The Master of the Night
It isn’t enough to simply be a vampire, or even a Vampire Lord. No, one must rise above those to claim the elusive mantle of Master of the Night – a Vampire Lord powerful enough to bend virtually every aspect of the land and its inhabitants to their will. Primarily a spellcaster, the Master of the Night can fall back on martial training when all else fails, but between the mastery of necromancy, illusion and the destructive elements of fire, frost and lighting, it is rare that the Master of the Night finds themselves in a position to use their martial talents.
Lore: The Master of the Night
It is generally assumed that the “dread lord” referred to in the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy was Lord Harkon, the nominal head of the Volkihar Clan of vampires. Such is not the case, however: instead, it refers to an obscure title that was meant to be held by only the most powerful of vampire lords: the Master of the Night, a Vampire Lord above any other. Harkon wished to believe it was himself, but unfortunately he was to be proven wrong when the true Master of the Night emerged and subsequently brought the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy to pass in his own way, but only after defeating Harkon and proving himself the master.
Backstory
Nicolae von Barovich was an idealistic Breton warrior who spent his best years fighting and defeating the enemies of what would ultimately become the Breton people. By the time he was through, he was nearing his middle years, and found himself jaded by his life and a feeling that he had relinquished his youth to his home. Finally conquering a small corner of Skyrim, he settled down to rule with his brother Lucian in what he called Castle Bonehawk, so named for the bone hawks that always flew in close proximity to the castle.
Nicolae soon found himself smitten with a young woman named Mirela, but unfortunately her eyes were only for Nicolae’s brother Lucian. His mood growing ever darker, Nicolae began to seek a magical means of regaining his youth out of a growing hatred for his brother’s fortune, his growing obsession with Mirela, and a growing sense of frustration and desperation to reclaim all he believed he had lost. Finally, on 20 Evening Star, 3E 184, Nicolae made a pact with Death itself, as he would later call it – in truth, it was a pact with the Daedric Lord of Domination, Molag Bal, who demanded a terrible price before granting his gift.
The day Lucian and Mirela were to be wed, Nicolae confronted his brother, and in a fit of jealous rage snapped his neck. It was at that moment that Mirela arrived to witness the deed, and Nicolae pursued her through the castle. Ultimately, Mirela flung herself off a balcony of Castle Bonehawk, and Nicolae was shot by many of his guards. But Nicolae didn’t die – at that moment, he instead became a Vampire Lord, one who disappeared into the darkness. Only later did Lord Harkon, with his wife Valerica and daughter Serana, come to Castle Bonehawk and claim it as their own, renaming it Castle Volkihar.
But now, the age of strife as foretold has come. The dread lord is finally arising from the darkness to reclaim what is rightfully his. Tamriel will once again know the name of Nicolae von Barovich, as well as his new title: the Master of the Night.
Basic Information
Race: Breton (Vampire Lord). Descended from the half-men, half-mer that ultimately became the Breton people, the slightly pointed ears allow the Master of the Night to blend in more easily with the masses of man and mer, keeping them from realizing his true nature.
Character Name: Nicolae von Barovich
Stone: The Lover’s Stone is perfect for leveling up (even though an argument could be made that the Mage Stone could also be useful, given its focus on the magical skills). By the endgame, the Master of the Night deigns to use only one Standing Stone that adequately personifies him: the Lord Stone.
Stats Distribution: 2 Magicka / 1 Health / 1 Stamina until Stamina is at 150; 1 Magicka / 1 Health thereafter. Originally, I went until Stamina was 200 for the initial 2/1/1 distribution, but found that I would have been better served to have not needed the Stamina so much.
