I don't expect to make these author's notes often, but because this is my first build, I will. Anyway I've been using a devilishly fun character for a month or so now, one that is unlike the Bloodworks builds that I've read. I present to you, a mixture of powerful weaponry, summons, crowd control, and ultimately one of the most versatile characters out there. All screenshots, by the way, are taken by me (PC FTW). Without further distractions...
THE PROTOTYPE
"The Thalmor.
That's what started this...creature's existence. Once it was a Nord, a kinsman, probably of high honor and status that was abducted by the damn elves for speaking out. There were so many, his name can hardly be remembered- even by what he has become.
Have you seen it? Laid your eyes upon the perversion of life and mind, the mockery of Talos? It is a poor creature, with little flesh to name, all covered and guarded by those robes and armor. Damn, man, have you seen its face? The lack of emotion, of flesh, in that body is unsettling."
"Did you hear what happened with the Imperials? By Whiterun? Word has it that the abomination wandered across them, nothing's left. By Akatosh, their bones were dust."
"Blame that on it's atronachs. The thing can call them almost naturally."
"That doesn't explain why the men just stood there and took their beating."
"Then you haven't seen it in action. Supposedly, it can change shape in their minds and make them calm, or angry, or flee in fear. Something to do with it's "programming", whatever that means. Damn elves, turning a man into...that."
"Does it still work? Does it still do what the Thalmor tell it to?"
The older Nord laughs, before downing another cup. "Who the fuck knows, it just kills."
Race: Nord. Useful for when we're exploring the northernmost regions of Skyrim, and of course for dealing with Vampires and Draugr.
Standing Stone: The Lady. With her regeneration, which we'll be needing, we add that little boost of survivability.
Armor: Morokei, Vaermina Robes enchanted with Fortify Healing Rate and Reduce Illusion Cost, Glass Gauntlets with Fortify Two Handed and Fortify Block, Glass Boots with Fortify Two Handed and Fortify Stamina Regeneration, Ring with Fortify Healing Rate and Fortify Two Handed, Necklace with Fortify Healing Rate and Fortify Two Handed.
Weapon: Glass Greatsword enchanted with Absorb Health and Frost Damage. Why? Well, firstly the extra stamina damage is all around useful, and we can slice an opponent before escaping due to the slow. Absorb Health will keep us alive. Fully perked and enchanted, with no smithing upgrades, we get a whopping 118 damage.
Stat Spread: (M/H/S) 2/2/1
Black Books: These are up to you, I don't have Dragonborn.
Perks:
Illusion- Everything except Master. We're going to be buffing our summons and debuffing our enemies, we can also use this to weed out the weaker enemies and focus down the strong. In game, this represents the visage that the Prototype has taken, which will influence the target's mind, or directly buff allies with an inspiring presence.
Conjuration- Novice and Apprentice, Dual Casting, Summoner 2/2- Twin Souls. Thralls are a bit clunky due to huge mana costs and inability to quickly cast them, so we focus solely on the atronachs' timed spells so we can better position our allies. Depending on what kind of player you are, if you're a bit uncertain of yourself you'll head in with two frost atronachs in the front line. The risky way, which is the way this character is meant to be played, is with two flame atronachs to the sides or behind you. This represents the ability of the Prototype to evoke beasts to its presence, albeit briefly due to mental processes being elsewhere (battle).
Enchanting- Enchanter 5/5, Insightful Enchanter, Fire Enchanter, Frost Enchanter, Storm Enchanter, Extra Effect. With this we truly transform into the Protoype- a monster of steel, capable of shoving a sword down a monster's throat. In the lore, this represents our abilities we were made with seeping into our skin itself.
Block- Shield Wall 5/5, Quick Reflexes. Most of the time you'll be using your sword, which you can block with. This just makes it a little more effective.
Light Armor- Agile Defender 5/5, Custom Fit, Unhindered. Since we're a little low on the armor rating, we buff our 3/4 (mismatched) pieces in order to add more AR and make them weightless. Since this is the Protoype's "skin", Unhindered is a natural choice.
