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Event Build: The Aptrgangr

Tags: #Vargr Build  #Character Build Mage  #Character Build Summoner  #Character Build No Crafting  #Rank:Event Exemplar  #Event:Crossworlds2 
  • December 14, 2015

    This is the fifth in my series on classic movie monsters.  If you are interested in the first four please visit my page.  I have to say that these have all been great fun for me to play seeing Skyrim through different lenses and creating separate story arcs independent of the events in the game.  The fact that such builds are even possible is a testament to how great of a game Skyrim is.  So without further ado I present the Aptrgangr.

            

    The ancient dragon priests were cruel and twisted men who sold the lives of their own people to Alduin for the promise of greater power.  Their evil still stains the land to this day, deep in their crypts and tombs the draugr still serve them.  Men sacrificed in the worship of dragons now bound and mummified, preserved to serve the very men who murdered them centuries ago.  The promise to every devoted priest was immortality, to become an aptrgangr, an again-walker.

    Race:  Nord, purely for role-playing purposes since they have no boosts in our focused skills. 

    Stone:  Mage, I stuck with this stone for almost the entire play-thru, only switching to the Ritual stone in the late game (around level 40).

    Primary Skills:  Conjuration, Destruction, Restoration, Alteration

    Secondary Skills:  Sneak

    Stat Placement:  M:2 H:1 S:0

    Weapons:   Staves and magic.

    Apparel:  Dragon Priest Masks (all of them), the best mage robes available, eventually the Archmage Robes.


    Conjuration:  Dragon priests boast great proficiency at preserving and animating dead bodies.  They are also adept at summoning and commanding daedra from oblivion.  Take everything but the bound weapon perks, since we will be relying on our staff and ranged magic for offence.

    Destruction:  All Dragon priests are proficient in commanding the destructive elements, usually focusing on one specific element to master.  Few match the mastery of the aptrgangr who is able to command all elements with ease.  Take all the augmenting perks; this allows us to use the best element for the situation at hand.

    Restoration:  The aptrgangr has a command over the cycle of life and death that eludes even the greatest scholars.  He is able to shrug off most attacks and continually returns from certain death and destruction.  Avoid Death is one of my favorite perks and best represents how this character exists outside the normal parameters of death.

    Alteration:  Resistant to both physical and magical damage, the aptrgangr’s mummified remains are proof to all but the most devastating of attacks.  Avoid the mage armor and atronach perks.  The masks count as armor and conflict with the mage armor perks.  The atronach perk is glitched and will interfere with summoning spells.

    Sneak:  Silent as a ghost, the aptrgangr stalks the crypts and tombs of Skyrim looking for his missing organs.  Key perk here is light foot which simulates the dragon priests’ ability to float. 

    There was one priest, spoken of in legend, who stood out among his brethren.  He was the leader of the dragon armies and consigned thousands to death without a second thought.  No mortal could match his arcane power, and his strategic intellect rivaled that of the dragons themselves.  It was this tactical mind that led the dragons to name him Konahrik which means warlord, and to gift him with the golden mask of ruler ship.

    However, his power and favored status soon bred jealousy and enmity among his fellow priests.  These other individuals conspired against him.  They whispered tales to their dragon overlords claiming that their favored warlord was raising his own private army and would soon seek to elevate himself over the dragons.  The dragons, as is their way, were unconcerned about the petty squabbles and aspirations of mortal men, but they did concede to the other priests, allowing them to seek justice as they saw fit. 

    They waited, unwilling to confront Konahrik at his full power, until his temple was complete and he began the embalming process.  This was necessary to become the aptrgangr and persist through the eons as a dragon priest.  The temple would siphon vital energy into the mummified remains of the priest eventually reanimating him in an even more powerful and terrible form; much as a worm becomes a moth so too would the priests change.  Being the greatest among the priests it was Konahrik’s privilege to undergo this metamorphosis first.  It was during this process that the other priests invaded his temple each of them took one of the preserved organs, and through forgotten arcane means they bound his physical flesh to their own masks and in this way stole some of his power.  Then they jealously destroyed his golden mask and in mockery of his fallen state affixed a rough mask made of humble wood to his withered face.

    In doing this they believed they had prevented him from becoming an aptrgangr, they were wrong.  Even in his state of undeath with his body broken into nine pieces and scattered across Skyrim he still possessed a will of unfathomable power.  It is through this will that he was able to eventually regain his empty husk.  Now he stalks the land of Skyrim looking for his missing power, seeking those who once betrayed him, and exacting his revenge.

     

    The main motivation of this character is to regain his former power and complete the process of becoming the aptrgangr.  In order to accomplish this he needs to regain the body parts that were stolen by the eight dragon priests who betrayed him.  Each of these priests took an organ and bound it through arcane means to the masks they wear.  In this way they were able to infuse the mask with a portion of Konahrik’s power.  The aptrgangr needs to collect all of these masks in order to regain his full potential.

