Possession is ten-tenths of the law.
You were bent on living your life unlike the law abiding citizens of Tamriel and setting out to live life the way you wanted to live it, without laws, boundaries, and government telling you how to live it. You thrived for many years stealing and bribing your way through life without a care in the world other than exploring the land that was created for you to enjoy and surviving by any means available to you. One day that all came to an abrupt end, as you were passing through a new town you had came upon during your travels you were attacked by a group of thugs jealous of your well known and almost super star like criminal history. You defended yourself with amazing technique and strength but the guards didn't see the whole event and witnessed you slaying 3 innocent victims. For your crimes your were to be locked away in the most famous prison in Tamriel, Cidhna Mine never to see the light of day again.
Overview
Sorry for the high level perk spread this was actually my 2nd build ever back in 2011. It does of course involve the normal assassin/thief stuff. Idk if someone has done a Shiv/Prisoner build on here before or not I could not find one so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this one.
The build and role-playing elements are pretty straight forward. I wanted to make a Gangster/Outlaw type character so your gonna be playing the role of a fugitive. Your sole weapons are the dual Shivs they are the weapons you have always used to defend yourself since you have spent most of your life in prison and have become very well skilled with them and know how to use them to their full potential you have become unable to wield a normal weapon.
You finally broke out of prison and are now on a quest to murder the Imperials who imprisoned you by joining up with the Stormcloaks, Thieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, and helping the Daedric.
Game Play
Just like with any assassin build you will rely on sneak attacks during most of your game play. Sneak Sneak Sneak from the beginning of the game until you max it out. Or just go behind the merchant in Riverwood and tape down your L pad and sit and wait. If you end up getting out numbered or overpowered just cast a flesh, paralyze, or disarm spell to save your butt. You should be okay with the Absorb Health enchantments on one of your Shivs. Use the detect spells to avoid being out numbered. Enchanting and Alteration are two key perks to work on early. At low levels (-10), vendors sell significantly more, empty petty soul gems. Make the most of this by purchasing 200 of them before you surpass level 10. This will cost around 6000 gold with no speech enhancements. When you have the 200 empty gems, fill them however you want. These 200 gems fill be enough to reach level 100 in enchanting at your leisure. To level Alteration just use the detect life spell in the center of the Riften market. For tips on leveling the rest of the skills they can all be found here: Skill Leveling Guide.
If you become encumbered just summon your deadric butler to get rid of some things. You can also use him to effectively "smuggle" equipments into restricted, gear-removing areas such as prisons, Cidhna Mine or the Thalmor Embassy. He can be obtained by doing the Black Book: Untold Legends Quest
You are a master of speech from your years of hustling you have become a master of words and manipulation kind of like my wife. Pickpocketing is only natural to your criminal mind. Pickpocket at will just save before hand 
. Make the Forsworn Conspiracy your first quest to get the Shiv, until then just use daggers or your claws.
You are a master merchant from years of haggling and dealing in illegal substances such as Skooma you know how to work. You are a master of words and can haggle down even the best of merchants and if that doesn't work you'll just steal their items right from under their noses.
Race: Any, I choose Khajiit for the bonuses and look.
Stone: Thief then Lord
Major Skills: One-Handed, Pickpocket, Speech, Enchanting, Alteration
Minor Skills: Alchemy, Sneak,
Weapons: Assorted duel enchanted Shivs
Armor: Enchanted Ragged Robes, Cap, Boots, Trousers
Quests: Thieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood. Stormcloaks, Daedric guest, Black Book: Untold Legends Quest, The Forsworn Conspiracy
Shouts: Disarm, Aura Whisper, Dragonrend, Marked for Death, Throw Voice
Stat Distribution: 1 Magicka / 2 Health /0 Stamina
Perks
One Handed: "You are breathing borrowed air."
Shivs have been your go to weapon throughout your life in prison. You have became extremely skilled with them learning how to masterfully handle them and learning every aspect of its creation. Because of your overwhelming knowledge of the use of Shivs you have become unable to wield even the most simple of swords and other weaponry. Armsman(5/5), Dual Flurry, Dual Savagery, Fighting Stance, Savage Strike, Critical Charge, Paralyzing Strike.
