Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Song of Y'ffre

Tags: #Race:Bosmer  #Rank:Recognized 
  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    Hey everyone! Glad to finally post a character build of my own, after seeing so many fantastic builds on this site! This build emerged from a few things: My love of lore (and the creation thereof), the amazing offensive power of duel-wielding,and the allure of conjuration magic. with that said, here is:

    The Song of Y'ffre


    It is said, deep in the forests of Valenwood, there is an order of knights,dedicated to the word of Y'ffre, the god of the forests. For centuries, these knights have defended Valenwood from evil: Employing their extensive knowledge of the forests and their ability to call spirits of the wood to their aid, the Song of Y'ffre has proven to be the most decisive resistance force in the battle against the Aldmeri Dominion. Now, as the Dragonborn, you have been chosen to lead the Song to glory once again, by swiftly destroying false pretenders  traitors, and the spirits of the unjust.

    This build is designed to draw new light to the Bosmer race: Instead of being the typical archer class, a Song of Y'ffre is a fierce guerrilla warrior, designed to hit first and hit hard. Combining the strong offensive abilities of duel-wielding, and a Bosmer's natural poison abilites, A Song of Y'ffre is truly a small package that packs quite a punch.

    The Build


    Race: Bosmer. The extra points for Sneak are a welcome feature, and it wouldn't be a Valenwood character without being a Wood Elf!

    Stat Distribution: 2/1/2. The Song is able to deal out a lot of punishment, but can't receive very much before fleeing to the shadows.

    Stone: The Lady Stone. A truly unappreciated stone, the regeneration abilities will prove helpful.

    Major Skills:

    • Conjuration. The Song are can use the ancient magic of the forests to call spirits from the aether, or even from the dead, to aid them.
    • One-Handed. The Song are proficient sword users, harnessing the power of two blades at once.
    • Sneak. The Song use the environment to their advantage, using trickery and shadows to set traps and stealthily defeat enemies.

    Minor Skills:

    • Light Armor. The Song use agile armor to protect against aggressors.
    • Enchanting. The Song are enchant their weapons to further aid their battles.
    • Alchemy. The Song are cunning, and poison their blades, using the resources of the forest to achieve victory.

    Appearance:

    • Head: Early Game- Circlet of your choice, Fortify Conjuration OR Miraak Mask
    • Torso: Nighingale Armor OR Glass Armor, Fortify Magic Regen OR Ancient Falmer Armor, Fortify Magic Regen
    • Gloves: Leather Bracers, fortify One-Handed OR Stormcloak Baracers, fortify One Handed
    • Boots: Scaled Boots, Fortify Sneak
    • Jewelry: Ring of Health, Necklace of Alchemy

    Weapons:

    • Duel Wield Nordic Swords, with Health and Stamina Damage, respectively.

    Shouts: Animal Allegiance, Disarm, Marked for Death, Slow Time, Become Ethereal, and Whirlwind Sprint.

    Required Quests: Dawnguard Questline (Dawnguard), Thieve's Guild Questline, Bard's College

    Level 20/Level 45

    Gameplay

    The Song is essentially a glass cannon: Focusing on a strong first attack, and the ability to flee from combat quickly thereafter. Each shout used by the Song is intended to make escape (or a quick defeat) easier.

    The Song's main goal during combat is to get behind as many enemies as possible, utilizing one of the two types of poisons he keeps on him: Drain-blood. After discovery, the Song conjures an assistant (Usually an Atronach of Fire or Familiar) and uses one of his tactical shouts, depending on how he wants to deal with the situation.

    • If the Song wants to dispatch of as many enemies as possible, he could slow time to deal with multiple enemies quickly, or Marked for Death. Both of these shouts are designed to quickly remove enemies.
    • If the Song prefers to let his assistant handle the battle, he can call Become Ethereal or Whirlwind Sprint to escape quickly, or provide extra help to his assistant by using Animal Allegiance. Disarm is also a useful Jack-of-all-trades tactic, allowing you to fight or run after the disarming.

    Alchemical Properties to look out for:

    This is a simple list of what you need to look out for in the world. Only two Potions need to be brewed, with the exception of health, magika, and stamina: Paralyze Poison and Health Poison.

    Paralyze:

    Health Poison:

    River Bett  
    Skeever Tail
    Small Antlers
    Troll Fat
    Void Salts


    If you wish to spice up the game, you can roleplay this character, something I highly recommend. Roleplaying this heavily involves 
    The Green Pact.

    Lore & Roleplaying

    The Green Pact

    The Green Pact is an agreement by those who Y'ffre, promising to never tarnish the woodlands of Y'ffre.

