Come, take my hand, I shall walk you through this nightmare. This dark and frightful world from which you may never return. 'T'is to your grave I lead you, for death is the only sanctuary from your sins.
The Story
Fear is in every living creature, fear of the dark, fear of the unknown, fear of being alone. These things are what nightmares are made of. The cold, lingering touch of death that constantly reminds the living of their mortality, and how easily their life could be snuffed out.
The Nightmare knows this, stalking the living since the birth of Time, some call him Sithis, others Padomay, but to those who know him truest, he is the void.
Suffering, misery, death. These are the things the Nightmare holds dearest, feeding off the life-force of the living and reveling in their horror.
The Aedra, formed from his thoughts, the Daedra of his blood, and the Nightmare formed from his spirit. Dark, hateful energies imbued upon the child of a Dunmer woman at birth, her own soul sealing the pact, her death giving life to the new Nightmare... The True Child of the Void.
Race: Dunmer, as they have the perfect skill set to start off the build.
Stone: Lady, Serpent or Shadow.
Major Skills: Illusion, Alchemy, Sneak, Enchanting
Minor Skills: One-Handed, Destruction, Conjuration.
Shouts: Aura Whisper, Bend Will, Disarm, Dismay, Drain Vitality, Marked for Death, Throw Voice
Weapon: Bound Dagger, Ebony Dagger/Nettlebane, Blade of Woe, Mehrunes' Razor, Skull of Corruption
Clothes: Shrouded Robes set. Late Game - Ebony Mail, Shrouded Hood, Ebony Gauntlets + boots, Heavily Enchanted.
Spells: Soul Trap, Bound Dagger, Summon Lucien Lachance, fury + fear spells, Ice spike - spear - etc, Invisibility.
Between the Quiet Casting of Illusion and the Silence and Shadow Warrior perks of Sneak, fighting The Nightmare becomes like fighting smoke for the enemies. This build is built around complete invisibility, adding "Sneaking is xx% better" enchantments to your gloves and boots, the shrouded hood itself already has 25% harder to detect on it whilst the Ebony Mail boosts this even further, to the point where, with 100 sneak and Shadow Warrior next to nothing can catch The Nightmare out.
True Nightmare
"The Nightmare has the ability to enter and consume the dreams of the living as they sleep, replacing them with visions of horror and torment, fueling his own power. "
By using the Skull of Corruption with the Silent Casting perk it is possible to steal and wield the dreams of the living silently, without being noticed. A convenient long range medium-high damage spell for when you're conserving magicka for later use. And it fits the name nicely.
"His Presence Alone Was Enough to Kill Them All..."
With Silent Casting + Ebony Mail + Cloak of Frost + Invisibility it becomes a simple matter to walk past your foes, watching their life-force weaken as your sheer power tears them apart and they can do nothing to stop it. On the offchance you are seen, repeatedly entering the sneak state with Shadow Warrior and Ebony Mail changes you into an unseen wisp of shadow capable of continuously sneak attacking your opponent.
Completely hidden even in combat. Gained through heavy enchanting and potions of Sneak + the Shadow Stone.
Silently kill your foes without lifting a finger against them. Invisibility (Shadow Stone) + Cloak of Frost
Instantly slay even the strongest enemies. Mehrunes' Razor + Assassin perk, + Deadly Poisons.
The Venom Of His Blade:
It is said that but a single drop of the poison from the blade of The Nightmare is enough to fell a dragon.
Some useful Poison recipes are: (with alchemy boosting enchantments, without in brackets)
Horrifying Presence:
- Deathbell
- Imp Stool- River Betty (Other slow ingredients produce same result with +95 (45) poison dmg
Effects: 50% Slow for 159 (75) seconds + 159 (75) poison dmg.
"The inflicted become terrified to the point where their body refuses to move the way they want it to, poison rots the flesh around the wound."
Immunity Denied.
- Deathbell
- Imp Stool
- Chaurus Eggs/Bleeding Crown (Any poison weakness ingredient)
Effects: 64% (30%) poison weakness for 30 seconds + 95 poison dmg.
"The Inflicted feel their immune system begin to attack itself, becoming more and more vulnerable to the deadly toxins of The Nightmare.
Living Death (very difficult to produce as there is little human flesh available in Skyrim)
- Imp Stool
- Human Flesh
- Mora Tapinella/Orange Dartwing (Any lingering damage Ingredient)
Effects: Paralysis for 32 (15) seconds + 32 (15) poison dmg. per second x10 seconds + 64 (30) poison dmg.
