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Character Build: Baranat's Descendant

Tags: #Character Build Alchemist  #Character Build Bard  #Character Build Unarmored  #Race:Dunmer  #Rank:Bloodworks  #Peppo 
  • March 11, 2017

     

    Baranat's Descendant

     

    When the Lady Genevrah was kidnapped from her estate and held for ransom, her mother sent word out that whoever rescued her would be allowed to marry her and inherit the land. Unfortunately, in those troubled days, kidnappings, murders, and thievery were rampant, and there was a dearth of able-bodied adventurers for such assignments. In fact, the only person who answered her call was a skinny, little fellow named Baranat.

    “You are certainly brave, but I fear you would never survive,” said the old woman. “My daughter, you see, has been kidnapped by the Coribael brothers whose physical prowess is the stuff of legend.”

    “My lady,” said Baranat. “When I was born, I was blessed by Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil, and I have the ear of the saints. If I run into any trouble, I'll call on them to aid my quest.”

    - The Prayers of Baranat, a traditional myth.

     

    Baranat was a young, peaceful Dunmer that lived many years before Skyrim was inhabited by Nords: he's the protagonist of the myth of Baranat, in which he defeats the Coribael Brothers thanks to his devotion to the gods and saints. Baranat was skinny, unskilled and almost unarmed, but had a very strong willpower and a lot of courage, two indespensable perks for every real hero. These traits led him to become the savior of Lady Genevrah and her prince. However, the tale ends in a very comical way: the Lady turns out to be bad looking and very unpleasant, and the estate Baranat inherited revolting and uninhabitable.

    Being ingenuous and rash, Baranat makes the perfect chaotic good character, a hero devoted to good but generally too impulsive to realize the immediate consequences of his actions. This build revolves around Baranat's descendant, a character that embodies Baranat's characteristics in the world of Skyrim. As such, they will be impetuous and curious, more keen on fighting for deeds that grant individual fame and benefits than working in the shadows or in a large group.

    What makes this build unique is the usage of potions and Shouts that, combined, grant incredible benefits (which will be called "blessings", to stay on character) in the time of need: the blessing of Saint Veloth, Saint Nerevar, Saint Roris and Saint Olms.

     

                   

     

     

    Some quick comments by the author

    When I first thought about this build I was browing the Elder Scrolls Wikia and stumbled upon this book from TES III: Morrowind called The Prayers of Baranat: I suggest you read it (it's very short, come on!) before playing this build or, better, reading the guide. The story was fascinating and funny, and I started thinking of a way to make Baranat a playable character in Skyrim. Of course, he couldn't be alive in the years when Skyrim is set, so I imagined to play his descendant.

    First, I thought about a way of making the blessings he's granted (more information in the book above) realistic and actually helpful in Skyrim. In this case, Shouts and potions come in handy, so be ready to play an alchemy-heavy build. If you don't like using Shouts, don't worry, they are not as indespensable except for more or less three of them. On the other hand, if you like them, there is a huge pool of Shouts to choose from.

    Secondly, I wanted an armor-free build that removes those boring moments when you have to sort out your inventory and choose what to sell, what to smith and improve and what to leave at home. Also, this build isn't bothered by maximum carry capacity, since you'll be wearing light clothes and the ingredients for your potions and poisons don't weight much.

    And last but not least, I wanted a very customizable character whose lore didn't feel like it was taken from a different reality and put into the game: as Baranat is a canon character in the TES series, the lore of Baranat's descendant is fixed. However, you don't need to find some precise clothing or insert a particular feature when creating your character to play this build, you make your own Baranat's descendant!

