The Immortal Ninja
“Why did you murder the Grandmaster of the Morag Tong?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Then you better starting talking.”
“Many years ago when I was fairly young, I was kidnapped by two Morag Tong assassins who killed my mother as a message to my father as part of some political plot. I never found out all the details other than that they eventually killed him as well. Anyways, while in route to the hideout where I was to be kept, I managed to grab a dagger off the elder assassin’s belt and made a break for it. The younger assassin lunged after me and as she did I swung the dagger and cut her across the face pretty bad. She leapt back cursing and swore she would kill me then and there drawing her sword. I stood my ground and raised the dagger defiantly. As the young assassin approached me the elder assassin said ‘Stop.’ Angrily the young assassin obeyed because it turned out the elder assassin was the next in line as Grandmaster of the Morag Tong. My display of defiance and courage intrigued him so he had the Morag Tong begin training me believing they could raise me as one of their own and I would forget what they had done to my family due to my youth…. a belief that proved fatal.
For almost two decades, I lived among the Morag Tong and trained. I learned to master the shadows and how to wield a blade, perfecting my skills in the art of assassination and combat until finally I was ready to take my revenge. During this time the elder assassin became the new Grandmaster, so I watched and waited for my chance. When the opportunity came, I murdered not only the Grandmaster but also assassin whose face I had scarred all those years before. As I ran the Grandmaster through with my blade he asked in shock, between labored breaths, ‘Why after all these years?’ Staring into his dying eyes I coldly replied, ‘Because revenge is a dish best served cold.’ His eyes flickered with realization as the last rays of life escaped him and he collapsed to the ground. My revenge complete, I left Morrowind and came to Skyrim knowing I couldn’t face the full wrath of the Morag Tong even in their leaderless confusion. And that’s my story. Anymore questions?”
“No. Welcome to Dark Brotherhood.”
The Build
For me, becoming a vampire was very anticlimactic in Skyrim. I was excited to see all the new powers it would grant. Four days later when I reached the final stage of vampirism, nothing but disappointment. Embrace the Shadows and Vampire Servant didn’t seem all that special because I had spells that were better and could be used all the time. Sure my sneak and illusion spells were boosted, but they didn’t need to be boosted as they were already over powered. This made me realize I have always ignored powers and most shouts in the game because they didn’t make me feel more powerful or effect how I played the game since my other skills overshadowed them. When I saw the Two in Two Build Event, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to make a build which relied on powers and shouts for its true power. Add scrolls and poisons to the mix and the result is a build where powers, shouts, scrolls and poisons not only affect gameplay, but are the very core of the builds true power.
Race: Imperial Vampire – I tried a couple races before finding Imperials to be the best fit for the following reasons: The Voice of the Emperor is an awesome power and serves as a replacement for the easily out leveled Vampire’s Seduction power. While in a normal game the Imperial Luck trait is pretty weak, it actually really shines with this build since this character is not selling items to avoid leveling speech so gold is either found, earned, or stolen. Vampirism is a must for this build as it grants two key powers in addition to its nice bonus to sneak. I elected not to perk vampire lord form for the Two in Two event, but that would make a great addition to the build.
Stats: 3:1 Health:Stamina – Health is critical for this unarmored build but some stamina investment is needed for sprinting and power attacks
Level: 25
Stone: Warrior >> Serpent Stone
Blessing: Talos (this and an Amulet of Talos help the cooldown your frequent shouting)
Perked Skills
Sneak – As a robed assassin, the shadows are your armor. You use them to plan your attacks and control the battlefield, leaving your prey no chance at survival.
Two Handed – The sheer power, reach and stagger of greatswords are great assets to a completely unarmored build since they allow you stay further from enemies while hitting hard, quickly decimating your foes.
Leveled Non-Perked Skills
One Handed – Sometimes there is just no better solution than a knife to the throat. Dagger backstabs will only be used selectively when stealth must be maintained for success to minimize leveling and prevent this build from playing like a typical backstab assassin.