"The Inflicted is completely paralyzed, yet can still feel the pain of acidic poison rotting away at the wound, spreading through their veins to the heart..."
Mortification (Less powerful variant of the Living Death)
- Imp Stool
- Canis Root
- Mora Tapinella/Orange Dartwing (Any lingering damage ingredient)
Effects: Paralysis for 32 (15) seconds + 32 (15) poison dmg. per second x10 seconds.
Skills And Why
Sorry About the Wall of Text.
Illusion: "The Nightmare is Absolute master of the mind, distorting the way the living see reality to sow chaos amongst the people."
- Illusion makes this build. Silent casting is an absolute must for causing havoc, then sitting back to enjoy the show. High level fury spells combined with sneak and Silent Casting make for some of the most entertaining gameplay out, moving between the shadows unnoticed as wars break out between former allies. Those that will not succumb to mind control can be dealt with other ways, whether that be by cold, sharp, ice, or the venomous sting of the knife.
Enchanting: "Using the souls of those he hath taken, The Nightmare imbues his demonic armor with powers of misdirection and silence, and his blades with the power to siphon the life-force of those they cut."
- This not only fits the roleplay side of soul devouring half-demon who gets stronger the more he kills, it supplies the lifesaving power of the Absorb Health enchantment on daggers. The speed they hit at adds for incredible life-stealing potential, boosting damage well above other weapons. Especially once the Extra Effect perk is unlocked, and Chaos Damage is added to the effect with Absorb Health.
Alchemy: "The Nightmare is a master alchemist, all the knowledge of the deadliest ingredients fills his mind. A gift from his loving father in the void."
- Even more bonus damage and utility becomes available with this skill. Deadly poisons adding over 100 damage to attacks, paralysis and mortification potions to lock the living down as they rot to death from the inside out. Early game lots of paralysis and healing potions will save you before your sneak skill is raised.
Sneak: "The shadows cloak The Nightmare, for he is a part of them. In the darkness he stalks the living, ever drawn to life-energy, and the bodies containing it."
- Closely followed by Illusion, this skill is the most important to the build, supplying the endless mid-combat stealth attacks that tear apart even the strongest opponents, (Alduin included!!). Potentially being able to kill a room of enemies by simply walking through it by master level.
Minor Skills
One-Handed: "The Nightmare's skill with a knife and dagger is unmatched by any mortal of Tamriel, wielding it to deadly effect, puncturing the weakpoints of even the most complete armor."
- One-Handed allows for the massive power that is x15 damage sneak attacks throughout combat when combined with the Shadow Warrior perk. The speed of daggers allows for very quick restoration of health, and colossal damage, when combined with Enchanting Absorb Health and Frost/Chaos damage. (Recommend Chaos so Nords don't become a pain to kill having only frost damage).
Destruction: "His very soul is frozen to the core, an embodiment of the emptiness that is the void. Ice forms at the tips of The Nightmare's fingers and is his to control."
- Destruction isn't really necessary but it blends beautifully with the Silent Casting perk nevertheless! Frost damage enchantments upon weapons are stronger when used in conjunction with the frost branch of the Destruction tree, and it's always nice to have some ranged damage. I find the use of ice magic as fitting for the embodiment of emptiness, I'm sure it's quite cold in the void.
Conjuration: "The Nightmare can feel the presence of souls no matter how far away they might be. Drawn to their life-force he will stop at nothing to rip the energy from the bodies that contain it."
- Our fuel for the Enchanting skill, no perks are invested in the necromancy or atromancy branches as any followers would reveal the presence of The Nightmare. Once a soul is trapped the body may not be brought back. By investing in the bound weapons branch souls can be stolen easily early on in the game using the bound dagger, until a stronger weapon comes along worth enchanting with the souls you have stolen.
Perk Placement level 60: http://skyrimcalculator.com/354716
Come, take my hand, I shall walk you through this nightmare. This dark and frightful world from which you may never return. 'T'is to your grave I lead you, for death is the only sanctuary from your sins.
The Story
Fear is in every living creature, fear of the dark, fear of the unknown, fear of being alone. These things are what nightmares are made of. The cold, lingering touch of death that constantly reminds the living of their mortality, and how easily their life could be snuffed out.
The Nightmare knows this, stalking the living since the birth of Time, some call him Sithis, others Padomay, but to those who know him truest, he is the void.
Suffering, misery, death. These are the things the Nightmare holds dearest, feeding off the life-force of the living and reveling in their horror.
The Aedra, formed from his thoughts, the Daedra of his blood, and the Nightmare formed from his spirit. Dark, hateful energies imbued upon the child of a Dunmer woman at birth, her own soul sealing the pact, her death giving life to the new Nightmare... The True Child of the Void.
