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WIP Build: The Reaver

Tags: #Vampire  #Blood Magick  #Bloodskal Blade  #Dragon Age  #Reaver 
  • Member
    May 18, 2018

     

    Foreword: As you may have guessed already by the name, this build is heavily inspired by the Reaver specialization from the Dragon Age Series and seeks to replicate that playstyle as faithfully as possible in the world of the Elder Scrolls.

     

    (Unknown Year: The Crypt) 

    Darkness.

    She always woke to darkness, and even as she stirred, her fingers twitching at her sides, she wondered - was she even awake? How long had she slept? Was it light out, or dark?

    It was no use – Svarah’d lost all concept of time years ago. Decades? Centuries?

    Longer?

    Even her memories were fading away, and it grew ever harder to remember anything before the darkness. Before she was entombed in this sarcophagus, this…prison.

    Now and then, she sensed the faintest hint of power, of blood, of…life, but it always faded as quickly as it had come. Devoted guards sacrificed a little of their life essence every day, but that didn’t compare to times when some foolish adventurer stumbled into her tomb seeking treasure. After quickly dispatching the unwitting intruder, her guards would drain his blood and let it slowly drip into the mouth of her sarcophagus.

    But some time ago it had changed, the blood. Its taste was unlike that of men or mer or even dov. And it coursed through her veins with a seductive power that left her wanting more.

    Her guards’ life essence could no longer sustain her as it once had – her body cried only for blood. Subtly at first, it called to her, but soon the bloodlust grew insatiable, irresistible.

    Unbearable.

    She burned within her crypt. Rarely, she was able to focus her mind, cast it back to before – before she was entombed. When she’d walked free under open skies. It became her solace, then, those hazy memories of a time when she’d had enough power to break out of her prison and crush those who had trapped her here.

    (Late Merethic Era: Before the Dragon War) 

    The ground was slick with blood, the blood of the Snow Elves. Svarah’s warband had routed and slaughtered yet another pocket of the treacherous mer, once again earning her honor-name: Blood-Blade.

    Svarah’s combat prowess was unmatched, and her mastery of the Arcane differed from that of other Clever Men. Her magick coursed within her armor, enhancing it, making it stronger. Bound magick coursed along the blade of her sword, releasing in waves of powerful blasts with each swing.

    No one on the battlefield expected magick from a woman like Svarah – clad in heavy armor and wielding a great blade in both her hands. And Svarah used this eccentricity to her advantage, rarely failing to take her enemies by surprise.

    Her efforts against the Elves had even gained the recognition of the Dragon Priesthood, who sought to test her abilities. Her trials were many, but after years fraught with hardship and war, the Dragon Priests called her to Bromjunaar.

    “There is power in Blood, but the greatest power comes from the blood of the dragon. Taking that blood into yourself unlocks your true potential as a Dragon Priest. How it manifests,” Nahkriin said, handing the Chalice to Svarah, “is up to you. Drinking of the Blood binds your destiny to the Dovah and will awaken the dragon inside you. You will serve the Dov and preside over the lands of man to ensure the small folk stay loyal. Do you accept this gift we offer you?” 

    “Yes,” Svarah replied, and drank deep of the chalice.

    “I now name you Konahrik, for your tireless campaigns in freeing the land of the Elven scum.”

    Svarah felt the power awaken within her body - a primal power. And with it, boundless knowledge of the Thu’um.

    “Here,” Rhagot said, handing her an intricately carved mask, “the mask of a Dragon Priest, forged by the dovah themselves. Wear it with pride.”

    And Svarah did. In Atmora, the Dragon Priests had been lauded by the people for being fair and just rulers. They’d mete out just punishment to those who deserved it, but on the whole, they’d provided well for their subjects.

    But here, in their new homeland, cruelty and fanaticism began to take hold. Svarah slowly began to see a different picture unfold, and over time she became disillusioned with the with Dragon Priesthood.

    (Late Merethic Era: The Early Dragon War) 

    Rebellion had begun. Years of mistreatment and enslavement under Alduin’s Dragon Cult had broken man. They rebelled against their Dragon Masters, and the lands bled for it.

    When the Dragon Priests convened a Summit to decide how to deal with the rebellion, Svarah rose, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.

    “What has befallen you, this rebellion,” Svarah said, in a strong and steady voice, “is on your heads. Your tyranny has led men to call for your blood. Just as you have made them bleed for too many years.”

    The priests turned on her swiftly, capturing her and stripping her of her power and belongings, scattering them to different corners of the land. They entombed her in a crypt to await the judgement of Alduin.

