theskyforge (3)

We Have Our Contest Winners!

4478754386?profile=RESIZE_400xAfter much delay thanks to a certain death plague we're pleased to announce the results of the 3rd Skyrim Character Building Contest - Back to Basics has finally been unvieled. This was a contest filled with a multitude of quality submissions and it was a tough call for the judges - we even had two builds tie for 3rd! But a grand winner has been chosen and coming in at 1st place is The Lamp Descendent by Ponty!

Ponty came out of retirement for this one like a old pro here to show us young whippersnappers how its done. And he absolutely blew the contest judges away with absolutely flawless presentation and brilliant incorporation of little known lore surrounding the Lamp Knights into his build. It's clear Ponty came out swinging for this contest and it shows with the extra mile he went in order to produce quite possibly one of the best, most memorable witch hunter builds the community has ever seen. Take a look at what the judges had to say:

"Exceptional in every sense of the word. This is an incredibly memorable spellsword, and the way you split skills into chapters makes developing the character more natural."

"One of my favourite things about builds is that they allow for headcanoning lore in a reasonable way. The Order of the Lamp was a bland faction from Daggerfall, but you’ve managed to rejuvenate it and provide a history in between the games in a way that I completely believe."

"Spellswords are easily my favourite class and I feel you hit all the high notes of fun things to do with them. There’s a lot of synergy of witch-hunting between the Rune Axe and Bound Sword, and the way that gameplay evolves through the different chapters ensures that it won’t become boring."

Its clear Ponty's still a master character builder even after such a legnthy hiatus from character building. It was obvious right away that something amazing was going to come out of Ponty jumping into this contest. Not only did he come out ahead in a contest filled with talented character builders, his entry has earned the highest judge's score ever given to a contest build. Ponty's more than earned his lifetime supply of vanilla ice cream. I think I speak for many when I say I'm hoping we see more Skyrim builds from Ponty in the future. 

 

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Coming in behind the Lamp Descendent and placing 2nd is The Lurcher by Shadon. Shadon is a fairly new character builder on the scene who's been quick to establish a reputation for quality character builds. He's put the hard work in with every contest build, outdoing himself with each new entry, so its no surprise here that his hard work has paid off and earned him a well deserved spot at 2nd place. For Shadon's entry he decided to take the old saying of "'returning to your roots" quite literally with a daring take on the mysterious spriggans. Shadon has always been able to strike a solid balance between gameplay Here's some of what the judges had to say:

 "I love the tactics you use here, as they give the build a truly unique tone. "

"I didn’t expect to like a spriggan build so much. It’s extremely grounded in lore, but branches out (hehe) with the idea of the taproot. Very cool idea and entirely believable."

"I have to admit, I have a soft spot for builds that “tap” into the nature themes of the game, since they are seldom explored in-game through quests and the like. I love the interpretation of consuming a taproot to absorb the essence of a spriggan, and see nothing wrong with the lore you produce to compensate.."

Shadon has done a superb job of integrating elements of spriggan lore into the gameplay, and creating a natural sense of progression to go along with it. The Lurcher strikes a unique tone in its gameplay, pulling together a plethora of often ignored spells, and mechanics, allowing it to stand out amongst the numerous nature themed builds that have popped up over the years. Its truly one of the most unique builds ever packed into just twenty levels. A must play for anyone wanting to dive right into something new. 

 

4483123998?profile=RESIZE_400xComing in at 3rd place is Blacklion by Telby. Telby is just one build into this community and has already turned heads by placing 3rd in a contest filled with seasoned character builders.

Here's what the judge's had to say:

"While there doesn’t seem to be a real lore foundation to the character directly, you’ve certainly taken great effort to cement your concept into the lore with the diaries and the narrative integration for the quests. This is a believable and interesting character that feels at home in Skyrim"

"As always, the most important part of invented lore is it being believable. I believe it and like the dark internal politics of the Thalmor being shown. This character definitely has a role in Skyrim."

The Blacklion follows the exploits of a disgraced agent of the Dominion on a mission to undo the Thalmor's work in Skyrim. Arguably the greatest aspect of this build is its versatility. The Blacklion takes an unorthodox approach to the assassin archetype and forgoes standard stealth gameplay entirely, relying instead and a wide assortment of tools, weapons, spells and tactics to undermine his foes.   

I would be remiss if I didnt give an honorable mention to the Bowdancer by asgard. Asgard, for those of you who dont know is an old pro with a long established reputation for awesome archer builds. For the first time since we've hosted these contests, two builds have actually managed to tie for 3rd place. The Bowdancer tied with the Blacklion, both with the exact same judges score of 41.65. High marks indeed! The community itself would be the ultimate decider, and the Blacklion was won out over the Bowdancer due to its higher number of total 'likes'.

And there you have it folks, the winners of the Back to Basics Character Building Contest. Take a moment to say congrats to the winners and let them know what you think of their builds. If you missed the chance to take part in this contest dont sweat it, we have many more contests planned for the future! 

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We Have Our Winners!

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After much deliberation we have finally determined the winners for The Sky Forge's first ever character building contest. The grand winner coming in at 1st place is The Sea Ghost by The Long Chapper

The Long Chapper, also known as Lissette, amazed the contest judges with her stunning build presentation and masteful incorporation of little known lore elements into her build. The end result is a haunting marauder who seeks souls rather than material plunder, set to send chills down your spine. Take a look at what the judges had to say:

"The build demonstrates a very acute and meticulous understanding and implementation of lore, with the in-world text as a foundation. You did a great job bringing it to life with your character. This is a book I hadn’t read before, and you sparked my interest."