Armor: Gold and Ruby Circlet (Fortify Illusion, Fortify Restoration), Gold and Ruby Necklace (Fortify Conjuration, Fortify Destruction), Vampire Royal Armor, Silver Ruby Ring (Fortify Healing Rate, Fortify Health), Vampire Gauntlets (Fortify Archery, Fortify One-Handed), Vampire Boots (Fortify Stamina Regen, Resist Fire)
Weapons: Auri-El’s Bow (with Bloodcursed Elven Arrows), Harkon’s Sword
Main Skills: Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, Restoration
Secondary Skills: Archery, Light Armor, One-Handed, Smithing
Shouts: Become Ethereal, Dragon Aspect, Elemental Fury, Marked For Death, Slow Time, Soul Tear, Summon Durnehviir, Throw Voice, Whirlwind Sprint
Miscellaneous Abilities: Ahzidal's Genius (from the Relics of Ahzidal in the Unearthed quest), Companion’s Insight, Secret of Arcana, Seeker of Sorcery (all from the Black Books)
Skills
Archery: A minor skill, the Master of the Night is a decent shot with a bow, though by no means a true master. Minimal perking is needed for this skill.
Conjuration: Conjuration is a major skill utilized by the Master of the Night, focusing exclusively on necromancy. At higher levels (and particularly once arriving at the Soul Cairn), the basic necromancy spells can then be set aside for Conjure Boneman, Conjure Mistman and Conjure Wrathman.
Destruction: Destruction is another major skill for the Master of the Night, wielding the elements of fire, frost and lightning. Rune spells are a good way to level up Destruction early, and by endgame you should be able to fling Expert level spells with relative impunity.
Enchanting: Enchanting is another major skill, allowing the Master of the Night to create the best possible set of enchanted armor available.
Illusion: Illusion is a necessity for the Master of the Night, in order to cloud the minds of men and mer alike. Master of the Mind in particular is a necessity -- a great way to further augment your follower and your summons alike with spells like Courage, Rally and Call to Arms (which can be cast with Secret of Arcana once a day for no magicka).
Light Armor: In life, the Master of the Night had to protect himself from damage as best as he could, but heavy armor was considered too cumbersome for his fighting style. To that end, the Master of the Night makes good use of light armor instead.
One-Handed: A warrior during his mortal years, the ability to wield a one-handed weapon is a skill the Master of the Night was quite adept at using. While considered a minor skill, the Master of the Night’s skill with one-handed weapons are the most extensively perked of the minor skills.
Restoration: To best keep the Master of the Night on his toes, and to be as close to a true master of life and death as possible, restorative magic is a necessity. Not heavily perked among the major skills, even so the Master of the Night is capable of rapid recovery. Necromage is the end goal, due to how it further augments the Master of the Night’s enchanted armor and his spells against the undead (a definite boon for when casting spells upon yourself).
Smithing: While not exactly a skill one would think the Master of the Night would possess, he did have an affinity for not only steel weaponry, but elven as well. As he grew in power and delved more into the magical arts, it was clear that the Master of the Night would also need to know how best to improve enchanted armor and weapons.
Gameplay
The Master of the Night is a subtle conniver who believes the ends justify the means. He has spent most of four eras now developing his power and might, but only now does he find the opportunity he’s been waiting for: the chance to reveal himself once more and prove his mastery over all, to reclaim what he believes to be his by right. Yet, he is cursed to desire love from afar, never able to obtain that pinnacle which would make his unlife complete. Mirela is long since dead, but somewhere in Skyrim, her reincarnation walks, waiting to be found.
Illusion and Conjuration are the backbone upon which the Master of the Night builds his “army”; Conjuration to bring forth the dead (and later, summon the powerful undead servants from the Soul Cairn), and Illusion to augment their capabilities further (as well as the ability of his follower). With that done, the Master of the Night can then focus more on Destruction, wielding the elements to destroy his foes and prove his superiority. Should magic fail, the Master of the Night can fall back on his mortal years of martial training to defend himself until such time as he can bring back his “army” and march through the land unopposed once again – this comes more into play during the day, when your health/magicka/stamina regeneration is virtually nil until such time as you have Auri-El’s Bow and some Bloodcursed Elven Arrows to blot out the sun.