Lockpicking – I tried playing without this skill or using the tower stone and it broke the immersion of playing an assassin. It just didn’t make sense that a skilled assassin couldn’t pick locks or was limited to opening them once a day. However, I did limit myself to locks required for jailbreaks, assassinations and the occasional dungeon chest to avoid too minimize leveling.
Gear
Head – Shrouded Hood
Body – Black Robes
Hands – Shrouded Hand Wraps
Feet – Shrouded Shoes
Necklace – Amulet of Talos
Ring – Ring of the Beast – (The powerful health boost greatly helps with survivability)
Weapons
Early Game – Ancient Nordic Great Sword (easy to find & best aesthetics of early greatswords) & best available dagger
Late Game – Ebony Blade & Blade of Woe
Powers
Powers, along with shouts, make up the true power of this build. Once all these are acquired, this build has access to high level effects from Illusion, Conjuration and Alteration. Many of the powers in the game are really strong, but suffer from the limit of once per day use. However, with multiple powers, the cooldown is not that noticeable and forces you get creative and rely on all available powers instead of just spamming one, like often happens with spells. I never abused the wait feature to reset these powers and since I used them strategically they always seemed ready by the time I needed them again. By level 11 I had most of these powers giving me a pretty good arsenal.
Voice of the Emperor – Whether it’s being the son of a politician or a vampires’ charm, those around you are easily seduced by your silver tongue. This is easily one of the most underestimated racial powers. It can calm any non-creature NPC in the game making it a great power for when you are surprised by large groups, like hired thugs.
Summon Spectral Assassin – As the listener, you can call upon the assassins of old in times most dire. I was actually really surprised by how powerful and durable this guy is and his commentary is pretty cool.
Vampire’s Servant – As a master of death you can bend the forces of life to raise an undead minion to do your bidding. Equivalent to a high level necromancy spell this creates a strong temporary ally who takes the agro off you and can really do some damage if selected correctly.
Embrace the Shadows – A master of the night, you have the power to embrace the shadows making you undetectable to all. Invisibility is crazy powerful and the once per day limitation helps balance the abuse of this really well. From escaping exploded situation to high profile assassinations, this power has a lot of use.
Serpent Stone – Reach out and instill a paralyzing fear in your enemy. This is great for removing a powerful enemy from the battle when facing multiple foes.
Nightingale Subterfuge – Cloud the minds of the weak, wreaking chaos and havoc. Great power to thin and weaken large groups since it has a large area of effect.
Shouts
Become Ethereal (one word only) – The most used shout on the list because it allows you to avoid Dragons Breath, escape when surrounded and launch stamina free sprinting power attacks. And with only one word it has a really fast cooldown.
Frost Breath (one word only) - This shout is great for crowd control since it can slow multiple enemies and the damage helps weaken them before they reach you. Plus, this fits playing a vampire since they are known for frost magic. I alternated between this and Become Ethereal in open combat, hence only using one word for the faster cooldown.
Marked for Death – This shout is the shout for Dragons and really challenging bosses since you can’t take many hits and this drastically increases your damage. Just avoid using too often as it can be game breaking when abused. Also, be careful not to hit Shadowmere or any followers with this as it will not end well.
Throw Voice – Key to controlling groups and maneuvering into optimum position before launching attacks.
Unrelenting Force – Not used that often but a really powerful defensive shout when enemies are grouped. Plus, it never gets old shouting enemies off cliffs.
Scrolls
These are a great supplement to your arsenal of powers and give you the edge needed when powers are not available or when fighting dragons. Plus, it really makes finding these in the world seem really special.
Scroll of Conjure Storm Atronach – Very helpful for taking down dragons since you have no ranged combat ability and it helps keep the dragon’s agro off you. Plus, these can be crafted at the Atronach Forge making them easy to keep in stock. Watch for rolls of paper, charcoal, and void salts (combine salt piles, soul gems, and amethysts at the Atronach Forge) and you will have plenty.