Sneak: "Possession is ten-tenths of the law."
Throughout your stay in prison you have been able to sneak past guards at will to supply the rest of the inmates with whatever illegal items they were willing to pay you for. Your stealth also became a huge factor in your escape from prison. Stealth(5/5), Backstab, Deadly Aim, Assassin's Blade.
Pickpocket: “A pickpocket is obviously a champion of private enterprise. But it would perhaps be an exaggeration to say that a pickpocket is a champion of private property."
Living in prison is tough and you have to do what ever you can to survive. Years of pickpocketing the guards and fellow inmates have made you a master at it. Able to poison the guards by placing the poison in their pockets with out being seen and on occasion stealing your money back from a fellow inmate that had just bought something from you. Light Fingers(5/5), Night Thief, Poisoned, Cutpurse, Misdirection, Perfect Touch.
Speech: "Everyone has a price."
People assume that criminals aren't very intelligent, but in reality they are some of the smartest people you will ever meet and take to anything that someone tries to teach them. Having these street smarts you know how to work the system and manipulation is second nature to you. Able to haggle down the best of merchants and Bribe any guard to ignore your crimes you have become the ultimate cheap scape. Haggling(5/5), Bribery, Allure, Merchant, Investor, Fence, Master Trader.
Alteration: Misery, filth, disease—all things that bring suffering to the world—only make criminals more dangerous.
Your body evolves with the environment it is in. Spending years in a harsh setting and working hard every day to dig your way out of prison, your skin has become tough and almost armor like. Novice-Expert, Dual Casting, Mage Armor, Stability, Magic Resistance, Atronach.
Enchanting: "You remained aloof from Tamriel's suffering, intent only on your own perfection."
You have become used to wearing your ragged clothing and are unable to wear armor as it is uncomfortable to you and slows you down from reaching your goal whatever it may be. So you rely on enchanting the clothing and weapons that you have instead of benefiting from armor. Enchanter(5/5), Insightful, Corpus, Extra Effect, Soul Squeezer, Soul, Siphon, Fire Enchanter, Frost Enchanter.
Alchemy: "Side effects may include foul odors, scalding steam, and spontaneous nonexistence."
Throughout your prison life you have developed the skills to make what you need with what you have. Able to create potions that heal and poison you have used them to escape prison and eliminate any who stood in your path. Alchemist(5/5), Physician, Benefactor, Poisoner, Concentrated poison.
Recommended poisons:
Weakness to Fire, Weakness to Frost, Ravage Health, Damage Health, Paralysis, Slow
Equipment and Enchantment
Your Shiv is classed as a dagger and thus is affected by the Assassin's Blade perk from the Sneak skill tree. Enchant them with Fiery Soul Trap/Absorb Health, Frost Damage/Fire Damage, Fire or Frost/Absorb Health or Magicka, and Frost or Fire/Paralyze.
- Most of the prisoners in Cidhna Mine carry a Shiv
- Grisvar the Unlucky agrees to trade a Shiv in exchange for skooma.
- Lisbet at Arnleif and Sons Trading Company sometimes sells Shivs.
Clothing Enchantments: (Fortify One-Handed does not effect Shivs or Daggers on PS3 unless that has been patched).
Head: Fortify Alteration, Alchemy
Body: Fortify Health, Healing Rate
Gloves: Magicka, Pickpocket
Boots: Magicka Regeneration, Sneak
Amulet: Resist Magic, Health
Ring: Resist Magic, Healing Rate
Battle Tactics:
Most of the time you can kill an opponent without even been detected. Use Aura Whisper or Detect Life/Dead to see what your up against and just sneak up and slash a throat. If this tactic fails you have to fall back and begin to muster up your defenses. Cast your favorite flesh spell, poison your Shivs, cast Marked for Death, and start swinging power attacks with your dual enchanted shivs, this should finish the fight for you with the use of Paralyze and Absorb Health on your Shivs. If this fails and you are still overpowered use either Disarm or Throw Voice to gain the advantage once again.
I didn't put any special moves in because there really isn't any it is a pretty straight forward and basic build. An optional added bit of the build would be to join the Vampires and also focus on Unarmed attacks and enchant your gloves with Unarmed and also use the Ring of the Beast.