Restoration isn’t quite so vital, but is a potent skill in the Master of the Night’s arsenal nonetheless, capable of keeping our intrepid dread lord on his feet when needed. Necromage is of tremendous benefit for casting spells on oneself (which makes Alteration flesh spells useful for additional Armor Rating and for longer duration than normal, for instance), as well as bolstering further the effects of the enchantments of your armor. By the time it’s all said and done, casting Grand Healing (an Expert level Restoration spell) for a quick full-heal on health and stamina both is not nearly as magicka-intensive as it would normally be, thanks to a Fortify Restoration enchantment and Seeker of Sorcery, which further lowers the magicka cost of all spells by ten percent.
In order to maximize the power of the Master of the Night, make a point of not feeding if at all possible. This may sound at odds with the need to perk the Vampire Lord tree, but making heavy use of the Vampire Lord form while questing in dungeons (particularly during the time around the Redwater Den quest, when Serana’s presence doesn’t bug out your Vampiric Drain spell and weaken it severely) will allow you to max out your Vampire Lord perks. That aside, the boost to your vampiric abilities is crucial for Illusion in particular.
When you want to truly prove your might during those pesky daylight hours, you have the means to do so: Auri-El’s Bow with Bloodcursed Elven Arrows. Fire one at the sun, and watch as day quickly turns into a pseudo-night, affording you the full benefit of your vampiric abilities without the vulnerability to sunlight. Aside from that, Archery is really a secondary ranged option for when you run out of magicka – by endgame, you almost won’t need it because of the magicka regen you’re capable of.
However, for those times when your back is to the wall and using magic at close-range to melee range isn’t an option, that’s where your martial training falls into play. Getting a good sword (I killed Fultheim in my playthrough, courtesy of Fury, to get his Blades Sword) is a good start. By the end of Dawnguard, you’ll have Harkon’s Sword instead: lower base damage, but you do get the health/magicka/stamina drain benefit for being a vampire. It is rather soul-gem intensive, however, because there aren’t that many charges on it. The higher your Destruction, however, the more charges you have, and Fortify Destruction is very handy as an enchantment to further augment the number of charges you have. In that light, I would suggest using Soul Trap in conjunction with the Black Star, so that you don’t have to buy soul gems constantly in order to recharge Harkon’s Sword. Having Steel Smithing helped with improving Harkon’s Sword: after my Fortify Smithing gear was in place (which gave me a base 30% Fortify Smithing per item (Azhidal’s Genius helped tremendously here, as did an Enchanting Philter, but I could have taken it higher if I’d gotten Seeker of Sorcery before enchanting my Fortify Smithing), which then became 37.5% after Necromage came into play – I ended up with +150% Fortify Smithing that way), Harkon’s Sword wound up dealing 81 damage (including three Armsman perks from One-Handed); respectable, but not as good as Nicolae’s Destruction magic damage when dual-casted.
When it comes to Enchanting, I admit that I did play with things a bit. Originally, I had Fortify Sneak and Fortify Carry Weight on my Vampire Boots, but found Fortify Sneak to be redundant, particularly since this isn’t really a Sneak-based build, and Fortify Carry Weight wasn’t really needed, since I made occasional use of the Locket of St. Jiub for that purpose. Fortify Stamina Regen was ultimately the better choice for the Boots, coupled with Resist Fire. As for the enchanted Silver Ruby Ring, I originally had Fortify Health and Resist Fire on it; since I’d already moved Resist Fire to the boots (and had 65% magic resistance from Breton+Lord Stone+Agent of Mara), I decided to change it out for Fortify Healing Rate, so that Nicolae could heal (albeit slowly) during the day and let me not worry so much about casting Grand Healing except for when absolutely necessary.
Shouts are also worth mentioning here: Elemental Fury is nice to have early in the game. Become Ethereal and Slow Time are very handy, however, and effectively allow you to have Supernatural Reflexes and Mist Form from the Vampire Lord perk tree at hand whenever you need it. Dragon Aspect, coupled with an Amulet of Talos, a Blessing of Talos and the Necromage perk, help not only to extend the duration of both Become Ethereal and Slow Time, but make it easier to deal with heavy-hitting foes. Most times, however, I admit to keeping Soul Tear as my shout of choice, to have a heavy-damage effect to help me wear down the more powerful dragons, among others.