Two Handed- Barbarian 5/5, Champion's Stance, Savage Strike, Great Critical Charge, Sweep, Warmaster. My bad if I got the names a bit wrong, but anyways this is just increasing proficiency with your weapon so you can get the kind of effect you see here.
By the way, this was with a mod that increases the game's difficulty. What you see here is a level 40 wolf getting oneshot on Master.
Essential Quests: The College of Winterhold, Waking Nightmare.
Spells: Conjure Flame/Frost/Storm Atronach, Flaming Familiar, Rally, Rout, Frenzy, Pacify.
Shouts: None. This character is not the Dragonborn.
Preferred Follower: Again, none. This character packs quite a bit of a punch on its own, a follower would only get in the way.
That mass of red before him was a bandit.
I strive to make characters that are at least somewhat mechanical in nature while having good lore and are fun to play. Doesn't seem possible to make an original one nowadays, huh? I tried. Mechanically this character is an absolute tempest, being able to move around the battlefield rather easily and using the atronachs as either support or frontliners. It's one of, if not the, most versatile builds I've ever played/seen. Due to it's specializations in Illusion and Conjuration you can play it pure utility until you feel comfortable, with buffed atronachs and feared enemies, before taking out your sword and bisecting them. Scared of a bandit hideout? Conjure some frost atronachs and buff them before heading in, with them in front. Eager to take out that crypt? Cast two flame atronachs behind you and rush forward, butchering everything in your way. At roughly level 50, this monster was able to kill a Deathlord in four hits on Expert, unaided.
The thought of a war crime walking- of a byproduct of racism and hate- made me think of some severe moral and ethical battles this creature would have. Granted, due to the damage sustained at Darkwater it lost most of it's programming, but some directives are still in place from when the Thalmor originally captured the man and put the machine inside. Due to this, rather obviously I would think the Prototype would seek Nordic destruction. However, due to the inability to participate in the Civil War (it requires a Dragonborn) due to conflicting thoughts regarding the Thalmor, the Prototype becomes a type of self sustaining soldier, which carries the war on it's own. Happen across a Stormcloak patrol or camp? Kill them all. Imperials? Kill them all. Thalmor Embassy? Break down the doors and kill them all.
Remnants of a skirmish between the Prototype and a band of Imperials.
So at this point you're wondering if this is just your average chaotic evil barbarian character, well let me explain. For one, I pointed out three groups that the Prototype does not like- all of which are involved in the Civil War. It still has programming put into it by the Thalmor, but a malfunction is not a failure. Nordic destruction is complemented by destruction of the elves, all of which is combined into a neat little package of blood that lets us think of some great roleplay opportunities.
For one, think about this- the Prototype is built for battle, it is a creature with no heart and a mind that only comprises of its directives. What does it do when these are fulfilled? Does it go on killing, or does it try to get some resemblance of a life? With the ability to be unbound by any moral code, save for the killing of man and mer alike, the Protoype can be taken anywhere. I tagged it as a villain because of its bloody nature.
Speaking of blood, let's examine the Prototype with a more mechanical eye. With all of this health regeneration consuming a potion isn't truly necessary. and if you play a support Prototype you shouldn't be taking hits period. Complementing his regen is absorb health on his sword, which actually prompts a weakening Prototype to go on the offensive, and kill the opponent before they kill you. The basic nature is offensive. Even though most enemies in Skyrim are resistant to frost, they aren't resistant to being slowed and that can supplement an escape or even a charge.
Such a charge is an example on the left. Here we see the Prototype ahead of a frost atronach, with a flame in the background (above the Prototype's head for those having trouble seeing it). With the enemy being slowed and the atronach using it's AOE, we get a quick and easy killcam with one power attack.
