''Some men choose to live a life of honor, some men choose to live a life of crime. It matters little, all lives end the same way : death. I take care of that part. ''
The Nightmare is a character I've been working on for a while now. An assassin, a nightblade, an illusionist... these are all things the Nightmare impersonates. This vampire build relies on sneak attacks, illusion magic and speed to destroy it's opponents. The end result never changes : a dead body. Kill them before they kill you. I also wanted to try to challenge myself with a no-crafting build. Well, here it is !
Overview
Race : Dunmer vampire. The Dark Elf seemed like the perfect choice for this build because of it's bonuses for illusion, sneak and light armor. Being a Dunmer also negates the weakness to fire caused by vampirism.
Stats : 2/1/2. The Nightmare makes great use of spells and power attacks, while trying to remain unharmed. So, having slightly less health than magicka and stamina isn't a problem for this build.
Stone : I believe the Lady Stone is a must have for a vampire. It can grant you a slight health/stamina regeneration in sunlight, even though you'll mostly want to be active during night time.
Shouts : Drain Vitality, Marked for Death, Slow Time, Dragon Aspect, Whirlwind Sprint, Throw Voice, Aura Whisper and Dismay. Yes, there are lots of shouts to master, but are all useful in their own way.
Major Skills : One-Handed, Sneak, Illusion
Minor Skills : Block, Light Armor, Restoration
Necromage and other powers
Well, now that you have a general overview of the Nightmare, there are a few things that have not been emphasised. First off, you may have noticed that the Necromage perk has been picked in the Restoration tree. For those of you who don't know about this exploit, picking the Necromage perk as a vampire increases the effectiveness (+ 25 %) or duration (+ 50 %) of various spells, shouts and even perks. So, I would recommend to pick the Wind Walker and Recovery perks after having obtained Necromage. Wind Walker will grant you a 62.5 % increase to stamina regeneration (50 % + 25 %) which can be pushed even further with the Lady Stone (antoher 31.125 %, increased with Necromage). Recovery will grant you a 62.5 % increase to magicka regeneration (50 % + 25 %). The Necromage perk will also increase by 50 % the duration of Muffle and Invisibility, spells on which the Nightmare greatly relies.
There's also three powers you'll need as the Nightmare : Vampire Lord, Bones of the Earth and Nightingale Strife. Vampire 
Lord is pretty self explanatory. You should become a vampire as early on as possible, which should be around level 10, where the Dawnguard questline starts. Vampire Lord transformations will be covered later. Moving on, the Bones of the Earth power is obtainable by cleansing the Earth Stone on Solstheim. It grants the caster
an 80 % resistance to physical damage for 30 seconds. This power is equivalent to the Alteration spell Dragonhide. Of course, with Necromage, Dragonhide would last longer, but the protection provided wouldn't be affected. Bones of the Earth seemed like a simpler option. While being quite useful for tight situations, this ability is single use, which means it must be reacquired at the Earth Stone after it is used.
Finally, the Nightingale Strife ability. This power can be obtained at the end of the Thieves Guild questline. Choosing between the Nightingale powers was a tough decision, as all of the three abilities can be of use to the Nightmare. The Shadowcloak of Nocturnal could be useful early on, but would become obsolete when the Invisibility spell is acquired. Nightingale Subterfuge seemed useful, because it is similar to Frenzy spells, but doesn't mark the user as hostile to the NPC that is affected. By combining Frenzy spells and stealth, you can apply the same effect to opponents while remaining undetected. Therefore, Nightingale Strife seemed the better choice as it offered quite a unique ability. Since the Nightmare doesn't rely on Vampiric Drain to sap it's enemy's health, this power provided a decent alternative even though it can only be used once a day. Bear in mind that the Nightingale powers can be switched, so you aren't limited to having only one of the three abilities. If the Nightingale Strife doesn't cut it for you, feel free to change.
Equipment
Armor :
- Nightingale Hood (Fortify Illusion)
- Nightingale Boots (Muffle)
- Nightingale Gloves (Fortify Lockpicking and One-Handed)
- Vampire Royal Armor (Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Accessories :
- The Gauldur Amulet (Fortify Health, Stamina and Magicka)
- Ring of Namira
Weapon :
- Harkon's Sword (Absorb Health, Stamina and Magicka if wielded by a vampire)
First of all, the Nightingale - Vampire Royal armor combination makes you look incredibly badass and grants enchantments that greatly help the Nightmare. The hood and boots are pretty self-explanatory. For a while, I was hesitating between the Ancient Shrouded Gloves and the Nightingale Gloves. The Ancient Shrouded Gloves make backstabs twice as deadly, but didn't look all that good with the rest of the armor (the gloves were glitched and created a weird texture when combined with the Vampire Royal Armor). I settled for the Nightingale gloves. The Vampire Royal Armor grants a 125 % magicka regeneration. This allows a vampire to regenerate a slight amount of magicka when exposed to sunlight.