    But judgement never came…

    (Present Day: The Crypt) 

    The blood stirred. Not her hunger, but something ancient. Something Svarah had not felt for eons. The dragon blood – the power of the dovah – coursed through her body once more. She was awake.

    Whatever magick held the sarcophagus shut had weakened enough for her to break through the seal, and with an ear-splitting crack, the lid broke open and crashed to the floor.

    Svarah crumpled to the ground in agony, her muscles stiff and weak. Light shone through a crack in the ceiling and burned her eyes. Svarah curved a hand over her brow and looked around.

    Shrivelled and desiccated bodies of her guards lay still on the crypt’s floor, and Svarah panicked, pulling her hands in front of her face and ignoring the painful sunlight’s glare. She’d feared the worst, but her body was…whole. Deathly pale and weak, but whole. 

    More than alive, she thought, feeling the dragon blood surge through her veins. But did this mean…

    Yes, Alduin had finally come. Judgement had arrived. After an eternity of quiet, the World Eater had returned, but Svarah vowed then and there - she was not going to be taken without a fight…. 

    Essential Mods:

    Sacrosanct - Sacrosanct completely overhauls vampirism in Skyrim, adding in many different passive and active abilities as well as a few race specefic traits and even a couple of small quests.

    Ordinator - This mod does a total revamp of the Perk tree adding dozens of new skills to learn.

    20 Percent More Perk Points - A well-balanced option in my opinion when used with Ordinator installed. There are many new perks to choose, and having an extra skill point to spend every five levels helps to get those perks that would otherwise take a few more level ups to get.

    Summermyst - Fixes some vanilla enchantments but also adds in a plethora of new and interesting enchantments to learn.

    Andromeda Standing Stones - Overhauls vanilla Standing Stones allowing for all-new roleplaying options. Each stone feels truly unique and can't be replicated like the most vanilla stones could.

    Imperious Races - Breathes new life into the racial system, including new racial attributes, passives and unlockable abilities via a race specific quest.

    Thunderchild - Adds in 30 new shouts and several mini quests that can unlock additional shout-related powers.

    Volkihar Knight Armor - Add three new vampire themed heavy armor sets, that each have a unique effect. We will be using the Royal Guard variant.

    Recommended Mods:

    Wildcat/Smilodon - Overhauls damage and many combat features and allows you to customize your combat experience.

    Mortal Enemies - Tweaks enemy AI and hitboxes creating more fluent combat.

    Rebalanced Encounter Zones - Essentially this randomizes enemy leveling, generally making most encounters much tougher.

    Rotmulaag - Adds every vanilla shout as a meditateable word of power with Parthunaax. Fully voice acted and expertly crafted it fits seemlessly into the vanilla game.

    Enchantments unleashed - Essentially takes item restriction off all vanilla armor enchantments so you can place it where you want.

    Better Bloodskal Blade - Slightly tweaks The Bloodskal Blade's stats making it equivalent to ebony tier. The blast now does 70 points of damage. If you have all of the combat mods above installed you should find it is well balanced. If not wait until mid game before picking it up.

    Alternate Start - With this installed you can pick one of several scenarios on how to start your character's story off in Skyrim. For Svarah I had her start off as a vampire in a secluded lair. (Moldering Ruins above Rorikstead for me. But it just drops you off at a random vamp lair, so you may start elsewhere).

     

    Nord Vampire: With Imperious races installed Svarah will start out with a 25% resistance to frost. A passive effect known as the "Purge" which will allow Svarah to choose up to three races to do bonus damage to at levels 10, 20 and 30 (Altmer, Bosmer and Dunmer) and an innate ability to do more damage the lower her health gets.  She also gets an unlockable power called "Avatar" which she can use to regenenrate stamina and magicka once a day.

    With Sacrosanct installed being a vampire will allow Svarah to reanimate one slain enemy per battle for free. The power is called "From Ancient Soil".

    Name: Svarah  Blood-Blade

    Gender: Female

    Age: 4000 Years + (Magickally entombed from the early events of The Dragon war until 4th Era Skyrim)

    Standing Stone: Atronach - With the Atronach Stone Svarah can "Link" her Blood Magick to her blade with Spellscribe, because of the spell cost reduction. The unlockable ability "Devour From Within" is a very potent health absorbing ability that will paralyze a living target absorbing 50 magicka per second for 10 seconds, but will absorb health once the targets magicka depletes. This is important to note. For Svarah health absorption is key, so this will instantly be far more effective against non spell casting enemies i.e. warriors, archers and wild animals. Not to say it's ineffectual against mages, it can still be extremely useful at locking them down and helping Svarah finish them quickly. (You must find all standing stones to unlock Devour from Within). 