Race: Dunmer, as they have the perfect skill set to start off the build.
Stone: Lady, Serpent or Shadow.
Major Skills: Illusion, Alchemy, Sneak, Enchanting
Minor Skills: One-Handed, Destruction, Conjuration.
Shouts: Aura Whisper, Bend Will, Disarm, Dismay, Drain Vitality, Marked for Death, Throw Voice
Weapon: Bound Dagger, Ebony Dagger/Nettlebane, Blade of Woe, Mehrunes' Razor, Skull of Corruption
Clothes: Shrouded Robes set. Late Game - Ebony Mail, Shrouded Hood, Ebony Gauntlets + boots, Heavily Enchanted.
Spells: Soul Trap, Bound Dagger, Summon Lucien Lachance, fury + fear spells, Ice spike - spear - etc, Invisibility.
Between the Quiet Casting of Illusion and the Silence and Shadow Warrior perks of Sneak, fighting The Nightmare becomes like fighting smoke for the enemies. This build is built around complete invisibility, adding "Sneaking is xx% better" enchantments to your gloves and boots, the shrouded hood itself already has 25% harder to detect on it whilst the Ebony Mail boosts this even further, to the point where, with 100 sneak and Shadow Warrior next to nothing can catch The Nightmare out.
True Nightmare
"The Nightmare has the ability to enter and consume the dreams of the living as they sleep, replacing them with visions of horror and torment, fueling his own power. "
By using the Skull of Corruption with the Silent Casting perk it is possible to steal and wield the dreams of the living silently, without being noticed. A convenient long range medium-high damage spell for when you're conserving magicka for later use. And it fits the name nicely.
"His Presence Alone Was Enough to Kill Them All..."
With Silent Casting + Ebony Mail + Cloak of Frost + Invisibility it becomes a simple matter to walk past your foes, watching their life-force weaken as your sheer power tears them apart and they can do nothing to stop it. On the offchance you are seen, repeatedly entering the sneak state with Shadow Warrior and Ebony Mail changes you into an unseen wisp of shadow capable of continuously sneak attacking your opponent.
Completely hidden even in combat. Gained through heavy enchanting and potions of Sneak + the Shadow Stone.
Silently kill your foes without lifting a finger against them. Invisibility (Shadow Stone) + Cloak of Frost
Instantly slay even the strongest enemies. Mehrunes' Razor + Assassin perk, + Deadly Poisons.
The Venom Of His Blade:
It is said that but a single drop of the poison from the blade of The Nightmare is enough to fell a dragon.
Some useful Poison recipes are: (with alchemy boosting enchantments, without in brackets)
Horrifying Presence:
- Deathbell
- Imp Stool- River Betty (Other slow ingredients produce same result with +95 (45) poison dmg
Effects: 50% Slow for 159 (75) seconds + 159 (75) poison dmg.
"The inflicted become terrified to the point where their body refuses to move the way they want it to, poison rots the flesh around the wound."
Immunity Denied.
- Deathbell
- Imp Stool
- Chaurus Eggs/Bleeding Crown (Any poison weakness ingredient)
Effects: 64% (30%) poison weakness for 30 seconds + 95 poison dmg.
"The Inflicted feel their immune system begin to attack itself, becoming more and more vulnerable to the deadly toxins of The Nightmare.
Living Death (very difficult to produce as there is little human flesh available in Skyrim)
- Imp Stool
- Human Flesh
- Mora Tapinella/Orange Dartwing (Any lingering damage Ingredient)
Effects: Paralysis for 32 (15) seconds + 32 (15) poison dmg. per second x10 seconds + 64 (30) poison dmg.
"The Inflicted is completely paralyzed, yet can still feel the pain of acidic poison rotting away at the wound, spreading through their veins to the heart..."
Mortification (Less powerful variant of the Living Death)
- Imp Stool
- Canis Root
- Mora Tapinella/Orange Dartwing (Any lingering damage ingredient)
Effects: Paralysis for 32 (15) seconds + 32 (15) poison dmg. per second x10 seconds.
Skills And Why
Sorry About the Wall of Text.
Illusion: "The Nightmare is Absolute master of the mind, distorting the way the living see reality to sow chaos amongst the people."
- Illusion makes this build. Silent casting is an absolute must for causing havoc, then sitting back to enjoy the show. High level fury spells combined with sneak and Silent Casting make for some of the most entertaining gameplay out, moving between the shadows unnoticed as wars break out between former allies. Those that will not succumb to mind control can be dealt with other ways, whether that be by cold, sharp, ice, or the venomous sting of the knife.