Recommanded Factions/Quests
Main Questline; Side Quests: Civil War (at least to the Jagged Crown, to get one of the words of Slow Time), College of Winterhold, Dawnguard (vampire side), Dragonborn (mostly for certain of the Black Books and Dragon Aspect), The Black Star, Unearthed.
The Book of Love quest bears special mention. It is useful not only for its end reward (which, coupled with the Breton’s own magic resistance and the Lord Stone’s magic resistance, makes the Master of the Night a truly formidable foe with 65% magic resistance), but also as a lens through which one can roleplay the Master of the Night’s own tragic love story and how he is cursed to never be able to truly reclaim the reincarnation of Mirela (who can be whoever you want her to be), no matter what he does (and no matter how he finds her.
Closing Notes
The Master of the Night is based upon Count Strahd von Zarovich, the Darklord of Barovia and master of Castle Ravenloft, and the foundation upon which the Ravenloft campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons was built. I did try to be as true to Strahd as I could be (admittedly, having to rely predominantly on his 3.0 stats, courtesy of Sword and Sorcery as they held the rights to Ravenloft after a deal with Wizards of the Coast), while also keeping it as anchored in Skyrim as possible.
While the Master of the Night is sitting at the level 55 cap, I daresay it could stand to have several more levels added on. In that case, I’d take at least one level each of the Augmented Fire/Frost/Shock perks in Destruction, and quite possibly perk Alteration up from Novice to Adept, get all three Magic Resistance perks, and Stability to make the flesh spells last even longer still. I may try that at some point, just to see how well it works.
Both images of Strahd von Zarovich are the respective property of their artists. Many thanks to Alice for her help in putting together my perk spread, and to Carter for his Vampire Prince image from the NOACC.
And thank you all for reading – hope you enjoy.
The Master of the Night
It isn’t enough to simply be a vampire, or even a Vampire Lord. No, one must rise above those to claim the elusive mantle of Master of the Night – a Vampire Lord powerful enough to bend virtually every aspect of the land and its inhabitants to their will. Primarily a spellcaster, the Master of the Night can fall back on martial training when all else fails, but between the mastery of necromancy, illusion and the destructive elements of fire, frost and lighting, it is rare that the Master of the Night finds themselves in a position to use their martial talents.
Lore: The Master of the Night
It is generally assumed that the “dread lord” referred to in the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy was Lord Harkon, the nominal head of the Volkihar Clan of vampires. Such is not the case, however: instead, it refers to an obscure title that was meant to be held by only the most powerful of vampire lords: the Master of the Night, a Vampire Lord above any other. Harkon wished to believe it was himself, but unfortunately he was to be proven wrong when the true Master of the Night emerged and subsequently brought the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy to pass in his own way, but only after defeating Harkon and proving himself the master.
Backstory
Nicolae von Barovich was an idealistic Breton warrior who spent his best years fighting and defeating the enemies of what would ultimately become the Breton people. By the time he was through, he was nearing his middle years, and found himself jaded by his life and a feeling that he had relinquished his youth to his home. Finally conquering a small corner of Skyrim, he settled down to rule with his brother Lucian in what he called Castle Bonehawk, so named for the bone hawks that always flew in close proximity to the castle.
Nicolae soon found himself smitten with a young woman named Mirela, but unfortunately her eyes were only for Nicolae’s brother Lucian. His mood growing ever darker, Nicolae began to seek a magical means of regaining his youth out of a growing hatred for his brother’s fortune, his growing obsession with Mirela, and a growing sense of frustration and desperation to reclaim all he believed he had lost. Finally, on 20 Evening Star, 3E 184, Nicolae made a pact with Death itself, as he would later call it – in truth, it was a pact with the Daedric Lord of Domination, Molag Bal, who demanded a terrible price before granting his gift.