These atronachs were not buffed, by the way. An offensive Prototype uses Illusion in three situations: When initiating, when fleeing, and when uncertain. Illusion lets us have quite the initiate, where we can force our sword down their throat and they cannot do a single thing about it. That's where this build's beauty comes in. Despite having jarring weaknesses- for one, mages and bears (they always focus you for some reason), whatever it isn't weak to it is strong against.
Now for gear talk. Morokei was an obvious choice for me, due to the mask and the mana regeneration which comes in handy with your summons (which are rather costly). Health regeneration seems to have been nerfed but that could just be me, and the boots have stamina regeneration to make power attacks come more often. I shouldn't have to explain why we need a more powerful sword, but basically it is a direct relation to the Prototype becoming more skilled. You are also almost certainly wondering why exactly we have Glass armor and weaponry, with no smithing. The answer lies in the lore and in actual gameplay. The Glass comes midgame, by then which you should have Extra Effect. The Prototype does not build weapons, it finds them and alters them. Nothing in the set is crafted. Glass is also used because it has a relation to the Thalmor, as at higher levels they appear with Glass armor. Functionally it is a powerful light armor that's a little weaker than steel plate but is just as good in the end. Keep in mind, with Unhindered they weigh nothing when equipped. But the interesting part of the set is Vaermina's robe, which everyone is scratching their head about. For one, it hasn't been used by any build yet (I believe) and it is the heaviest robe one can wear. The reasons are aesthetic and have a good tie-in. Let me explain. First, it is violet- which is the color of royalty, and in the occult is sometimes used a color of ascension- and covers the whole body, which covers the awkward look other robes would have. It also does not come with a hood, which makes it the prime choice. Also, Vaermina's quest is that of dreams- well, the Prototype does not have dreams. Being involved with a Daedric Prince in such a way facilitates the development of a personality- of a human- in the armor. It's a first step. It is also the best looking robe in the game, in my opinion.
Finding Home- Roleplay
To the right we see yet another example of the Prototype's prowess, which is a flame atronach priming a kill for us before we get the cam. A powerful machine, no?
I don't intend to tell you how to play your character, but I've pointed out some questions and things you really should analyze to get the full experience. Anyway, here are some things you should really think on: What does the Prototype do when the dust settles? It is a machine, mind you, not a man. And the programming- the desire to kill- is still prevalent. So what does the Prototype do? Does it develop it's own brain, and become a person? Or does it remain a faceless, nameless machine, roaming the countryside until it breaks down? The answer is yours to make, of course, but here are some topics I have found that fit this build particularly well.
The Dark Brotherhood- It's a group of fellow killers. It is a group of people that understand what he is feeling, what he desires, what he seeks... and then the Empire goes and takes it away from him, and he has to rebuild it. This would further his hatred of the Nords, and of the Empire in general. Besides, at the end of the guild questline the whole "rebuilding" can be a symbolic process for it regaining human memories.
The College of Winterhold- A group of fellow mages that seek to learn more about the arcane, much like he. All students there seek to develop their abilities, as does the Prototype. It instills a sense of kinship, of the journey, He may actually developed a (admittedly lighthearted) friendship with fellow students.
Insults- The Prototype is a machine built for killing, and all it knows is that. What do you do when insulted in the street? Kill the man? Do you let it slide, or do you revert back to your original state and chop them in half?
This is how I respond.
Marriage- "Murder is a potion of love." -Zack Hemsey. This quote fits extremely well with the idea of a Prototype in love, something which must be kept in mind. If you roleplay a Prototype turning into a human, then you need not worry about this, however a true Prototype would be conflicted to say the least especially if the partner of choice was a Nord or a Mer. The Prototype is a murderer by breed, and the only true companion I can see for a Prototype is another killer.
Theme Song- "Nice to Meet Me"- Zack Hemsey.
Final Words
This is not my first build by any stretch of the imagination (it is roughly my 20th unique build) but it is one of the most fun, with deep complications and thoughts that really spur the imagination into action. I hope, for those of you that liked it, I interested you in my style and build, and maybe you'll try the build yourself? See how you like it?
Anyhoodlum, that is all.
