Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: Ansei Assassin

Tags: #Character Build Spellsword  #Character Build Nightblade  #Character Build Bound Weapons  #Character Build Mods  #Race:Redguard  #Ordinator  #SE Rank:Novice  #Tysoyaha 
  • May 18, 2018


    Concept

    Ever since I found out about Sword Singers they've been one of my favorite bits of lore from the Elder Scrolls universe. For the uninitiated, they're basically swordsmen so skilled with their weapons that they can produce seemingly magical effects through different martial techniques.

    They were taught the Ephemeral Feint by Leki (the goddess of aberrant swordsmanship), those called Ansei can manifest their own souls in the shape of a blade called a Shehai, and some of them are even precise enough with their blades to cleave atoms in half and produce devastating explosions through a technique called Pankratosword.

    It's never explicitly stated, but the fact that they're Sword "Singers" implies that they share a relationship with Tonal Architecture and The Way of the Voice in that they are using sound energy from their swords to manipulate the very foundation of Elder Scrolls reality.

    There's been some great Sword Singer builds put out already, but this one is a former Alik'r spy so it will incorporate the skills learned through espionage to become the ultimate Ansei Assassin. It will also utilize mods, well defined perk acquisition goals, and skill level-dependant techniques to develop a real sense of accomplishment and progression as you strive to learn the Way of the Sword.

     

    Background

    Following the March of Thirst and the signing of the Second Treaty of Stros M'Kai, an Alik'r spy named Shera Nheske was convinced that her people had lost their way. When they first set foot on Tamriel the Ra Gada were unstoppable conquerors, and now their descendants could barely manage to keep their own home safe from the Thalmor.

    The Yokudan immigrants were never a numerous people, said to have achieved victory against impossible odds...so there must have been something about the way they fought that modern Redguards are lacking. Shera believes that this lost “way”, could only be one thing: the ancient art of Sword Singing.

    Despite most considering Sword Singing to be only myth, Shera knew the stories must be true and set off to learn the technique for herself. She'd learn the ancient ways of the sword and, once perfected, she'd return to Hammerfell to conquer the Thalmor and bask in the riches and glory deserving of such a hero. Though first that meant taking a leap of faith and going on the first Walkabout in eras.

    For Sword Singers, going on a Walkabout was a rite of passage. You can't achieve mastery of The Way by sitting at home and practicing your Shehai. The only true way to strengthen a spirit blade is to first strengthen the spirit. So, following in the footsteps of Frandar Hunding, Shera left home to wander Tamriel and promised not to return until she had achieved the impossible.

    However, through the servitude and introspection required of her Walkabout, she started to realize how inherently absurd it would be to achieve enlightenment for the sake of pride and vengeance. She comes to the understanding that those principals are self defeating and that she won't be able to harness the power of the Ansei in the name of such selfish motivations.

    Upon meeting the Heroes of Sovngarde, and learning of their great and selfless deeds she finally accepts that the safety of her people is more important than her getting to live the lavish life of a hero and decides return home. Content with the understanding that her journey as the last Sword Singer must end with the self sacrificial creation of a final Ansei Ward that silences the Thalmor's ability to use destruction magic in the battle for Hammerfell.

     

    Required Mods

    Ordinator- One of the most creative and intuitive perk overhauls out there. Quintessential stuff for modded builds if you ask me. Many of this characters tactics are based off Ordinator perks, so it's necessary to play the build.

    Aurora - Changes all of Skyrim's Standing Stones to have new effects. Activating an Aurora Stone will grant the player both a passive and an active ability. The lesser power granted by the Shadow Stone is a core mechanic of the build, so you'll definitely need this mod.

    Apocalypse - Ads a ton of unique new magic to Skyrim. It brings back on-touch spells which helps with the emersion of some Sword Singer techniques. It also gives Illusion a whole host of new effects that this build uses extensively. Making it the last of the three must-have mods.