    Morality/Personality: Lawful Neutral Svarah has a strong sense of honor for the better or for the worse. She will stand for what's right and tries more often than not to choose the decision that would bring about the most good, at the same time she feels a deep disconnect from the world she has awoken to and doesn't feel at all familiar with the peoples or their beliefs. Which at times can make her seem callous or careless to those around her. She respects her adversaries and would never cut down an enemy who is without means of defence or is too lame to fight back. She tries to help those in need where possible but only if they are unable to help themselves. She has extreme disdain for elves but can keep her rage in check due to her strong sense of self.

    Chaotic Evil. As your journey with Svarah progresses, and she develops a taste for blood her honorable personality will begin to dissolve. Slowly at first but the more the urge to feed calls and the more she taps into the dark power of vampirism the faster she will become corrupted by the power at her finger tips. Always at odds with herself, fighting the primal urge of growing bloodlust it becomes even harder to resist the urge of being consumed by pure rage when in the presence of mer folk which she abhors with an almost religious fervor. It's like the darkness is always pulling at her trying to consume her leaving her teetering at the edge of a void there is no turning back from.

    You ultimately choose whether she is fully corrupted by vampirsim like the priests she hunts were corrupted by power.  Or if she is able to cling to a lingering sense of humanity... 

    Find All Standing Stones - An untracked quest, but an integral ability to unlock. Svarah seeks the knowledge from the ancient stones of Skyrim to further enhance her powers.

    The Final Descent - The final resting place of the Bloodskal Blade is in Bloodskal Barrow. Svarah can sense the ancient blade's magickal properties and seeks to reunite with it once more.

    Blue Blood - There is power in blood, and there is even more power in the blood of those who have achieved greatness. Drink of the blood of mortal leaders and unlock the power hidden within the essence of Svarah's immortal vampire blood.

    Dragon Priest Quests - A personal quest of vengence and retribution. Svarah seeks to destroy the priests who betrayed and entombed her to regain that which was taken from her.

    College of Winterhold - Now Svarah is no mage though she does know some magical applications, her power lies in binding magical energy into her blade and armor. Through her search for the Dragon Priests she has discovered that Morokei lies within Labrynthian and the mages have the key. They agree to allow her entry after she displays the power of her Th'um. (You can gain entry this way when Parthunaax tells you that you need to find the elder scroll).

    Main Quest - Alduin has risen again and with him his priests and their servants. Svarah means to strike the first blow this time. Seek to end Alduin and exact revenge as soon as possible.

    Dragon Born - Mirrak an Ancient Priest who also defied the Dragon Cult is rumored to have returned as well but has been corrupted by Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. He seeks to enslave the island of Solstheim, Svarah cannot stand for the enslavemnt of the innocent and seeks to end his malice. (Or if Chaotic Evil she seeks to usurp his power).

    Dawnguard - Upon meeting Serana, Svarah is intrigued to learn more about secrets of the vampire and if the power within can aid her in her quest to destroy Alduin and his Priests.

     

     

     

    Early Game Gear:

    Ancient Nord Armor Set: This is the armor Svarah is the most familiar with as it is a product of her time. It can be acquired relatively early in Forelhost during the Siege on the Dragon Cult quest. Just be prepared for a tough fight as this is one of the hardest dungeons in the game in my opinion.

    Ancient Nord Great Sword: Found in most ancient nord tombs

    Mid Game Gear:

    Bloodskal Blade - The Blade can be found in Bloodskal Barrow underneath Raven Rock. Svarah seeks to reunite herself with her ancient blade once more. (Funnily enough the Dragon Priest whom resides in the barrow is called Zahkriisos, which when translated from Dovahzul loosely means Bloody Sword. The blade will also do extra damage to this one Priest as well).

    Volkihar Knight Set (Royal Gaurd Variant) - The Royal Guard variant of this armor is perfect for the Reaver archetype as it has an innate ability to absorb 20 points of health every second for 4 seconds, and also knocks the target down. (This is a 15 percent chance on being struck).

    End Game Gear

    Reaver's Totem (Enchanted) - The jarl of Falkreath hold is in posession of an Ancient Nordic amulet. Svarah "acquires" the amulet and enchants it with Influence: Fear (Summermyst - creatures and people flee from wearer within x radius depending on level) and Fire Resistance.

    Blood Ring (Enchanted) - Plain gold ring (Silver hurts vampires) enchanted with Imminent Victory (Summeryst - take up to x% less damage from enemy attacks the further their health drops below 50%) and  Regen Health.

    Enchanted Volkihar Knight Set (Royal Gaurd Variant) Hood - Fortify Health and Stamina. Gauntlets - Fortify Stamina Regen and Resist Magic. Boots - Fortify Destruction and Fortify Stamina Regen. Cuirass - Cheat Death (Summermyst - Take x% less damage when health falls below 25%) and Regen Health.

