When I first joined the Vault it was because I was looking for builds to play.  I really had no concept of creating a build.  I just took a skill set I wanted (rogue, mage, etc) and then plopped perks wherever they felt right to boost me.  Basically a min/max without knowing what I was doing. 

Well, as I ran out of ideas, mainly due to playing each class straight through, I started to delve into new stuff and stumbled onto the vault.  For the bane or betterment I will leave that to you to decide. 

Mason was the first builder I happened upon, mainly because I immediately went into the Hall of Fame and he owns a whole wing over there.  Not sure how many of his builds I physically played, probably six or more.  Then I branched off into some other builds, Ponty, No-Snakes, Curse.  The list goes on and on I'm sure.  After playing close to 20 builds (at least) I got into reading the builds and starting to understand what a build actually was.  Then I got the wild hair to go back to some of my own builds and put them down on paper, revisit them, and try to apply what information I'd gleaned into restructuring my builds into something viable that wasn't just "Pin the Tail on the Perk". 

As for building it's been a matter of seeing what most of the respected builders did from a format perspective and then mimic that as they all almost look alike and (well, this isn't the place for that conversation..lol).  It seems that most of the early Vault builds were based around some type of glitch or hack (that the patches wiped out) but many of my first builds basically copied some of those (since there is only a finite amount of glitches).  Since then however, I've tried to go off on my own path and get more into roleplaying which is my own creativity without reliance on something that's been done a dozen times; and better than I could ever copy it.  So like Shin, I've been all over the map from playing to reading for enjoyment and learning to self design. 

Usually what happens for me is I decide to play someone else's build for Skyrim I saw, but then when I actually play the build I end up wandering off on a tangent and modifying it somehow. One of my favorite characters I've RP'd was based on Mason's Hold Guard build, it used the same idea, but replaced alchemy with speech and also stayed fiercely loyal to Markarth. I named him Boris, he was a simple and innocent yet deep and wise man, and the only uncorrupted Markarth Guard (and a member of the Imperial Legion). But I've never posted a Skyrim build that was based on someone else's build, I always think its too similar to the original build I got the idea from.

The two Oblivion character build's I've put up in the Classics group were influenced by a Ponty build and a Mason build, although not solely influenced by those builds.

I think most of my 'builds' in RPG's are just builds or characters I've played in other RPGs and want to try them out in another game's setting.

I try to avoid re-making someone else's work honestly. It's nice to make a build someone else flushed out and that's really interesting but really I'm more interested in the little quirks people have found that I can use in a build of my own. I tend to avoid making a copy-paste build just because the concept is cool and instead I look for the little things that make it different. At best iv made 2 builds i found on here but like Shinjin iv modified them both to my taste. From them i got idea's for builds of my own and ended up morphing the original build into something literally different just to play test my idea's to see how far i could stretch the concept. I'll admit this site's give me some amazing idea's and im not ashamed to admit i have leeched off a few concept's to see what i could turn them into. 

Back when I was a lurker on this site was when I did the most playing of other peoples builds. The first was Henson’s Necromancer which is how I found the site in the first place. I’ve played more builds than I can remember before I finally decided to make an account and post the Pyromancer. Initially I just used other successful builds as a template for how to structure my own builds as far as presentation goes, i.e. where to put the perks, where do explain the stats, etc. I’ve never been inspired by other people’s builds instead I’m inspired someplace else, then I’ll scour the CB for builds that fit that inspiration. For instance my first build was a pyromancer that focused purely on magic and the different flame themed spells. I already played this character (it was my first playthrough of Skyrim) and was looking up builds to see if I had missed anything before I played them again (it had been a year or so and I was itching to burn things again). What I discovered was a surprising lack of Pure Pyro builds, they all combined the magic with some form of physical combat (one handed, archery, etc.). But I did learn a few things from reading those other builds that I used in my own (Aspect of Terror/Ignite for super burn being one example).

