Build name: The Contractor (Assassin/Thief Hybrid Modded Build)
Introduction:
He is the deadliest and most feared assassin in the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood and Tamriel’s various criminal underworld. He is also a master thief who is also known for his unrivaled skills for committing dangerous heists around Tamriel and was famous for his action within the Thieves Guild all over Tamriel. From an early age, he was trained by the most skilled assassins and thieves from different provinces of Tamriel that makes him the most skilled and dangerous individual on Tamriel. As for the build’s name, is an assassin and a thief, which will get the attention of many employers who would hire him for his skill. Whether to assassinate someone or steal prized possessions, he will get the job done. He is described by many people as someone as “a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will”. He will earn many nicknames based on his exploits and skills. The nicknames are also based on his faction affiliation:
- Shadow Hand
- Sithis Incarnate
- Emmisary of Sithis
- Midnight Raven
- Black Fox
No matter who they are, their status, their skills, if The Contractor comes for them, they are either dead or find their most prized or sensitive possessions gone. One should also not try to stab The Contractor in the back, for that immediately secures their death sentence. He does not take betrayal and being wronged lightly, for he will tread even to the worst planes of Oblivion to find and punish the one who wronged him
Character:
Name- Corvus Rem
Race- Imperial
Origin- Cyrodiil
Class- Assassin/Thief Hybrid
Standing Stone- Shadow
Backstory:
His name is Corvus Rem. He was born in the year of 4E 162 in the City of Leyawiin in Cyrodiil. He was orphaned at a very young age. His mother died from birth and his father refused to raise him due to his addiction to skooma. He was adopted by a kind Argonion thief, Stealthy-Tale, who took sympathy on Corvus. For the next 8 years, he raised him and trained him in the skills of pickpocketing, sneaking, and lockpicking. At this time, Corvus also became friends with some of the children and one family living in Water’s Edge, whom Stealthy-Tale are friends with. Corvus also proved himself impulsive and occasionally has violent tendencies, especially when comes he comes in conflict with another boy who often bullied Corvus and towards guards who caught him stealing. One day, Corvus and Stealthy-Tale tried to steal an engraved ring from the Count of Leyawiin, but things went awry when they were caught by a handmaiden. Corvus quickly put a knife to the handmaiden’s throat, much to Stealthy-Tale’s surprise to his lack of remorse. The two managed to escape, but the guards are already onto Stealthy-Tale. In order to protect Corvus, Stealthy Tale sent him to live with the family in Water’s Edge, but not before giving Corvus a mark. He told Corvus that he was friends with some people who will be able to take him in and train him if he ever finds them. For the next few days, Corvus was living peacefully at Water’s edge and received news that Stealthy-Tale was jailed in Leyawiin’s dungeon. One day the village was raided by gang of bandit mages, led by an orc sorceress. The sorceress mercilessly burned down the entire village and killed almost all the residents. Corvus hid in a small basement as he watched his new family being mercilessly killed. Corvus swore he would one day find the orc sorceress and get his vengeance.
Sometime has passed as the fire died down. Corvus heard footstep above and the basement hatch opened. A dark figure in a mask saw Corvus and asked him what happened. After Corvus told him what has happened, the figure reached out his hand. The figure helped Corvus up before he noticed the mark in Corvus’s hands and asked him where he got that. Corvus told him about Stealthy-Tale and that he should show the mark to his friends should he ever meet them. The figure removed his mask and revealed his name is Marco, one of Stealthy-Tale’s friends. He revealed that he is a member of the Dark Brotherhood and that he worked with Stealthy-Tale on several occasions, despite having very different occupations. Looking into his hate-filled eyes, Marco determines that Corvus would make a perfect remorseless killer. Marco offered the chance to join the Dark Brotherhood. Corvus accepted and Marco took him to Greyland not far from Leyawiin to meet someone. When they entered the house, Corvus meets a dark robed figure who is sitting at the fireplace. The robed figure reveals himself as a Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood. The Speaker told Corvus that the killing of the innocent handmaiden earlier during the failed heist drew their attention. Marco explained that Corvus was willing to join the Dark Brotherhood so that one day he may avenge the family in Water’s Edge. The Speaker said he will accept Corvus into the Brotherhood if he can pass a test. He proposed him an initiation test, to kill a serial rapist that lives in Bravil. Despite being thrown to jail for 3 times, the rapist continues with his crime, and someone asked the Brotherhood to kill him. The Speaker gives him an elegant dagger to do the job. Corvus travels to Bravil and went to find his target. He waited until nighttime and saw the rapist about to catch another unsuspecting victim. Corvus quickly grabbed him from an alleyway and slit his throat. He quickly hid the body in a bush. In the next morning, Marco and the Speaker appears again and congratulate him for his test, saying that he proved himself as a true killer. The Speaker told him to seek out their sanctuary in Cheydinhal and that Marco will take him there. When they arrived at the sanctuary door, Marco gave him the passphrase for the door’s question: “Sanguine, my brother”. As they entered the sanctuary, Corvus was welcomed with open arms by the members of the Brotherhood. The sanctuary leader promised to train him and hone his skills so that one day he may enact his vengeance.