I don't expect to make these author's notes often, but because this is my first build, I will. Anyway I've been using a devilishly fun character for a month or so now, one that is unlike the Bloodworks builds that I've read. I present to you, a mixture of powerful weaponry, summons, crowd control, and ultimately one of the most versatile characters out there. All screenshots, by the way, are taken by me (PC FTW). Without further distractions...
THE PROTOTYPE
"The Thalmor.
That's what started this...creature's existence. Once it was a Nord, a kinsman, probably of high honor and status that was abducted by the damn elves for speaking out. There were so many, his name can hardly be remembered- even by what he has become.
Have you seen it? Laid your eyes upon the perversion of life and mind, the mockery of Talos? It is a poor creature, with little flesh to name, all covered and guarded by those robes and armor. Damn, man, have you seen its face? The lack of emotion, of flesh, in that body is unsettling."
"Did you hear what happened with the Imperials? By Whiterun? Word has it that the abomination wandered across them, nothing's left. By Akatosh, their bones were dust."
"Blame that on it's atronachs. The thing can call them almost naturally."
"That doesn't explain why the men just stood there and took their beating."
"Then you haven't seen it in action. Supposedly, it can change shape in their minds and make them calm, or angry, or flee in fear. Something to do with it's "programming", whatever that means. Damn elves, turning a man into...that."
"Does it still work? Does it still do what the Thalmor tell it to?"
The older Nord laughs, before downing another cup. "Who the fuck knows, it just kills."
Race: Nord. Useful for when we're exploring the northernmost regions of Skyrim, and of course for dealing with Vampires and Draugr.
Standing Stone: The Lady. With her regeneration, which we'll be needing, we add that little boost of survivability.
Armor: Morokei, Vaermina Robes enchanted with Fortify Healing Rate and Reduce Illusion Cost, Glass Gauntlets with Fortify Two Handed and Fortify Block, Glass Boots with Fortify Two Handed and Fortify Stamina Regeneration, Ring with Fortify Healing Rate and Fortify Two Handed, Necklace with Fortify Healing Rate and Fortify Two Handed.
Weapon: Glass Greatsword enchanted with Absorb Health and Frost Damage. Why? Well, firstly the extra stamina damage is all around useful, and we can slice an opponent before escaping due to the slow. Absorb Health will keep us alive. Fully perked and enchanted, with no smithing upgrades, we get a whopping 118 damage.
Stat Spread: (M/H/S) 2/2/1
Black Books: These are up to you, I don't have Dragonborn.
Perks:
Illusion- Everything except Master. We're going to be buffing our summons and debuffing our enemies, we can also use this to weed out the weaker enemies and focus down the strong. In game, this represents the visage that the Prototype has taken, which will influence the target's mind, or directly buff allies with an inspiring presence.
Conjuration- Novice and Apprentice, Dual Casting, Summoner 2/2- Twin Souls. Thralls are a bit clunky due to huge mana costs and inability to quickly cast them, so we focus solely on the atronachs' timed spells so we can better position our allies. Depending on what kind of player you are, if you're a bit uncertain of yourself you'll head in with two frost atronachs in the front line. The risky way, which is the way this character is meant to be played, is with two flame atronachs to the sides or behind you. This represents the ability of the Prototype to evoke beasts to its presence, albeit briefly due to mental processes being elsewhere (battle).
Enchanting- Enchanter 5/5, Insightful Enchanter, Fire Enchanter, Frost Enchanter, Storm Enchanter, Extra Effect. With this we truly transform into the Protoype- a monster of steel, capable of shoving a sword down a monster's throat. In the lore, this represents our abilities we were made with seeping into our skin itself.
Block- Shield Wall 5/5, Quick Reflexes. Most of the time you'll be using your sword, which you can block with. This just makes it a little more effective.
Light Armor- Agile Defender 5/5, Custom Fit, Unhindered. Since we're a little low on the armor rating, we buff our 3/4 (mismatched) pieces in order to add more AR and make them weightless. Since this is the Protoype's "skin", Unhindered is a natural choice.