So the short of it is I come up with a concept then I see what others have done. If there is something that adds to my concept I’ll use it and give credit where it’s due. Sometimes this leads me to scrap an idea when I realize that it’s been done already, or the idea has been implemented in another way that is better than mine. Sometimes it leads me to an “Ah-Ha” moment drastically changing how the build functions as it congeals around this new thing.

I still play other people’s builds just not as often since I’m usually play-testing one of my own ideas, or revisiting a favorite past build just for fun.

What a cool Dragon pic is there :D

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Medieval]Medieval[/url] said:[/b]

What a cool Dragon pic is there :D

[/blockquote]

Ha! Yeah, he's cute. 

I am a reader, not so much a player and have read many of the builds on this site, both the greatest and many of the over-looked ones as I worked to tag the Bloodworks. Found some cool little gems in that group. When I read builds, I tend to be drawn to the quirky and unexpected, those that are heavy into roleplay with simple mechanics that even a fool like me can manage (I have serious problems with buttons).

My first builds, lol, my two builds closely followed the established template, but subsequent builds (Alls WiP at the moment) will  start to venture away and I am excited for this. If the point is communicated, if the blueprint established to play the build can be followed, then format, to me, doesn't matter. 

I really want to play other builds and I have my short list of them.  I lurked for a long time to, but it was more to get lore information, not so much for building. 

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/LissetteLongChapper]Lissette Long-Chapper[/url] said:[/b]

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Medieval]Medieval[/url] said:[/b]

What a cool Dragon pic is there :D

[/blockquote]

Ha! Yeah, he's cute. 

I am a reader, not so much a player and have read many of the builds on this site, both the greatest and many of the over-looked ones as I worked to tag the Bloodworks. Found some cool little gems in that group. When I read builds, I tend to be drawn to the quirky and unexpected, those that are heavy into roleplay with simple mechanics that even a fool like me can manage (I have serious problems with buttons).

My first builds, lol, my two builds closely followed the established template, but subsequent builds (Alls WiP at the moment) will  start to venture away and I am excited for this. If the point is communicated, if the blueprint established to play the build can be followed, then format, to me, doesn't matter. 

I really want to play other builds and I have my short list of them.  I lurked for a long time to, but it was more to get lore information, not so much for building. 

[/blockquote]

I see!. Cool, for me I have to say I have some builds I want to create and share, related to my stories, what I'm still developing :P, are variety of builds related to them, just I will share when I have the full work, because what I know to make a build requires a lot of details, to make a cool one I meant. Lore, quest, gear, story, etc. Oh and also I want to crate Builds with mods specifically so that adds even more detail to the Build creation. I love moding and I usually have a mod list for specific characters, for example If I plan to create a Build as Nord Stormcloack Civil War I will use some "Nord" mods or mods what are related to the gameplay I want to playand create. Oh and by the way my Builds will be really immersive, I love immersion. Just to say you some ideas of what kinds of Builds I have on my mind for sure:

(The names are with quotes because their are not definitely named yet)

- Memeber of The Dark Legion Cult: There are a lot of Sub-Builds will become, because The Dark Legion Cult is an organizated group of people with his own Buildings and Settlements;

  - Necromancy and Conjuration

  - Daedra Worship and Summoning

  - Merchant, Speech and Strategist

  - The Blacksmith of The Void

  - Blacksmith of The Void

  - The Wise and the Punisher of the Weak

- There is also another counter Faction named The Kinghts of the Righteous Path: A paladin Nord organization.

- I have another related to The Blades and the Dragonborn.

- Another related to a Bosmer Hunter and Alchemist also Namira Worshipper.

- Another related to Dwemer.