For the next 26 years, Corvus was trained by the Dark Brotherhood and taking on many contracts that involved killing different targets that ranged from nobles to warriors and powerful mages even. During this time as well, Marco introduced Corvus to the Thieves Guild. Some of the members knew Stealthy-Tale and willingly took him in to their ranks, even though they were aware that Corvus was part of the Brotherhood. After Corvus passed the initiation test, different members of the Thieves Guild also trained him, further honing his skills in thievery that were previously established from Stealthy-Tale’s training. Corvus also travelled around Tamriel, taking on different assassinations, thievery jobs and even trainings abroad. As per Marco’s request, he took Corvus to different provinces of the organization’s branches to receive trainings (except Skyrim, since Marco believes the Skyrim’s Brotherhood’s branch offers little value and that the Thieves Guild’s influence declined significantly). Corvus and Marco traveled to the Brotherhood’s Corinthe sanctuary in Elsweyr where he received rigorous training from their Khajiit martial artists, one handed sword combat from the Brotherhood’s branch in Hammerfell, and some marksman trainings from master archers of the Thieves Guild in Valenwood. Corvus also received trainings from the Shadow Scales in Archon in Black Marsh after Marco convinced them to train him, despite him not being Argonion. Eventually, Corvus’s exploits have become well known among the Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood and various criminal organizations in Tamriel. Many members came to respect and fear him for his skills, especially his trainers since he demonstrated willpower like no one else. Even when The Great War was happening, it did not stop Corvus from his contracts/jobs and his travel around the provinces, further proving his unwavering tenacity. He will come to be described as someone of "focus, commitment, and sheer will."
During this time, he meets Alisanne Dupre and the two took on many different assassination contracts together. Despite Corvus’s years of exploits and experience, Alisanne eventually earned the rank of Listener. Corvus and Alisanne also develops a strong platonic friendship. Corvus also becomes friend with a Bosmer (Wood Elf) agent named Thoron, a contact who occasionally helps the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood on different occasions. Unfortunately, around this time, Marco was presumably killed when he was taking a contract in Morrowind to assassinate a noble of House Redoran.
By the time around 4E 188, the Dark Brotherhood was on a decline and losing its grasp on Tamriel, but it did not stop Corvus from taking on different contracts for the Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. One day, Corvus was requested to take on a couple of big jobs in different provinces. His first assignment was from the guild master of Thieves Guild from Hammerfell, requesting his legendary skills. Before departing for Abah’s Landing in Hammerfell, Corvus bid Alisanne and Rasha (new Speaker for Cheydinhal Sancturary) farewell and informing them that he will be unavailable for the next several weeks since he was needed in the Thieves Guild. Corvus travels to Abah’s Landing and meets the guild master, who informs him that an important client asked him to steal a set of enchanted jewelries that belongs to a powerful noble family in Sentinel. Corvus traveled to the city of Sentinel and sneaked into the noble’s house to find the jewelries. Corvus eventually found a secret passageway that leads to a large cavern where the jewelries are stored. Corvus finds himself in an elaborate puzzle where the safe containing the jewelries was locked behind an iron gate. Corvus was able to solve the puzzle and break into the safe effortlessly and retrieve the jewels. Just as Corvus was about to leave, he was spotted two guards and he quickly dispatched them. However, the noble’s daughter saw the bloodshed and screamed, alerting everyone in the house. Corvus was forced to flee the scene and was chased the city guards. Corvus was able to lose them before returning to Abah’s Landing. The guild master was impressed when Corvus was able to steal the jewelries, however he was slightly disappointed that Corvus killed the two guards. Nevertheless, the guild master paid him an ample 7500 gold for the job.