Two Handed- Barbarian 5/5, Champion's Stance, Savage Strike, Great Critical Charge, Sweep, Warmaster. My bad if I got the names a bit wrong, but anyways this is just increasing proficiency with your weapon so you can get the kind of effect you see here.
By the way, this was with a mod that increases the game's difficulty. What you see here is a level 40 wolf getting oneshot on Master.
Essential Quests: The College of Winterhold, Waking Nightmare.
Spells: Conjure Flame/Frost/Storm Atronach, Flaming Familiar, Rally, Rout, Frenzy, Pacify.
Shouts: None. This character is not the Dragonborn.
Preferred Follower: Again, none. This character packs quite a bit of a punch on its own, a follower would only get in the way.
That mass of red before him was a bandit.
I strive to make characters that are at least somewhat mechanical in nature while having good lore and are fun to play. Doesn't seem possible to make an original one nowadays, huh? I tried. Mechanically this character is an absolute tempest, being able to move around the battlefield rather easily and using the atronachs as either support or frontliners. It's one of, if not the, most versatile builds I've ever played/seen. Due to it's specializations in Illusion and Conjuration you can play it pure utility until you feel comfortable, with buffed atronachs and feared enemies, before taking out your sword and bisecting them. Scared of a bandit hideout? Conjure some frost atronachs and buff them before heading in, with them in front. Eager to take out that crypt? Cast two flame atronachs behind you and rush forward, butchering everything in your way. At roughly level 50, this monster was able to kill a Deathlord in four hits on Expert, unaided.
The thought of a war crime walking- of a byproduct of racism and hate- made me think of some severe moral and ethical battles this creature would have. Granted, due to the damage sustained at Darkwater it lost most of it's programming, but some directives are still in place from when the Thalmor originally captured the man and put the machine inside. Due to this, rather obviously I would think the Prototype would seek Nordic destruction. However, due to the inability to participate in the Civil War (it requires a Dragonborn) due to conflicting thoughts regarding the Thalmor, the Prototype becomes a type of self sustaining soldier, which carries the war on it's own. Happen across a Stormcloak patrol or camp? Kill them all. Imperials? Kill them all. Thalmor Embassy? Break down the doors and kill them all.
Remnants of a skirmish between the Prototype and a band of Imperials.
So at this point you're wondering if this is just your average chaotic evil barbarian character, well let me explain. For one, I pointed out three groups that the Prototype does not like- all of which are involved in the Civil War. It still has programming put into it by the Thalmor, but a malfunction is not a failure. Nordic destruction is complemented by destruction of the elves, all of which is combined into a neat little package of blood that lets us think of some great roleplay opportunities.
For one, think about this- the Prototype is built for battle, it is a creature with no heart and a mind that only comprises of its directives. What does it do when these are fulfilled? Does it go on killing, or does it try to get some resemblance of a life? With the ability to be unbound by any moral code, save for the killing of man and mer alike, the Protoype can be taken anywhere. I tagged it as a villain because of its bloody nature.
Speaking of blood, let's examine the Prototype with a more mechanical eye. With all of this health regeneration consuming a potion isn't truly necessary. and if you play a support Prototype you shouldn't be taking hits period. Complementing his regen is absorb health on his sword, which actually prompts a weakening Prototype to go on the offensive, and kill the opponent before they kill you. The basic nature is offensive. Even though most enemies in Skyrim are resistant to frost, they aren't resistant to being slowed and that can supplement an escape or even a charge.
Such a charge is an example on the left. Here we see the Prototype ahead of a frost atronach, with a flame in the background (above the Prototype's head for those having trouble seeing it). With the enemy being slowed and the atronach using it's AOE, we get a quick and easy killcam with one power attack.