Scroll of Fire Storm/Blizzard – When combined with Become Ethereal these are great for weakening/killing large groups when being overrun.
Scroll of Guardian Circle – Combine this and the Ebony Blade and you can stand toe to toe with most anything.
Potions & Poisons – This build uses potions and poisons for an edge in combat and since there is no crafting finding them is really exciting. Frostbite Venom is a staple since it is so easy to acquire and amounts to 20 health and stamina damage which is a nice damage boost.
Special Moves – These are the true power of this build. Used strategically, they can drastically turn the tides of otherwise impossible battles.
Ethereal Assault – Become Ethereal + Greater Critical Charge (+Summon Spectral Assassin for large battles)
One of the main tactics used in open combat as it hits hard, staggers frequently and has such a quick cooldown. During large battles, add Summon Spectral Assassin for an awesome army from the void.
Shadow Assault – Silent roll + Greater Critical Charge + Frostbite Venom
Best way to go from stealth to open combat against a powerful target as it hits hard and the Frostbite Venom eats away at targets remaining health
One at a Time Now – Marked for Death + Voice of the Emperor
Great for when a group gets the jump on you, like hired thugs, as you can fight them one at a time while the other grow weaker meaning you can take on pretty large group without ever needing to heal since each additional enemy requires less hits
Paralyzing Death Mark – Marked for Death + Serpent Stone
Perfect for removing the boss from a battle while you deal with his minions
The Puppeteer – Throw Voice + Nightingale Subterfuge grouped enemies + Vampire’s Servant
One of the strongest moves on the list, you can eliminate large groups without ever drawing your blade or being detected.
Brother verses Brother – Backstab + Vampire’s Servant
Against large groups, this gives shifts the agro away from you so you can fight on your terms. Raising a dead ally and sending him against his friends really makes you feel like a master vampire.
Undead charge – Shadowmere charge wielding Ebony Blade (This isn’t really a special move but is too awesome not to mention!)
Gameplay
As it is already very apparent, this is not a typical assassin build and focuses on very strategic gameplay using your powers and shouts to control the battle to your advantage instead of constant dagger backstabs. Since you are wearing no armor and have no magic resistance, large groups will destroy you in no time. Thus, large battles require planning beforehand to weaken or thin the group with some of the special moves listed above before engaging in direct combat yourself. Since many of your powers are limited to once per day, these special moves must be used wisely making them feel very special and exciting to use.
Quest
Main Quest (Through the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller) – Upon learning you are Dragonborn, you seek out the Greybeards to teach you the way of the voice. Little do they know, you have no intention to use this new power for good. You may be the Dragonborn, but you are no hero. Questline yields Become Ethereal and Unrelenting Force shouts and activates dragons in Skyrim.
Dark brotherhood – Sworn enemy of the Morag Tong and agents of murder and deceit… This is home. Questline yields key gear, the power Summon Spectral Assassin and Shadowmere.
Dawnguard (Side with Volkihar) – Having heard about the dark mystic powers and immortality of vampires, you seek out the Dawnguard as a means to find and gain these dark powers and immortality for yourself. Questline yields you the powers Embrace the Shadows and Vampire’s Servant as well as the Ring of the Beast.
Thieves’ guild – While petty thievery doesn’t interest you that much, upon finishing the dark brotherhood questline and seeing the value of the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild alliance you join the Thieves Guild to further strengthen your underground criminal empire. Questline yields you the power Nightingale Subterfuge.
The Whispering Door – Over the years, Mephala has watched and deemed you worthy of wielding the Ebony Blade. Gaining the Morag Tong Grandmaster’s trust before slaying him elevated your potential as her champion and your continued actions in Skyrim through the Dark Brotherhood and Volkihar has proved you are the agent of deceit and murder worthy to wield her blade.
Closing Notes
It took two rerolls to finally get this build just right and it has turned into something far different and much better than I had originally imagined. Having to be strategic with the use of your most powerful abilities makes combat feel very dangerous while still allowing for the build to seem very powerful. I hope you enjoyed my first build and I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback.