     

    Recommended Mods

    Summermyst - Ads a bunch of new enchantments to the game. This build uses a few, but nothing you can't live without. Gameplay feels different, especially early game...but you can substitute in vanilla enchantments if you really don't want an excess of mods.

    Imperious - Changes the starting attributes and powers/abilities of each race. I developed the character with this mod installed, but frankly the most useful of the Imperious Redguard abilities are the same as (or at least very similar to) vanilla. Not the most necessary mod on the list.

    Mortal Enemies - Basically removes enemy aimbot and makes it possible to side-step attacks. Again, not a mod you absolutely need, as backstepping is still a perfectly fine way to dodge aimbot attacks...but having it gives you more options for dodging (especially when pinned against a wall) and adds to the nimble feel of this characters combat.

    Wildcat - Changes stamina consumption, ads injury effects, improves enemy AI, and a whole host of other things you can toggle as you like. If you decide to use Mortal Enemies, then I'd strongly recommend using this too. They balance well together while keeping combat challenging...just in a much less "cheap" feeling way than aimbot does.


    Apocalypse Spells

    Ghostwalk - Grants invisibility for a short time, but teleports the user back to where the spell was cast when the effect times out or is broken. It's a pretty terrible invisibility spell (that's why it's Novice level), but the teleport is actually quite an effective means of retreat.

    Thundercrack - A powerful on-touch explosion that deals shock damage in a small area in front of the caster. On-touch roleplays will and means it's rather strong considering how early it's available.

    Curse of the Silent - Drains a small amount of Magicka from targets over a long period of time. However, the effect is dispelled if the target casts a spell. It's particularly useful against Dragons since they never cast actual spells but still need mana in order to shout.

    Magicka Void - An AoE effect that causes nearby enemies to lose an amount of Health proportionate to their missing Magicka percentage. It can be hard to know exactly when an enemy is lowest on mana, but extremely observant players can sometimes even cause lifeless dragons to plummet to the earth with a single Magicka Void.

     

    Summermyst Enchantments

    Dim Vision - Buffs your Sneak against enemies who have been struck by your weapon. (Useful against "boss" types that can sponge several sneak attacks in a row, especially ones with high perception.)

    Momentum - Lowers an enemies "poise" with each strike, staggering them when they reach 0. (Dual wielded daggers drains poise rather quickly, somewhat making up for their inability to block).

    Intuitive Magic - Completely removes the casting cost of Novice spells. (Including this build's most frequently used spells, Bound Dagger and Ghostwalk.)

    Rollback - Causes you to return to wherever you were 4sec ago every time you jump while in battle. Just be careful you don't accidently teleport yourself into danger (like if you jump while retreating).

     

    "The sword is the self. Its edge is the mind."

     

    Build

    First Rank: At this point you are unable to form your soul into a solid enough Shehai to use in battle, so your focus instead is on training yourself in the techniques that allow you to imbue regular weapons with magic-like effects. Doing so is this characters way of practicing their Soul Sword, and gaining enough enchanting experience to obtain the Spellscribe perk is how you'll know you've advanced to Second Rank.

    Race - Redguard
    Imperious Redguards get a increased Stamina/Magicka regen at low health and a short damage buff after killing NPCs. Both great abilities for what is, at its core, a Nightblade. Vanilla Redguard's will have Adrenaline Rush which is also excellent for a character who's heavily reliant on power attacking.

    Standing Stone - Shadow Stone
    With Aurora installed, this will give you the all-important Shadow Step ability as well as a passive movement speed bonus while in combat.

    Magic/Health/Stamina - 2/1/3
    Even in direct combat, this character should rely mostly on stagger, momentum, Magnetize, dodging and DoT effects. The best strategy is to release a quick flurry of attacks with a dual wield power attack then running away until another opening presents itself. This means that Stamina is more important than health, even in terms of survivability.