    Konhariik - Svarah's mask of power, her "Reward" for slaying all the Dragonpriests in mainland Skyrim. With all the masks in hand go to labyrinthian and equip the wooden mask to acquire Konhariik. 

     

    There are a few shouts that are particularly useful for this build. But to really appreciate how awesome it can be I would highly recommend using Thunderchild and Rotmulaag. Thunderchild unlocks many new shouts some of which go so well with the build it'd be hard to pass up. One example would be the "Kingsbane" Shout, which when used in the right scenario can completely turn the tide of a battle. And an ability to refresh active shout cooldown once a day. Thunder Child accompanied with Ordinator and Rotmulaag truly makes you feel like a dragonborn, you can win entire fights with just your Th'um.

    Rotmulaag on the other hand does not add in any new shouts. It instead adds new words to meditate on with Parthunaax, in a fully voice acted experience. You can swap out the meditation at any time via a journal your character keeps, which means you don't have to visit Parthunaax every time you want somthing new. The word I chose was Gaan (Drain Vitality) which gives you a passive called Til the Last Drop, which makes all absorption effects 25% more effective.

    • Dismay - Svarah's voice is so powerful that none but the most mighty will stand and face her. (Fear Effect)
    • Dragon Aspect - The dragonblood runs hot within Svarah's veins and in times of need she can take on the very nature of a dovah, becoming terrifyingly powerful 
    • Kingsbane - The voice brings all would be assailants to thier knees. (Knocks foes back or down in a radius around Svarah. At full power you can even "crush" launched enemies in a timed scenario).
    • War Cry - When battle fatigued or heavily wounded and out of options Svarah can use the voice to regain mortal energies.
    • Disarm - Svarah's voice rends the weapons from her foes grasp.
    • Curse - You reflect damage up to 7 times back at the attacker (still take normal damage). 
    • Become Ethereal - The voice protects Svarah from harm. This shout is very useful when facing mages and dragons. You can also get a free power attack and the Reaving Slash ability does not cancel the shout.

     

    Attributes: 1:2:0

    Major: 

    Two Handed - Svarah's main source damage she is a true force to be reckoned with when she has a great blade in her hands.

    Perks of note:

    • Death or glory - Two handed power attacks deal up to 100% more damage below half health. Damage bonus increases as health decreases.
    • Massacre - In combat, Swinging a two handed weapon has 10% chance to increase attack speed by 175% for 3 seconds.
    • Slayer of a Thousand Sons - In combat two handed weapons deal 5% more damage for each enemy you have slain in the previous battle up to 40%.

    Heavy ArmorThe sight of Svarah clad in heavy armor is enough to break some enemies and send them fleeing from their ranks.

    Perks of note:

    • Rise Above - If wearing all heavy armor, you intmidate enemies within 15 feet, They lose 5%attack damage and you gain 5% attack damage for each enemy affected.
    • Primal Fear - If wearing all heavy armor, walking (but not running) towards enemies within 30 feet in front of you may break their confidence, causing them to flee for 8 seconds.
    • Revel in Battle - Whenever struck by an enemy your melee weapon damage increases by 3% for 10 seconds. This effect stacks.

    Speech - Svarah has learned to channel the Dragonblood within her to great effect. Her Th'um is so strong that not even a Dovah could match it for raw power. 

    Perks of note:

    • Windborne - Shouting summons up a divine wind, granting 30% extra attack damage and 15% increased movement speed for 15 seconds. This effect stacks.
    • Hurricane Force - Shouts that affect others are 1% more powerful per level of speech.
    • Thu'um of War - Your Shouts stagger nearby enemies within 25 feet, reducing armor rating by 300 points for 10 seconds. Enemies below 25% health are knocked down.

    Enchanting  - Svarah has learned to weave her magick into her gear and create a bond between spell and blade.

    Perks of note:

    • Thunder Struck - Weapon enchantments are 25% more effective when delivered by a power attack (or 50% for a two handed power attack). This effects Bloodskal Blade.
    • Spellscribe - Grants the 'Spellscribe" power: use it to store the spell you are dual casting. Your power attacks and power bashes unleash the stored spell for free, with a cooldown based on Enchanting skill. Use a hemomancy spell, it is also worth noting that this effects power attacks in Vampire Lord form.
    • Twin Enchantment - Can place two enchantments on the same item.

    Minor:

    Smithing - Spending much time on the battle field Svarah has great knowledge in the upkeep and maintance of her armor.

