Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Skald

Tags: #Race:Nord  #Character Build Barbarian  #Character Build Warrior  #Character Build Bard  #Rank:Exemplar 
  • Member
    November 11, 2013

    The Skald

    This build originated from two things: 

    -My love of two handed weapons and the synergy I've found in other skills that pair well with them

    -The Bards faction and all the wondrous role play potential entombed within

    About the Skald

    Skalds are a combination of a Bard and a Viking, in fact Skald literally means "Poet" or Bard in Scandinavian, where Vikings originated from.

    In keeping with the spirit of most Bards, Skalds are generally kind hearted and joyous, but they are also fierce warriors. Craving adventure and cold Mead, the Skald sets out to find both along with hopes of becoming the greatest warrior-poet to ever live.

    Race: Nord

    Stone: Warrior, then Lord 

    Stats: 0/3/2/

    Magicka/Health/Stamina/

    Level 25 Perk Spread

    http://skyrimcalculator.com/336054

    Level 55 Perk Spread

    http://skyrimcalculator.com/336049

    Major Skills:

    Two-Handed- Your skill with a Lute is exceeded only by your skill of Two-Handed weapons. The Skald prefers the crushing power of the Warhammer, but also makes use of Greatswords as well. 

    Alchemy- Like Talsgar, you wander Skyrim, looking to write the ultimate poem that will immortalize you as the greatest Bard who ever lived, and all that time in the wilds has left you knowledgeable about the various ingredients found in nature that can be brewed into a fine Ale or potent Toxin. Able to heal yourself and do extra damage without switching to another weapon? Yes please! Alchemy can also easily off set his lack of significant magical resistance.

    Speech- That's right, a warrior build that actually specializes in Speech. Take everything in this tree to obtain that silver tongue the Bards always brag about. 

    Minor Skills:

    Block- The bash perks work best with Two-Handed weapons, and a strong block skill gives you some exceptional defence.

    Light Armour- Like other Barbarians you too aren't fond of heavy armour and would rather focus on getting the job done quickly than being slowed down.

    Smithing- Nothing like beating a Dragon to death with a Dragon bone, eh? In the meantime, Nordic weapons look absolutely beautiful and may even replace your Longhammer as you can upgrade them more effectively.

     

     

     

    Equipment

    Armour(keep in mind these are mainly for cosmetic and role play reasons. If you feel the need to upgrade to better armour, by all means do)

    -Helm of Yngol (The best Viking helmet in the game, definitely! Can be obtained from Yngol Barrow )

    -Stormcloak Officer's Armour(Obtained from the Civil War questline(along with the boots and bracers by either joining the Stormcloaks or killing an officer if joining the Imperials)

    -Stormcloak Officer's Boots and Bracers

    -Amulet of Talos(Can be gotten off Roggvir's corpse in Solitude) 

    -Ring of Pure Mixtures(Acquired from a quest given by Frida)

    Arms

    -Bloodskal Blade: A fitting weapon for any true Nord warrior, this Greatsword removes the need for any other ranged weapon and it's energy blast can deal even more damage with a poison of weakness to magic. Obtained from Bloodskal Barrow.

    -The Longhammer: Your primary weapon, the Longhammer is lighter than a regular Warhammer and therefore swings faster. Obtained from Liar's Retreat on Rahd's corpse.

     

    Songs of Skyrim(Special Moves)

    Ragnar the Red

    Requires: Bardic Knowledge, Power Bash, Deadly Bash, Devastating Blow

    Great for one on one encounters; this allows you to stagger lock your enemies while doing some decent damage through use of the bash perks(for example a Daedric Warhammer will do over 100 damage per power bash), then finish them off just like the legendary shield-maiden Matilda would!

    The Dragonborn Comes

    Requires: Bardic Knowledge, Dragon Aspect, Dragon Rend, Marked for Death, Skullcrusher 

    Your primary Dragon slaying method, I've found that Marked for Death works extremely well against Dragons, and stacks with the Skullcrusher perks, giving them a negative armour rating resulting in your Warhammer doing more damage than it should. 

    Another Round!

