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Character Build: The Weeping Angel

Tags: #Character Build Shouts  #Character Build Assassin  #Character Build Acrobat  #Race:Dunmer  #Rank:Exemplar 
  • Member
    May 28, 2015

     


    'Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead.' 

     

    Doctor Who's Weeping Angels: creatures who could eradicate enemies in literal 'blinks' and feed on energy from the very lives of sentient beings - killing them in the process, naturally. Has a more brutally efficient killer ever been conceived? 

    The average sneak character follows a certain pattern: hide, kill once, hide again. My aim was to create an assassin build that deviated from this pattern, without using the much hated Sneak-Illusion/Archery combination. I like to think I've succeeded and gone even further; the Angel can decimate a room full of opponents in seconds without having to hide between kills - courtesy of a wildly improved Slow-Time shout. 

    As well as the shout, several other devious gameplay elements are employed to bring Weeping Angels into Tamriel in a way that is as lore-friendly as possible, and damn fun to play. But enough buildup, let's get to the build!

     

     

    3E 241. The Dark Brotherhood's presence in Tamriel was stronger than ever. Many of their best assassins were part of a Dunmer vampire clan, most known for their mastery over time itself.

    As the clan gained power, other members of the Dark Brotherhood grew fearful of them. A betrayal within the organisation wiped out most of the vampires.

    The Brotherhood fell from power.

     

     

    Race: Dunmer Vampire - For the fire resistance and fitting skill boosts. Also, a vampire shrouding itself in a flame cloak... what could go wrong? 

    Stone: Mage, then the Atronach. 

    Skills:

    • Major - One Handed, Alteration, Sneak.
    • Minor - Restoration, Light Armour, Illusion.

    Main Shouts: Slow Time, Bend Will, Unrelenting Force, Soul Tear. 

    Attributes: 
    2 Magicka / 2 Health / 1 Stamina -- Until Stamina is at 150, then -- 3 Magicka / 2 Health / 0 Stamina

    Recommended Quests: Dragonborn, College of Winterhold, Dark Brotherhood, Dawnguard - Volkihar.

     

    The Angel is predominantly an assassin, with a penchant for taking down multiple targets as fast as possible- mostly without having to hide between kills. However, if forced into combat out of stealth, the Angel can hold his own with a fierce offence (mainly using the Drain Life spell, Alteration and Dual-Wielding). Be warned, defence is intentionally kept low. Weeping Angels on Doctor Who are most well known for a number of unique abilities, which I've attempted to replicate in Skyrim:

    • The ability to move and kill in a very short period of time - in a literal blink. I've used an enhanced Slow-Time shout to reproduce this; and though the shout is used a fair bit in building, the Angel uses it as a stealth mechanic, which I've oddly never seen before. There is nothing more exhilarating than taking down a roomful of enemies in less than 30 seconds without being detected!  
    • The ability to feed on energy. The Atronach stone fits the bill nicely in terms of energy absorption. Additionally, the Drain Life glitch in Mer form is used to recreate this ability too. (I considered using Vampiric Drain, but it really isn't strong enough to be viable out of stealth)
    • The ability to inhabit or "rearrange the brains" of a victim, taking control of it and killing it in the process. The Soul Tear shout (or Bend Will if you're a pacifist) does this well. 

    These abilities will be further explained in the Gameplay section.

    Stats

    • Angels absorb energy. The Angel's health reserves will be constantly replenished via the Drain Life spell. Our magicka reserves are plentiful, and we'll have a spell absorption rate of 62% (due to Necromage and the Atronach stone). Shouts, spells, diseases and poisons will only hurt us 38% of the time - otherwise it's just power waiting to be consumed. 
    • Angels are made of stone. On top of spell absorption, we'll have a 28% resistance to magic. Have you ever tried burning rocks? Or freezing them? Physical damage, on the other hand, can be quite devastating.
    • Angels are unseen. Angels are only supposed to be able to move when unseen. Basically, when you're hidden, you're all-powerful; when you're spotted, you're screwed. Low AR and relatively low damage dealing out of stealth makes combat necessary to avoid. 
    • Angels are without weakness. The Angel's equipment counteracts the magicka regen stunt given by the atronach stone, and goes beyond that - the rate out of sunlight is 150%. Dunmer fire resistance nullifies a vampire's weakness to fire. During daytime, however, most stats are severely stunted, which I haven't fixed in order to mirror the inability of Weeping Angels to move when seen. 