    Skills - Sneak, Illusion, One Handed, Enchanting
    These will be the somewhat mundane skills of the First Rank Ansei. Even Illusion can be saved for Second Rank if you don't want to feel like you've achieved any of the more mystical abilities until you've trained a bit. Though doing so will mean gameplay won't feel nearly as unique in the early stages.

    Powers - Shadow Step
    This is a Shadow Stone power that allows you to teleport behind a targeted enemy.

    Spells - Ghostwalk, Curse of the Silent
    Combined with Shadow Step, Ghostwalk forms this build’s core mechanic, Ephemeral Feint. Eventually, Curse of the Silent will make battling dragons a bit more survivable.

    Weapons - Steel Daggers
    Enchant one with Soul Trap, one with Dim Vision, and two with Momentum. You won't need enchantments to defeat most weaker enemies from stealth, so your main priority will be filling soul gems with the Soul Trap dagger to keep the other ones charged for bosses (Dim Vision) and direct combat (Momentum).

    Armor - Solitude Guard Armor, Shrouded Gloves, Shrouded Boots
    This set combination gives you some useful abilities, a unique appearance, and room for your own custom enchantment. If you stumble across the Intuitive Magic enchantment then I recommend placing it on the Solitude Guard Armor.

    Jewellery - Generic Necklace, Generic Ring
    Enchant as you like, but I would especially recommend trying out Rollback. It's a fun evasion tactic to add to your roster, but it can be counter intuitive if you aren't careful, so be mindful when using it.

    Second Rank: Once you've unlocked Spellscribe you can assign a spell to be released by your power attacks. We will use this ability to replicate the advanced sword technique the Ansei call Pankratosword. Learning this technique signifies your mastery of the way of the sword. This means that you'd also be skilled enough to create and wield a fully formed Shehai, advancing you to Second Rank.

    Skills - Conjuration, Destruction
    These skills compliment the advanced techniques of the Second Rank Ansei.

    Powers - Spellscribe
    Activating Spellscribe while charging a dual cast spell will store it to be released when you power attack. This encapsulates the Ansei's ability to rival mages with their swordsmanship.

    Spells - Bound Dagger, Thundercrack, Magicka Void
    Bound Dagger is your Shehai and will replace your main dagger (with the Soulraider perk giving it Soul Trap). Thundercrack is used with Spellscribe to replicate Pankratosword, and Magicka Void will give you even more control over the Thu'um of enemy dragons.

    Armor - Redguard Hood
    This probably isn't worth destroying the brotherhood and missing that quest with such a fun assassin character...but if you have console commands then it's the perfect look for the character. Otherwise, a Shrouded Hood will do just fine.


    Perks

    Sneak - Sneak multipliers won't be giving you enough damage to one-shot many bosses until a bit higher in the branch, so it isn't an effective way to make sure you stay hidden in early levels. Instead, prioritize increasing your stealthiness so you can more easily attempt successive sneak attacks using Ephemeral Feint.

    Illusion - You'll actually be investing very little into this tree, despite using the skill quite often. This will give you a few free perks that will help you kick start your new abilities upon reaching Second Rank.

    One Handed - In Ordinator, One Handed doesn't seem to level much from sneak attacks. So you'll have to engage in direct combat to obtain the perks that benefit, well...direct combat (makes sense). Just make sure to assess the situation while sneaking first. Mobbing isn't this characters strong suit, so make sure you know how many foes are nearby before charging headfirst into battle.

    Conjuration - This will be how you manifest your spirit sword. You won't need to invest in anything beyond the bound weapon branch, and even then a few of the highest perks only really benefit summoners and necromancer's. You can ignore those.

    Enchanting - Leveling this skill is central to the progression of roleplay. You'll only need a few perks down the Spellscribe branch, but how quickly you obtain them dictates when you reach Second Rank. As a crafting skill, it's really up to you if your character is a "natural" who learns quickly or a determined student who has to put in tons of time training.

