Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Event Build: The Concoctionist

Tags: #Character Build Nightblade  #Character Build Alchemist  #Character Build Werewolf  #Race:Orsimer  #Rank:Event Mythic  #Event:Crossworlds 
  • February 15, 2015

     I have taken inspiration from countless media in the development of this character. He is the Mad Scientist archetype with an amazing twist, unseen on The Skyrimblog, transplanted into Skyrim seamlessly. Without giving it all away, I can only urge you to read on. You won’t be disappointed.

                 I present to you...


    The Concoctionist

     

     

    Backstory

              The Concoctionist was not your average Orc child from Largashbur. He did not excel in the hunt, or combat training, or even smithing, but preferred the antiquities of Alchemy taught him by his mother, Atub. The Concoctionist was not built like the Orcs "no one bests", and was also a bit.. eccentric. He would exhibit fits of madness, muttering nonsensically to himself while slaving over his concoctions. His ability to mix foul poisons (or so he would have his clansman believe) kept most of the bullies at bay, aside from his brothers Yamarz and Ogol, who would mock him and call him the spawn of Sheogorath.

               It is true though, The Concoctionist could mix a poison, but he found himself drawn by the wonder of nature's natural healing qualities, and aspired to become a physician, to heal the wounded and cure the ill. This path surely would not qualify him to become chief of the clan, but he never coveted his father's position. The same could not be said for Yamarz, and it was no surprise when he challenged and defeated their father, claiming the title Chieftain. On this day, The Concoctionist sought council from his mother who foresaw his future and directed him to leave the stronghold with the blessing of Malacath, to further his studies and pursue his aspirations.

                So the Concoctionist sets forth on a journey. Unsure where to go, he follows a scattered trail of ingredients to collect that must have been laid out by Malacath himself. This path leads The Concoctionist right into an Imperial ambush, and so begins the events that reveal his true destiny.


    The build


    Race: Orsimer (Lycanthrope)

     

    Stone: Start with the Thief Stone, then Mage Stone, and finally the Lord Stone. (You’ll need that extra defense)

     

    Stat Distribution: 4:1:0 

    If you feel too fragile, go 3:1:0


    Shouts


    Marked for Death: Rotted to the core by your malicious venom, the afflicted’s armor rating is rapidly depleted.

    Drain Vitality: A fatiguing poison drains all three of the enemy’s stats.

    Ice Form: Throw an explosive flask that turns your foe into a block of ice.

     

    Powers

    • Mora’s Boon
    • Secret of Arcana
    • Dragonborn Force
    • Seeker of Sorcery
    • Root of Power
    • Force Without Effort
    • Sinderion’s Serendipity

     

    Perk Spread: lvl 50

     

    Major Skills

     

    Alchemy: The entire build is based around this skill, and so is the foundation of The Concoctionist. Potions will heal you and buff your abilities, as well as provide your ultimate form, while your vile poisons will debilitate and overall annihilate your enemies.

    Conjuration: Used for the summoning of Atronarchs, created through Alchemy (further explained in the Creating Monsters section). The summons will serve as backup in the event you are outnumbered. I favor the ones that tend to stay back and out of the way; The Flame/Storm Atronarch and The Seeker.

    Alteration: The Concoctionist wears mostly clothes, so Alteration will be the bulk of the defense for this character.


    Minor Skills


    Restoration: Great for healing in a pinch, if you have the extra mana. Perks in regeneration will increase your Magicka regen, but most importantly, Restoration enables The Concoctionist to throw his poison flasks at enemies! (Poison Rune)

    Pickpocket: Besides the use of a dagger and flask bombs, reverse pickpocketing is the way we inject our poisons, and we need the poisoner perk to do it! Extra Pockets is also good for carrying all your potions.

    Sneak: Obviously, for sneaking! A few perks in stealth will help keep The Concoctionist concealed, and backstab helps supplement your planted poisons, which is especially useful early on when you’re in danger of running out of poisons.

    Light Armor: The only armor pieces The Concoctionist wears are light, so this skill is perked for just a LITTLE more armor rating.