A few days later, Corvus received a letter from the guild master of Thieves Guild from Cyrodiil that he is needed for his next big job, as another important client wants Corvus. He returned to Cyrodiil and made his way to the Waterfront in the Imperial City. On the way, Corvus was greeted by Thoron who came to him with grave news:
(What happens next is based on the choices that the Forgotten Hero makes during The Fall of the Dark Brotherhood expansion in Elder Scrolls: Legend)
(If the Forgotten Hero sided with Uther Nere and helped him kill Alisanne): Thoron told Corvus that Bravil erupted into violence and Alisanne was killed, defending the Night Mother’s corpse during the battle. One of the assassin, Garnag, barely escaped transporting the Night Mother’s Coffin with the help of Thoron. Corvus asked Thoron if he saw who killed Alisanne. Thoron revealed he has been spying on a noble who wanted to kill the Listener when he arrived at Bravil. Thoron revealed that the person who killed Alisanne was Uther Nere. Corvus immediately knew who it was. Sometimes earlier, Alisanne confided to Corvus that Uther killed her mother and that she joined the Brotherhood to get her revenge on him. Corvus quickly travelled to Bravil to confirm Thoron’s report. As he approached to the crypt underneath the broken statue of the Lucky Old Lady, he found a burnt corpse with barely any traces of the shrouded armor left. Corvus knew it was Alisanne. Overcome with grief and rage, Corvus vowed to take revenge.
Corvus chose to abandon the Dark Brotherhood and the next pending Thieves Guild job to track down Uther Nere, certain that the brotherhood would not last long anyway now that there is no Listener and very few of them left. Breaking the tenets hardly matters to him now. Corvus traveled to High Rock, thanks to the intel provided by Thoron that Uther Nere was there. For the next 13 years, Corvus traveled around High Rock, seeking Uther Nere while doing jobs for High Rock’s Thieves Guild and as a freelance assassin for hire, but he was completely cut off from the Dark Brotherhood from Cyrodiil and their lack of presence in High Rock makes it more difficult. Eventually, Corvus tracked down Uther Nere at Daggerfall. Uther Nere was meeting with various nobles at a convention held by the king. Corvus snuck to the convention and found him. Corvus approached Uther Nere and the noble saw him. Uther was confused a few seconds before realizing who Corvus was and why he was here. Before Uther was able to cast a fire spell, Corvus quickly cut and severed his right hand in one quick motion. The other nobles ran in horror at the sight of Corvus. Uther staggered to a nearby window bleeding before Corvus stabbed him in his throat and threw him out of the window. The guards quickly arrived on the scene, but Corvus effortlessly killed all the guards and leaving a long bloody trail in his wake. The fight lasted until to the streets of Daggerfall where every single city guard was slain. High Rock was on high alert of Corvus’s action, and a bounty of 20000 gold was placed on his head. Corvus was forced to lay low and hide for a few weeks. Corvus decided he should flee to Skyrim to escape the bounty. Later Corvus learned that a ship will set sail to Skyrim. He made his way onto the ship by killing one of the noble and taking his place. This is where his journey begins in Skyrim.
Or
(If the Forgotten Hero sided with Alisanne Dupre and kills Uther Nere): Thoron told Corvus that Bravil erupted into violence, and he just happens to be at Bravil and immediately helped Garnag to escape with the Night Mother’s Coffin. Thoron told Corvus that during the battle Alisanne was killed by mage fire, along with the person who did it. Corvus asked Thoron if he saw who killed her and he said it was Uther Nere. Corvus knew who it was, since Alisanne told him that he killed her mother and that she joined the Brotherhood in hoping one day to get her revenge. This information unfortunately proved small comfort to him, knowing that he lost a very close friend to him. Thoron asked Corvus if he intends to reunite with the Brotherhood, but he said he is still required to report back to the Thieves Guild’s guild master for his next big job. However, he also has little hope that the Brotherhood can recover from at this and was certain that the Dark Brotherhood was finished. Corvus swiftly travelled to Bravil and found her burnt corpse at the crypt below the destroyed statue of the Lucky Old Lady. Corvus grieved for a few minutes before heading to the Waterfront.
Corvus meets with the guild master and was given his next job, to meet the client in Morrowind and that he asked for Corvus specifically. Corvus travels to Morrowind and meets the client Adovon Vules, a Dunmer noble whose father was the head of an international weapons arms dealing business. Vules explains that he needs Corvus to steal the will of his late father that contains his arms dealing company and mountain of fortune, which was originally intended for his sister. He also revealed that he intended it to be a double job, to have Corvus assassinate his sister to avoid her reclaiming the will. Adovon gave him the details that his sister lives in Mournhold and that she is in the ruins of Old Mournhold where she made her base in one of the old manors and instructed to give the will to his agent in Mournhold when he gets it. Adovon promised to share 30% of the inheritance as payment.