     

     

     

    The Build

     

       Race: Dunmer (after all, Baranat was a Dunmer)

     

       Main skills: Alteration, One-Handed, Alchemy

       Minor skills: Enchanting, Block, Speech

       Standing Stone: Lord

       Stats: 0/2/1

     

       Clothing: any armorless clothes; see below

       Weapon: Iron Sword (as said in the book)

       Secondary (optional): Iron Shield or Spellbreaker

     

       Spells: Oakflesh (and above), Muffle

       Main Shouts: Slow Time, Marked for Death, Disarm

       Other Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Elemental Fury, Fire Breath, Throw Voice

     

    At first glance the build might seem boring, since only two spells are needed and the main source of damage (the iron sword) has really low base damage. In fact, the way you play this character is very unique: you don't focus on getting high-tier clothing and weaponry, but enhance the items you have with Shouts and potions. Baranat's descendant should look like a common, defenseless citizen; his true powers are unleashed with his prayers that are realized with particular combinations of them.

    Alchemy is arguably your most important skill: being able to brew poisons opens up a lot of options in fights. If you are scared of Alchemy because you feel finding the various ingredients requires a lot of time, trust me, the advantages outweight the disadvantages. Of course the race has to be Dunmer, which is actually a pretty solid choice for this build because of the +5 bonuses in Alchemy, Alteration and Sneak. The Lord Stone is used, much like Alteration, to bulk up and become really durable in melee fights; I also tried to use the Serpent Stone since the paralyzing effect is really good, but in the end I decided it was a bit of a waste since you can already paralyze most of the enemies with poisons.

    About the stats spread, I even tried going 0/1/1 so I could bash more often, but I feel the health is so necessary you can sacrifice a bit of your stamina pool. After all, since you'll focus on alchemy, you should be able to brew plenty of stamina regen potions; of course you can also make healing potions, but I find that using them mid fight makes every encounter foolishly easy. You don't really need magicka points, but before reaching the adept alteration level you might want to put two or three points in it or you won't be able to cast Ironflesh unless you have well-enchanted gear.

    Before you even ask, yes, the mage armor perk doubles the armor rating even if you're using a shield!

     

     

     

    Enchanting and Perk Spread

     

       Hat/Circlet: Fortify Magicka   

        Clothes: Fortify Alteration and Magicka Regen   

        Boots: Resist Frost/Muffle   

        Gloves: Fortify One-Handed   

        Ring: Fortify One-Handed   

        Necklace: Fortify Stamina Regen/Amulet of the Divines (choose)   

        Sword: Fire Damage   

        Shield: Resist Magic   

     

     

     

     

     

    Using the weakest sword in the game, enchanting is mandatory for this build: if you want you can choose the enchantments you like more, this is just my personal choice. You need a major boost to one-handed which, since it's based on a percentage, really adds up when you level up the perks of the one-handed skill tree: keep in mind that skill enchantments stack additively, this means that two +20% fortify one-handed enchantments give a total of 20% + 20% = 40% extra damage, which is a lot.

    Since you won't level up magicka, you need a couple magicka-based enchantments: fortify alteration and magicka regen is the best choice for clothes, but it (-%5 casting cost) won't still be enough to cast Ironflesh (266 magicka, 133 with the Adept Alteration perk) with a base pool of 100 (133 - 6.5 = 126.5). So, you need at least +27 magicka from one of your pieces of clothing, or just enchant different pieces and add up to 27.

    Next, you might want to increase your defenses by improving magic resistance: that's why, if you don't go for the Spellbreaker, the shield is enchanted with resist magic. I usually put resist frost on my boots, but I also like using the muffle enchantment; unfortunately, it's really hard to find such enchantment, but go for it if you can.

    As for the sword, I think the fire damage enchantment is mandatory: not only it stacks with Ancestor's Wrath, the special ability of Dunmer, but since finding ingredients for the Weakness to Fire poison is relatively easy you are doubly encouraged to do so.

     

     

    Perk spread: level 25

    As you can see, it's a pretty balanced perk spread: 5 points in alchemy, 6 points in one-handed and 4 points in alteration, block and enchanting. Only speech is left with a single point, since it doesn't give many benefits but comes in handy when selling items in the first levels.