Enchanting: "Using the souls of those he hath taken, The Nightmare imbues his demonic armor with powers of misdirection and silence, and his blades with the power to siphon the life-force of those they cut."
- This not only fits the roleplay side of soul devouring half-demon who gets stronger the more he kills, it supplies the lifesaving power of the Absorb Health enchantment on daggers. The speed they hit at adds for incredible life-stealing potential, boosting damage well above other weapons. Especially once the Extra Effect perk is unlocked, and Chaos Damage is added to the effect with Absorb Health.
Alchemy: "The Nightmare is a master alchemist, all the knowledge of the deadliest ingredients fills his mind. A gift from his loving father in the void."
- Even more bonus damage and utility becomes available with this skill. Deadly poisons adding over 100 damage to attacks, paralysis and mortification potions to lock the living down as they rot to death from the inside out. Early game lots of paralysis and healing potions will save you before your sneak skill is raised.
Sneak: "The shadows cloak The Nightmare, for he is a part of them. In the darkness he stalks the living, ever drawn to life-energy, and the bodies containing it."
- Closely followed by Illusion, this skill is the most important to the build, supplying the endless mid-combat stealth attacks that tear apart even the strongest opponents, (Alduin included!!). Potentially being able to kill a room of enemies by simply walking through it by master level.
Minor Skills
One-Handed: "The Nightmare's skill with a knife and dagger is unmatched by any mortal of Tamriel, wielding it to deadly effect, puncturing the weakpoints of even the most complete armor."
- One-Handed allows for the massive power that is x15 damage sneak attacks throughout combat when combined with the Shadow Warrior perk. The speed of daggers allows for very quick restoration of health, and colossal damage, when combined with Enchanting Absorb Health and Frost/Chaos damage. (Recommend Chaos so Nords don't become a pain to kill having only frost damage).
Destruction: "His very soul is frozen to the core, an embodiment of the emptiness that is the void. Ice forms at the tips of The Nightmare's fingers and is his to control."
- Destruction isn't really necessary but it blends beautifully with the Silent Casting perk nevertheless! Frost damage enchantments upon weapons are stronger when used in conjunction with the frost branch of the Destruction tree, and it's always nice to have some ranged damage. I find the use of ice magic as fitting for the embodiment of emptiness, I'm sure it's quite cold in the void.
Conjuration: "The Nightmare can feel the presence of souls no matter how far away they might be. Drawn to their life-force he will stop at nothing to rip the energy from the bodies that contain it."
- Our fuel for the Enchanting skill, no perks are invested in the necromancy or atromancy branches as any followers would reveal the presence of The Nightmare. Once a soul is trapped the body may not be brought back. By investing in the bound weapons branch souls can be stolen easily early on in the game using the bound dagger, until a stronger weapon comes along worth enchanting with the souls you have stolen.
Perk Placement level 60: http://skyrimcalculator.com/354716
I do like this build, I think it is an excellent start. That being said, these are the issues I have with it:
I do like this build, but those are a few changes I would suggest making.
I do like this build, I think it is an excellent start. That being said, these are the issues I have with it:
I do like this build, but those are a few changes I would suggest making.
you have maid an evil played best friend O_O ...this is more then a Nightmare this is Sithis maid flesh. Ii was going to make something similar to this but there is no way i can match this. +1
you have maid an evil played best friend O_O ...this is more then a Nightmare this is Sithis maid flesh. Ii was going to make something similar to this but there is no way i can match this. +1
Pretty good build for it being your second one.
1) The font is all over the place in terms of size. italics,
2) It's easier to read in my opinion if the skills section is earlier in the build, then go into gameplay followed by your potion recipes and special moves.
3) Pictures. Everywhere. And they dont seem that neatly laid out.
But with what Raidriar said, I have no idea how you couldve playtested this within a couple days. It take me a couple days to get to like 30 lol. But I guess we all have our own pace.
If the write up was cleaned up, it would be much more appealing. The build seems pretty good though.
Pretty good build for it being your second one.
1) The font is all over the place in terms of size. italics,
2) It's easier to read in my opinion if the skills section is earlier in the build, then go into gameplay followed by your potion recipes and special moves.
3) Pictures. Everywhere. And they dont seem that neatly laid out.
But with what Raidriar said, I have no idea how you couldve playtested this within a couple days. It take me a couple days to get to like 30 lol. But I guess we all have our own pace.
If the write up was cleaned up, it would be much more appealing. The build seems pretty good though.