Corvus travels to Mournhold and managed to find the entrance after stalking one of the Vules enforcer. Corvus infiltrated the old manor and swiftly assassinated Adovon’s sister, along finding the will in a safe. Corvus exited and meets the agent at the Great Bazaar. As he handed the will, Vule’s agent revealed that his client never intends to pay Corvus and that he poses as a loose end. Suddenly, several Morag Tong assassins appears and attacks Corvus while the agent escapes. Corvus dispatches the assassins, but several more came and he was forced to escape as he fights more Morag Tongs assassins. After escaping Mournhold, Corvus was approached by a courier and gives him a letter from Adovon. The letter explains that while Corvus may take this as personal, Vules intends to bring honor to himself and his family by “avenging” his sister’s death, and what better way to do this deed by hiring the Morag Tongs to kill the legendary member of the Dark Brotherhood. Corvus vowed to take revenge.
Corvus spent the next 13 years trying to track down Adovon while dismantling his operations in Morrowind and evading the Morag Tongs at the same time. He eventually discovers that Adovon was no longer in Morrowind and that he has taken his major base of operation to Hammerfell instead. Corvus travels to Hammerfell and enlisted the help from the guild master in locating Adovon. Corvus was able to track down Adovon to Abah’s Landing, who happens to be doing an arms deal with a Redguard crime lord. As Corvus approaches Adovon, he immediately runs as he summoned his guards. Corvus chased Adovon around Abah’s Landing as he ruthlessly dispatches his guards and eventually corners him at the dock. Before Vules can beg for forgiveness, Corvus quickly put his blade to his stomach and slashed his throat. Corvus then kicked his body to the sea. The city was put on high alert for Corvus’s rampage and he was forced to flee. Corvus learned that he was placed with a bounty of 10000 gold for his massacre at Abah’s Landing and he had to lay low for several weeks. Later Corvus decided to escape to Skyrim and start anew and learned of a ship ready to set sail at Sentinel. Corvus killed one of the nobles and impersonated him as he boarded the ship that sets sail to Skyrim.
Quests & Roleplaying:
The Contractor is a master assassin and a master thief. His main purpose is to do what he is good at, stealing and killing. This means, he takes on many assassination contract and thievery jobs as possible and earn a lot of gold that way. The Contractor is a remorseless killer, but he is not WHOLLY evil. Even though he kills innocent people, he will not kill innocent if it’s not necessary or pose a threat, especially during a job for the Thieves Guild. He is also not afraid to get his hands dirty either should the situation get messy. Most of the time, The Contractor would remain unseen and silently kill his targets but will openly engage in combat if he was spotted and quickly dispatch his enemies. Corvus can confront his targets before killing them (if the player chooses to). He starts by arriving from a ship to Solitude using Alternate Start mod. The ideal place for his home and a place to store his valuables is Shadowfoot Sanctum. It is a perfect home where The Contractor to live for the time beaing and being close to The Thieves Guild.
Major Questlines:
The Dark Brotherhood – An important organization for the Contractor because he is reestablishing himself with this group and bringing the Dark Brotherhood back to its full glory. It is also a chance for self-redemption for being unable to help the Cyrodiilic branch of the organization after their destruction. However, he is not overly fond of Astrid since she strayed from the old teachings and does not consider her a fit leader of the Brotherhood, but he will follow her orders until the end of the questline. During the questline, he will spare Cicero because he shares the same sentiment towards the old practices. Assassinating the Emperor will make Tamriel fear the Dark Brotherhood once again and further solidify The Contractor’s name and a fearful reminder that no one is safe from this individual.
The Thieves Guild- Another important organization to join, although The Contractor will notice that their operation differs significantly compared to Cyrodiil’s branch. But The Contractor will not judge their methods, for he has done countless shady jobs from assassinations to stealing. Remembering of what he heard, he made it his mission to bring the Guild back to its full power and influence in Skyrim. Corvus will take Mercer’s betrayal seriously and will stop at nothing until he kills him. Becoming a Nightingale is a bonus for The Contractor, since he had access to Nocturnal’s blessings and power.