     

    Equipment

               I absolutely love this armor set! It truly makes you feel like one maniacal mad scientist, and the best part is that you can pick up most of the pieces very early! Blacksmith’s Robes at Radiant Raiment, Vampire Boots around lvl 10 when random encounters with vampires begin to occur (go black boots meanwhile), the Chitin Helm can be bought from Glover Mallory in Raven Rock, and if he doesn’t have it, it can be found at Bloodskal Barrow, in the shelves of the tower on the second floor. The Jester’s Gloves are an investment and will take some time to acquire, but the shrouded gloves/handwraps will suit in the meantime, and really don’t look bad. The Necromancer’s Amulet just looks awesome, and has useful buffs. Hircine’s Cursed Ring will require some explanation.. very soon. Mwahhahaha! lol For me, the look is important above all else. If you don’t look the part, how can you feel the part? Well we have got your lab coat, long gloves, even your evil Dr’s goggles!

     


    The Story Continues...

                Once The Concoctionist reaches Whiterun, begin completing local quests, including joining The Companions. As an Orc, the dream of being an able warrior is instilled from birth. The Concoctionist is no warrior, but if he can be recognized by this order as their healer, it would truly honor him.


                Beyond joining the ranks of The Companions, it doesn’t take long for him to realize, one can’t hope to survive relying solely on healing potions. With Alchemy being The Concoctionist’s primary skill, he knows he must broaden his horizons, adding poisons to his arsenal. In this decision, the character’s goodness becomes tainted. Furthermore, after completing his trial, Skjor offers The Concoctionist the blood of the beast, to join the inner circle of The Companions; A powerful moment in this character’s story. Overwhelmed by the offer to be a ringleader in this order of honorable warriors, but more so, the chance to gain such physical prowess The Concoctionist had only dreamed of. Physicality the god Malacath would be proud of, and not to mention, the endless potential for experimentation. The Concoctionist could make a real test subject of himself... There’s no choice but to accept.

    And so unlocks the ultimate form...


    Hide Form!


              This invincible form is very simple to take on, but tremendously effective, and I believe this may be the first build posted to utilize it! Here’s what you do.

     

    • Drink Hide Formula (see in Potions section)
    • Activate Berserker Rage
    • Activate Beast Form

     

             Boom! You are now taking half damage, and doing double damage with your claws in Beast Form! For an added boost to your defense, be sure to apply a flesh spell.

             Now I’m no fan of math, but let’s talk numbers a little bit..         

             In Beast Form, unarmed base damage increases to 20pts. Claw damage then scales with the character's level.

    • lvl01-10+0dmg
    • lvl11-15+5dmg
    • lvl16-20+15dmg
    • lvl21-25+25dmg
    • lvl26-30+30dmg
    • lvl31-35+35dmg
    • lvl36-40+40dmg
    • lvl41-45+50dmg
    • lvl50-    +60dmg

                  By level 50, your claws' base damage is 80, with 5/5 Bestial Strength increasing your unarmed by 100%, making 80,160 base damage. By activating Hide Form, each swipe of your claws does 320 damage! This is not including the boost from Hide Formula.

                  The more The Concoctionist takes the formula to assume his alter ego, Hide form, the more control he loses over his transformations. It gets to the point where The Concoctionist loses all control over of his metamorphosis and begins to transform randomly.


                  This is where Hircine’s Cursed Ring comes into play. The Cursed Ring creates a 10% chance to randomly transform while outside. Doesn’t sound like much, but as an alchemist, you’ll be outside A LOT, collecting ingredients on your travels and so forth. The Cursed Ring is key to roleplaying The Concoctionist at the point where his good will is fully corrupted. Not necessarily making him evil, but more open minded to... abrasive solutions. This turning point could be based on the completion of a particular quest (Discerning the Transmundane), the obtainment of a certain perk (Poisoner in the Alchemy tree), or just grab it around lvl 30, give or take. It’s up to you! Just don’t forget to re equip the ring after each random transformation.


    Experiments!


    Creating Monsters

              

    The Concoctionist has taken his abilities with Alchemy to the next level. His mastery of the skill has enabled him to create a variety of monstrosities to aid him in battle and do his bidding, including...

    • The Flame Atronarch: Ruby, Fire Salts, Daedra Heart, and essence of the creator
    • The Storm Atronarch: Amethyst, Void Salts, Daedra Heart, and essence of the creator
    • The Seeker: Emerald, Netch Leather, Daedra Heart, and essence of the creator

               

     

     

     

                 The creation of these scientific abominations does not require the entirety of a Daedra Heart. In fact, one heart could supply enough genetics to create multiples of each of these and more. The essence of the creator ingredient is added to ensure obedience. Failure to include this could result in fatality, as the creation would be hostile to any and all in sight.