    Destruction - Spellscribe requires that you dual cast a spell you want to save, so you'll need that perk immediately upon reaching second rank. Luckily, you'll probably have some extra perks from illusion, and it only requires a skill of 20 which you should easily have the money to train to by then.

     

    Special Tactics

    Ephemeral Feint - A manoeuvre taught by Leki herself, the goddess of aberrant swordsmanship. Using this technique, Ansei are able to temporarily tear through the very fabric of reality. With the right timing, some are even able to reach through this spatial disruption to strike their foes, delivering sneak attacks over short distances. 

    Because it breaks invisibility, using Shadow Step while Ghostwalk is active will allow you to appear briefly behind a targeted enemy before being teleported back to where it was cast. If you very quickly tap attack after hitting the powers button you'll have just enough time attempt a sneak attack before retreating to what was hopefully a safe, well hidden location. If your foe survives the attack, or there were any others nearby, they will be alerted to your presence and begin searching, but won't detect you unless they end up finding your hiding spot.

    Required: Ghostwalk + Shadow Step

    Recommended: Backstab

    Shehai Sunder - Shehai are called "Spirit Swords" because they are made from, and therefore attuned to, the frequency of the mortal spirit. This makes them capable of severing foes from their own vitality. Fully realized Shehai can cause enemies to simultaneously bleed out their attributes through the wounds it leaves on their very souls.

    Bite Marks allows you to stack bleed damage with dagger attacks while Void Burn gives bound weapons a similar ability to drain Stamina and Magicka (albeit, by a much larger amount per second). Plus, once both other attributes are fully drained, Void Burn will begin attacking an enemies health as well. All of this together means that landing just a few quick hits while focusing heavily on evasion is actually an extremely devastating tactic for direct combat.

    Required: Bite Marks + Void Burn
    Recommended: Ravage

    Pankratosword - Some Saints of the Sword are so accurate with their impossibly sharp Shehai that they can even cleave atoms perfectly in half. This, of coarse, releases a massive and devastating explosion much to dangerous to be user by those new to the craft. Luckily, it takes decades to master such precision and most beginners are lucky to occasionally shave off a few electrons, causing a a much smaller, but still very dangerous, electrified blast.

    Storing a spell will Spellscribe let's you cast it by power attacking instead of using mana. You only have to do this once, but the ability has a cooldown. Once obtained, the Power Echoes perk will allow Spellscribe to activate twice before going into cooldown. This can be combined with a dual wield power attack to cast Thundercrack twice in rapid succession, doubling your chances of causing useful effects. Namely Arc Burn which adds a fire DoT, and Magnetize which temporarily immobilises an enemy. Both synergize great with Shehai Sunder.

    Required: Spellscribe + Thundercrack
    Recommended: Power Echoes + Magnetize + Arc Burn

    Tonal Displacement - As performers of the art of tonal manipulation, skilled Sword Singers can hinder a dragons ability to use Shouts. In fact, masters of the sword can even use a dragon's own Thu'um against it, causing the vibrations of their voice to lash out at them from within, lowering their health dramatically.

    Curse of the Silent drains a small amount of Magicka per second until the target casts a spell. This is particularly useful against dragons since their Thu'um aren't considered spells despite requiring magic to cast. Stay hidden long enough and CotS can render most dragons shoutless. At Master level Illusion you can even add Magicka Void to the equation, which instantly reduces an enemy's health percentage to that of their magicka.

    Required: Curse of the Silent + Quiet Before the Storm
    Recommended: Magicka Void


    "Do not lose the melody in the rapture of one triumphant note."

    The Book of Circles

    Forging Maxims - “You shall sharpen the sword-skin until it may shave an egg without breaking it.”

    Frandar Hunding understood that all things require balance. So the very first thing you must do to follow in his footsteps is to craft your own weapon. True warriors are as capable and appreciative of creation as they are destruction. Start from scratch with unrefined steel ore, smelt it into ingots, forge it into a dagger, and finally sharpen it. Meditating for an entire day after each step in the process so to fully absorb all you've learned.

