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WIP Build: The Spartan Warrior

Tags: #Morrowind  #Build 
  • September 12, 2017

    Morrowind Character Build:

    The Spartan Warrior

    (Modded Build)

      

    Concept: 

    "Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... for tonight, we dine in hell!"

    - King Leonidas at the Battle of Thermoplyae

    Having just rewatched the film 300, I thought it would be fun to recreate the Spartans in Morrowind. Here's a quick draft:

     

    Build

    Note: While this is perfectly playable on Vanilla, I highly recommend playing this with Spartan Armory (Redux), Hold your spears how you like, as well as Drillmaster and Master of Arms. If you want a 300-style Spartan, Spartan Cloak and Spartan 300 Shield are a must.

    Check out the Optional Mods section for more recommendations.

    Class: Spartan (Custom)

    Race: Nord (Redguard could work too I think)

    Specialization: Combat

    Favored Attributes: Strength and Endurance

    Star Sign: The Lady (all about that Personality and Endurance bonus)

    Major Skills: Heavy Armor, Spear, Block, Medium Armor, Short Blade

    Minor Skills: Armorer, Athletics, Speechcraft/Sneak, Unarmored, Blunt Weapon/Long Blade

    Misc Skills: Acrobatics, Axe, Hand-to-Hand, Marksman

    Factions: Fighter's Guild, Imperial Legion, Great House Redoran.

    Weapons: The Spartan Warrior's primary weapons are their Spear and Bashing Shield. In close quarters, they are quick to draw their Shortsword. 

    Equipment: Straight from the Spartan Armory mod - A Spartan Helm, pair of Hoplon Boots, and set of Spartan bracers. The Spartan red leather skirt (or a common red skirt) is a good addition. If going for the look in the film 300, you will not wear a cuirass and stay shirtless, with the Spartan cloak.

     

     

     

     Combat and Skills

    The Spartans were formidable soldiers raised to know nothing but warfare. Elite war machines, Spartans were perfect in every aspect and respect of combat. Their main weapons were their Spear and Bashing shield, with which they formed the threatening hoplite phalanx. 

    Their combat style is tactical and deadly, bashing with their shield and striking the enemy while off-balance. In close quarters, they are quick to draw out ther shortswords for some swift and fatal blows. While they may have been trained to use the bow and arrow, a true Spartan looked down on archery and considered it unmanly and dishonorable to fight with them. 

    Swiftness and agility play important roles in their combat style, with Spartans constantly dodging heavy blows and striking the opponent before they can react. The Spartans were also not against killing in the shadows on occasion - sneak plays an important role in gaining a tactical advantage. 

    As a warrior folk, they are also knowledgeable about keeping their equipment in good condition and are physically perfect and athletic, with lots of endurance, able to withstand a heavy beating while also being agile enough to dodge an enemy's strikes. A Spartan Captain, furthermore, knows well how to boost moral and give courage, whether through wise words or a good war-cry.

     

    Core Mods of the Spartan Warrior

    Spartan Armory (Redux): The perfect mod for the playthrough, this adds fantastic full sets of Spartan weaponry and armors to certain vendors, ranging from hoplon boots to aegis shields.

    Corinthian Helms: This mod adds a handful of beautiful Corinthian styled helms to the Fighter's Guild in Balmora. The helms vary from light armor to heavy armor. Perfect for a Spartan Soldier.

    Hold Your Spears How You Like: My favorite spear mod and an essential one for a true Spartan playthrough. HYSHYL allows you to realistically choose how you hold you spear. If you don't equip a shield, you'll have a two handed spear; if you equip one, it'll be switched out for a one handed version. It's also fairly well thought out: when holding a shield, you don't have as much strength as you would if you were holding a spear alone. So the damage you deal is a bit less. 

    Drillmaster and Master-at-Arms: As young boys at the age of 7, Spartans engage in a rigorous training preriod known as the agoge. This included severe beatings and whippings in order to train the body and mind. This mod lets you spar with most Drillmasters and Master-at Arms in Morrowind in order to train your skill. You are given a training weapon and the trainer will attack you, until the time expires, you sheathe and surrender, or you lose enough health. This mod is great for a Spartan.

    Spartan Cloak: This adds a beautiful red cloak to the game. Perfect for that 300 look. (mod has no ReadMe, but you can find the cloak at the clothier in Ald-ruhn).

    Spartan 300 Shield: No additional comments necessary. Perfect for the Spartan Warrior.

    Highly Recommended Mods

    Unique Armor Replacer - Ebony Helms: Here. Another mod like Corinthian Helms, except this one replaces all Ebony helms to be Corinthian styled. There's also another version that simply replaces the Sarano Ebony Helm, giving you a unique Spartan Helmet. 

    Ebony Hoplite Armor: Here. A quest mod that grants you some beautiful helms, a breastplate and tower shield.

    Hoplite Shields: HereAdditional Spartan-styled shields

    A Follower mod of your choice: Spartans worked as a team. It makes sense to find a follower to use. Though I would recommend only getting a follower later on, as at low levels, followers may end up doing all the work for you.

    Gameplay Style + Restrictions

    (ROUGH DRAFT/BRAINSTORM) 

    1. Never retreat. Fight until you die (and then reload). Though "retreating" to a more tactical position is fine. 

    2. No archery. The Spartans considered archery dishonorable.

    3. At low levels, train with the Drillmasters and go hunting often to simulate the "agoge" - a brutal training system all Spartan males undergo. When sparring with the Drillmasters, never yield - either survive until the session is over, or until the Drillmaster dismisses you for being too weak to continue.

    5. Join Fighter's Guild.

    6. Pickpocketting is actually OK - historically, Spartans were encouraged to steal in order to train stealth. If you are caught however, go to jail and serve your time - a Spartan who got caught stealing was considered weak and given a beating. 

     

    As a Spartan Warrior, you will never retreat from a fight. "With your shield or on it!" When encountering an enemy past your skill, fight until you die. 

  • September 13, 2017

    That looks cool. 

  • September 13, 2017

    The Long-Chapper said:

    That looks cool. 

     

    Thanks! Having fun with it so far! :D Shouldn't take too long to finish the build, though I am quite busy these days...

  • Member
    September 13, 2017

    My history nerd is pleased

  • Member
    September 13, 2017

    Another inspiring build in the works, Pestilence. I can't mod Morrowind, but damn am I wanting to download that armory pack for Skyrim and get a shield like that. Always good to see a new Classics build underway, though :) 

  • September 14, 2017

    Chris said:

    My history nerd is pleased

     

    Thank you! I'm not a history expert but I did try my best to keep it fairly historically correct!

  • September 14, 2017

    Paws said:

    Another inspiring build in the works, Pestilence. I can't mod Morrowind, but damn am I wanting to download that armory pack for Skyrim and get a shield like that. Always good to see a new Classics build underway, though :) 

    Thank you, glad you enjoy it so far!!

     

    Agreed - way too little Classics Builds, especially Morrowind ones. Show TES III some love! haha