                 The Concoctionist it would seem is not the only mad scientist to inhabit Tamriel. Merilar Rendas is the sole survivor of the duo responsible for the creation of the Spider Scrolls.., but not for long. The Concoctionist will assume control of the imbuing chamber and make the scrolls an active asset to his arsenal. The spiders The Concoctionist makes use of are...

     

    • Poison Cloaked Spider: Emerald, Albino Spider Pod
    • Jumping Poison Spider: Emerald, Albino Spider Pod
    • Exploding Poison Spider: Emerald, Damaged Albino Spider Pod

     

               In order to make the Spider Scrolls an ongoing utility to your combat, you must make use of a duplication glitch. I’m sure this isn’t new to anyone who is familiar with them. However, in contrary to some other builds, I don’t just recommend duplicating the scrolls themselves. At any time in your playthrough, if you happen across a Flawless 

    Emerald, you DO NOT let it go! Duplicate this valuable gem as many times as you can stand to dedicate the time to. The flawlessness will produce double the number of scrolls, therefore, potentially saving you a lot of time duplicating the actual scrolls, which you will eventually have to do anyway, it’s just a matter of time.

               There is another type of spider The Concoctionist will make use of, which brings us to our next section...

     

    Mind Control

                Mind Control Spiders will enable us to control the will of enemies they latch onto. When I thought of Mind Control, Illusion was the first thing that came to mind, but the perks just weren’t available. Mind Control Spiders turned out to be much more roleplay friendly and are super effective, so I never looked back.

    • Mind Control Spider: Soul Gem (any variant), Albino Spider Pod


    Robots

               Obviously, I’m referring to the Animunculi (Steadfast Dwarven Sphere/Spider). Admittedly, I didn’t make much use of these Dwemer mechanics, only because they didn’t mesh well with the stealthy side of this build. However, the Aetherial Staff is a good alternative to the pet followers, which allows you to conjure one up whenever the situation calls. From a roleplay standpoint, I would take the pet followers over any humanoid follower. So it’s something to consider.

     

    Potions

     

    The Hide Formula: Fortify Marksman (Claw Damage)
                                  Canis Root, Juniper Berries, Spider Egg, Elves Ear

     

    Noxious Agent: Fortify Restoration (Poison Rune)
    Abecean Longfin, Cyrodilic Spadetail, Salt Pile, Small Antlers, Small Pearl, Yellow Mountain Flower

     

     

     

    Chromatophore: Fortify Health Regeneration, Fortify Stamina, Invisibility (for retreats)
    Chaurus Egg, Garlic, Vampire Dust

     

     

    Inoculant: Resist Fire/Frost
    Fly Amentia, Thistle Branch, Snowberries

     


     Poisons

     

    Anticoagulant: Ravage Health, Damage Health, Lingering Damage Health
    Imp Stool, Scathecraw, Skeever Tail

     

     

    Vaccination: Ravage Health, Damage Health, Weakness to Poison
    Deathball, Giant Litchen, Skeever Tail

     

     

    Arcane Comatose: Damage Magicka, Damage Magicka Regeneration
    Glowdust, Hanging Moss

     

     

    Detoxifier: Ravage Magicka, Ravage Health, Damage Health
    Red Mountain Flower, Scathecraw, Skeever Tail

     

     

    Essence of Gout: Damage Health, Damage Stamina Regeneration, Slow
    Deathball, Skeever Tail, Large Antlers

     

     

    Chloroform: Ravage Health, Damage Stamina Regeneration
    Silverside Perch, Skeever Tail

     

    Combat

                In the beginning of the game, once you’ve unlocked poisoner, you’ll sneak up on enemies and plant the best poison you have available onto their person, then sit back and watch the effects set in. You’re not likely to have many useful poisons to work with early on, but make use of what you’ve got. Even Frostbite Venom (in abundance) can take out weaker enemies. Poison won’t always be enough, or you just won’t have enough poison to do the job. We’ll support this fault by utilizing backstab (NOT Assassin’s Blade). Planting poisons was always my first priority, keeping Alchemy the main focus, which is why we only use backstab to supplement our poison.