("You stabbed the devil in the back. You incinerated the temple of the divine. Burned it to the ground. But since you failed to complete the deed, what do you think he'll do?")
Becoming the new listener for the Dark Brotherhood and a Nightingale of Nocturnal will further make a deadly individual of Tamriel’s underworld and a legend to be reckoned with.
Main Story Questlines-
He can take on the main questline to acquire and hone his power of the shouts. The shouts can be another arsenal for The Contractor to attract more employers.
Dragonborn-
He can also do the Dragonborn questline since Miraak tried to kill him and that he would make it personal for him and at the same time acquire new powers from the Daedric Lord Hermaeus Mora.
College of Winterhold:
He can join the College of Winterhold to learn more about enchanting and illusion skills (if the player chooses this as a justification for joining them). But he is not interested in learning more history about magic and only pursue in learning more about illusion and enchantment.
Other Quests: The Contractor can take on most of the other miscellaneous quests that don’t involve the Dark Brotherhood or The Thieves Guild to earn gold and act as an occasional sellsword.
- The Black Star: Obtaining and corrupting Azura’s Star is a perfect tool for recharging The Contractor’s weapon charges.
- Pieces of the Past: Mehrunes’ Razor was a perfect blade for The Contractor’s arsenal.
Race, Standing Stone and Stats:
To make Corvus look a little like John Wick, the race of Imperial would be a good choice since he should have a relatively fair skin. The focus stats to put into him are Health and Stamina and Magicka is the third priority. The standing stone can be either the Shadow Stone or the Thief Stone (using Andromeda Standing Stones mod), which allows him to move 20% faster in combat and Fortify Sneak when sneaking by walls. Since the build will be utilizing Imperious Race mod, the Imperial Race comes with different benefits as a result. As you reach to level 10/20/30, you get the ability called “Human Spirit” where you can choose to modify your stats, skills, and resistances. You can raise one of the included attributes while decreasing another one. For this build, raise either health or stamina while decreasing magicka since this build revolve little around magic. For the warrior skills, raise One Handed while decrease Heavy Armor. For mage skills, raise either illusion or enchanting and decrease conjuration. And finally for the Thief skills, raise sneak while decreasing speechcraft or pickpocket (with artful dodger mod).
Skills and Perks:
Major Skills:
- One Handed: The Contractor’s primary combat skills, since he will rely solely on onehanded weapons, specifically for blades. He will specialize in dual wielding a sword and a dagger in combat, while using only dagger for sneak attacks.
- 0 - One-Handed Mastery (2)- One-handed weapons do 25/50% more damage./, and critical strikes with one-handed weapons do 2% more critical damage per level of One-Handed.
- 20 - Disciplined Fighter- Reduces the Stamina cost of power attacks with one-handed weapons by 15 points.
- 30 - Ravage (2)- Dual wielding attacks are 20/35% faster.
- 40 - Furious Strength- Power attack damage with one-handed weapons increased by 15% plus 0.1% per point of Stamina. Unlocks decapitations.
- Sneak: A key skill in the Contractor’s arsenal. He will use this skill to remain undetected as he gets close to his targets or infiltrating a target’s house to steal properties.
- 0 - Sneak Mastery (2)- Sneaking is 15/30% more effective. Sneak success depends on visibility (movement and light level), sound (movement and armor weight), skill level and distance.
- 20 - Sneak Attack- Sneak attacks with one-handed weapons deal 100% more damage. Sneak attacks with any other weapon or fists deal 25% more damage.
- 30 - Fog of War- Sneaking is 15% more effective against targets that are in combat with you, or 30% if they are in combat with someone else.
- 30 - Silent Roll- Sprinting while sneaking executes a silent forward roll.
- 40 - Assassin's Blade- Sneak attacks with daggers deal 1% more damage per level of Sneak.
- 40 - Dynamic Entry- Performing a silent roll increases your weapon damage by 40% and unarmed damage by 40 points for 3 seconds.
- 40 - Infiltrator- Your footsteps and equipped armor make 75% less noise when sneaking.
- 50 - Backstab (2)- You deal 25/50% more damage and critical damage with daggers when striking a target from behind.
- 50 - Light Foot- You won't trigger pressure plates.
- 50 - Right Behind You- You are adept at hiding in your target's blind spot. Sneaking is 15% more effective within 30 feet and 30% more effective within 15 feet.
- 70 - Clean Escape- When you stand still for 8 seconds while sneaking, enemies within 150 feet no longer search for you.