A quick note here. Some people don't like the lenght of the Thieves' Guild questline and the time it takes to get the Nightingale Armor. For those of you who think that way, there is a glitch to get the armor faster, while skipping part of the Guild's questline. Here's a guide by Motty Skills to backdooring Snow Veil Sanctum, which uses Ponty's backdoor/bucketing trick:
http://tamrielvault.com/group/glitches/forum/topics/nightingale-armor-shortcut
Next, the Gauldur Amulet can help counter the vampire's weakness to sunlight, which reduces health, stamina and magicka. The Ring of Namira can provide a very useful effect, besides increasing stamina by 50 points. After feeding on a corpse, health is increased by 50 points and regenerates 50 % quicker for 5 minutes. Even though the effect doesn't last very long, it can prove very useful.
Finally, besides being one of the best looking swords in the game, Harkon's Sword can be very life-saving. It has a very low base damage (base damage of 8) compared to other one-handed weapons, but it's unique enchantment makes it worthwile. When it's wielded by a vampire, it absorbs 15 point of health, stamina and magicka on hit. It resembles the effect given by the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate, but this sword will absorb all three energies at each hit. It has a mediocre charge, so make sure you keep your soul gem supply steady.
Gameplay
Now for the good part. Of course, with a name like the Nightmare, your goal is to take over enemies' minds and let them do the fighting... or literally get them scared to death.
While playing as the Nightmare, most battles will begin with a sneak attack. First off, use Aura Whisper to identify your targets and move up on them or Throw Voice to distract them and change position. Sneaking can be made easier with Muffle and Invisibility. Backstabbing your opponents may kill some, but many targets will resist your first strike. For a single target, use Marked for Death to weaken it and then kill it while blocking it's attacks.
When many enemies are around, you have two choices : spells or swords. If you think you can manage them, hit them with a Frenzy spell so they can do the fighting and leave uninjured. Then close in and kill the remaining bad guys. If swords are your option, try to strike the toughest opponent with your initial sneak attack. Then, using Slow Time can grant you some precious time to take a look around. When Slow Time is activated, grab a Fear spell to separate your targets. I like leaving one enemy unaffected by Fear, so he can watch his allies cower in fear.
Of course, not every fight goes off without a hitch. When your foe has the advantage, don't hesitate to use your Restoration spells, Nightingale Strife or Bones of the Earth. Using these while having Slow Time active can place you in a more safe position. And in dire situations, don't hesitate to transform into a Vampire Lord. The Vampiric Drain and the increased stats gained by transforming can make you quickly regain the edge in a battle. Your opponents can be fended off with your spells, your claws and your summonable Gargoyles.
With all accounted for, we now have a sneaky illusionist vampire with numerous stats bonuses :
Health :
- 31.125 % (Lady Stone) + 50 % (Ring of Namira)
- Bonus : 30 points (The Gauldur Amulet) + 50 points (Ring of Namira)
Stamina :
- 62.5 % (Necromage + Wind Walker) + 31.125 % (Lady Stone)
- Bonus : 30 points (The Gauldur Amulet) + 50 points (Ring of Namira)
Magicka :
- 62.5 % (Necromage + Recovery) + 125 % (Vampire Royal Armor)
- Bonus : 30 points (The Gauldur Amulet)
Special Abilities
Shadow Leap : Muffle + Shadow Warrior + Quiet Casting + Whirlwind Sprint. They'll swear you were just there, but you escape, leaving not even a trail of dust behind you. This move can be used to rapidly escape a tight situation or to switch targets. It might take some time to master and will require very quick reflexes. However, it will prove indispensable.
Whirlwind Strike : Sprint + Whirlwind Sprint + Critical Charge. They think they're safe because they're far away. Wrong again. Nothing is past the Nightmare's reach. Another hard-to-master ability. By sprinting, using Whirlwind Sprint and using Critical Charge after Whirlwind Sprint stops, you can cross a great distance and cause critical damage to any foe. Whirlwind Strike requires a great sense of timing and as I said, it might be hard to master.