The Immortal Ninja
“Why did you murder the Grandmaster of the Morag Tong?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Then you better starting talking.”
“Many years ago when I was fairly young, I was kidnapped by two Morag Tong assassins who killed my mother as a message to my father as part of some political plot. I never found out all the details other than that they eventually killed him as well. Anyways, while in route to the hideout where I was to be kept, I managed to grab a dagger off the elder assassin’s belt and made a break for it. The younger assassin lunged after me and as she did I swung the dagger and cut her across the face pretty bad. She leapt back cursing and swore she would kill me then and there drawing her sword. I stood my ground and raised the dagger defiantly. As the young assassin approached me the elder assassin said ‘Stop.’ Angrily the young assassin obeyed because it turned out the elder assassin was the next in line as Grandmaster of the Morag Tong. My display of defiance and courage intrigued him so he had the Morag Tong begin training me believing they could raise me as one of their own and I would forget what they had done to my family due to my youth…. a belief that proved fatal.
For almost two decades, I lived among the Morag Tong and trained. I learned to master the shadows and how to wield a blade, perfecting my skills in the art of assassination and combat until finally I was ready to take my revenge. During this time the elder assassin became the new Grandmaster, so I watched and waited for my chance. When the opportunity came, I murdered not only the Grandmaster but also assassin whose face I had scarred all those years before. As I ran the Grandmaster through with my blade he asked in shock, between labored breaths, ‘Why after all these years?’ Staring into his dying eyes I coldly replied, ‘Because revenge is a dish best served cold.’ His eyes flickered with realization as the last rays of life escaped him and he collapsed to the ground. My revenge complete, I left Morrowind and came to Skyrim knowing I couldn’t face the full wrath of the Morag Tong even in their leaderless confusion. And that’s my story. Anymore questions?”
“No. Welcome to Dark Brotherhood.”
The Build
For me, becoming a vampire was very anticlimactic in Skyrim. I was excited to see all the new powers it would grant. Four days later when I reached the final stage of vampirism, nothing but disappointment. Embrace the Shadows and Vampire Servant didn’t seem all that special because I had spells that were better and could be used all the time. Sure my sneak and illusion spells were boosted, but they didn’t need to be boosted as they were already over powered. This made me realize I have always ignored powers and most shouts in the game because they didn’t make me feel more powerful or effect how I played the game since my other skills overshadowed them. When I saw the Two in Two Build Event, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to make a build which relied on powers and shouts for its true power. Add scrolls and poisons to the mix and the result is a build where powers, shouts, scrolls and poisons not only affect gameplay, but are the very core of the builds true power.
Race: Imperial Vampire – I tried a couple races before finding Imperials to be the best fit for the following reasons: The Voice of the Emperor is an awesome power and serves as a replacement for the easily out leveled Vampire’s Seduction power. While in a normal game the Imperial Luck trait is pretty weak, it actually really shines with this build since this character is not selling items to avoid leveling speech so gold is either found, earned, or stolen. Vampirism is a must for this build as it grants two key powers in addition to its nice bonus to sneak. I elected not to perk vampire lord form for the Two in Two event, but that would make a great addition to the build.
Stats: 3:1 Health:Stamina – Health is critical for this unarmored build but some stamina investment is needed for sprinting and power attacks
Level: 25
Stone: Warrior >> Serpent Stone
Blessing: Talos (this and an Amulet of Talos help the cooldown your frequent shouting)
Perked Skills
Sneak – As a robed assassin, the shadows are your armor. You use them to plan your attacks and control the battlefield, leaving your prey no chance at survival.
Two Handed – The sheer power, reach and stagger of greatswords are great assets to a completely unarmored build since they allow you stay further from enemies while hitting hard, quickly decimating your foes.
Leveled Non-Perked Skills
One Handed – Sometimes there is just no better solution than a knife to the throat. Dagger backstabs will only be used selectively when stealth must be maintained for success to minimize leveling and prevent this build from playing like a typical backstab assassin.
