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Character Build: The Cursed Scholar

Tags: #Character Build Dual-Wield  #Race:Nord  #Character Build Alchemist  #Character Build Werewolf  #Rank:Mythic  #Hall of Fame Build  #Hainesy  #Scholar 
  • Member
    November 3, 2013

    Greetings everyone, this is my first solo build as I have posted The Bal Molagmer with Oneness. So please any and all criticism is welcomed! This whole build stemmed from a personal obsession with Lycanthropy and Werewolves. Going through the builds on The Blog there were not many werewolf based builds. So I ventured to create my own werewolf build that doesn't revolve around being a lapdog to Hircine and does not focus solely on transforming into your Beast Form. Welcome to…

    The Cursed Scholar

    I can still remember the night my family was torn apart. 

    Killed.

    Killing my mother and father first, then hunting down my siblings as I cowered in the closet. 

    I could hear the savage beasts feeding on the fresh corpses of my family. My blood. 

    That wretched sound of my brothers and sisters, hopelessly screaming for help.  

    I sat there in the closet paralyzed by fear. 

    There had to be three, maybe four. 

    My breathing was too loud to focus on anything but controlling it.

    After the relentless killing, and devouring of my family the beasts continued their search for me.

    I could hear the sniffing, the clawing of nails against wood, screeching.

    In the midst of all the noise, an eerie silence crept upon me and suddenly the closet door was ripped from its hinges, three werewolves stood before me.

    One of them, half an ear, whited out eye; he took a swing but only managed to clip my face. 

    And by The Divines, if it wasn't my luck I saw the sun creeping through the window as these werewolves scurried along and left me there with just a claw mark on my face. 

    The memory still haunts me to this day, all throughout my life having to remember the horrid reminder of these Beasts killing my family.

    As an accomplished Scholar, I've set out to further my studies. But traveling alone one day I stumbled into a cave looking for more samples of various Fungi to finish a potion I had been reading long about.

    Little did I know the cave was inhabited by three werewolves, one with half an ear, and a white eye. I was attacked, and barely managed to escape alive, not knowing that...

    I had been bitten, and cursed."

    Race: Nord

    Stone: Mage/Thief Stone early to help Enchanting and Alchemy. Later using The Lord Stone for added armor as a Werewolf.

    Shouts: Unrelenting Force, Aura Whisper,, Animal Allegiance (Optional)

    Skills: Enchanting, Alchemy, One-Handed, Sneak, Light Armor, Alteration.

    Essential Quests: Companions Questline, Ill Met By Moonlight, The White Phial.

    Introduction

    As I kept searching and delving into werewolves and lycanthropy as a whole learning more, I came across probably the coolest fact I’ve read. When you contract lycanthropy there have been cases where the person in Human Form develops many of the traits the werewolf has. He becomes faster, more agile, develops a better physique, more muscle, plenty more body hair, a unibrow etc. They more or less become one being. So I took that and built around it.

    The Way Of The Scholar

    “…The bite…I can feel it coursing through my veins. I’m not so sure what to do. I remember awhile back reading of certain potions and ingredients that can help calm and even cure this Curse. I have no choice but to search for these ingredients and hope the potion works. Maybe even magic can help, I need something… “

    At this point, scholarly duties are a must. You should be searching for a cure through alchemy and various magic’s. But traversing the world is dangerous so keeping a dagger handy is helpful. Being an adept alchemist you know of many potions to help you on your journey but still no cure. You turned to magic only to hit the same brick wall, finding nothing after searching and reading for so long. Enchanting jewelry with certain enchantments hoping to make the Curse subside. With enchantments leading nowhere, magic was still a viable thought for cure. Just trying different methods of magic, reading and sticking to what scholars to best. Research.

    Alteration acts as a “Thick Fur” that the human starts to develop when the two ultimately begin to become one, it is more or less the beginning of the fusion. Sneaking is essential to get through caves, remember you are not a warrior. Sneak when necessary. You will be using poisons to do even more damage, and alter the battle in your favor being the Alchemist you are, you know a plethora of potions/poisons to use. Poisons such as Slow, Weakness to Poison, and Damage Health. Potions being used are simply Restore Health and even Fortify One-Handed for even more damage but for me it was not needed as I liked the challenge of being down in a fight.

    Getting The Companions questline started is needed in order to actually contract the Lycanthropy as there is unfortunately no other way. From there I went straight for The Cursed Ring of Hircine to act as your “Curse.” Once you get the ring, stop and wait to finish Ill Met By Moonlight. Also, completing and getting the White Phial is recommended at this point because it can be seen as a chance at a cure, but when it is not, then he becomes a really good method for recovery. If you opt to have a follower in the beginning treat them like your Apprentice. But be wary that if you transform with a follower with you, you must kill them as you do not yet know how to control or cure yourself.

    Perks

    Equipment

    Steel Dagger

    Winterhold Guard Armor

    Temple Priest Hood

    Imperial Bracers/Boots

    Becoming One

    … I can feel it within me, fighting to get out. I’m not sure what’s going on but I feel a change. I’m faster. More agile. I’m growing more hair, a better physique. I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to find out…”

    Up until now, you were more worried about your duties as a scholar, and finding the cure, or something to subdue the Curse rather than fighting and killing. The more you kill, and transform you get more joy, more of a “rush” so to speak. Feeling the Beast within you is becoming more apparent, but still fighting to keep it away. You find yourself more seasoned with a blade. Learning more in the ways of a warrior with light, swift strikes with a dagger, and agile armor not slowing you down.  Finding yourself trailing off in the various magic’s, and picking up a more “feral” type of combat; you begin sneaking more to open up combat getting the thrill of The Hunt, like a predator.