"Holy crap, dude. That backstory piece at the top. It immediately drew me in and it amazes me how you took a relatively not well known piece of lore and expanded it into a full build and story. This bit of lore perfectly connected with the other aspects of the build."

"The build has excellent roleplaying aspects. The roleplaying seamlessly connects with the lore and gameplay. You know everything about the character that you need to know from reading and no recommended quest feels out of place. Great job!"

Just reading the build makes it abundantly clear that Lissettee put nothing less than her best effort forward, and the amount of research and testing that went into this build shows just how much pride Lissette takes in her creative work. The Sea Ghost is a definite must play for anyone seeking a deep and involved roleplay heavy character with some really neat gameplay to boot. I for one will certainly be giving this build a try soon!

 

 

Nipping right at the heels of The Sea Ghost and coming in at 2nd place is The Sea of Ghost Siren by Kendrix Trixie. Among the contest's numerous impressive entries it was the Sea of Ghosts Siren along with the Sea Ghost that stood out the most. Kendrix is well known for her attention grabbing writing and her latest venture, a long dead argonian lost at sea and hell bent on revenge, is no different. Take a look at what the judges had to say: 

"Amazing interpretation of real-world mythology. Lore fits neatly into TES lore and accomplishes everything it needs to. Informs the reader how the character would act whilst allowing interpretations of that background. Story is well crafted and shines with polish and thought."

"Build clearly presents a complex and authentic character with rules and motivations that feel consistent and appropriate. Some minor hand waving to make the different elements combine, but overall it’s pretty effective and interesting to me."

Kendrix has done a wonderul job of integrating elements of Argonian lore and real world siren myths into her build. In a contest where one would expect no shortage of scimitar waving rabble rousers, Kendrix went a completely different direction. A vengeful undead marauder driven to seek vengeance against those who enslaved and doomed her to die at sea is a far departure from what I expected, but a very welcome surprise nontheless. 

The gameplay is as unique and involved as the roleplay and lore, possessing quite a lot of different poison, bleed and disease aspects that compliment each other well. Perfect for exacting the revenge the Hist demands in the most gruesome ways possible. If you're looking to sow some chaos in the name of the Hist then I think you've found the right build!

 

 

Coming in at 3rd place is the Cutthroat by Lee Fiskilis Carpenter . I'd be remiss if I didn't note how tight the race for 3rd place was. 3rd place was was a very close call with at least 4 builds of exceptionally high quality vying for the spot, each no more than 2 points apart. But coming out on top was the Cutthroat, beating out the Dead Tide by NomadDash by just a fraction of a point!

As the first build submitted for the contest the Cutthroat set a very high bar and made for a tough contender to beat. Lee's build took the quintissential pirate and married it to the worst things everyone expects out of Khajiits - the theivery, the piracy, and skull-duggery and turned into this awesome pirate cat.   

Here's what the judge's had to say:

"While the concept isn’t super unique, it's still compelling and executed very well"

"The build does a very good job integrating a fringe lore faction in a believable and creative manner"

"I really like the use of mods. It feels mild, but also fits the build and the explanations of perks and how they fit the character."

The Cutthroat cleverly combines the unique pickpocket, one-handed, and stealth perks found in the Ordinator perk overhaul mod to create an underhanded duelist who sets his enemies up to fail well before the sabers start clashing. Lee's done a brilliant job creating a fun, fast paced build that rewards quick reaction, decisive strikes, and skillful sabotague. You couldn't ask for a build that feels more like a pirate than the Cutthroat!

 

And there you have it folks, the winners of the Pirates of Tamriel Character Building Contest. Take a moment to say congrats to the winners and let them know what you think of their builds. If you missed the chance to take part in this contest dont sweat it, we have many more contests planned for the future! 

Check out our contest thread to read the full break down of the judge's decisions and scores for the contest. 

 https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/character-build-events/pirates-of-tamriel-a-skyrim-character-building-contest

 

 

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Donations to TheSkyForge

4352077095?profile=RESIZE_710xHey folks. For those of you who have been here for a while you're likely aware that I pay the cost of running the TheSkyForge out of my own pocket. The cost currently sitting at $60.00 a month, or roughy $720.00 a year.

I pay this willingly not only because of the entertainment and enjoyment is has brought you all, but because I wish to keep TheSkyForge free of advertisements. But, in order to ease the finacial burden placed upon myself, I'd like to begin accepting donations to help run this community we all love and enjoy. 

To that end you will detect a new addition to the Home Page on the bottom right hand side (or the very bottom of the home page for those viewing from a phone). Simply click that Donation image and you'll be ported to a Paypal page, which will enable you to make a contribution to the ongoing costs. I encourage everyone to 'chip in' whatever they can, however modest, so that we can all continue to enjoy this fine community.

The donation link will remain on the Home Page indefinitely. However, I have no plans nor desires to profit from the donations in anyway. All surplus donations will go toward gifts and prizes for various events as well as upgrades to the site.

Please follow this link to proceed to our PayPal donation page:

http://paypal.me/SkyrimForge

Thank you all in advance for your contributions.

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