The Cat and the Mouse : Fear Spell + Frenzy Spell. The Cat and the Mouse. The Predator and the Prey. One kills the other. By targeting one enemy with a Frenzy spell and the other with a Fear spell, and enemy can be chased by his ally. Let them do the dirty work once in a while. This can provide quite an entertaining sight.
Aspect of the Nightmare : Dismay + Vampire Lord. They think they're going to kill you. They think they have the edge. Too bad they can't kill a shadow... After scaring off a group of enemies, you can dominate the battlefield in your Vampire Lord form. No foe can best your abilities, because a coward doesn't fight back.
Roleplay
This part is kind of tricky. I see the Nightmare as an arrogant, solitary, self-centered borderline-evil character. The thing is, the game is always trying to make you a good guy. There are, however, a few ways around this. Joining the Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood can be a good option. They can be a great way to learn about stealth. Besides, joining the Thieves' Guild is mandatory to get the Nightingale Armor. These guilds also provide various methods to make money. Even though it is out of character, you'll also have to join the College of Winterhold. It's necessary to complete Slow Time and to get the Gauldur Amulet Fragment from Saarthal. The Companions are totally off limits, though. Joining the Volkihar clan
Psychologically speaking, the Nightmare isn't a good person. You're arrogant, bold, and rash. Try to only do things for your personal benefit. No deed goes unrewarded, be it good or evil. Refrain from doing insignificant quests like fetching items. Socially, remain solitary. Don't get married and don't keep friends. Kill anyone you like, it matters little. Also, don't use followers, except for quests that require it. Followers only get in the way of sneak attacks
Important quests : Dawnguard, Dragonborn, Main Questline, Thieves' Guild, College of Winterhold, The Book of Love (this is probably the most ''out of character'' quest for the Nightmare, but the permanent magic resistance effect is worth it), Frostflow Lighthouse murder investigation, The Taste of Death
Final Words : It's good to be back to Skyrim. I've been taking a break, so I haven't posted in a while, but I'm back in the game. The Nightmare has been quite fun to play with and proved very challenging, as it was my first no-crafting and vampire build.
I've got another build coming up soon, so stay connected !
''Some men choose to live a life of honor, some men choose to live a life of crime. It matters little, all lives end the same way : death. I take care of that part. ''
The Nightmare is a character I've been working on for a while now. An assassin, a nightblade, an illusionist... these are all things the Nightmare impersonates. This vampire build relies on sneak attacks, illusion magic and speed to destroy it's opponents. The end result never changes : a dead body. Kill them before they kill you. I also wanted to try to challenge myself with a no-crafting build. Well, here it is !
Overview
Race : Dunmer vampire. The Dark Elf seemed like the perfect choice for this build because of it's bonuses for illusion, sneak and light armor. Being a Dunmer also negates the weakness to fire caused by vampirism.
Stats : 2/1/2. The Nightmare makes great use of spells and power attacks, while trying to remain unharmed. So, having slightly less health than magicka and stamina isn't a problem for this build.
Stone : I believe the Lady Stone is a must have for a vampire. It can grant you a slight health/stamina regeneration in sunlight, even though you'll mostly want to be active during night time.
Shouts : Drain Vitality, Marked for Death, Slow Time, Dragon Aspect, Whirlwind Sprint, Throw Voice, Aura Whisper and Dismay. Yes, there are lots of shouts to master, but are all useful in their own way.
Major Skills : One-Handed, Sneak, Illusion
Minor Skills : Block, Light Armor, Restoration
Necromage and other powers
Well, now that you have a general overview of the Nightmare, there are a few things that have not been emphasised. First off, you may have noticed that the Necromage perk has been picked in the Restoration tree. For those of you who don't know about this exploit, picking the Necromage perk as a vampire increases the effectiveness (+ 25 %) or duration (+ 50 %) of various spells, shouts and even perks. So, I would recommend to pick the Wind Walker and Recovery perks after having obtained Necromage. Wind Walker will grant you a 62.5 % increase to stamina regeneration (50 % + 25 %) which can be pushed even further with the Lady Stone (antoher 31.125 %, increased with Necromage). Recovery will grant you a 62.5 % increase to magicka regeneration (50 % + 25 %). The Necromage perk will also increase by 50 % the duration of Muffle and Invisibility, spells on which the Nightmare greatly relies.