Lockpicking – I tried playing without this skill or using the tower stone and it broke the immersion of playing an assassin. It just didn’t make sense that a skilled assassin couldn’t pick locks or was limited to opening them once a day. However, I did limit myself to locks required for jailbreaks, assassinations and the occasional dungeon chest to avoid too minimize leveling.
Gear
Head – Shrouded Hood
Body – Black Robes
Hands – Shrouded Hand Wraps
Feet – Shrouded Shoes
Necklace – Amulet of Talos
Ring – Ring of the Beast – (The powerful health boost greatly helps with survivability)
Weapons
Early Game – Ancient Nordic Great Sword (easy to find & best aesthetics of early greatswords) & best available dagger
Late Game – Ebony Blade & Blade of Woe
Powers
Powers, along with shouts, make up the true power of this build. Once all these are acquired, this build has access to high level effects from Illusion, Conjuration and Alteration. Many of the powers in the game are really strong, but suffer from the limit of once per day use. However, with multiple powers, the cooldown is not that noticeable and forces you get creative and rely on all available powers instead of just spamming one, like often happens with spells. I never abused the wait feature to reset these powers and since I used them strategically they always seemed ready by the time I needed them again. By level 11 I had most of these powers giving me a pretty good arsenal.
Voice of the Emperor – Whether it’s being the son of a politician or a vampires’ charm, those around you are easily seduced by your silver tongue. This is easily one of the most underestimated racial powers. It can calm any non-creature NPC in the game making it a great power for when you are surprised by large groups, like hired thugs.
Summon Spectral Assassin – As the listener, you can call upon the assassins of old in times most dire. I was actually really surprised by how powerful and durable this guy is and his commentary is pretty cool.
Vampire’s Servant – As a master of death you can bend the forces of life to raise an undead minion to do your bidding. Equivalent to a high level necromancy spell this creates a strong temporary ally who takes the agro off you and can really do some damage if selected correctly.
Embrace the Shadows – A master of the night, you have the power to embrace the shadows making you undetectable to all. Invisibility is crazy powerful and the once per day limitation helps balance the abuse of this really well. From escaping exploded situation to high profile assassinations, this power has a lot of use.
Serpent Stone – Reach out and instill a paralyzing fear in your enemy. This is great for removing a powerful enemy from the battle when facing multiple foes.
Nightingale Subterfuge – Cloud the minds of the weak, wreaking chaos and havoc. Great power to thin and weaken large groups since it has a large area of effect.
Shouts
Become Ethereal (one word only) – The most used shout on the list because it allows you to avoid Dragons Breath, escape when surrounded and launch stamina free sprinting power attacks. And with only one word it has a really fast cooldown.
Frost Breath (one word only) - This shout is great for crowd control since it can slow multiple enemies and the damage helps weaken them before they reach you. Plus, this fits playing a vampire since they are known for frost magic. I alternated between this and Become Ethereal in open combat, hence only using one word for the faster cooldown.
Marked for Death – This shout is the shout for Dragons and really challenging bosses since you can’t take many hits and this drastically increases your damage. Just avoid using too often as it can be game breaking when abused. Also, be careful not to hit Shadowmere or any followers with this as it will not end well.
Throw Voice – Key to controlling groups and maneuvering into optimum position before launching attacks.
Unrelenting Force – Not used that often but a really powerful defensive shout when enemies are grouped. Plus, it never gets old shouting enemies off cliffs.
Scrolls
These are a great supplement to your arsenal of powers and give you the edge needed when powers are not available or when fighting dragons. Plus, it really makes finding these in the world seem really special.
Scroll of Conjure Storm Atronach – Very helpful for taking down dragons since you have no ranged combat ability and it helps keep the dragon’s agro off you. Plus, these can be crafted at the Atronach Forge making them easy to keep in stock. Watch for rolls of paper, charcoal, and void salts (combine salt piles, soul gems, and amethysts at the Atronach Forge) and you will have plenty.