    Weapons: Dual Daggers. The DPS is high, and identical daggers can be hotkeyed for seamless combat. The 'Blade of Woe' is good for assassinations because it is relatively powerful and the enchantment complements an Angel's ability to absorb power. I'd also recommend Mehrune's Razor and Valdr's lucky dagger (mainly when out of stealth), because despite their enchantments they work with Elemental Fury. 

    Equipment:

     

     

    *Equipment Note: Custom muffle enchantments always have a magnitude of 100% regardless of enchanting skill level. If you find disenchantable muffled equipment, enchanting the Vampire Boots can help with stealth before you can acquire the 'Silence' perk.

     

    Slow-Time Synergy
    The Angel's power revolves around an enhanced Slow-Time Shout. The duration and magnitude of the shout can be increased with perks*, and we'll be exploiting this repeatedly. After backstabbing the first in a roomful of opponents, the Angel can move on to and sneak attack numerous other targets before the first body even falls to the floor! For chain assassinations to work in Slow-Time, each backstab has to kill its mark in one hit. To do so, we'll be using a dual-wielding attack in sneak mode that does devastating damage. Time for some maths. 

    Steel dagger base damage = 5
    With a 30x backstab mult (DB gloves + Backstab Perk) = 150
    2 daggers with 150dmg = 300 damage in one hit, from one of the weakest daggers in the game. 

    Additionally, the Angel can run in slow time without being detected, and the shout can be used in conjunction with alteration and the Drain Life spell (in Mer form) outside of stealth. Details in the gameplay section. 

    *The perks - Necromage and Stability - must be taken in a specific order for maximum potential; this will be covered later. 
    Note: Enemies still catch sight of you in Slow-Time, so to stay out of line of sight, distract every enemy in a room with a well-placed arrow or a Throw Voice shout. 'Blinking' is best attempted when their backs are to you. 

    Perks

    Notes on Perks

    • These perks are enhanced by Necromage, and should be taken after for maximum effect: Magic Resistance, Dual Flurry, Stability.
    • Illusion is perked solely for 'Quiet Casting' which is essential for Slow-Time to work as a stealth mechanic. Spells like muffle can be a big help early on though. 
    • Restoration is perked mainly for 'Necromage' but the healing spells can help replenish health and stamina during the day (or during a battle), which don't regenerate as fast as our magicka reserves will. 
    • Drain Life and Summon Gargoyle are in no way enhanced by the Destruction and Conjuration trees, which is why neither of those trees are perked. 
    • Alteration can help with survivability in early levels, but we won't be using flesh spells late game - you shouldn't be getting hit! It is perked mainly for 'Stability' and paralysis, which is essential in case you find yourself in combat out of stealth. 
    • For an extra level, the 'Shadow Warrior' perk can be a great help during Slow-Time assassinations. Since we'll be running as opposed to sneaking in Slow-Time (thanks to 'Silence'), even if enemies catch sight of you, crouching for a moment while near them will enable you to sneak attack them - even when you're directly in their line of sight.

    The Vampire Lord Form
    If all else fails, this is your safety net. Increased attribute stats, access to the other VL powers, and it looks almost like a Weeping Angel (if you're squinting). These are the most important perks in the Vampire Lord tree:

    The Vampire Lord Glitch
    The glitch tutorial can be found here. The Weeping Angel uses two of the Vampire Lord spells in Mer Form:

    • Drain Life: This spell is used as a damage dealer outside of stealth, and for survivability. Additionally, Doctor Who's weeping angels feed on energy, so it's a match made in heaven. With 'Blood of the Ancients' activated, Drain Life will pretty much keep every single attribute at full capacity almost all the time out of stealth. 
    • Summon Gargoyle: Weeping Angel reinforcements! Once again, used outside of stealth as meat shields and damage dealers.

    As most of you probably know, using Serana as a follower will make the Drain Life spell's damage negligible. It's a large price to pay for little more than a pretty face. 

    We have a rock-solid mass-backstabbing technique... but sometimes stealth just doesn't cut it. Dual wielding, shouts, and blood magic come into play here as well as in sneak mode. These are the Angel's special moves. 

    Blink
    Requires: Necromage, Stability, Slow-Time, Good positioning, Dual Daggers, Silence Perk. 
    The Angel's bread and butter. Make every enemy in a room face away from you with a well-placed arrow, activate Slow-Time, and run with daggers in hand. Crouch and dual attack (don't power attack, you'll make noise) for instant kills. Stay out of enemy line of sight! 