    At this point you will be more combative when it comes to confrontation and battle. Instead of relying on poisons and sneaking, you are more skilled with a blade, and armor. Sneaking then becomes a way to emulate hunting and stalking prey in human form.  While still taking advantage of your profound knowledge in alchemy to help alter the battle even further on your side. Combining your feral instinct, new skills with a blade and your already exquisite use of various poisons and potions, along with a curse you are slowly beginning to control can create deadly battles for your enemies…and anyone in your way.

    Now is when finishing Ill Met by Moonlight is appropriate and claiming the Savior’s Hide and the uncursed Ring of Hircine as your reward. To get both, simply help Sinding kill the hunter and get the armor, then leave and come back to kill him and claim the ring. After finishing that up, going on to complete The Companion’s questline is suggested. This symbolizes you wanting to speak to others who suffer from the same curse, but view it as a blessing. Learning and living with the Companions has helped you, but there is still more you have yet to uncover.

    Perks

    Equipment

    Hide Armor

    Steel Dagger

    Hide Boots

    Leather Bracers

    The Final Form

    “… I finally understand. What’s been going on, what’s been happening. It’s a curse, but one I have become one with, one I can control. All this time looking for a cure, when I was the cure to begin with.”

    Finally meeting with The Companions and talking to Kodlak Whitemane, you learn about your condition. How upon contracting the lycanthropy it began fusing your blood to an extent where to beings are blended into one. A very rare occurrence when contracting lycanthropy. From here on out scholarly duties have become forgotten tasks to you. You focus more on honing in on your skills as a werewolf, as well as with a blade. While you are still a profound alchemist, and can craft the various potions to help, you realize they are not needed as much as they once were. Your magical abilities start to trail off as well, even more only worrying about learning newer ways to kill and hunt prey. Your magical prowess is still noticeable, just not used as often as it once was.

    Learning more about blades, and how to use them became a fast growing hobby. Adapting to the way of killing faster than expected due to a newly acquired feral instinct, it was only natural to find two special daggers to suite you, and what better to use than “claws.” The Dragon Priest daggers represent your claws in human form, and enchanting them with absorb health emulates not only feeding, but the rapid health regeneration and healing rate that werewolves possess. That is where the hard work in enchanting and alchemy, with Weakness to Magic Poisons further multiplying the damage, pays off! Saviors Hide, Stormcloak Boots/Gauntlets really give you the feral look, and feel while playing showing how the transformation and fusion has finally progressed and ended!

    The main questline can be completed now, or even earlier if you so please to add a really cool aspect to the build through shouts. The shouts symbolize “howls”. This can be displayed through using shouts like Animal Allegience to call other animals to your aid, Dismay to act as the same howl you get in Beast Form but as a human, and finally using Aura Whisper as a “blood scent”. This added a lot more depth to the end game instead of just killing; it gives new ways to not only start and finish battles but adding different dimensions during battles.

    Perks   

    Equipment

    Savior's Hide

    Dragon Priest Dagger x2 (Absorb Health)

    Stormcloak Officer Boots/Gauntlets

     

     

    Conclusion

    Thanks for reading! Hopefully it was up to snuff with all the other incredible builds on the site. It feels good to have finally posted this, and get my first build out there. Again any and all criticism is helpful!  

    Credits

    Credits to Zimbu for the great screenshots!

    Credit to Oneness for being an ass, and pushing me to finally finish.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Member
    November 3, 2013

    Freaking finally! I have waited to long to see this completed dammit.

  • Member
    November 3, 2013

    Well like I said, there were a few minor setbacks during the write-up partially due to my laziness. lol But yes I am happy to see it up as well. 

  • November 3, 2013
    I've been dying for someone to use those Dragon Priest Daggers in a build, those things are sexy as hell. I like the merging of human form and beast form. +1.
  • Member
    November 3, 2013

    I love those Dragon Priest Daggers, so pretty. But yeah coming across the concept of the two merging was like a gold mine for me lol. Thanks!

  • November 4, 2013

    Excellent stuff here. I am especially impressed by the role play and how well then transition from mage to wereworlf stealth warrior is incorporated into the role play. An extra +1 if I could for the bad ass looking character in the screen shots.

  • November 4, 2013

    Good job! First part of the backstory was solid but I'd maybe edit out the the second bit about bumbling into a werewolf nest looking for shrooms, it makes the character sound like a clumsy buffoon. I think growing up with lycanthropy from that unfortunate first scratch would have made it more interesting and explain why he's so dedicated to alchemy...

    That's just my opinion though.

  • Member
    November 4, 2013

    Thanks Curse! Yeah, the transition in game felt pretty smooth as well. Appreciate it :D 

  • Member
    November 4, 2013

    Thanks Mason! And I see your point about the backstory. Although it shows his transformation even further from being a clumsy buffoon and turning into a cold blooded killer. But I appreciate the feedback.

  • Member
    November 5, 2013

    Great build hainesy! Did you use any other schools of magic besides alteration and enchanting in the way of the scholar phase of the build? How did you deal with enemies such as daedra, undead, or automatons where poisons are useless? Great build nonetheless +1