    Requires: Bardic Knowledge, Concentrated Poison, Sweep, Toxin of Choice, Slow Time

    Your primary method of attack when facing multiple enemies. Start your drums, poison your weapon, and let the good times roll by stacking your poisons simultaneously on multiple targets through use of the sweep perk. Slow Time can be substituted with Elemental Fury. 

    Bardic Brewmaster

    Using your talents in Alchemy you can craft numerous Spirits to consume in order to give yourself boosted resistance and damage output. On the other hand, you can also craft some deadly poisons which will help in fights with Mage's or tougher enemies.

     

    Spirits:

     

    Dragon Tonic- Fortify Two-Handed and resist Fire

    Requires: Fly Amentia, Dragons Tongue 

     

    High Rock Wine- Resist Magic, Fortify Block

    Requires: Lavender, Tundra Cotton, Bleeding Crown

     

    Bardic Beer- Fortify Two-Handed and Fortify Barter 

    Requires: Fly Amentia, Dragons Tongue, Tundra Cotton

     

    Oxen Brew- Fortify Carry Weight and Regenerate Stamina

    Requires: Hawk Beak, Mora Tapinella, Scaly Pholiota

     

    Argonian Ale- Regenerate Health, Fortify Light Armour, Resist Poison 

    Requires: Beehive Husk, Garlic, Luna Moth Wing

     

    Poisons:

    Reach's Reaping- Paralysis, Lingering Damage Health 

    Requires: Briar Heart, Imp Stool, Orange Dartwing 

     

    Ysmir's Blood- Paralysis, Lingering Damage Magicka 

    Requires: Canis Root, Hagraven Claw, Swamp Fungal Pod

     

    Ageing Tonic- Damage Health, Slow, Damage Stamina Regen

    Requires: Large Antlers, River Betty, Skeever Tail

    Playing the Skald

    - This should go without saying but join the Bards College as soon as possible.

    - In addition to consuming your various brews, you may also want to take a vial of Sleeping Tree Sap or Redwater Skooma as well since it gives you a hallucinogenic vision which is accurate after having one too many.

    - You are a Humble poet who seeks fame, fortune, and glory, but most of all desires adventure and companionship.

    - Spending most of your time in the vast reaches of your homeland, you explore anything you come across, hoping it will lead to the creation of your next masterpiece.

    - Kind hearted and generous, you share the wealth you've earned with the less fortunate, and are more than willing to spare a drink for those who have fallen on hard times.

    - As a Bard, you should fight with your words first, and your sword second. 

    - Become a legend by solving the Dragon Crisis, stopping the Volkihar clan from blotting out the sun, destroying the Dark Brotherhood, and defeating the Dragon Priest Miraak.

    - And of course, what true warrior doesn't join the Companions?

    - Be sure to accept Sam Guevenne's challenge to a drinking contest.

    - Teach that little shit Mikael a lesson as he gives us Bards a bad name.

    - Keep plenty of wine, mead, and ale on you at all times in case you get thirsty.

    - Pay a visit to Bard's Leap Summit and try your luck with the leap of faith(no using Become Ethereal, you pussy!).

    - Join the Skyrim Civil War; any side can be joined with this build. Why? Well, in the wise words of Talsgar the Wanderer:"When brothers clash with bitter blades, surely there is a song to be found."

     

     

     

     

  • Member
    November 11, 2013

    My suggestion to you Vindictive is to work on one build at a time, and really kill it. Make sure it's the best it can be and not just pump builds out by the number. I'm sure most of us here would rather see fewer, better quality builds instead of many, not so good builds. And dude, I have a sailors mouth as well, but no need to put that in the build. The build has some potential but you need to bring out the best of the build. It feels like you are just trying to post builds to post them, take your time and in the end it'll be worth it. 

  • Member
    June 5, 2017

    With the exception of images that were broken on the original ning site, all images have been restored for this build. While I try my best to keep the formatting as close to the original as possible, there are some unavoidable differences as a result of differing platforms... for this I apologize.

    Also, please feel free to remove the 'Restored' banner at the end of the build--I put it there as a courtesy to let the reader know that the build has been worked on by somebody other than its original creator without his or her knowlege.