     

    Sundas Maxims - "Discover your foe's habits and discard your own." "First blood matters less than last breath."

    Take your time and study your enemies. Learn their attacks, the speed and reach of their weapons, and the tactics they employ. This characters ability to inflict excessive amounts of DoT means that a few quick jabs can be enough to take out most foes. It's a slow process though, so you will need to know an enemies attack patterns well enough to be able to evade taking damage yourself until they bleed out. Even

     

    Tirdas Maxims - "Shouting to halt the sands' shifting only leaves you hoarse."

    Refrain from using any Shouts. There are admittedly several that would compliment this characters playstyle well, but you frankly won't need them. The tactics attempt to reflect the roleplay in that they're challenging to execute but rather powerful when successful. High risk, high reward techniques for skilled swordsmen. Adding OP fire-and-forget abilities like shouts wouldn't serve the roleplay or gameplay well at all.

     

    Loredas Maxims -  "Your opponent's sword is not your enemy. Watch your opponent, not his sword." "Train your opponent to make the wrong response."

    Brute force is not always usually the best way to defeat an adversary. Figure out your enemies tactics and devise ways of using that knowledge against them. Some enemies charge relentlessly forward and can be easily lead into traps and hazards, others will switch to ranged combat to close a gap. In an area with lots of cover, a heavily bleeding foe that can be coerced into pulling out a bow is an adversary that practically defeats itself.

     

    Mastery of Discipline - “In the season of life in which I passed through the Rain's Hand, more than 90 duels did I face to prove myself invincible.”

    This build is viable on any difficulty level, but the higher the better. Granted, it's probably most balanced (or at least the most familiar feeling) at expert where sneak attacks can still one-shot even most bosses. However, the beauty of the Ephemeral Feint tactic is that you're teleported away after a backstab. So even on Legendary, where many of the more powerful enemies can survive all but the highest sneak multipliers, you won't immediately be detected after an attack. Allowing you to return to hiding and attempt as many consecutive backstabs as is necessary.

     

    Mastery of Devotion - “In the season of life in which I marched beneath the Sun's Height, before the power of the gods did I kneel.

    ”You are on a spiritual journey, so it's important to ask guidance from the gods. Try to keep a shrine blessing active as often as possible, but feel free to choose different ones based on your current situation. The Nine Divines may seem somewhat foreign to a native of Hammerfell, but there are several parallels that one can draw to the Yokudan Pantheon: Akatosh/Ruptga, Kynareth/Tava, Mara/Morwha’s, Zenithar/Zeht, Arkay/Tu'whacca.

     

    Mastery of Wisdom - “In the season of life in which I was exposed to the Hearth's Fire, into deep contemplation did I withdraw to ponder the nature of truth.”

    For this character the “Wait” mechanic serves an important roleplay function, it represents meditation. This character uses no Restoration magic or potions of any kind, so the only way to recover Health, Mana or Stamina is to encourage your bodies natural healing through meditation. Obviously, the game requires that this takes place in a safe place away from “nearby enemies”, but the roleplay can be taken even further than that if you like. Only meditating in quiet comfortable spaces like campfires, rented rooms or in front of secluded shrines.

     

    Mastery of Sacrifice -  “In the season of life in which I shivered from the Frost's Fall, so did I find myself called upon to cast aside the notions of my destiny that I had deemed true.”

    This character is on a journey all her own. She would not be the kind to get married, start a family, or even take up the responsibility of leading a guild. That's not to say she wouldn't fall in love, regularly visit the orphanage with donations, or join and assist the various guilds. In fact, I'd recommend having at least one aspect of this characters roleplay that you invest enough in early game that it will show true sacrifice when you give it up entirely later on.