Possession is ten-tenths of the law.
You were bent on living your life unlike the law abiding citizens of Tamriel and setting out to live life the way you wanted to live it, without laws, boundaries, and government telling you how to live it. You thrived for many years stealing and bribing your way through life without a care in the world other than exploring the land that was created for you to enjoy and surviving by any means available to you. One day that all came to an abrupt end, as you were passing through a new town you had came upon during your travels you were attacked by a group of thugs jealous of your well known and almost super star like criminal history. You defended yourself with amazing technique and strength but the guards didn't see the whole event and witnessed you slaying 3 innocent victims. For your crimes your were to be locked away in the most famous prison in Tamriel, Cidhna Mine never to see the light of day again.
Overview
Sorry for the high level perk spread this was actually my 2nd build ever back in 2011. It does of course involve the normal assassin/thief stuff. Idk if someone has done a Shiv/Prisoner build on here before or not I could not find one so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this one.
The build and role-playing elements are pretty straight forward. I wanted to make a Gangster/Outlaw type character so your gonna be playing the role of a fugitive. Your sole weapons are the dual Shivs they are the weapons you have always used to defend yourself since you have spent most of your life in prison and have become very well skilled with them and know how to use them to their full potential you have become unable to wield a normal weapon.
You finally broke out of prison and are now on a quest to murder the Imperials who imprisoned you by joining up with the Stormcloaks, Thieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, and helping the Daedric.
Game Play
Just like with any assassin build you will rely on sneak attacks during most of your game play. Sneak Sneak Sneak from the beginning of the game until you max it out. Or just go behind the merchant in Riverwood and tape down your L pad and sit and wait. If you end up getting out numbered or overpowered just cast a flesh, paralyze, or disarm spell to save your butt. You should be okay with the Absorb Health enchantments on one of your Shivs. Use the detect spells to avoid being out numbered. Enchanting and Alteration are two key perks to work on early. At low levels (-10), vendors sell significantly more, empty petty soul gems. Make the most of this by purchasing 200 of them before you surpass level 10. This will cost around 6000 gold with no speech enhancements. When you have the 200 empty gems, fill them however you want. These 200 gems fill be enough to reach level 100 in enchanting at your leisure. To level Alteration just use the detect life spell in the center of the Riften market. For tips on leveling the rest of the skills they can all be found here: Skill Leveling Guide.
If you become encumbered just summon your deadric butler to get rid of some things. You can also use him to effectively "smuggle" equipments into restricted, gear-removing areas such as prisons, Cidhna Mine or the Thalmor Embassy. He can be obtained by doing the Black Book: Untold Legends Quest
You are a master of speech from your years of hustling you have become a master of words and manipulation kind of like my wife. Pickpocketing is only natural to your criminal mind. Pickpocket at will just save before hand . Make the Forsworn Conspiracy your first quest to get the Shiv, until then just use daggers or your claws.
You are a master merchant from years of haggling and dealing in illegal substances such as Skooma you know how to work. You are a master of words and can haggle down even the best of merchants and if that doesn't work you'll just steal their items right from under their noses.
Race: Any, I choose Khajiit for the bonuses and look.
Stone: Thief then Lord
Major Skills: One-Handed, Pickpocket, Speech, Enchanting, Alteration
Minor Skills: Alchemy, Sneak,
Weapons: Assorted duel enchanted Shivs
Armor: Enchanted Ragged Robes, Cap, Boots, Trousers
Quests: Thieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood. Stormcloaks, Daedric guest, Black Book: Untold Legends Quest, The Forsworn Conspiracy
Shouts: Disarm, Aura Whisper, Dragonrend, Marked for Death, Throw Voice
Stat Distribution: 1 Magicka / 2 Health /0 Stamina
Perks
One Handed: "You are breathing borrowed air."
Shivs have been your go to weapon throughout your life in prison. You have became extremely skilled with them learning how to masterfully handle them and learning every aspect of its creation. Because of your overwhelming knowledge of the use of Shivs you have become unable to wield even the most simple of swords and other weaponry. Armsman(5/5), Dual Flurry, Dual Savagery, Fighting Stance, Savage Strike, Critical Charge, Paralyzing Strike.
