nine. But not all who have lived in the gift lived it by the teachings. Some became restless after death and their corpses or spirits still wander the halls of the darkest places of Cyrodiil. As a priestess of Mara, you are tasked in traveling across Cyrodiil and finding these restless spirits and put them to back to rest. But be warned though, little one. There are those who purposefully violate the sanctity of those who were already at rest and cannot be tolerated. They are called necormancers and disgrace dead and the nine divines. If you happen to come across any in your travels, you will be expected to send their souls to oblivion. 

    The priestess was a little shocked and scared by the turn of events in her life, but was sworn by duty to uphold her new task and position. She spent the next 4 months properly learning how to nocking a bow back to the right position and right upward angle to account for distance and gravity. She learned quickly, as her mother knew she would and soon mastered the art of the bow. And with that condition set, her mother was finally able to bestow the title of Priestess of Dibella. For the priestess there was only one rule to live by, "Love the humble, punish the wicked". She was then given her first real test. Her mother knew of a group of necromancers in the Ayleid ruins of Garlas Agea. She knew the leader of that particular cult. She had once been a follower of Dibella, but had strayed from the path when her test of faith came forth. The priestess was to go to the ruins and remove her from existance and to bring back her specially marked necklace of Dibella as show of proof. Before she set off, her mother have her a quiver full of Sacred Arrows; arrows that will destroy any summoned undead and peirce right through those with hearts of darkness. She set off to Garlas Agea and when she saw the crumbling marble arcitecture, she couldn't help but be distracted for a moment to be in awe of the beauty the Ayleids crafted. Getting back to her mission she entered the ruins. The first chamber and it seemed empty. Had her mother misled her? But then she heard the sound in the distance. It sounded like footsteps. She headed to the left path and came across a long passageway. It looked empty, but at the end stood what looked like an high elf clad in black robes. Upon closer inspection she noticed a red skeleton on the center of them. These were the necromancers that her mother had warned her about. She drew her bow and pulled an arrow out. She took aim at the mage at nocked her bow back. After calculating the trajectory, she breathed deep, focused her sight and released the arrow. The light howl the arrow made as it streamed through the air was almost enchanting to hear. And the arrow hit its mark. Right in the temple of the skull of the necromancer and he went down without a single alert to the others.

    She proceeded down the hall but was greeted by an small blade trap that almost sliced her in two. I got to be more careful she thought. She continued on but more cautiously this time. She ran into 4 more necromancers and dispatched them all without the others noticing. Finally making it to the leaders chamber, she ended up getting spotted and proceeded to fight. After an ensuing battle, the priestess came out on top. She searched the leaders body and found the necklace of Dibella that her mother said would be there. She came back to Anvil victorious. Her mother greeted her with smiles and hugs knewing she would succeed. They went to the chapel to reconsecrate it. But just when things seemed to be going well, suddenly out of nowhere 5 creatures clad in golden armor appeared. They attacked everyone in the chapel. The priestess tried to arm herself but was knocked unconscience by a blunt blow to her skull. She was only out for a few minutes but it was long enough. When she gained her bearings, the creatures were gone and everyone, including her mother & father were dead. What was even worse was that everyone had one of her arrows in them even though she never shot any. She was in utter disbelief. And in the most inconvinient twists, the guards finally got in through the door the creatures had sealed only to find the scene that made it look like the priestess was guilty. The captain ordered her arrest and she was sent to the Anvil jail. The captain fearing a mob would come after her decided to have her secretly transported to the jail in the Imperial City where she would await her execution. The priestess in her darkest hour, looks to her gods for strength but she begins feeling hopeless. Then, in what seems like a miracle, she is met by the emperor of Tamriel. With his words, he pardons her from prison and tells her she will play a huge roll in the days to come that will decide the fate of all of Tamriel. 

    Playstyle & Personality: The priestess is a kind and generous soul, but also a little jaded after her recent unpleasentness. Prefering words over conflict, she will persuade those who wish harm to her or others to lower their weapons or deescalate heated situations or resolve other conflicts through diplomacy. She is a peacekeeper above all else, but that does not make her weak by any means. She is more than capable of defending herself if words fail or if combat is inevitable. Money means very little to the priestess and she will usually give her remaining earnings to the beggars of Cyrodiil. While she is always devoted to the nine, she give most of her worship to Arkay, Dibella, Stendarr & Mara (There is a rumor that she secretly also worships the daedra lord Azura, but no proof has ever been brought forth). She has no tolerance for the undead and will actively wander to lay the to rest the tireless bones and spirits that dwell in Cyrodiils darkest dungeons. She is also an exorcist of daedra and will destroy them wherever they may hide. The priestess does not believe in harming life or vegetation, so she will not harvest alchemy ingredients or other items from animals or plant sources (ex. harvesting rat meat from rats, Mountain Lion pelts from mountain lions, foxglove nectar from a foxglove plant, etc) however she will still collect the remains from the undead and daedra as a show of her good deeds. All in all, the priestess preserves life while destroying those who would seek to harm the sanctity of Nirn.

    - Skills -

    Alteration: The priestess does not wear any armor. So naturally, her main line of defense will be shield spells for protection. Frost & shock shields are another good choice when facing necromancers as they are keen to using destruction spells of the same type.

    Conjuration: When too many enemies come at you at once, you can cast a turn undead spell to make any fight with undead a little more in your favor. You can also call upon the spirits of the departed (etheral undead) to assist you in fighting and reek havoc on those who profaned their remains.