The day Lucian and Mirela were to be wed, Nicolae confronted his brother, and in a fit of jealous rage snapped his neck. It was at that moment that Mirela arrived to witness the deed, and Nicolae pursued her through the castle. Ultimately, Mirela flung herself off a balcony of Castle Bonehawk, and Nicolae was shot by many of his guards. But Nicolae didn’t die – at that moment, he instead became a Vampire Lord, one who disappeared into the darkness. Only later did Lord Harkon, with his wife Valerica and daughter Serana, come to Castle Bonehawk and claim it as their own, renaming it Castle Volkihar.
But now, the age of strife as foretold has come. The dread lord is finally arising from the darkness to reclaim what is rightfully his. Tamriel will once again know the name of Nicolae von Barovich, as well as his new title: the Master of the Night.
Basic Information
Race: Breton (Vampire Lord). Descended from the half-men, half-mer that ultimately became the Breton people, the slightly pointed ears allow the Master of the Night to blend in more easily with the masses of man and mer, keeping them from realizing his true nature.
Character Name: Nicolae von Barovich
Stone: The Lover’s Stone is perfect for leveling up (even though an argument could be made that the Mage Stone could also be useful, given its focus on the magical skills). By the endgame, the Master of the Night deigns to use only one Standing Stone that adequately personifies him: the Lord Stone.
Stats Distribution: 2 Magicka / 1 Health / 1 Stamina until Stamina is at 150; 1 Magicka / 1 Health thereafter. Originally, I went until Stamina was 200 for the initial 2/1/1 distribution, but found that I would have been better served to have not needed the Stamina so much.
Armor: Gold and Ruby Circlet (Fortify Illusion, Fortify Restoration), Gold and Ruby Necklace (Fortify Conjuration, Fortify Destruction), Vampire Royal Armor, Silver Ruby Ring (Fortify Healing Rate, Fortify Health), Vampire Gauntlets (Fortify Archery, Fortify One-Handed), Vampire Boots (Fortify Stamina Regen, Resist Fire)
Weapons: Auri-El’s Bow (with Bloodcursed Elven Arrows), Harkon’s Sword
Main Skills: Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, Restoration
Secondary Skills: Archery, Light Armor, One-Handed, Smithing
Shouts: Become Ethereal, Dragon Aspect, Elemental Fury, Marked For Death, Slow Time, Soul Tear, Summon Durnehviir, Throw Voice, Whirlwind Sprint
Miscellaneous Abilities: Ahzidal's Genius (from the Relics of Ahzidal in the Unearthed quest), Companion’s Insight, Secret of Arcana, Seeker of Sorcery (all from the Black Books)
Skills
Archery: A minor skill, the Master of the Night is a decent shot with a bow, though by no means a true master. Minimal perking is needed for this skill.
Conjuration: Conjuration is a major skill utilized by the Master of the Night, focusing exclusively on necromancy. At higher levels (and particularly once arriving at the Soul Cairn), the basic necromancy spells can then be set aside for Conjure Boneman, Conjure Mistman and Conjure Wrathman.
Destruction: Destruction is another major skill for the Master of the Night, wielding the elements of fire, frost and lightning. Rune spells are a good way to level up Destruction early, and by endgame you should be able to fling Expert level spells with relative impunity.
Enchanting: Enchanting is another major skill, allowing the Master of the Night to create the best possible set of enchanted armor available.
Illusion: Illusion is a necessity for the Master of the Night, in order to cloud the minds of men and mer alike. Master of the Mind in particular is a necessity -- a great way to further augment your follower and your summons alike with spells like Courage, Rally and Call to Arms (which can be cast with Secret of Arcana once a day for no magicka).
Light Armor: In life, the Master of the Night had to protect himself from damage as best as he could, but heavy armor was considered too cumbersome for his fighting style. To that end, the Master of the Night makes good use of light armor instead.
One-Handed: A warrior during his mortal years, the ability to wield a one-handed weapon is a skill the Master of the Night was quite adept at using. While considered a minor skill, the Master of the Night’s skill with one-handed weapons are the most extensively perked of the minor skills.