    Perks of note:

    • Arcane Blacksmith - You can improve enchanted weapons and armor.
    • Exotic Smithing (Crystaline) - You can craft ebony tier gear and improve them twice as much. Volkihar Knight armor requires this perk.

    Block - Svarah is very much an offence is the best type of defence kind of person, but knows that there are certain times when one must parry an attack.

    Perks of note: 

    • Block Mastery 2/2 - Block up to 20% more damage
    • Power Bash - Holding down bash will unleash a power bash that will do extra stagger to enemies. It will also activate Spellscribe.

    Destruction Svarah uses her knowledge of Blood Magick to link it to her blade.

    Perks of note:

    • Destruction Mastery 2/2 - Destruction spells cost 50% less Magicka and are 0.5% more powerful per level of Destruction.
    • Destruction Dual Casting - Dual Casting a Destruction spell empowers it, increasing effectiveness and cost. Needed to activate Spellscribe. Spellscribe also levels Destruction which will make Hemomancy Spalls more powerful. 

    The path of The Reaver is as much a quest in it self as any other. There is much power in the blood to be unlocked, but as always, power is not freely given; it must be earned.  Are you worthy to take on the mantle of The Reaver or will the power corrupt you?

    Vampire: 

    Wassail -  Lose humanity below 25% Health in combat, draining Health, Magicka and Stamina until combat ends. Also reduces them by 10 points until you feed.

    Blood Revel -  (Power) In combat, gain 25% bonus attack damage and spell effectiveness for 120 seconds or until combat ends, but activate Wassail. (Only when not sated, unless you have King among Kine).

    Blood Cauldron - (Power)  Expend some of your Vampiric blood to replenish Health, Magicka and Stamina, becoming thirstier. (Only when sated).

    Flaywind - (Greater Power) Target person within 10 feet flees while vampire bats absorb 25 Health per second for 30 seconds. If the target dies, counts as feeding. (Only while blood starved, unless you have King among Kine).

    Vampires Seduction - (Greater Power)  Silently bewitches a person up to level 10 for 30 seconds, calming them and allowing you to feed. (Can be used in combat).

    Vampiric Age: 

    King Among Kine - You no longer lose any powers when feeding.

    Dance with the Beast - Attack damage dealt doubled and attack damage taken halved while affected by Wassail, until combat ends.

    Blood Knight - Able to feed on staggered enemies in combat for 50 points of Stamina.

    Blue Blood Quest:

    Potence - Vampiric strength grants 15% more attack damage, increased to 30% when Sated.

    Vampire Lord Form:

    Starving Artist - In mortal form, Hemomancy spells used against people absorb Health equal to 25% of their base damage (dealing that much extra damage and healing the caster for the same amount). Killing people with Hemomancy spells advances your Vampire Lord perks. 

    Make Them Beautiful - In mortal form, Hemomancy spells used against people have 25% chance to tear apart victims below 25% Health, instantly killing them.

    White Wolf - Your Vampire's Seduction power now works on targets 15 levels higher and you may Drain people under its effect regardless of how thirsty you are. Additionally, Draining a sleeping or seduced victim advances Vampire Lord perks.

    Dragon at midnight - You gain 4 perk points to spend in your other perk trees. However, when you are Blood Starved, contact with Sunlight will instantly destroy you!

    Hemomancy Spells:

    Blood Seed: (Apprentice) Jagged bone shards grow in a living or undead target, dealing 6 magic damage for 10 seconds. (1 draining)

    Blood Brand: (Adept) Living or undead target takes 5 magic damage per second. After 10 seconds, detonates for 100 damage. (3 drainings)

    The Reaver: A true Reaver has tasted the ritually-prepared blood of a dragon. It is more than a state of mind. These fearsome warriors revel in death, regaining energy from the suffering of their foes. (Dragon Age 2 Reaver Specialization)

    Reaving Slash - Bloodskal Blade + Spellscribe (Hemomancy Spell) + Starving Artist + Make Them Beautiful

    When Svarah power attacks with her sword she sends forth a wave of Blood Magick and psychic energy, rending into the flesh of her foes and replenishing her vitality. Weakened foes may even be torn to shreds by her power.  

    Blood Frenzy - Warriors Heart + Death or Glory 

     The more hits Svarah takes the deadlier she becomes. 

    Unleash the Beast - Blood Frenzy + Blood Revel + Dance with the Beast + Wassail  

    When pressed Svarah taps into her own life force to enhance Blood Frenzy, cleaving a bloody swath through her foes, in an intense bloodlust. 