    Destruction: One of two offenses the priestess has. She can utilize fire to destroy all types of undead and lightning to banish daedra back to oblivion. In some cases, Frost spells can also work for a small selection of enemies (Flame Atronachs & Spider Daedra in particular).

    Illusion: In rare cases, the priestess must use magic to influence passive people when words are failing to connect. Charm spells should be used in rare cases to influence such people. The other side of this is also a rare use. Command creature should be used sparingly to take control of daedric creatures in rare overwhelming situations.

    Marksman: Your second of two offenses. Should you run out of magic or don't feel like casting spells, you can draw your bow out and strike your enemies with deadly percision. Be creative and add enchantments on to your bows for extra mayhem and fun.

    Restoration: Your go-to skill. Healing the sick, tending to the wounded and blessing the devout healthy are one of the main duties of the priestess. You can also use it on yourself too to fortify your own skills as well as cure yourself of any ailments from your travels.

    Speechcraft: The priestess has the patience of a saint and a soothing voice to match. She is able to sooth troubled souls with her words to encourage, persuade and motivate good people to tell them their secrets and to resolve their personal conflicts.

    -Custom Spells-

    Exorcise Daedra: Expert

    Shock Damage 50pts for 2sec on touch
    Weakness to Shock 100% for 2sec on touch

    Purify Undead: Expert

    Fire Damage 5pts for 10sec on touch
    Weakness to Fire 100% for 10sec on touch
    Light 10ft for 10sec on touch
    Turn Undead LV25 for 10sec on touch

    Mara's Grace:  Journeyman

    Restore Health 10pts for 5sec on touch
    Restore Fatigue 20pts for 5sec on touch

    Stendarr's Flaming Aegis: Expert

    Shield 25pts for 30sec on self
    Fire Shield 25pts for 30sec on self

    Stendarr's Frozen Aegis: Expert

    Shield 25pts for 30sec on self
    Frost Shield 25pts for 30sec on self

    Stendarr's Ionized Aegis: Expert

    Shield 25pts for 30sec on self
    Shock Shield 25pts for 30sec on self

    Arkay's Empowerment: Expert

    Fortify Health 30pts for 60sec on self
    Fortify Marksman 30pts for 60sec on self

    Dibella's Kiss: Journeyman

    Fortify Personality 50pts for 10sec on self
    Charm 50pts for 10sec on touch

    Expel Undead: Master

    Turn Undead LV25 in 30ft for 30sec on touch

    Bane of the Undead: Master

    Fire Damage 3pts in 30ft for 30sec on touch
    Light 20ft in 30ft for 30sec on touch
    Turn Undead LV25 in 30ft for 30sec on touch

    Bane of Daedra: Master

    Shock Damage 9pts in 30ft for 10sec on touch
    Weakness to Shock 100% in 30ft for 10sec on touch

    Mage's Blight: Master

    Silence in 10ft for 20sec on target
    Damage Magicka 10pts for 20sec on target


    -Author's Notes & Final Thoughts-

    For those who haven't guessed it already, this build is largely based on the anime character Kikyo from Inuyasha, although still different to accomadate for the Elder Scrolls universe. This build plays similar to a slower version of a witchhunter with all the cleverness and ingenuity of a mage. I really like the way this build turned out and hope it will revive at least some of your guys love for Oblivion. This is my first build I have made here so please don't be too hard if I made some errors in this. I think I did pretty good. I will have another one soon so standby for that if you are interested. Next build: The Soul Hunter.

  • Member
    September 27, 2017
    This should get a feature on the main page.
  • Member
    September 28, 2017

    Ah, a new Oblivion Build is always a good sight.

    Going to sticky this for a few days, so it'll hopefully get some more attention :)

    Can't wait to see your next build, Mr Scum (Man, that sounded horrible!), it sounds quite interesting!

  • Member
    September 30, 2017

    What a giant wall f text mate please break it up and do away with the technicolour at the bottom it makes your classy build very difficult to read, add some pictures to break up the text a wee bit, great concept and exciting gameplay well done.

  • Member
    October 4, 2017

    So, between these four walls, does she cavort with Azura on the side? :D Priestesses are where it's at, especially Imperial ones, and I like this one a lot. The backstory is interesting and compelling, while the character has a nice mix of strength and vulnerability in your portrayal :) The mechanics and technical aspects seem pretty good, although it's really been too long since I last walked Cyrodiil's colourful roads :D

    Looking forward to The Soul Hunter!

  • Member
    October 7, 2017

    I really like the skillset here - only using a single weapon leaves plenty of room on the hotkeys for spells! Spellmaking is one part of Oblivion that really allows a character builder's creativity to shine through. You've got some good custom spells here but with such a diverse magic skillset it'd be good to see some more creative cross-shool spells like your 'X of the Undead' ones. Something like a combined Bound Bow (Journeyman Conjuration I believe) and Fortify Marksman or some disintegration + paralysis spells to help deal with bandits and marauders.

    The backstory seemed a little cliche and the presentation could use a some work (the bright colours on the skills text is a bit much IMO) but overall pretty good for a first build!

  • May 14, 2018

    I enjoyed the build mostly so thanks for the link on your Skyrim Build. Gotta be honest I think the colours were a bit of a drawback, just made reading that section really quite difficult for me (I do have poor eyesight though, might play into it). Uh, but yeah I thought the character was really well fleshed out.