    In the beginning you might struggle a bit, but as soon as you put enough points in alchemy (particularly in the Benefactor and Poisoner perks), you will notice a major boost to your potions and poisons: that, combined with the damage increase from the one-handed perk tree, makes you able to dish out damage at a really good rate. The Soul Squeezer and Fire Enchanter perks serve the same purpose and are pretty self-explanatory.

    As for the defenses, the Mage Armor and Magic Resistance perk give a lot of durability, especially when combined with the Lord Stone; remember to put early points in Novice and Apprentice Alteration or you won't be able to cast Oakflesh and Stoneflesh with your low magicka pool. The usefulness of the Block tree shouldn't be overlooked either: Quick Reflexes makes fights so much easier and Deflect Arrows is a major upgrade when fighting multiple enemies. Deflect Arrows is, along with Elemental Protection and Shield Charge, the only perk of the Block tree that doesn't work with swords, so keep that in mind if you aren't using any shield.

     

     

    Perk spread: level 52

    As for level 52 you basically max out your most important perks (alchemy, one-handed and alteration), although I don't go as far as putting points in Expert Alteration since, unless you increase your magicka pool with level-up points and many enchantments, you will never be able to cast Ebonyflesh. There are also many points in block, especially because Elemental Protection and Deadly Bash are too good to pass up.

    Notice how you still have very few points in the speech tree, all of which grant more gold per item sold.

     

     

     

    Clothing and Appearance

     This chapter is more focused on character creation than actual gameplay, so feel free to skip it if you want to invent your character from scratch.

      

    When I first thought of concretizing Baranat's characteristics, I thought about a young boy in his mid-twenties with short hair and a happy, familiar face; I decided to make him not very muscular and with middle-class clothes, no noble apparel but no old rags either. For example, you can see in the images above that he wears clothes, gloves and boots with some rings and necklaces for enchanting purposes; I added a fine hat because I thought it made him look more eccentric (I mean, have you ever seen an NPC with such clothes and a fine hat?). I also gave him reddish short hair and a very short beard, so he looked like a young man.

    If you want, you can change your clothes as you progress the game, especially because you will have to re-enchant your gear every now and then. Of course, you don't have to play a male character, and you don't have to wear clothes for each body part. Here are some examples I made that look the part:

     

    The first character wears college robes (you can find them at Radiant Raiment in Solitude), fine boots and wields an iron sword and the Spellbreaker. He has a gold and emerald circlet and a gold ring and you can see he wears the amulet of Stendarr.

     

    The second one is a girl: she has normal clothes, shoes and again a ring and a circlet.  Notice how she has no shield, which can be a choice for this build since you still benefit from the perks of the block tree (with the sword) and you can even try out new fighting styles, like using a torch on your left hand to burn enemies.

     

    The third character wears more expensive clothes, but still has common shoes and a black bandana (which is actually the mourner's hat). The iron sword and shield are again the weapons of choice, and like the others he wears jewelry.

     

     

     

    Potions and Poisons

     

    Potions and poisons are the key to this build, I can't stress it enough: given your low damage and base armor rating, the only way to be effective even in the later stages of the game is enchanting your gear, using shouts and creating potions. There are countless recipies and lots of combined effects, but to keep it simple we will focus on the most important concoctions and use the most common ingredients.

    These are the six most important potions, which will be mixed with shouts and spells to make powerful combinations:

     

    Potion of Regenerate Stamina

    Fly Amanita + Mora Tapinella + Scaly Philiota (choose two, not all at once)

     

    Poison of Slow

    Deathbell + Salt Pile

     

    Potion of Fortify One-Handed

    Canis Root + Bear Claws

     

    Poison of Weakness to Fire

    Bleeding Crown + Juniper Berries

     

    Potion of Fortify Block and Magic Resistance

    Bleeding Crown + Tundra Cotton

     

    Paralysis Poison

    Canis Root + Imp Stool (add Mora Tapinella for damage)

     

    These ones are essential! You won't need to brew huge amounts of them, but make sure you have some when you take part in dangerous adventures. If you aren't familiar with how potions work in Skyrim, make them once and their recipe will be saved in your alchemy table. You won't be able to see the literal combination, but when you have the right ingredients in your inventory the choice to create that particular potion will light up.