And of course more, but those I meantioned are the ones I have more in mind I want to create, all those are related to my characters of my stories. So that is, that is I have to say respect Builds and creations I have in mind, of course I wish to create at least one on the upcoming year :). By the way what inspired me to wsh to create those Builds are my stories and gameplay and what inspired me to create the stories?, I usually get inspiration from real life events, to series, movies, reading books, usually those kind of activities give me ideas about to create my stories. And when I talk about real life, its about some stuff on my stories will have some inspiration of things what had happened to me or what I have seen, or I have become part of it, that doenst meant some things are totally related about real life events but in a figurative way. I usually like the creations with meaning or a detailed creation.

I first came here because I saw a build about a blood mage and was curious. I quickly got a little bored of that, however (nothing wrong with blood magic, but it didn't really suit my playstyle), and kind of spent about three days doing nothing but carousing builds before settling on playing Shinjin and Luhzar's Knights of Iron out of curiosity. I initially thought it would make a modded survival playthrough all the more interesting, and later fell in love with the way each playthrough leads to something different based on the materials one finds along the way. I've played the build through four times, each with a different sort of roleplay and style of gear:

-The "Traditional" Knight of Iron as Lohzar and Shinjin intended, who was good, charitable with his works, and established a small shrine to Zenithar near Riverwood where he lived with his small gathering of beloved family and friends. He also built a workshop in the marshes of Hjaalmarch kept by his more magically-oriented companions, and an Armory near Dawnstar overseen by a pair of respectable warriors whose friendship he had earned over the course of his travels.

-A Nord merchant Artisan who was caught crossing the border with stolen goods. As his destiny unfolded, his skill jumped by leaps and bounds, which he attributed to the same memories of dragons which enabled him to master the Thu'um so quickly. His initial bluff, pretending to be the legendary hero Nords needed, slowly became fact over time until even he had forgotten his original reasoning for it. He eventually used all of his formidable talents to craft a complete set of gear to mimic exactly like what the Nords of Skyrim believed a Dragonborn to look like (horned iron helm, scale cuirass, and all) before he traveled to the Throat of the World. He ended his story with the belief that the greatest thing he would ever build was a legend for generations of Nords to retell with pride.

-A Dunmer sociopath who reveled in enchantment, in adorning himself with beautiful works of his own creation, each stitch and weld bearing the stolen power of a life. He always and only wore enchanted items as soon as he was able, and doing so was a dark, almost exibitionist thrill to him. Hunting down the perfect materials for a vessel was a delicious anticipation to him, as was picking a worthy victim for his increasingly discerning tastes. He primarily used enchantments to improve his magical power, along with a dagger and bow (both with the fiery soul enchantment and another Destruction enchantment on top) in order to make use of his poisons. He was always so skilled a deciever, and free with his gifts, that no one ever considered what he was really getting out of his chosen life.

-A more monk-ish take on the original version, an Orc who used his small mountain shrine in Hjaalmarch as a place of research and a vault to hide away works too dangerous to leave in the wrong hands, or simply works which he felt needed to be studied and possibly recreated. Even improved upon. His feverish devotion to his works meant a lot of experimentation with styles of combat, as well as a series of artifact-hunting adventures which took him from the Shrine of Nocturnal to the frozen cliffs of the Throat of the World.

So yeah. I had a lot of fun with that one.

Usually, to me, the important part of a 'build' isn't so much how it beats things up and who the character is, where the character came from, why the character is wandering Skyrim, and where the character will go from there. It's the roleplay. Aesthetic helps build on that, and allows you to feel like your character has a personality all its own.

I tend to get too many ideas and not follow through with them like I should, but sitting down and thinking about what a build I would post HERE would be, I'd imagine that I should ask myself the following questions:

1) Is this something I think people might enjoy reading about or playing themselves?

2) Has this been done sufficiently before by someone else? (Nothing wrong with inventing something awesome retroactively, but gotta be respectful of others)

3) Is this something -I- will enjoy sufficiently to play it through at least three or four times to make sure I have it right before I burn out?

Sometimes this can be tough to answer satisfactorily, but I think it'd help me focus.

I actually just had an idea for a support-based build, and I think I'm going to toy with that idea for, oh, about twenty minutes and then test it out. Because funsies.