There's also three powers you'll need as the Nightmare : Vampire Lord, Bones of the Earth and Nightingale Strife. Vampire Lord is pretty self explanatory. You should become a vampire as early on as possible, which should be around level 10, where the Dawnguard questline starts. Vampire Lord transformations will be covered later. Moving on, the Bones of the Earth power is obtainable by cleansing the Earth Stone on Solstheim. It grants the caster
an 80 % resistance to physical damage for 30 seconds. This power is equivalent to the Alteration spell Dragonhide. Of course, with Necromage, Dragonhide would last longer, but the protection provided wouldn't be affected. Bones of the Earth seemed like a simpler option. While being quite useful for tight situations, this ability is single use, which means it must be reacquired at the Earth Stone after it is used.
Finally, the Nightingale Strife ability. This power can be obtained at the end of the Thieves Guild questline. Choosing between the Nightingale powers was a tough decision, as all of the three abilities can be of use to the Nightmare. The Shadowcloak of Nocturnal could be useful early on, but would become obsolete when the Invisibility spell is acquired. Nightingale Subterfuge seemed useful, because it is similar to Frenzy spells, but doesn't mark the user as hostile to the NPC that is affected. By combining Frenzy spells and stealth, you can apply the same effect to opponents while remaining undetected. Therefore, Nightingale Strife seemed the better choice as it offered quite a unique ability. Since the Nightmare doesn't rely on Vampiric Drain to sap it's enemy's health, this power provided a decent alternative even though it can only be used once a day. Bear in mind that the Nightingale powers can be switched, so you aren't limited to having only one of the three abilities. If the Nightingale Strife doesn't cut it for you, feel free to change.
Equipment
Armor :
- Nightingale Hood (Fortify Illusion)
- Nightingale Boots (Muffle)
- Nightingale Gloves (Fortify Lockpicking and One-Handed)
- Vampire Royal Armor (Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Accessories :
- The Gauldur Amulet (Fortify Health, Stamina and Magicka)
- Ring of Namira
Weapon :
- Harkon's Sword (Absorb Health, Stamina and Magicka if wielded by a vampire)
First of all, the Nightingale - Vampire Royal armor combination makes you look incredibly badass and grants enchantments that greatly help the Nightmare. The hood and boots are pretty self-explanatory. For a while, I was hesitating between the Ancient Shrouded Gloves and the Nightingale Gloves. The Ancient Shrouded Gloves make backstabs twice as deadly, but didn't look all that good with the rest of the armor (the gloves were glitched and created a weird texture when combined with the Vampire Royal Armor). I settled for the Nightingale gloves. The Vampire Royal Armor grants a 125 % magicka regeneration. This allows a vampire to regenerate a slight amount of magicka when exposed to sunlight.
A quick note here. Some people don't like the lenght of the Thieves' Guild questline and the time it takes to get the Nightingale Armor. For those of you who think that way, there is a glitch to get the armor faster, while skipping part of the Guild's questline. Here's a guide by Motty Skills to backdooring Snow Veil Sanctum, which uses Ponty's backdoor/bucketing trick:
http://tamrielvault.com/group/glitches/forum/topics/nightingale-armor-shortcut
Next, the Gauldur Amulet can help counter the vampire's weakness to sunlight, which reduces health, stamina and magicka. The Ring of Namira can provide a very useful effect, besides increasing stamina by 50 points. After feeding on a corpse, health is increased by 50 points and regenerates 50 % quicker for 5 minutes. Even though the effect doesn't last very long, it can prove very useful.
Finally, besides being one of the best looking swords in the game, Harkon's Sword can be very life-saving. It has a very low base damage (base damage of 8) compared to other one-handed weapons, but it's unique enchantment makes it worthwile. When it's wielded by a vampire, it absorbs 15 point of health, stamina and magicka on hit. It resembles the effect given by the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate, but this sword will absorb all three energies at each hit. It has a mediocre charge, so make sure you keep your soul gem supply steady.
Gameplay
Now for the good part. Of course, with a name like the Nightmare, your goal is to take over enemies' minds and let them do the fighting... or literally get them scared to death.
While playing as the Nightmare, most battles will begin with a sneak attack. First off, use Aura Whisper to identify your targets and move up on them or Throw Voice to distract them and change position. Sneaking can be made easier with Muffle and Invisibility. Backstabbing your opponents may kill some, but many targets will resist your first strike. For a single target, use Marked for Death to weaken it and then kill it while blocking it's attacks.