Sneak: "Possession is ten-tenths of the law."
Throughout your stay in prison you have been able to sneak past guards at will to supply the rest of the inmates with whatever illegal items they were willing to pay you for. Your stealth also became a huge factor in your escape from prison. Stealth(5/5), Backstab, Deadly Aim, Assassin's Blade.
Pickpocket: “A pickpocket is obviously a champion of private enterprise. But it would perhaps be an exaggeration to say that a pickpocket is a champion of private property."
Living in prison is tough and you have to do what ever you can to survive. Years of pickpocketing the guards and fellow inmates have made you a master at it. Able to poison the guards by placing the poison in their pockets with out being seen and on occasion stealing your money back from a fellow inmate that had just bought something from you. Light Fingers(5/5), Night Thief, Poisoned, Cutpurse, Misdirection, Perfect Touch.
Speech: "Everyone has a price."
People assume that criminals aren't very intelligent, but in reality they are some of the smartest people you will ever meet and take to anything that someone tries to teach them. Having these street smarts you know how to work the system and manipulation is second nature to you. Able to haggle down the best of merchants and Bribe any guard to ignore your crimes you have become the ultimate cheap scape. Haggling(5/5), Bribery, Allure, Merchant, Investor, Fence, Master Trader.
Alteration: Misery, filth, disease—all things that bring suffering to the world—only make criminals more dangerous.
Your body evolves with the environment it is in. Spending years in a harsh setting and working hard every day to dig your way out of prison, your skin has become tough and almost armor like. Novice-Expert, Dual Casting, Mage Armor, Stability, Magic Resistance, Atronach.
Enchanting: "You remained aloof from Tamriel's suffering, intent only on your own perfection."
You have become used to wearing your ragged clothing and are unable to wear armor as it is uncomfortable to you and slows you down from reaching your goal whatever it may be. So you rely on enchanting the clothing and weapons that you have instead of benefiting from armor. Enchanter(5/5), Insightful, Corpus, Extra Effect, Soul Squeezer, Soul, Siphon, Fire Enchanter, Frost Enchanter.
Alchemy: "Side effects may include foul odors, scalding steam, and spontaneous nonexistence."
Throughout your prison life you have developed the skills to make what you need with what you have. Able to create potions that heal and poison you have used them to escape prison and eliminate any who stood in your path. Alchemist(5/5), Physician, Benefactor, Poisoner, Concentrated poison.
Recommended poisons:
Weakness to Fire, Weakness to Frost, Ravage Health, Damage Health, Paralysis, Slow
Equipment and Enchantment
Your Shiv is classed as a dagger and thus is affected by the Assassin's Blade perk from the Sneak skill tree. Enchant them with Fiery Soul Trap/Absorb Health, Frost Damage/Fire Damage, Fire or Frost/Absorb Health or Magicka, and Frost or Fire/Paralyze.
- Most of the prisoners in Cidhna Mine carry a Shiv
- Grisvar the Unlucky agrees to trade a Shiv in exchange for skooma.
- Lisbet at Arnleif and Sons Trading Company sometimes sells Shivs.
Clothing Enchantments: (Fortify One-Handed does not effect Shivs or Daggers on PS3 unless that has been patched).
Head: Fortify Alteration, Alchemy
Body: Fortify Health, Healing Rate
Gloves: Magicka, Pickpocket
Boots: Magicka Regeneration, Sneak
Amulet: Resist Magic, Health
Ring: Resist Magic, Healing Rate
Battle Tactics:
Most of the time you can kill an opponent without even been detected. Use Aura Whisper or Detect Life/Dead to see what your up against and just sneak up and slash a throat. If this tactic fails you have to fall back and begin to muster up your defenses. Cast your favorite flesh spell, poison your Shivs, cast Marked for Death, and start swinging power attacks with your dual enchanted shivs, this should finish the fight for you with the use of Paralyze and Absorb Health on your Shivs. If this fails and you are still overpowered use either Disarm or Throw Voice to gain the advantage once again.
I didn't put any special moves in because there really isn't any it is a pretty straight forward and basic build. An optional added bit of the build would be to join the Vampires and also focus on Unarmed attacks and enchant your gloves with Unarmed and also use the Ring of the Beast.
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