    The known conditions of the Green Pact are as follows:

    • Only meat-based products can be consumed.
    • Prohibits the use of wood or other vegetable derivatives as building materials.
    • Forbidden to harm trees and plant life for their own betterment.
    • Forbidden to smoke anything of a vegetable nature.

    From this, a few rules are established:

    • Never build a house. Do not live in a house.
    • If you come across alchemical properties, you are only permitted to take 1 out of the group.
    • Eat no vegetation. Any and all food must come from cheese or meat-based products.
    • The Weak government of Valenwood has defied Y'ffre's word and given in the high elves for protection. To make an example of them, they must be eliminated on sight.
    • Any animal that is killed, with the exception of dragons, must be fully looted upon their death.
    • A Song of Y'ffre is also pledged to Auri-El's word. Delve into any Dwemer ruin you find, and purge all the twisted Falmer.
    • Vampires are an abomination to Auri-El and Y'ffre. Join the Dawnguard and purge their evil existence on sight. 
    • As soon as possible, find an animal companion (Horse, dog, etc.)

    Combining this, as well as the no fast travel/inn stopping/food eating clauses of Roleplaying make playing a Song of Y'ffre a very enjoyable experience.

    Bard's College

    In the harsh lands of Skyrim, Y'ffre's word is all but unknown. Joining the Bard's College provides the perfect opportunity to combat this, and spread the glorious word of the Forest God.

    Any and all questions I will try to answer, and I hope you enjoy the build!

                         

  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    What you've got so far is great, but it really needs more work. Maybe add some stuff about spell selections, alchemy recipies, combat tactics (How does he handles mages/archers since he has no shield? What about say Dragons?), and reasoning for existing stuff like your enchantment selections and shouts.

  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    So far its okay. It needs a lot more content. You should add the following sections: Game-play, Role-play, Spells, Alchemy ingredients, and potions (note that if the Bosmer is a worshiper of Y'ffre, you will have to abide by the Green Pact, here is a link to the Green Pact details http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Green_Pact ). Also the Bosmer are allies with the Thalmor and the Dominion, if you want to fight them, add an explanation as to why you are being a rebel and a traitor. Another suggestion is to add a few more pictures. Not only will it lengthen the build, but it will give us a better idea as to what we should make the character look like. Lastly, not bad for a first build! Take our suggestions seriously, but don't be insulted by them. We are trying to help you succeed, and we want to see your build do well. So, make improvements, continue to work on this build, and have fun with it. You don't have my like yet, but, improve and I will reconsider.

  • October 10, 2013

    This looks good, but it needs much more work. You need to expand and explain what you have (reasoning for selections, combat tactics against different enemies, lore-related quests and goals, etc.). I'll be perfectly honest, this looks much better as a beginning than most builds this length. You still need to fill it out, though. Good luck! I'm excited to see more about it.

  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    Hey guys, thanks for the critique! 
    I have added a lot more from the initial post, hopefully you'll find it more satisfactory :)

  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    What did the Thalmor do that defies Y'ffre? They banned the worship of the false god Talos, but not the worship of Y'ffre. That doesn't really explain why the character goes against the Dominion. You should still add a list of potions and ingredients that abide by the Green Pact.  Also add a list of important quests, and some more pictures. I have just one last question. Why do you place so many points into Magicka if your only mage skill is Conjuration?

  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    The thalmor, to the best of my knowledge, are not the most tolerant towards the Bosmer, and treat them as if they were almost secondhand Altmer. The Song also are offended that Valenwood would ever allow itself to become a secondary ally.

    I pool so many points into Magika because I intend to have most conjuration spells availiable from the get-go.

  • October 10, 2013
    What difficulty was this played on if I may ask? Are you taking advantage of a high sneak rating to hide or are there invisibility potions involved? What poisons, if any, are you using in your offensives? I ask because hit and run will only take you so far. What do you do when running and hiding is impossible ( well lit room with little to no cover)?
  • Member
    October 10, 2013

    The difficulty was played on normal, which is how I play most games. The build tries to focus on a high sneaking ability, rather than using invisibility of illusion magic. As mentioned, the poisons offensively used are mainly Stun and Damage health poisons. When hiding is impossible, a combination of the double-enchanted swords, offensive shouts, and conjured assistants allows for a formidable assault, regardless of hiding places.

  • Member
    October 11, 2013

    +1 from me, if for no other reason than the fact that this is your first build and you are putting effort into it and a playthrough. It's also a pretty cool idea, but it could still use work, but the others have covered that pretty well.