- 80 - Behind Enemy Lines- Sneaking is 15% more effective for each enemy within 100 feet that is not detecting you.
- 80 - Problem Solver- Sneak attacks deal 10% more damage for each 200 points of Health the target has, up to 50% more damage.
- 90 - Cloak and Dagger- Breaking invisibility with a power attack is a guaranteed critical strike that deals 50% more critical damage.
- 90 - Shadow Warrior- Entering sneak mode in combat grants 2 seconds of invisibility, briefly leaving combat and forcing distant opponents to search for you. This effect has an 8 second cooldown.
- 100 - Laughing Ghost- Grants the "Laughing Ghost" power. At will, while sneaking, teleport through the shadows behind a target to attempt a sneak power attack with your right weapon that deals double sneak attack damage. The target must be out of combat.
- Light Armor: The Contractor’s core protection. The light armor makes him a deadly opponent since he can move fast during combat while giving him ample protection.
- 0 - Light Armor Mastery (2)- Armor rating of Light Armor increased by 20/40%. You gain a small amount of Light Armor experience when wearing at least two pieces of Light Armor in combat.
- 20 - Annoying Mosquitoes (2)- You take 10/20% less attack damage from enemies with full Health if wearing all Light Armor.
- 30 - Light Armor Fit- Armor rating of Light Armor increased by 25% if wearing all Light Armor.
- 40 - Keen Senses- You no longer need to wear a helmet to benefit from perks that require "wearing all Light Armor". If you are not wearing a helmet, Light Armor pieces have 20% increased armor rating.
- 50 - Unhindered- Light Armor weighs nothing and doesn't slow you down when worn.
- 50 - Windrunner- Move 10% faster in combat if wearing all Light Armor.
- 60 - Into the Maelstrom- You take 10% less attack damage when fighting more than one enemy if wearing all Light Armor.
- 70 - Fight or Flight- When struck by an unblocked attack or spell in combat, an adrenaline rush regenerates 5% of your maximum Stamina per second for 6 seconds if wearing all Light Armor.
- 70 - Wardancer- Your agility enables you to strike more effectively, granting 20% more attack damage and critical damage if wearing all Light Armor. This effect is lost for 6 seconds whenever you get struck by an unblocked attack or a hostile spell in combat.
- 80 - Survival Instinct- When you get struck by an unblocked attack or hostile spell in combat, gain 10% movement speed for 6 seconds if wearing all Light Armor.
- 80 - Wild and Free- While sprinting in Light Armor, you take 50% less damage from attacks.
- 90 - Glancing Blows- You take 30% less damage from blocked attacks while Wardancer is active. When you lose the Wardancer effect due to an unblocked attack, it also deals 30% less damage.
- 90 - Lightning Strike- Your critical strikes deal 75% more critical damage for 10 seconds after entering combat while wearing all Light Armor.
- 100 - Tempting Fate- You gain 20% movement speed if you are not blocking during an enemy's power attack. If the power attack misses, the effect lasts until combat ends or until you get struck by a power attack.
- Archery: Another core skill for the Contractor. His bow will be useful for long ranged kill when remaining unseen or during open combat as well.
- 0 - Archery Mastery (2)- Bows and crossbows deal 25/50% more damage./, and critical strikes with bows and crossbows do 2% more critical damage per level of Archery.
- 20 - Clean Kill- Bows and crossbows deal 20% more damage to a target at full Health.
- 20 - Wingstrike (2)- Bashing with a bow or crossbow always staggers the target. Bows and crossbows deal 20/40% more damage to that target for 10 seconds.
- 30 - Long Shot (3)- Bows and crossbows deal up to 40/60/80% more damage to targets beyond 50 feet. The damage bonus increases as distance increases.
- 30 - Steady Hand (3)- Pressing Block while aiming will zoom in your view/ and slow time by 25/50%.
- 40 - Crippling Shot- Arrows and bolts slow a target within 25 feet by 10% for 20 seconds. This effect stacks.
- 40 - Thread the Needle (2)- Bows and crossbows ignore 25/50% armor if the target is not moving.
- 50 - Pinning Shot- Arrows and bolts have a chance to stagger a target within 50 feet. More effective against targets with a lower remaining Health percentage. No effect on massive targets.
- 50 - Ranger- Can move at full speed with a drawn bow.
- 70 - Focus on the Prey- Cannot be staggered while holding a drawn bow or reloading a crossbow.
- 60 - Quick Shot- Can draw a bow or reload a crossbow 30% faster.