    Kidneys:  Stolen by Hevnorak, the kidneys filter the blood of toxins in this way they bestowed Hevnorak's  mask with immunity to poison and disease. 

    Immune to disease and poison.

    Stomach:  Stolen by Krosis, the stomach is the core of the body and represents stability and balance, in this way they bestowed Krossis with increased poise. 

    Lockpicking, Archery, and Alchemy are 20% better.

    Liver:  Stolen by Otar, the liver like the kidneys helps the body resist the elemental rigors of life.  To this end Otar's mask was bestowed with resistance to the elemental magic. 

    Resistance against fire, frost, and shock is improved by 30%.

    Lungs:  Stolen by Rahgot, the lungs represent vitality and stamina.  To this end Rahgot's mask gave him boosted vigor. 

    Increases Stamina by 70 points.

    Tongue:  Stolen by Volsung, the tongue is the tool of control exerting its will on others, in this way it bestowed Volsung with unnatural charisma and persuasive ability. 

    Prices are 20% better, can carry 20 points more, and can breathe under water.

    Eyes:  Stolen by Vokun, the eyes are the guide of the body but are easily fooled; they see what they wish to see.  The eyes gave Vokun increased skill in illusion and the ability to fool the dead and daedra into servitude. 

    Conjuration, Illusion, and Alteration spells cost 20% less.

    Heart:  Stolen by Morokei, the heart holds the purpose and desire of the living, and the purpose of the warlord was magic his desire was dominance.  To this end Morokei’s mask was bestowed with the ability to better control the magical energies. 

    Magicka regenerates 100% faster.

    Brain:  Stolen by Nahkriin, the brain is the organ of understanding and knowledge.  To this end Nahkriin was bestowed with greater understanding of life and how to preserve or destroy it. 

    Increases Magicka by 50 points, and Destruction and Restoration spells cost 20% less.

    Body:  The ninth piece is the body which bound itself to the wooden mask.  Once all of the disparate components are brought together the body will be complete and will once again command the magnificent power that was Konahrik.

    Access to Bromjunaar Sanctuary.

    Soul:  The golden mask called Konahrik will be reformed and pulled from the past by the reassembling of his body.  It represents the soul of the warlord.

    Konahrik’s Privilege; when health is low, has a chance to heal wearer and damage nearby enemies, or summon a powerful Dragon Priest defender.

     

    Every time the aptrgangr obtains a mask he will have to perform a ritual to absorb his lost power.  This is a fancy way of saying perform an armor stacking glitch to add the mask to your current suite of masks.  In the end you’ll be wearing all nine masks.  My preferred method for this is the prisoner stacking glitch.  For this method you’ll need a follower.  Give your follower all but the mask you are wearing and have them wait in the jail cell.  Then go get yourself arrested, in the cell talk to your follower and equip another mask then break out and get arrested again.  Repeat this until you run out of masks then serve your sentence.  When you are released all of your confiscated equipment will be reequipped at the same time.  This works for other items as well but for the purposes of this build we only use it to equip multiple masks.  In this way we represent the aptrgangr’s increasing power as each body part, and the powers associated with it, gets reabsorbed.

    The first thing we want to do is get our hands on a mask, specifically the wooden mask found in Labyrinthian, before you do anything get this mask as it is part of our origin story.  Really this character starts in Bromjunaar since that is where he was entombed.  From there it makes since to follow the main quest line picking up masks along the way when you happen to be in the area.  Nahkriin is by far the most difficult mask to get because it is buried at the very end of the main quest.  Ideally after getting Nahkriin you should be able to head straight to Labyrinthian and pick up Konahrik.

    Below is a list of where each mask can be found.

    Labyrinthian - Wooden Mask – Get this mask early, I found it relatively easy to run past the trolls guarding the area.  This is purely for role-play purposes since the mask has no practical uses; it just symbolizes our physical form.

    Shearpoint – Krosis – I suggest getting this mask before completing the Dragon Rising portion of the main quest.  This will allow you fight Krosis alone without a dragon harassing you.  This can still be a tough fight even without a dragon but clever use of terrain, a melee follower, and patience will see you through to victory.  While the mask is of limited use to this character (lockpicking will see some use) the staff he carries is very powerful and will be our main form of offence. 

    High Gate Ruins – Vokun – During the main quest you’ll be sent to Ustengrav.  High Gate Ruins is only a short distance north so now would be a good time to get your eyes back.  Vokun can be tough so bring a follower, also note that the dungeon will also provide you with a second follower in Anska, just make sure she doesn’t die so you can get her reward.