These atronachs were not buffed, by the way. An offensive Prototype uses Illusion in three situations: When initiating, when fleeing, and when uncertain. Illusion lets us have quite the initiate, where we can force our sword down their throat and they cannot do a single thing about it. That's where this build's beauty comes in. Despite having jarring weaknesses- for one, mages and bears (they always focus you for some reason), whatever it isn't weak to it is strong against.
Now for gear talk. Morokei was an obvious choice for me, due to the mask and the mana regeneration which comes in handy with your summons (which are rather costly). Health regeneration seems to have been nerfed but that could just be me, and the boots have stamina regeneration to make power attacks come more often. I shouldn't have to explain why we need a more powerful sword, but basically it is a direct relation to the Prototype becoming more skilled. You are also almost certainly wondering why exactly we have Glass armor and weaponry, with no smithing. The answer lies in the lore and in actual gameplay. The Glass comes midgame, by then which you should have Extra Effect. The Prototype does not build weapons, it finds them and alters them. Nothing in the set is crafted. Glass is also used because it has a relation to the Thalmor, as at higher levels they appear with Glass armor. Functionally it is a powerful light armor that's a little weaker than steel plate but is just as good in the end. Keep in mind, with Unhindered they weigh nothing when equipped. But the interesting part of the set is Vaermina's robe, which everyone is scratching their head about. For one, it hasn't been used by any build yet (I believe) and it is the heaviest robe one can wear. The reasons are aesthetic and have a good tie-in. Let me explain. First, it is violet- which is the color of royalty, and in the occult is sometimes used a color of ascension- and covers the whole body, which covers the awkward look other robes would have. It also does not come with a hood, which makes it the prime choice. Also, Vaermina's quest is that of dreams- well, the Prototype does not have dreams. Being involved with a Daedric Prince in such a way facilitates the development of a personality- of a human- in the armor. It's a first step. It is also the best looking robe in the game, in my opinion.
Finding Home- Roleplay
To the right we see yet another example of the Prototype's prowess, which is a flame atronach priming a kill for us before we get the cam. A powerful machine, no?
I don't intend to tell you how to play your character, but I've pointed out some questions and things you really should analyze to get the full experience. Anyway, here are some things you should really think on: What does the Prototype do when the dust settles? It is a machine, mind you, not a man. And the programming- the desire to kill- is still prevalent. So what does the Prototype do? Does it develop it's own brain, and become a person? Or does it remain a faceless, nameless machine, roaming the countryside until it breaks down? The answer is yours to make, of course, but here are some topics I have found that fit this build particularly well.
The Dark Brotherhood- It's a group of fellow killers. It is a group of people that understand what he is feeling, what he desires, what he seeks... and then the Empire goes and takes it away from him, and he has to rebuild it. This would further his hatred of the Nords, and of the Empire in general. Besides, at the end of the guild questline the whole "rebuilding" can be a symbolic process for it regaining human memories.
The College of Winterhold- A group of fellow mages that seek to learn more about the arcane, much like he. All students there seek to develop their abilities, as does the Prototype. It instills a sense of kinship, of the journey, He may actually developed a (admittedly lighthearted) friendship with fellow students.
Insults- The Prototype is a machine built for killing, and all it knows is that. What do you do when insulted in the street? Kill the man? Do you let it slide, or do you revert back to your original state and chop them in half?
This is how I respond.
Marriage- "Murder is a potion of love." -Zack Hemsey. This quote fits extremely well with the idea of a Prototype in love, something which must be kept in mind. If you roleplay a Prototype turning into a human, then you need not worry about this, however a true Prototype would be conflicted to say the least especially if the partner of choice was a Nord or a Mer. The Prototype is a murderer by breed, and the only true companion I can see for a Prototype is another killer.
Theme Song- "Nice to Meet Me"- Zack Hemsey.
Final Words
This is not my first build by any stretch of the imagination (it is roughly my 20th unique build) but it is one of the most fun, with deep complications and thoughts that really spur the imagination into action. I hope, for those of you that liked it, I interested you in my style and build, and maybe you'll try the build yourself? See how you like it?
Anyhoodlum, that is all.