    Also, here are some other useful combinations:

     

    "Super Poison"

    Deathbell + Skeever Tail + Giant Lichen

      

    Potion of Fortify and Restore Health

    Blue Mountain Flower + Wheat

     

    Potion of Invisibility and Regenerate Health

    Luna Moth Wing + Vampire Dust

     

     And don't forget to make restore health/stamina potions every now and then! You should be able to find the right ingredients by eating them.

     

     

     

    Combos and Blessings

     

    This is the most exciting part of the guide, where all your perks are combined together: potions, dragon Shouts, racial abilities and spells! If you read the story, you should have noticed how helpful can be certain abilities (for example, the ability to slow time or endure every toil) and how easily they can be replicated in Skyrim. So, for example, the blessing of Saint Nerevar ("I will make you stronger than a hundred warriors") will increase your defenses by improving magic resistance, armor and block.

    Of course, since they are quite expensive in terms of resources, you don't want to use them every time you find a new cave or bandit camp; keep them for when you have to fight strong bosses, dragons or large groups of enemies.

     

    Blessing of Saint Veloth the Pilgrim

       Potion of Regenerate Stamina + Slow Time + Poison of Slow

     

    Baranat's descendant is granted the blessing of Saint Veloth, the prophet who led the Chimer people from the northern regions into Morrowind: they become faster than lightning and, for this reason, nobody can keep up with their incredible speed.

    Baranat rode many miles through the northern swamps before he came to the first of the brothers' guard posts. [...] Vanis was known to be faster than the wind, a warrior who could thrash his opponents before they even unsheathed their weapons. Baranat took a look at his sad, cut-rate iron blade, and prayed to the saints. Saint Veloth the Pilgrim appeared before Baranat in shining robes, and smiled upon him, “Baranat, put down your blade and I will make you swifter than bolt of lightning.”

     

     Blessing of Saint Nerevar the Captain

       Potion of Fortify One-Handed + Marked for Death + Poison of Weakness to Fire

     

    Saint Nerevar comes in aid to Baranat's descendant, giving them the strength of the people who fought in the War of the First Council. The enemy is caught off guard and his defense lowers.

    The adventurer continued on until he reached the second youngest Coribael brother, Feryn, who not only was as fast as Vanis, but so strong, he could rip a trama shrub up by the roots with two fingers. Baranat hid himself and trembled as he looked at the giant Feryn Coribael. Again, the young adventurer prayed to the saints. Saint Nerevar the Captain appeared before Baranat in golden armor, and smiled upon him, “Baranat, I will make you stronger than a hundred warriors.”

     

     Blessing of Saint Roris the Martyr

       Potion of Fortify Block and Magic Resistance + Ancestor's Wrath + Ironflesh (or lower)

     

    Having withstood the cruel tortures of Argonian sorcerers without giving them what they wanted, Saint Roris is the prime example of faithfulness and endurance in the history of Dunmer. He makes Baranat's descendant immune to pain and fatigue.

    Beyond Feryn's post was a raging river, where the second eldest Coribael brother, Horis, stood guard. Horis, who was faster than his brother Vanis, stronger than his brother Feryn, and so tough that he could swim in the lava of Dagoth Ur like it was the Padomaic Ocean. Baranat thought of his own tolerance for pain, which was minimal, and prayed to the saints for help. Saint Roris the Martyr appeared before Baranat with flesh like sparkling gems, and smiled on him, “Baranat, I will make you unyielding as the heart of Oblivion.”

     

    Blessing of Saint Olms the Just

       Disarm + Poison of Paralysis + [pick up weapon]

     

    Baranat's descendant is watched by Saint Olms, who gives them her wits: they now know how to trick the enemy into tripping and losing their blade, which they can pick up and wield.