     

    Aid
    Requires: Slow-Time/Become Ethereal and Mass Paralysis, Drain Life.
    Used out of stealth, when health is low and there are numerous enemies. Dance around enemy attacks, all the while weakening them and strengthening yourself with Drain Life projectiles. OR use the first word of Become Ethereal, cast Paralysis and bleed their petrified bodies dry. 



    Inhabit
     
    Requires: Bend Will/Soul Tear, Quiet Casting.
    When hidden, use Bend Will or Soul Tear on a large group of enemies if you can't position yourself for Blink. Either all of them are bent to your will, or only a few are and chaos ensues. Either way, you remain unseen. 

     


    Carve

    Requires: Summon Gargoyle, Ebonyflesh, Elemental Fury, Mehrune's Razor.
    Sometimes you have to tank. Cut through enemy ranks with inhuman damage per second, a friendly gargoyle, and insufficient AR... Reckless? Perhaps. Effective? Absolutely.

     

    The dissolution of the Weeping Angel clan in the 3rd Era leaves you with a wide open space for your own backstory and roleplay elements. There are plenty of things for an assassin to do in Skyrim, after all (kill the emperor, anyone?). However, here are a few suggestions:

    Shhh... No tears, only sleep now.

    The Avenger
    Maybe you've existed for eons - you were a part of the original Weeping Angel clan. You're hell-bent on revenge for what the Dark Brotherhood did to your clan, and guess what? They've resurfaced after hundreds of years. Awaken your weary body from its slumber, re-become the great assassin you once were, and kill the killers. Incidentally, the Falkreath sanctuary is a great place to try 'Blink.' 

    The Assassin-For-Hire
    Maybe the whole Dark Brotherhood betrayal is water under the bridge for you. You're in the business for the wealth, and the Brotherhood can certainly get you there. Take any paying job you can get - your loyalty lies with the highest bidder. 

    The Aristocrat
    Or maybe you should do what you're best at - remain unseen. Keep up appearances by becoming a thane of every hold, save Tamriel; all the while secretly working at beating a vampire's biggest weakness: the sun. Eliminate anyone who gets in your way, take care not to get caught, and target influential people who, upon their demise, might leave a powerful position open for a certain Dunmer Vampire. When all's taken care of, wash your hands, and revert back to the innocent noble everyone thinks you are. 

     

    The Weeping Angel has gone through some changes. I dropped some skills, picked up some powers; and it is now the unique assassin I've always pictured it as!

    Final Notes:
    - Huge thanks to Ciaran Gallagher for suggesting the Vampire Lord glitch.
    - This is my first build, albeit an improved version, so any criticism would be well received and real helpful. 

     Thanks for reading!

     

     

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    Nice!  I'm looking forward to those screenshots, but you did a fantastic job of the presentation here. 

    I also love that you put the backstory at the *end* of the build, rather than the beginning, as so many builders tend to do.  Your first couple paragraphs set up the concept wonderfully and get the reader hooked immediately. 

    Great job here. +1

    One little thing that I could be wrong on:  a couple of times you use "casted" as the past tense of "cast" - but I think "cast" is the correct form.  This could just be a dialect thing, though. 

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    You made....Weeping Angels....in Skyrim. For a presumed first build, this is really dang good. You put true effort in this. Great job, and keep it up

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    Thanks a bunch, mate!
    You're absolutely right about 'cast,' the discussion editor didn't flag it as incorrect, so I didn't give it a second thought. I'll fix it right away.

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    Thanks very much, Chris. Your skepticism is a huge compliment, actually. I've been on the blog for months absorbing all the builds, and just decided to have a crack at it recently.

  • Member
    May 28, 2015
    Great build but damn I hate those angels
  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    I both love, and hate the Weeping Angels. Love them because how dang effective they are, they look and act like statues. ANd hate them....because of TheAngels Take Manhattan...

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    Its the middle of the night where I am, and I had to look for pictures of the bastards online to post on this discussion. Fml. Thanks for the kind word, by the way. 

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    The best Dr. Who episodes involve those horrible, terrifying angels. So much better to be them than to watch them xD

    Great job!

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    Thank you! I'm surprised there are so many doctor who fans on this site. Well, not really.