Scroll of Fire Storm/Blizzard – When combined with Become Ethereal these are great for weakening/killing large groups when being overrun.
Scroll of Guardian Circle – Combine this and the Ebony Blade and you can stand toe to toe with most anything.
Potions & Poisons – This build uses potions and poisons for an edge in combat and since there is no crafting finding them is really exciting. Frostbite Venom is a staple since it is so easy to acquire and amounts to 20 health and stamina damage which is a nice damage boost.
Special Moves – These are the true power of this build. Used strategically, they can drastically turn the tides of otherwise impossible battles.
Ethereal Assault – Become Ethereal + Greater Critical Charge (+Summon Spectral Assassin for large battles)
One of the main tactics used in open combat as it hits hard, staggers frequently and has such a quick cooldown. During large battles, add Summon Spectral Assassin for an awesome army from the void.
Shadow Assault – Silent roll + Greater Critical Charge + Frostbite Venom
Best way to go from stealth to open combat against a powerful target as it hits hard and the Frostbite Venom eats away at targets remaining health
One at a Time Now – Marked for Death + Voice of the Emperor
Great for when a group gets the jump on you, like hired thugs, as you can fight them one at a time while the other grow weaker meaning you can take on pretty large group without ever needing to heal since each additional enemy requires less hits
Paralyzing Death Mark – Marked for Death + Serpent Stone
Perfect for removing the boss from a battle while you deal with his minions
The Puppeteer – Throw Voice + Nightingale Subterfuge grouped enemies + Vampire’s Servant
One of the strongest moves on the list, you can eliminate large groups without ever drawing your blade or being detected.
Brother verses Brother – Backstab + Vampire’s Servant
Against large groups, this gives shifts the agro away from you so you can fight on your terms. Raising a dead ally and sending him against his friends really makes you feel like a master vampire.
Undead charge – Shadowmere charge wielding Ebony Blade (This isn’t really a special move but is too awesome not to mention!)
Gameplay
As it is already very apparent, this is not a typical assassin build and focuses on very strategic gameplay using your powers and shouts to control the battle to your advantage instead of constant dagger backstabs. Since you are wearing no armor and have no magic resistance, large groups will destroy you in no time. Thus, large battles require planning beforehand to weaken or thin the group with some of the special moves listed above before engaging in direct combat yourself. Since many of your powers are limited to once per day, these special moves must be used wisely making them feel very special and exciting to use.
Quest
Main Quest (Through the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller) – Upon learning you are Dragonborn, you seek out the Greybeards to teach you the way of the voice. Little do they know, you have no intention to use this new power for good. You may be the Dragonborn, but you are no hero. Questline yields Become Ethereal and Unrelenting Force shouts and activates dragons in Skyrim.
Dark brotherhood – Sworn enemy of the Morag Tong and agents of murder and deceit… This is home. Questline yields key gear, the power Summon Spectral Assassin and Shadowmere.
Dawnguard (Side with Volkihar) – Having heard about the dark mystic powers and immortality of vampires, you seek out the Dawnguard as a means to find and gain these dark powers and immortality for yourself. Questline yields you the powers Embrace the Shadows and Vampire’s Servant as well as the Ring of the Beast.
Thieves’ guild – While petty thievery doesn’t interest you that much, upon finishing the dark brotherhood questline and seeing the value of the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild alliance you join the Thieves Guild to further strengthen your underground criminal empire. Questline yields you the power Nightingale Subterfuge.
The Whispering Door – Over the years, Mephala has watched and deemed you worthy of wielding the Ebony Blade. Gaining the Morag Tong Grandmaster’s trust before slaying him elevated your potential as her champion and your continued actions in Skyrim through the Dark Brotherhood and Volkihar has proved you are the agent of deceit and murder worthy to wield her blade.
Closing Notes
It took two rerolls to finally get this build just right and it has turned into something far different and much better than I had originally imagined. Having to be strategic with the use of your most powerful abilities makes combat feel very dangerous while still allowing for the build to seem very powerful. I hope you enjoyed my first build and I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback.