    Dovah Rage - Unleash the Beast + Dragon Aspect + Windborne + Thu'um of War 

    When surrounded by many powerful foes, Svarah calls upon the Dragon Blood to lay waste to those around her, staggering them and weakening their spirits, while simultaneously gaining a spur of immense power. This is the most powerful ability in her arsenal, calling on the strengths of several lesser abilities all at once. 

    Consume - Blood Knight or Flaywind or Vampires Seduction (Buffed with White Wolf)

    Embracing the beast can be taxing but the drawbacks need not be permanant. Svarah can draw power from the blood of her enemies to heal the effects of wassail.

    Blood Tide - Blood Cauldron or Devour from Within

    When Svarah teeters too close to the edge of her life force she can call on the blood of past feeding to replenish her health, or single out a target paralyzing it in fear and drawing in it's life force to heal herself. (Devour from Within works best on non mage classes).

    Terrifying Presence (Passive Effect) - Rise Above + Influence: Fear Enchantment (Reavers Totem) 

     Svarah is fueled by the cowardice of her enemies, the more they fear her the stronger she becomes. Some will even flee the field at the very sight of her. 

     

    Gameplay

    This build involves very aggressive gameplay. Offense is Svarah's best defence. Don't be afraid to let your health drop a bit. Your enemies will find that the more they hurt you the more fearsome you become much to thier dismay. Make the most out of the abilities above. They all help to optimise a playstyle that is focused around damage output and health management.

    Combat

    Melee enemies - Use heavy hitting power attacks to decimate groups of melee opponents and also to unleash the reaving slash ability on more distant targets. If faced with a particuarly large group use Dismay to rout the weaker enemies giving you time to focus on a single target.

    Magic Users and Dragons - When facing mages and dragons Become Ethereal is your go to shout. Reading a dragons body language and carefully listening for when it's about to use it's Th'um, you can easily make the most out of this shout. when faced with mages you can use this shout to close the distance with them particularly flame wielding adversaries. Once Dragonrend is unlocked dragons become much easier to deal with.

    Archers - With a high armor rating archers are not as much of an issue but a high level archer can still be quite damaging so Become Ethereal can be helpful with them as well. Or just the good ol' Fus Ro Dah tactic.

    Difficulty

    I slowly ramped up the difficulty as I leveled to keep the gameplay balanced. One reason I did not use any enchantments or potions that buffed Two Handed damage was because Svarah is already insanely powerful. With an epic smithed Bloodskal Blade by end game I was doing 110 to 145 damage per swing depending on vampiric thirst. And thats before using abilties like Unleash the Beast.

    This is how I used the difficulty. Levels 1 - 25 on Adept, levels 25 - 40 on expert and level 40 - 50 on Master.

     

    For a look into how combat runs check out this gamplay video. And over all just enjoy yourself. It's not everyday you get to be an all powerful Ancient Vampiric Dragon Preistess!

     

    Well shit what can I say this one took a while. What you see here is the end product of one hell of a drawn out process. I had a lot of fun creating the backstory to this character and then seeing how to fit it in with a Dragon Age specialization. And am really pleased with how it turned out. I am glad to be able to share this one with you all and hope you get as much fun out of playing Svarah as I did.

    I'd like to thank all of you who helped me out with "The Reaver" along the way. A special shout out to Ilanisilver for helping with the story and proof reading, and another to Phil for pointing me in the right direction to find some awesome lore around the Dragon War and Dragon Priests. The build has been made all the better thanks to the both of you!!

    Lastly I'd like to put forth a little disclaimer. All the art (Not Screenshots or Banners) was done by other authors, and I do not take credit for their work. So a shout out to them for creating some awesome pictures.

    If you liked this build and would like to see more by me check more of my builds by clicking the links below. Thanks and hope you enjoy The Reaver - Furrion.

     

     

  • May 20, 2018

    Man, alright I'm going to need to get a bit more familiar with Sacrosanct before I delve into this build too much Furrion. I'm loving it (bit of a sucker for feale vampires though :P) but most of this seems to use Sacrosanct fairly heavily and it's not something I can comment on reasonbly. 

    It seems fucking cool though, just, so interesting already and that's with me only knowing half the build (btw's, get those mod links in early, makes it easier for readers to jump in and see your thought process).

  • Member
    May 20, 2018

    Mate it just keeps getting better lol. I didn't know to much about Sacrosanct before today either. I had a descent idea for how I wanted the build. But dude it's far exceded what I thought I could do with it already. I'm actually able to make a legit Reaver build out of this mod, which is f***ing EPIC!!!