- 60 - Snipe- Shooting targets you haven't shot within the past 10 seconds inflicts a critical strike that deals three times critical damage, and any weapon enchantments applied by the shot are twice as effective.
- 70 - Ambush Predator- After standing still for 6 seconds with a bow or crossbow out, it does 25% more damage until you move.
- 70 - Beak and Talon- Your shots disrupt targets within 25 feet, disarming them if they are power attacking and knocking them down if they are staggered.
- 80 - Hailstorm- Attack 8% faster with bows and crossbows for 10 seconds after shooting a fully drawn bow or crossbow in combat. This effect stacks.
- 100 - Perfect Aim- Bows deal 25% more damage if the shot strikes a target within 2 seconds after the bow is fully drawn. Crossbows deal triple damage to targets with 20% or less Health remaining.
- Enchanting: A necessary skill to have if the Contractor wants to have effective armors. Enchanting allows him to enchant his armors that provides various perks that gives him an edge on his contracts.
- 0 - Enchanting Mastery (2)- New enchantments are 20/40% stronger. Soul gems provide 2/4 extra weapon charge points per level of Enchanting.
- 30 - Thunderstruck- Weapon enchantments are 25% more effective when delivered by a power attack (or 50% for a two-handed power attack).
- 40 - Gem Dust- You may choose to destroy a Flawless Gem when you begin the enchanting process and sprinkle its dust on the Arcane Enchanter. New enchantments are 25% stronger when placed upon an item of the type corresponding to the gem.
- 60 - Might and Magic- You are adept at weaving blade and magic. Spells cast with your left hand are 10% more effective if you are wielding a weapon in your right hand. Attacks with a weapon in your right hand deal 10% more damage if you are holding a spell in your left hand.
- 60 - Regalia- New enchantments placed upon robes, circlets, hoods and necklaces are 30% stronger.
- 70 - Attunement- All enchantments on equipped weapons and armor are 10% more powerful and last 10% longer.
- 80 - Twin Enchantment- Can place two enchantments upon the same item.
- 90 - Arcane Nexus- You may choose to upgrade one arcane enchanter to an Arcane Nexus for 2500 gold. New enchantments created at an Arcane Nexus are 25% stronger. Can be "Disassembled" by sneaking, allowing you to upgrade another.
Secondary Skills:
Pickpocketing: A vital skill to have for a thief (if you’re inclined to go for this path). Logically speaking, pickpocketing would be one of the Contractor’s core skills to have if he wants to steal valuables from a person. (But with the Arteful Dodger mod, pickpocketing will be made significantly easier even for low pickpocketing skill character and getting some of those perks may not be wholly necessary).
- 0 - Pickpocket Mastery (2)- Adds 20/40% to your pickpocket chance and increases carry weight by 50/100 points.
- 20 - Blood Money- You find 10-100 more gold when looting humanoid corpses you have slain in an especially violent fashion (with an attack that dealt at least 100 more damage than their remaining Health or a killmove).
- 30 - Cutpurse- Adds 25% to your chance to pickpocket gold, keys and jewelry.
- 40 - Brotherhood Cocktail- Silently harm enemies by placing poisons in their pockets while pickpocketing.
- 40 - On the Run- After you successfully pickpocket someone, sneaking is 200% more effective and movement speed is increased by 25% for 10 seconds.
- 50 - Lawless World- Petty crimes are slowly forgotten, allowing your bounties for non-violent crimes to decay at a rate of 50% of your Pickpocket skill level each day.
- 60 - Stalk the Prey- Preparing to pickpocket (sneaking behind a victim with the pickpocket message displayed) for at least 10 seconds adds 20% to your chance to pickpocket any item.
Lockpicking: An important skill for an infiltrator, a skill that is ideal for the Contractor. Breaking into houses and locks is another key skill that a thief should possess, doubly so for the Contractor whether he wants to steal properties or assassinate someone.
- 0 - Lockpicking Mastery (2)- Weaker/all locks are easier to pick.
- 30 - Robber's Eye- When you enter a dwelling you don't own, illuminates a locked container for 120 seconds. During this time, it contains valuable items (based on your Lockpicking skill and the difficulty of its lock). This can only occur once every 12-60 in game hours.
- 30 - Wax Key- Gives you a copy of a picked lock's key if it has one.
- 40 - Gone in Fifteen Seconds- Taking 15 seconds or less to pick the lock on a container illuminated by Robber's Eye improves the added treasure by an average of 50% based on the level of the lock and resets the cooldown of Robber's Eye.