When many enemies are around, you have two choices : spells or swords. If you think you can manage them, hit them with a Frenzy spell so they can do the fighting and leave uninjured. Then close in and kill the remaining bad guys. If swords are your option, try to strike the toughest opponent with your initial sneak attack. Then, using Slow Time can grant you some precious time to take a look around. When Slow Time is activated, grab a Fear spell to separate your targets. I like leaving one enemy unaffected by Fear, so he can watch his allies cower in fear.
Of course, not every fight goes off without a hitch. When your foe has the advantage, don't hesitate to use your Restoration spells, Nightingale Strife or Bones of the Earth. Using these while having Slow Time active can place you in a more safe position. And in dire situations, don't hesitate to transform into a Vampire Lord. The Vampiric Drain and the increased stats gained by transforming can make you quickly regain the edge in a battle. Your opponents can be fended off with your spells, your claws and your summonable Gargoyles.
With all accounted for, we now have a sneaky illusionist vampire with numerous stats bonuses :
Health :
- 31.125 % (Lady Stone) + 50 % (Ring of Namira)
- Bonus : 30 points (The Gauldur Amulet) + 50 points (Ring of Namira)
Stamina :
- 62.5 % (Necromage + Wind Walker) + 31.125 % (Lady Stone)
- Bonus : 30 points (The Gauldur Amulet) + 50 points (Ring of Namira)
Magicka :
- 62.5 % (Necromage + Recovery) + 125 % (Vampire Royal Armor)
- Bonus : 30 points (The Gauldur Amulet)
Special Abilities
Shadow Leap : Muffle + Shadow Warrior + Quiet Casting + Whirlwind Sprint. They'll swear you were just there, but you escape, leaving not even a trail of dust behind you. This move can be used to rapidly escape a tight situation or to switch targets. It might take some time to master and will require very quick reflexes. However, it will prove indispensable.
Whirlwind Strike : Sprint + Whirlwind Sprint + Critical Charge. They think they're safe because they're far away. Wrong again. Nothing is past the Nightmare's reach. Another hard-to-master ability. By sprinting, using Whirlwind Sprint and using Critical Charge after Whirlwind Sprint stops, you can cross a great distance and cause critical damage to any foe. Whirlwind Strike requires a great sense of timing and as I said, it might be hard to master.
The Cat and the Mouse : Fear Spell + Frenzy Spell. The Cat and the Mouse. The Predator and the Prey. One kills the other. By targeting one enemy with a Frenzy spell and the other with a Fear spell, and enemy can be chased by his ally. Let them do the dirty work once in a while. This can provide quite an entertaining sight.
Aspect of the Nightmare : Dismay + Vampire Lord. They think they're going to kill you. They think they have the edge. Too bad they can't kill a shadow... After scaring off a group of enemies, you can dominate the battlefield in your Vampire Lord form. No foe can best your abilities, because a coward doesn't fight back.
Roleplay
This part is kind of tricky. I see the Nightmare as an arrogant, solitary, self-centered borderline-evil character. The thing is, the game is always trying to make you a good guy. There are, however, a few ways around this. Joining the Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood can be a good option. They can be a great way to learn about stealth. Besides, joining the Thieves' Guild is mandatory to get the Nightingale Armor. These guilds also provide various methods to make money. Even though it is out of character, you'll also have to join the College of Winterhold. It's necessary to complete Slow Time and to get the Gauldur Amulet Fragment from Saarthal. The Companions are totally off limits, though. Joining the Volkihar clan
Psychologically speaking, the Nightmare isn't a good person. You're arrogant, bold, and rash. Try to only do things for your personal benefit. No deed goes unrewarded, be it good or evil. Refrain from doing insignificant quests like fetching items. Socially, remain solitary. Don't get married and don't keep friends. Kill anyone you like, it matters little. Also, don't use followers, except for quests that require it. Followers only get in the way of sneak attacks
Important quests : Dawnguard, Dragonborn, Main Questline, Thieves' Guild, College of Winterhold, The Book of Love (this is probably the most ''out of character'' quest for the Nightmare, but the permanent magic resistance effect is worth it), Frostflow Lighthouse murder investigation, The Taste of Death
Final Words : It's good to be back to Skyrim. I've been taking a break, so I haven't posted in a while, but I'm back in the game. The Nightmare has been quite fun to play with and proved very challenging, as it was my first no-crafting and vampire build.
I've got another build coming up soon, so stay connected !