  • Member
    May 18, 2018

    Excellent work Ty. Quite the entertaining read! You've got some awesome abilities that synchronyse marvelously together. I knew a little about the Sword Singers before, but certainly feel as though I've learned much more after reading the build! Great presemtation. Only came across one issue, though it could be possibly be my end. The perk spread doesn't seem to be fully displaying, the right side is half off the scrren. Other than that excellent job was a great read :)

  • May 18, 2018

    Furrion 17 said:

    Excellent work Ty. Quite the entertaining read! You've got some awesome abilities that synchronyse marvelously together. I knew a little about the Sword Singers before, but certainly feel as though I've learned much more after reading the build! Great presemtation. Only came across one issue, though it could be possibly be my end. The perk spread doesn't seem to be fully displaying, the right side is half off the scrren. Other than that excellent job was a great read :)

     

    Oh shit, is like that on mine to, how did that happen? Thanks for pointing out. I always appreciate your thoughts, and I'm glad you liked the build!

  • May 18, 2018

    The book of circles section and special tactics section are my favorites. When I’m playing, I can barely remember what spells or bonuses I have in my inventory, much less think about how to combine them. Much respect.

     

    And then there’s this at the beginning: “For the uninitiated, they're basically swordsmen so skilled with their weapons that they can produce seemingly magical effects through different marital techniques.” Marital techniques are indeed awesome, but I’m betting that’s not what you were going for here. ;)

  • May 18, 2018

    ilanisilver said:

    Marital techniques are indeed awesome, but I’m betting that’s not what you were going for here. ;)

     

    Or was it? Lol.

     

    Thanks for catching that, it was my stupid Swype. I just fixed it.

     

  • May 19, 2018

    ilanisilver said:

    The book of circles section and special tactics section are my favorites. When I’m playing, I can barely remember what spells or bonuses I have in my inventory, much less think about how to combine them. Much respect.

     

    Thanks man! That's the great thing about the strategies in this build though, for the most part you just set them up before battle and then they're automatic. Shehai Sunder is just collecting the right perks and remembering to dodge while the enemy bleeds out. Pankratosword is just assigning Thundercrack to Spellscribe out of battle and then you just have explosive lightning based power attacks automatically, and Tonal Displacement is essentially just a debuff and an attack that takes advantage of it. Ephemeral Feint is really the only one that might be a little complex to lean hire to execute during battle...but man is it worth it! Plus, it really does become second nature after very little practice.

  • Member
    May 19, 2018

    I don't know any of these mods but this seems like an awesome character and overall concept.

  • May 19, 2018

    Henson said:

    I don't know any of these mods but this seems like an awesome character and overall concept.

     

    Thanks man! I always try to explain the mods because I know a lot of people don't use them, so I hope I did them justice. They're great overhauls that really make the game feel fresh again, I highly recommend them.

  • Member
    May 19, 2018

    Tysoyaha said:

    Furrion 17 said:

    Excellent work Ty. Quite the entertaining read! You've got some awesome abilities that synchronyse marvelously together. I knew a little about the Sword Singers before, but certainly feel as though I've learned much more after reading the build! Great presemtation. Only came across one issue, though it could be possibly be my end. The perk spread doesn't seem to be fully displaying, the right side is half off the scrren. Other than that excellent job was a great read :)

     

    Oh shit, is like that on mine to, how did that happen? Thanks for pointing out. I always appreciate your thoughts, and I'm glad you liked the build!

    No problem mate, like I said it was quite the awesome build. I don't often play Redguards and this has given me the inspiration to give them another go! And that perkspreads looking good now;)

  • May 20, 2018

    Brilliant. I love redguards, and I love the way you've pulled together a handful of key spells that really go well with the concept. This is one of the best redguard builds I've seen.

    In fact, I'd recommend having at least one aspect of this characters roleplay that you invest enough in early game that it will show true sacrifice when you give it up entirely later on.

    Now that's a challenge. :)