Restoration: To best keep the Master of the Night on his toes, and to be as close to a true master of life and death as possible, restorative magic is a necessity. Not heavily perked among the major skills, even so the Master of the Night is capable of rapid recovery. Necromage is the end goal, due to how it further augments the Master of the Night’s enchanted armor and his spells against the undead (a definite boon for when casting spells upon yourself).
Smithing: While not exactly a skill one would think the Master of the Night would possess, he did have an affinity for not only steel weaponry, but elven as well. As he grew in power and delved more into the magical arts, it was clear that the Master of the Night would also need to know how best to improve enchanted armor and weapons.
Gameplay
The Master of the Night is a subtle conniver who believes the ends justify the means. He has spent most of four eras now developing his power and might, but only now does he find the opportunity he’s been waiting for: the chance to reveal himself once more and prove his mastery over all, to reclaim what he believes to be his by right. Yet, he is cursed to desire love from afar, never able to obtain that pinnacle which would make his unlife complete. Mirela is long since dead, but somewhere in Skyrim, her reincarnation walks, waiting to be found.
Illusion and Conjuration are the backbone upon which the Master of the Night builds his “army”; Conjuration to bring forth the dead (and later, summon the powerful undead servants from the Soul Cairn), and Illusion to augment their capabilities further (as well as the ability of his follower). With that done, the Master of the Night can then focus more on Destruction, wielding the elements to destroy his foes and prove his superiority. Should magic fail, the Master of the Night can fall back on his mortal years of martial training to defend himself until such time as he can bring back his “army” and march through the land unopposed once again – this comes more into play during the day, when your health/magicka/stamina regeneration is virtually nil until such time as you have Auri-El’s Bow and some Bloodcursed Elven Arrows to blot out the sun.
Restoration isn’t quite so vital, but is a potent skill in the Master of the Night’s arsenal nonetheless, capable of keeping our intrepid dread lord on his feet when needed. Necromage is of tremendous benefit for casting spells on oneself (which makes Alteration flesh spells useful for additional Armor Rating and for longer duration than normal, for instance), as well as bolstering further the effects of the enchantments of your armor. By the time it’s all said and done, casting Grand Healing (an Expert level Restoration spell) for a quick full-heal on health and stamina both is not nearly as magicka-intensive as it would normally be, thanks to a Fortify Restoration enchantment and Seeker of Sorcery, which further lowers the magicka cost of all spells by ten percent.
In order to maximize the power of the Master of the Night, make a point of not feeding if at all possible. This may sound at odds with the need to perk the Vampire Lord tree, but making heavy use of the Vampire Lord form while questing in dungeons (particularly during the time around the Redwater Den quest, when Serana’s presence doesn’t bug out your Vampiric Drain spell and weaken it severely) will allow you to max out your Vampire Lord perks. That aside, the boost to your vampiric abilities is crucial for Illusion in particular.
When you want to truly prove your might during those pesky daylight hours, you have the means to do so: Auri-El’s Bow with Bloodcursed Elven Arrows. Fire one at the sun, and watch as day quickly turns into a pseudo-night, affording you the full benefit of your vampiric abilities without the vulnerability to sunlight. Aside from that, Archery is really a secondary ranged option for when you run out of magicka – by endgame, you almost won’t need it because of the magicka regen you’re capable of.