                 When you’re caught/facing groups, cast your strongest flesh spell and unleash your best summon. I was fortunate enough to pick up a Staff of Flames right out of Helgen, from the conjurer just down the water from the three standing stones. Kite with your staff, holding the enemy’s focus, so your summon can attack without retaliation, ensuring their survival. If you have no staff, fight like an acrobat. Maneuver, circling around your enemies while slashing with your poisoned dagger. Another option, once you have beast form, is to activate Hide Form! I first used this form against The Skinner (Silver Hand Boss); I swear he went down in like three hits. I was floored and it felt amazing!

                 Late Game is when the real fun begins. Approach combat in stealth and locate your enemies. If opportunity allows, pick them off one by one, by sneaking up and reverse pickpocketing the appropriate deadly poisons. Still, if somehow the poison isn’t enough, or you are just feeling conservative, finish them off with a silent backstab.

                 When you’re caught/facing groups, cast your strongest flesh spell and unleash your desired summon. The Storm Atronarch is good for mages, Flame for just about everything else, haha. However, I prefer The Seeker over them both, only because I feel their draining abilities fit perfectly with the debuffing aspect of The Concoctionist, and their slimy green aesthetic! If the enemy is far away (beyond your casting range), throw as many jumping spiders as you can, as well as a couple of cloaked spiders. The cloaked spiders in addition to your Seeker will keep the enemies pretty tied up. Now you activate Secret of Arcana and for the next 30 seconds, relentlessly hurl poison flask bombs (poison runes) and decimate the enemy forces. If there are just too many foes for your creations to handle, make use of the Mind Control Spider. These guys will really turn the odds in your favor. If anyone does happen to slip through your line of defense, Ice Form and Unrelenting Force are a good backup option. Additionally, you may still jump into the fray with a poisoned dagger in hand, applying whichever poison best suits the situation.

                   Bosses: Dragon Priests, Draugr Deathlords, Dwarven Centurions (those immune to poison), Bandit Chiefs, etc. These are the fights I like to save Hide Form for. Going toe to toe 
    with these big bosses is so fun. You will be amazed by how fast they’ll go down when facing Hide!

                   Dragons: Don’t waste Hide Form on these guys. Hope lies solely in your summons/staves. If the dragon does happen to land, feel free to slip in and scratch him with your dagger. Marked For Death is a good utility for this situation.

     

    Roleplaying Notes

     

                   The Concoctionist begins briefly as an aspiring physician, and evolves into a brink of power-obsessed, mad scientist. His Orsimer background and instilled ideals are part of what pushes him to take on Hide Form, the other part being his experimentalist demeanor. The Concoctionist becomes his own test subject; A test without control.

                   The best thing about this character is that his chaotic personality truly opens up the whole game. The character continually strives to help people in need, even to the ends of his progressing condition, but the means by which he completes these tasks become, as I said earlier, more abrasive. For example, curing a common thug of banditry with The Concoctionist’s Vaccination. The end result is the death of the bandit, but by his death, he is cured, and the world is a better place for it! See what I’m getting at? The Concoctionist tends to take things too far... He’s an extremist. 

                   Always walk rather than fast travel. This will provide lots of ingredients you would otherwise waste your septims on, and your potions would dwindle. This also creates more opportunity for you to randomly transform while wearing Hircine’s Cursed Ring, which you should always have equipped, once acquired. Choosing only to activate Hide Form when you have Hide Formula to drink is very roleplay friendly, but not essential.

     

    Recommended Quests

     

    • The Companions: The most important questline for this character, hands down, although it’s not necessary to complete it, it wouldn’t hurt.
    • College of Winterhold: Where else is there to study in Skyrim? The Archmage’s quarters has a load of ingredients for the taking.
    • Ill Met By Moonlight: You initiate this quest to acquire Hircine’s Cursed Ring, that is all.
    • Dark Brotherhood: I’d probably start this one after obtaining Hircine’s Cursed Ring. DB is a good way for The Concoctionist to test his recipes without having to pay subjects. Most all provide fatal results.. This is where we get our Dr.’s gloves.
    • Main Questline: Certainly within the parameters of the character, if you can handle it. 
    • Dragonborn: Successfully navigate Herma Mora’s Black Books and defeat his former champion, saving Solstheim and gaining immense power.
    • A Return to Your Roots: Acquire Sinderion’s Serendipity power: 25% chance to double potion creation, which is invaluable.
    • The White Phial: Discover an artifact of Alchemical legend.
    • The Mind of Madness: Help a poor outcast retrieve his master and earn an amazing staff, where every cast is its own experiment.
    • The Cursed Tribe: Return home and lead your tribe to glory.
    • Blood on the Ice: Help Windhelm uncover the truths about a murderer and gain the Necromancer’s Amulet.
    • Lost to the Ages: Seek out the Dwemer’s ancient forge and create the Aetherial Staff to summon Animunculi.