  • May 20, 2018
    Oh man, read up Deebs because this build is going to be badass!
  • Member
    May 20, 2018
    Haha thanks Ty, its definitely different to any Skyrim playthrough I've done before that's for sure. I'm just surprised at how many passive effects I'm coming across that suit the theme of a Dragon Age Reaver. Hell it's my build and I'm even fanboying over it lmao!!
  • Member
    May 26, 2018

    Hey guys, been working on this build for a little while now. Not quite there yet still got a few more sections to finish adding info in here and there. Just after some thoughts. Does the presentation reliably match the theme of a reaver/vampire/ancient nord? Do the ability names sound Reaver like etc. Thoughts and critisicims welcome :)

  • May 29, 2018

    Righteo, time to jump into some thoughts. I think at the moment a glaring issue with the build is how long the backstory is. It shoves the reader directly into reading a pretty large amount of text, and most of it is honestly a bit excessive. That's not to say it isn't interesting, but I think focusing on the important aspects of the character's backstory will make the build itself better.

    I think this is especially the case in a build like this because you need to focus on the gameplay and mods for it to work at all. Your going to have to explain so much about more than a vanilla build, and I just think the longer backstory won't really work, mostly because it's completely seperate from gameplay. Here's a very rough cut of what I consider crucial to the character.  She drinks the blood of a dragon, was a member of the Dragon Priests, was sealed away because she had an issue with Alduin, woke up when he returned. It's a lot shorter, easier to read in the smaller amounts and I think gives you more room to work on the character as a whole. 

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    (Late Merethic Era: Before the Dragon War) 

    Her efforts against the Elves eventually had gained the recognition of the Dragon Priest Hood who sought to test her abilities. The trials were many and after years fraught with hardship and war she was invited to a summit at Bromjunaar. “There is power in Blood, but the greatest power comes from the blood of the dragon. Taking that blood into yourself unlocks your true potential as a Dragon Priest. How it manifests is up to you however”. ” She felt the power in her awaken a primal power and with it came the knowledge of the Th’um. “Here the mask of a Dragon Priest, forged by the dovah themselves. Where it with pride”. Rhagot handed her the mask and she donned it.

    (Late Merethic Era: The Early Dragon War) 

    Rebellion had begun. Years of mistreatment and enslavement under Alduin’s Dragon Cult had broken man. They rebelled against their Dragon Masters and the lands bled for it. When the Dragon Priests convened a Summit to discuss how to deal with the rebellion, Svarah had voiced her opinion on the tyranny that had befallen them. The priests turned on her swiftly, capturing her and striping her of her power and belongings, scattering them to different corners of the land. They entombed her in a crypt to await the judgement of Alduin. But judgement never came… 

    Present Day: The Crypt) 

    The blood stirred, not the hunger but something more ancient something she had not felt for eons. The magick holding the sarcophagus had weakened enough for her to break through the seal and with an ear-splitting crack the lid broke open and crashed to the floor She felt the dragon blood within her stir again and knew that Judgement had arrived. After an eternity of quiet the World Eater had returned and she was not going to be taken without a fight….

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    I still do like your writing, and want to encourage it more. So what I might suggest is giving a Roleplaying Profile a shot along with the build. There giving more information on the backstory makes sense and you can use the two to improve each other. Directing people from the build to the RP Profile gives you more room to focus on the more important aspects of a build (gameplay, combat, the mods and so on) while still putting as much effort into the Roleplaying, explanation of the character, backstroy and other RP stuff. 

    It's something I'd think about because I think it'd improve the overall quality of your builds.

    Other then that. The presentation is rather nice so far, I think the backstory section had a few too many images before and felt cluttered, but the rest of the build was very pleasing to look at without coming across as too much. I really do have to see more text there to make a final decision but so far, yeah the layout is really good. 

  • Member
    May 31, 2018

    Hey man thanks for checking over it, I'll try to adress everything that you've mentioned here. I'll start off with what I disagree with and then get what I do agree with. 

    Disagree (Or not entirely agree with due to differing perspectives)

    1. Story

    I personaly think it's a reasonable length (definantly the shortest I've done so far anyhow), but maybe the picture placement makes it seem longer than what it actually is (I kinda like the pictures though as they kinda go with the story)? It's less than half the length of the condensed version of The Shadow of Dawn, and just a bit shorter than The Stormrider. I'll admit I may take a bit of grandeur in writing lengthier stories than most (and believe me I really did try to keep this one short :D), but I'd argue that the story is just as integral to this character as the rest of the build will be. While I do like the idea of doing an RP profile or perhaps writing another full length backstory like I did for the Shadow, I'm not sure that this one needs it, at least as it is (Though thats through talking to a few other guys from the vault who actually thought the story could be longer and more indepth). I geuss everyone has thier own preference when it comes to certain things no? If it were longer than what it is currently I most certainly would agree with making it separate as a RP profile or story. Take a quick read of this and I'll continue the discussion below.