However, for those times when your back is to the wall and using magic at close-range to melee range isn’t an option, that’s where your martial training falls into play. Getting a good sword (I killed Fultheim in my playthrough, courtesy of Fury, to get his Blades Sword) is a good start. By the end of Dawnguard, you’ll have Harkon’s Sword instead: lower base damage, but you do get the health/magicka/stamina drain benefit for being a vampire. It is rather soul-gem intensive, however, because there aren’t that many charges on it. The higher your Destruction, however, the more charges you have, and Fortify Destruction is very handy as an enchantment to further augment the number of charges you have. In that light, I would suggest using Soul Trap in conjunction with the Black Star, so that you don’t have to buy soul gems constantly in order to recharge Harkon’s Sword. Having Steel Smithing helped with improving Harkon’s Sword: after my Fortify Smithing gear was in place (which gave me a base 30% Fortify Smithing per item (Azhidal’s Genius helped tremendously here, as did an Enchanting Philter, but I could have taken it higher if I’d gotten Seeker of Sorcery before enchanting my Fortify Smithing), which then became 37.5% after Necromage came into play – I ended up with +150% Fortify Smithing that way), Harkon’s Sword wound up dealing 81 damage (including three Armsman perks from One-Handed); respectable, but not as good as Nicolae’s Destruction magic damage when dual-casted.
When it comes to Enchanting, I admit that I did play with things a bit. Originally, I had Fortify Sneak and Fortify Carry Weight on my Vampire Boots, but found Fortify Sneak to be redundant, particularly since this isn’t really a Sneak-based build, and Fortify Carry Weight wasn’t really needed, since I made occasional use of the Locket of St. Jiub for that purpose. Fortify Stamina Regen was ultimately the better choice for the Boots, coupled with Resist Fire. As for the enchanted Silver Ruby Ring, I originally had Fortify Health and Resist Fire on it; since I’d already moved Resist Fire to the boots (and had 65% magic resistance from Breton+Lord Stone+Agent of Mara), I decided to change it out for Fortify Healing Rate, so that Nicolae could heal (albeit slowly) during the day and let me not worry so much about casting Grand Healing except for when absolutely necessary.
Shouts are also worth mentioning here: Elemental Fury is nice to have early in the game. Become Ethereal and Slow Time are very handy, however, and effectively allow you to have Supernatural Reflexes and Mist Form from the Vampire Lord perk tree at hand whenever you need it. Dragon Aspect, coupled with an Amulet of Talos, a Blessing of Talos and the Necromage perk, help not only to extend the duration of both Become Ethereal and Slow Time, but make it easier to deal with heavy-hitting foes. Most times, however, I admit to keeping Soul Tear as my shout of choice, to have a heavy-damage effect to help me wear down the more powerful dragons, among others.
Recommanded Factions/Quests
Main Questline; Side Quests: Civil War (at least to the Jagged Crown, to get one of the words of Slow Time), College of Winterhold, Dawnguard (vampire side), Dragonborn (mostly for certain of the Black Books and Dragon Aspect), The Black Star, Unearthed.
The Book of Love quest bears special mention. It is useful not only for its end reward (which, coupled with the Breton’s own magic resistance and the Lord Stone’s magic resistance, makes the Master of the Night a truly formidable foe with 65% magic resistance), but also as a lens through which one can roleplay the Master of the Night’s own tragic love story and how he is cursed to never be able to truly reclaim the reincarnation of Mirela (who can be whoever you want her to be), no matter what he does (and no matter how he finds her.
Closing Notes
The Master of the Night is based upon Count Strahd von Zarovich, the Darklord of Barovia and master of Castle Ravenloft, and the foundation upon which the Ravenloft campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons was built. I did try to be as true to Strahd as I could be (admittedly, having to rely predominantly on his 3.0 stats, courtesy of Sword and Sorcery as they held the rights to Ravenloft after a deal with Wizards of the Coast), while also keeping it as anchored in Skyrim as possible.
While the Master of the Night is sitting at the level 55 cap, I daresay it could stand to have several more levels added on. In that case, I’d take at least one level each of the Augmented Fire/Frost/Shock perks in Destruction, and quite possibly perk Alteration up from Novice to Adept, get all three Magic Resistance perks, and Stability to make the flesh spells last even longer still. I may try that at some point, just to see how well it works.
Both images of Strahd von Zarovich are the respective property of their artists. Many thanks to Alice for her help in putting together my perk spread, and to Carter for his Vampire Prince image from the NOACC.
And thank you all for reading – hope you enjoy.
I suggest trying to include something to make the character really unique (maybe an ability or two?).