    Closing Notes

               Thanks so much for reading my second build! 
    The Concoctionist was so much fun, and my first build truly focusing on Alchemy. I kind of took that above and beyond, but it was a great roleplay opportunity, which I loved, and I hope all of you who give it a run love it too.
               Mad scientists in other RPGs I researched would throw poisons, utilize lots of debuffing, so I tried to capture that, as well as the stereotypical. Creation of monsters, robots, mind control. I tried to fit it all in. I even had a “Death Ray" in the works, mixing shock staves with Destruction perks, but disintegrate does not effect staves, so I had to cut it. However, I did include Dragonborn Force, which causes Unrelenting Force to sometimes disintegrate foes, so the idea is still there!
               Anyway, thanks again. If you’d like to check out my first build The Dread Pirate, there’s the link!

     

    Shout Out!

             Finally, last but most definitely not least, the biggest shout out ever to Alastor for all of  his help with this build, icluding; providing the perk spread image, equipment image, naming the potions and poisons, testing my attempted death ray, and most of all, listening to me rant on and on about my character build ideas. This post would not be the same without him, so big big thank you to Alastor.

  • Member
    February 15, 2015
    Add event instead of character in the title event build: concoction it's other than that sweeeet build bro +1
  • Member
    February 15, 2015

    Two real quick things before I gotta head out. The Event:Crossworlds tag shouldn't have any quotes on it, and the build title should be Event Build: The Concoctionist. This looks really good, though, and I'll try to have better feedback when I get back.

  • February 15, 2015
    I believe mentioning Hyde at all would be against the rules of the Event, I could be wrong but it seems to break the number one rule (about referencing the original source in any instace other then you Closing Notes and Pics). Other then that this is a decent build. I think the presentation could be improved but oveerall good work.
  • February 15, 2015

    Vazgen will read this in 3... 2... 1...

  • February 15, 2015

    Thanks for the feedback. 

    Hyde Form is merely a nod to the inspiration of this character. Not like I'm going on and on about it. If that proves to be too much, I could change it.

  • February 15, 2015

    I like it. Using fortify marksman to enhance claw damage is a smart idea. 

  • Member
    February 15, 2015
    Maybe... Rage mode?
  • Member
    February 15, 2015

    Lots of cool mechanics here! Incidentally, you've got a few things that are quite similar to a build I've had on the backburner for a while. Fortify Archery + Berserker Rage + Beast Form is a pretty awesome combo, and something similar to what I'm sitting on. 

    There may be a bit too much going on here though, for my taste. As an avid Alchemy buff, I tend to recommend listing no more than five total potions+poisons, and even that is often more than an average reader will want to juggle. And if you didn't really use Dwemer automata, there's not much point mentioning them in the writeup; it seems a bit superfluous.

    Between multiple spiders, multiple summons, multiple shouts, multiple spells, beast form, multiple potions, etc. I get the impression that there's a lot of menu diving and micromanaging, which isn't ideal, as the build appears to be strong enough that it shouldn't need to rely on that much juggling. That's just my initial impression though, as someone who's reading the build without having played it.

    Other than the volume of tactics, I really like what you've got here. And I won't deny that everything feels at least relevant and appropriate. Nice presentation too -- I really like how you listed tactics for different situations -- not many builds do this, but it's perhaps the best way to illustrate gameplay short of making a video demo.

    Lastly, I've always been a sucker for werewolf builds. Pretty easy to get my Like when you post a solid werewolf concept. Nicely done.

  • Member
    February 15, 2015

    Just a heads up, you messed up some of your tags. Let me explain.

    • "Character Build Conjurer" should be "Character Build Summoner"
    • "Character Build Lycanthrope" should be "Character Build Werewolf"
    • "Character Build Night Blade" should be "Character Build Nightblade" (without the space between "Night" and "Blade")

    Most importantly, however, you can only have, at most, three "Character Build" tags. You have four, so pick one to remove. Also, calling your werewolf form "Hyde Form" is a direct reference to your inspiration, so you gotta take that out.