    (Unknown Year: The Crypt) Darkness. She would always wake to darkness, was she even awake what was the year, was it even day outside? Svarah had lost track of the concept of time long ago, time beyond count. Her memories were beginning to falter and it was growing ever harder to remember anything before the darkness. Before she was entombed in this sarcophagus this prison. Now and then she would detect the faint transferral of power, of blood, of life, but it was always gone as quickly as it had come. The guards would give her their life essence every day but that would never compare to when some foolish adventurer stumbled into her tomb seeking treasures. The guards would make quick work of the intruder and then drain their blood and let it slowly drip into the mouth of her sarcophagus. But some time ago it had changed. The blood of the victim had tasted different, not like the blood of men or mer or even dov, but different, there was a certain power in it. It didn’t take long for the guard’s life essence to no longer sustain her as it once had, now her body only called for blood. It was subtle at first but it soon became an insatiable lust. Her only solace was when she could focus her mind to remember back, before she was entombed, back beyond the darkness to a time when she had been free to walk under the open sky. A time when she would have had enough power to break out of this prison and crush those who had trapped her here.

    1. Story Continued

    Without this paragraph readers will be left wondering "What? How the frig did this ancient dragon priest lady become a vampire before vampires even exited in the world"? Point being that I subtly hint that she gets fed the blood of a vampire while entombed. It also lends perspective to how she was able to differ in apearence to that of the Draugr and other Dragon Priests by retaining some semblence of her mortality if you will.

    Anyway that's just my opinion on the story and I can totally see where your coming from. I geuss it's just a matter of perspective, I'm pulled in far more by a build if it has a well written backstory rather than by the other aspects a build has to offer, (Not at all saying that gameplay isn't important however) and it reflects in how I present my own builds :)

     

    What I do agree with (And whole heartedly at that)

    1. I totally agree with ya on the fact that i'm goona need to put a lot more into the gameplay and how certain mods work if i'm gonna sell the build. As it primarily relies on Sacrosanct I've devoted it's own section just for that purpose (Essential Vampirie perks). And other mechaniics like the chance life drain effect from the armor to the passive effects from ordinator all desere a solid amount of explaining. I am purposely putting the vampire perks section close to abilities so that it remains fresh in the readers head as to what I'm talking about. Last thing ya want is for someone to get to to the abilities/talents section and come across lets say the "Consume" Talent and wonder what the heck Flaywind is because it was talked about way back at the start of the build.

    So yea this builds still by in large is in it's infancy and I've no Illusion that it's gonna take a lot more time to get every thing in there. But when it's done it's gonna be good. I'm def's a quality over quantity type of person when comes to doing things. I'll say this though, I've been rather busy the last week and it doesn't look to change anytime soon. So this build is gonna be a slow going process, but I am intent to keep at it.

    I appreciate you droping by DB, and leaving ya thoughts. It's great to get multiple perspectives of what everyone likes, (the tricky part trying to cater to everyones likes lol)it really does help me to form new and creative ideas to implement into my builds :)

  • May 31, 2018
    I appreciate you droping by DB, and leaving ya thoughts. It's great to get multiple perspectives of what everyone likes, (the tricky part trying to cater to everyones likes lol)it really does help me to form new and creative ideas to implement into my builds :)

    I was going to leave a long ass comment, but I think my answer to this sums it up. At the end of the day, I always want to allow people to bring their own personal styles to builds, and if it's longer backstories...eh fine, there are worse things people do or did (autoplay music >.>) So I might recommend someone to not do something or to do something, but they can disagree and do what they want still :)

  • May 31, 2018

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    I appreciate you droping by DB, and leaving ya thoughts. It's great to get multiple perspectives of what everyone likes, (the tricky part trying to cater to everyones likes lol)it really does help me to form new and creative ideas to implement into my builds :)

    I was going to leave a long ass comment, but I think my answer to this sums it up. At the end of the day, I always want to allow people to bring their own personal styles to builds, and if it's longer backstories...eh fine, there are worse things people do or did (autoplay music >.>) So I might recommend someone to not do something or to do something, but they can disagree and do what they want still :)

     

    I might suggest writing a summary for the build and then creating an accompanying thread in the story corner. I really like Furrion's stories but a build is kind of a culmination of a lot of things we have entire groups for elsewhere so they can definitely get cluttered and excessive pretty easily. Personally, I like to keep mine relatively concise and link to a septate tips/tricks article or a roleplay profile or whatever I feel might need more attention. It keeps your builds manageable and easier to read while giving you a chance to elaborate on important aspects of the character and also gives the groups more content and yourself more representation across the site.