    Volskygge – Volsung – Early in the main quest Delphine will send you to Solitude to infiltrate the Thalmor before you do head west to Volskygge, this can be a difficult dungeon but you can skip it and just climb the mountainside to reach Volsung’s sarcophagus at its peak.

    Forelhost – Rahgot – If you follow the main quest you’ll eventually be sent to Riften, keep heading southeast and you’ll come to Forelhost.  Defeating Rahgot will net you some great role-playing gear, the Dragon Priest Dagger and the Dragon Priest Staff, and you’ll learn the second word of Storm Call.

    Valthume – Hevnoraak – Continuing the main quest you’ll eventually be sent to Karthspire.  I suggest taking the route through Falkreath Hold as this will take you closest to Valthume.  Take a small detour to clear this dungeon and regain your supernatural immunity to poison and disease.

    Ragnvald – Otar – After clearing Karthspire and Skyhaven Temple head west to Markarth.  Just north of the hold is Ragnvald where you will find Otar the Mad.  Kill him and regain another piece of your power.

    Labyrinthian – Morokei – At some point you’ll need to head to Winterhold and join the college of mages.   The world has changed a lot while you were dead and only the mages might know where the old temples are hidden.  Also Morokei is obtained at the end of the College of Winterhold quest line.  Of course you could use the backdoor trick if you aren’t interested in the other college rewards.

    Skuldafn – Nahkriin – The final mask is only obtainable toward the end of the main quest line.  Don’t over look picking this up before going through the portal to Sovngarde, as you will not be able to return to this area.

    Bromjunaar – Konahrik – The final mask and symbol of the aptrgangr’s powerful will. 

     

    Like the other dragon priests you are a run and gun caster.  Rahgot will be very useful in this regard giving you the stamina needed to sprint out of tough situations.  Open every battle with a summon spell and a cloak spell then switch to your staff of choice and start pelting the enemy alongside your summon.  Make note of the enemy you are dealing with and choose your element wisely.  The early game is going to be a tough haul, your powers have all been stolen by some of the most dangerous creatures in Skyrim and I’m telling you to go right at them from the start.  Rely on your follower they will be a much needed distraction if nothing else and allow you to heal or replenish your magicka for another barrage of spells.  All of the dungeons that have dragon priest boss’s have a recommended level of 24.  Some of them you’ll be taking on at very low levels (teens or even single digits) so plan ahead, stock up on potions, and bring your best follower.  The progression I’ve listed takes this difficulty into account.  Krosis and Volsung can be reached without slogging through a dungeon and Vokun lets you bring along an additional follower.

    “Death is only the beginning.”

     

    Thank you all for reading my seventh character build and second build for the Crossworlds 2 event.  In case you haven’t guessed by now this build is based off of the character of Imhotep from the movie The Mummy, specifically the 1999 release.  When creating this build I discovered that there are quite a few similarities between the ancient Nords of Skyrim and ancient Egyptians depicted in the movie like the sprawling ruins dedicated to the dead, the frequent use of embalming to preserve the bodies of the dead, hieroglyphs on the walls of the ancient temples, and even some of the items specific to the ancient Nords like the Galdur Amulet or the Dragon Priest Dagger are all very reminiscent of the ancient Egypt depicted in these movies.  This build was way more fun to play then I had originally anticipated and I encourage you to give it a try.

    -Vargr

  • Member
    December 14, 2015

    awesome, I always had a thing for The Mummy series. glad you made a Mummy build.

  • Member
    December 14, 2015
    Awesome. Did you consider using the werewolf/vampire lord - follower glitch instead? It's much faster than the Jailbreak.
  • December 14, 2015

    Thanks Relycs! 

    I did consider the werewolf/vamp lord glitch but I can't seem to get it to work, my timing must be off or something.  The jailbreak version does take a little longer but it always works for me.  Also it can be used at anytime during a playthrough while the beast forms are both quest locked.

  • Member
    December 14, 2015
    I see. Anyway, very nice build :).
  • Member
    December 14, 2015

    Awesome stuff, I love the story you came up with for Konahrik. +1 from me.

  • Member
    December 14, 2015
    I quite like your organ/mask breakdown. Very clever. I think you're monster series has been a huge success!
  • December 14, 2015

    Man this is a damn awesome build Vargr, I might have given it a like for that first and last picture alone, but the build is just superb as well. A like from me mate for an awesome build. 

  • Member
    December 14, 2015

    Nice use of Mason's photshopped Konahrik 

  • Member
    December 15, 2015

    I love how you worked together a Dragon Priest backstory in a believable way that still matches up with a level 1 character. The mask stacking works very well thematically and power-wise - the prisoner method you're using is much less finicky than the Werewolf/Vampire Lord methods I'm used to.

    Overall great job! I don't read many builds around here nowadays but this one caught my eye.