Character Building Based on Combat Mechanics

  • I got tired of keeping information such as this here and there... so I'm putting it here.

    The reason why I started this unfinished list is that it would help me with character building. Personally I was never fond of pure melee characters, as I always fancied to have time to decide my next actions in case I would need it. That is, before the baddies get to me. But favouring one archetype over another would eventually be just that, a personal choice, the list below being able to help with the creation of any character. I should probably mention I am playing Skyrim vanilla, on PC, and I'm not using any mods. And I don't enjoy exploits or game breaking (overpowered) mechanics. Meaning for example... if I decide on a character who uses Sneak and Daggers, then I would give the character penalties, for example increasing the Health pool or using Armor would not be allowed. And maybe it doesn't change much but I play on Master.

    So, considering all three major archetypes, Combat, Magic and Stealth, I came up with a sort of list of how a character is helped by skills/ items to 1. do more damage, 2. mitigate damage (take less damage than he/ she should) and 3. avoid damage altogether.

    1. DAMAGE DEALING
    - weapon/ shield
        - damage done (One-handed, Two-Handed, Shield, Unarmed, Conjuration, Smithing, Alchemy, Enchanting)
        - weapon range
        - critical strike potential
    - spell
        - Destruction
        - Alchemy (Fortify Skill - not more damage, but more magicka, hence more damage over a period of time)
        - Enchanting (Fortify Skill)
    - Shouts (Marked for Death or Unrelenting Force to name just a few)
    - Pickpocketing (if opponents don't have armor, you deal more damage)
    - food - Vegetable Stew, Elsweyr Fondue... - more Magicka/ Stamina means more damage

    2. DAMAGE MITIGATION (decreasing damage taken)
    - Pickpocketing - Pickpocket (no weapon used against you means less damage taken)
    - Armor - Light/ Heavy, Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy
    - Blocking - Block, Alchemy
    - Unique items - Spellbreaker and others
    - Magic Armor - aka. Flesh Spells (Alteration)
    - Magic Resistance (Restoration/ Alchemy/ Enchanting/ Alteration/ Blocking)
    - Spell Absorption (Destruction/ Alteration/ Racial/ Stone)

    3. DAMAGE AVOIDANCE
    - fleeing (needs a large Stamina pool or Potions/ Alchemy)
    - evasion (combat grounds exploitation - manipulation of surrounding space)
    - Sneaking (Sneak/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
    - Muffle (Illusion/ Enchanting)
    - Invisibility (Illusion/ Alchemy/ Shout - Become Ethereal)
    - The Steed (Stone - 0 weight on Armor)
    - Detect Life/ Undead (Alteration)/ Shout
    - Paralyze (Alteration/ Alchemy/ Enchanting/ One-handed)
    - Stagger (One-handed, Two-Handed, Destruction/ Archery/ Block/ Alteration + Enchanting [through Paralyze's stagger] Shout)
    - Summon creatures - Conjure/ Reanimate (Conjuration), staves
    - Slow (Destruction/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
    - Fear (Illusion/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
    - Frenzy (Illusion/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)
    - Pacify (Illusion/ Items - staves)
    - Turn Undead (Restoration/ Enchanting)
    - Banish (Conjuration/ Enchanting)
    - Waterbreathing (Alteration/ Alchemy/ Enchanting)

    This usually helps me when building characters, be they minimalist or powerhouses because it allows me to choose between the mechanics the characters would use.

Comments

2 Comments
  • Batman
    Batman   ·  August 20, 2013
    Hi Sihastru,
    could you please re-post this in the character build group, as it would be a much better place for it then the blog area :)
    Charlie (blog host)
  • Sihastru
    Sihastru   ·  August 20, 2013
    Based on the above list I can think of creating a character who would be, let's say, a ranger.
    Obviously, the weapon of choice would be the bow/ crossbow then I can decide whether or not the character would use several ways of increasing the direct ...  more