    Airen Coribael himself was there, guarding a squirming sack which Baranat assumed either contained Lady Genevrah or several large cats. The young adventurer quailed at the prospect of doing battle with Airen Coribael, the swiftest, strongest, sturdiest, and most accomplished fighter of the brothers. He prayed to the saints for help. Saint Olms the Just appeared before Baranat in a burst of flame, and smiled on him, “Baranat, I will make you more cunning in battle than the most dangerous of daedra.”

     

     

     

     

    Gameplay and roleplaying

     

    As said in the introduction, Baranat's descendant is a brave but ingenuous person. To make your playing experience more realistic, avoid quests that involve stealing or tricking (like the Thieves Guild questline) and don't be afraid to accept powerful gifts with downsides like licanthropy; keep in mind you're a good character, so no vampirism or daedric quests that involve killing innocent people. Also, you should generally refuse quests that focus on joining an army or a large group (so no Civil War-related quests, except for the slow time shout) unless you can become an individual hero like in the Companions.

     

    One of the best choices is the main questline, at least until the end of Act I (after retrieving the horn of Jurgen Windcaller and giving it to the Greybeards) which is also very handy for learning powerful Shouts; the Bards College is another perfect choice. Talking about the College of Winterhold, much like the Companions questline it really depends on how you want your character to be: if you want to progress and become a important leader, then go on; if you prefer to play the wandering kind of hero then focus on the miscellaneous quests given by the townsfolk.

     

    Furthermore, try behave like your character: don't be afraid to throw in your dialogues some witty remarks every now and then, and always choose the most realistic options for a good young man/woman. As such, never answer in a harsh, unfriendly way and always refuse to get involved in deeds against the law.

     

    Last but not least, choose how your character will relate to friends and lovers: are they too young to find a spouse and live the rest of their life with them? Do they want to buy a personal home in Skyrim or do they prefer wandering and sleeping in taverns? The same goes for followers: the descendant of Baranat wouldn't like sharing a treasure with another person, but they might like fighting side by side with a friend.

     

     

     

    Closing Words

     

     

    I hope you enjoyed reading this guide as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope I made you want to play this character build; if not, at least I made you discover the myth of Baranat. Thanks to this guide some of you might even start paying more attention to books in Skyrim, which are too often overlooked. Thank you for your attention and leave a comment if you want to discuss about something in this guide or if you just liked it!

    All the images in this character build are made by me, except for the potion thumbnails which are taken from The Elder Scrolls Wiki.

  • March 12, 2017

    Sorry for not responding when this first came out. I was very busy with work and projects, but I had been wanting to read this for some time. I'm so glad I did. Reading this brought a smile to my face. The books of the Elderscrolls series hold a lot of wondeful start off points for builds and I really enjoy the thought you've put into recreating Baranat for Skyrim. 

    Very nicely done. Look forward to more builds from you in the future. 

    I'm only wondering if perhaps he cannot marry someone in the build? But that may be recreating Baranat rather than his descendent and you are playing the descendent. I'd actually pic Senna from the Temple of Dibella. She is quite a snarky wife and only is available for marriage after you complete the Heart of Dibella quest, which can be a challenge for this build and falls in line with how his ancestor is portrayed in the book. 

    But otherwise, very nice work. 

  • March 12, 2017

    Lissette Long-Chapper said:

    Sorry for not responding when this first came out. I was very busy with work and projects, but I had been wanting to read this for some time. I'm so glad I did. Reading this brought a smile to my face. The books of the Elderscrolls series hold a lot of wondeful start off points for builds and I really enjoy the thought you've put into recreating Baranat for Skyrim. 

    Very nicely done. Look forward to more builds from you in the future. 

    I'm only wondering if perhaps he cannot marry someone in the build? But that may be recreating Baranat rather than his descendent and you are playing the descendent. I'd actually pic Senna from the Temple of Dibella. She is quite a snarky wife and only is available for marriage after you complete the Heart of Dibella quest, which can be a challenge for this build and falls in line with how his ancestor is portrayed in the book. 

    But otherwise, very nice work. 

    Thank you for your feedback!

    About marriage, I prefer leaving the choice to the player so the build isn't too restrictive, and I think putting Senna in the guide would look kind of forced. Although, now that I think about it, she is kind of similar to how I pictured Lady Genevrah. If only you had to rescue her from some major peril...

  • March 13, 2017

    This is brilliant - I love humble ordinary heroes and you've really created the character well. I like how you've realised the Saint's blessings with alchemy recepies/powers. It's refreshing to see a different take on the Dunmer too. Nice job.

  • Member
    March 14, 2017

    I love this build, Peppo. There's obviously a lot of love and passion in this, which can be seen by the incredible detail in it - you went above and beyond to make this build unique and fun, which was both achieved. Like Liss said, I'm very much looking forward to what you come up with next.

  • March 14, 2017

    Plunders-The-Mountains said:

    This is brilliant - I love humble ordinary heroes and you've really created the character well. I like how you've realised the Saint's blessings with alchemy recepies/powers. It's refreshing to see a different take on the Dunmer too. Nice job.

    Zonnonn said:

    I love this build, Peppo. There's obviously a lot of love and passion in this, which can be seen by the incredible detail in it - you went above and beyond to make this build unique and fun, which was both achieved. Like Liss said, I'm very much looking forward to what you come up with next.

    Thank you both for the compliments, that means a lot to me!

     

  • March 14, 2017

    Peppo o'Paccio said:

    Lissette Long-Chapper said:

    Sorry for not responding when this first came out. I was very busy with work and projects, but I had been wanting to read this for some time. I'm so glad I did. Reading this brought a smile to my face. The books of the Elderscrolls series hold a lot of wondeful start off points for builds and I really enjoy the thought you've put into recreating Baranat for Skyrim. 

    Very nicely done. Look forward to more builds from you in the future. 

    I'm only wondering if perhaps he cannot marry someone in the build? But that may be recreating Baranat rather than his descendent and you are playing the descendent. I'd actually pic Senna from the Temple of Dibella. She is quite a snarky wife and only is available for marriage after you complete the Heart of Dibella quest, which can be a challenge for this build and falls in line with how his ancestor is portrayed in the book. 

    But otherwise, very nice work. 

    Thank you for your feedback!

    About marriage, I prefer leaving the choice to the player so the build isn't too restrictive, and I think putting Senna in the guide would look kind of forced. Although, now that I think about it, she is kind of similar to how I pictured Lady Genevrah. If only you had to rescue her from some major peril...

    No worries, I just thought it was cute that the original character goes through such lengths to rescue his woman. HA! Only potential follower that needs rescuing is, I think, Derkeethus. LOL

  • March 14, 2017

    No worries, I just thought it was cute that the original character goes through such lengths to rescue his woman. HA! Only potential follower that needs rescuing is, I think, Derkeethus. LOL

    Well, Mjoll's sword needs rescuing too, and going through multiple dwarven ruins isn't worth the price (especially because she's always stalked by that damn Aerin). Imagine spending hours or even days trying to find a sword for a girl, only to find out that her "best friend" never leaves her not even for a minute. That's pretty Baranat.

     

  • March 14, 2017

    Peppo o'Paccio said:

    No worries, I just thought it was cute that the original character goes through such lengths to rescue his woman. HA! Only potential follower that needs rescuing is, I think, Derkeethus. LOL

    Well, Mjoll's sword needs rescuing too, and going through multiple dwarven ruins isn't worth the price (especially because she's always stalked by that damn Aerin). Imagine spending hours or even days trying to find a sword for a girl, only to find out that her "best friend" never leaves her not even for a minute. That's pretty Baranat.

     

     

    HA! Yep, that's him alright.