- 40 - Locksmith- Pick starts much closer to the lock opening position.
Alchemy: An optional, but a useful skill to have. Alchemy can be a useful tool in an assassin’s arsenal when it comes to poison.
- 0 - Alchemy Mastery (2)- Potions and poisons you make are 20/40% stronger.
- 20 - Physician- You may choose a type of beneficial potion: Health, Magicka or Stamina. Potions you mix that restore or fortify the chosen attribute are 50% stronger.
- 30 - Advanced Lab- You may choose to upgrade one alchemy lab to an Advanced version for 2500 gold. Potions you mix are 25% stronger at an Advanced Lab. Can be "Disassembled" by sneaking, allowing you to upgrade another.
- 30 - Experimenter- Eating an ingredient reveals all effects.
- 30 - Poisoner- Poisons you mix are 1% more powerful per level of Alchemy.
- 40 - Bottomless Cup- Poisons applied to weapons last for one additional hit per 10 levels of Alchemy.
- 40 - Crimson Haze- Stimulants also increases movement speed by 10% for its duration.
- 50 - Alkahest- Your poisons are highly corrosive, enabling you to ignore 40% of the armor rating of an affected target for their duration.
- 50 - Lab Skeever- For 20 seconds after using any alchemy lab, beneficial potions you drink last 15 times longer and are 25% stronger.
- 60 - Green Thumb- Twice as many ingredients are gathered from most harvestable objects.
- 60 - Maenad- Magicka and Stamina are increased by 50 points when you are under the effect of a beneficial potion or ingredient, but reduced by 25 points when you are not.
- 70 - Double Toil and Trouble- You mix twice as many potions at your Advanced Lab.
- 70 - Pure Mixture- All negative effects are removed from created potions, and all positive effects are removed from created poisons.
- 80 - Amplify Lethality- Grants the "Amplify Lethality" power. Once a day, point at a victim to silently reduce their poison resistance by 250% for 10 seconds.
- 80 - Witchmaster- When you use a beneficial potion or ingredient, 50% chance to receive a powerful side effect, randomly chosen from a range of 40 side effects.
- 90 - Chymical Wedding- Witchmaster side effects have 50% chance to cause side effects themselves.
- 90 - Walking Disaster- In combat, periodically spill a random oil puddle on the ground. Puddles last 60 secondsIllusion: A useful skill to have. The only primary spells to use is invisibility (or Master Invisibility from Dragonborn Crafting Hall)
- 0 - Illusion Mastery (2)- Illusion spells cost 35/50% less Magicka, Illusion spells last 0.5/1% longer per level of Illusion, and mind affecting Illusion spells (Calm, Fear, Frenzy, Rally) are 0.1/0.2 points stronger per level of Illusion.
Weapons, Armor and Items:
- Apotheus Set (Armor, Boots, Gauntlets) - Part of Immersive Armor mods
- Cuirass: Fortify Light Armor, Health Regeneration/Stamina Regeneration
- Boots: Fortify Sneak, Muffle
- Gauntlets: Fortify Onehanded, Pickpocket/Lockpicking
- Black Bandana – Tied
- Fortify Archery, Fortify Illusion
- Bosmer Mask - Backstab, Fortify Health
- Blade of Woe- Absorb 25 points of health and foes flee for 3 seconds (modification from Zim’s Immersive Artifacts mod)
- Malice - Absorb Stamina and Absorb Health (Acquired from killing Mercer Frey, part of Royal Armory mod)
- Bow of Shadows (Weapons draw 20% faster and casts invisibility for 30 seconds) or Dwarven Black Bow of Fate (50% chance for each attribute to absorb 25 points of Health, Stamina and/or Magicka)
- Ring - Recharge weapon enchantments and Fortify Sneak/Fortify Sneak Attack (Summermyst Enchantments Mod)
- Necklace - Fortify Lockpicking and Armor Rating (Summermyst Enchantments Mod)
Spells:
- Invisibility or Master Invisibility (Dragonborn Crafting Hall Mod)
- Soul Trap (Optional)
Gameplay:
The gameplay of this build revolves heavily on mods and the character level is at least 72 (if you go for all the primary skills I listed). This character can be played as a stealthy character or a dual-wielding warrior. He can be played as a stealthy assassin/thief or stealthy archer build. For warrior, it is primarily focused on dual wielding onehanded blades, Malice and Blade of Woe, with both weapons can absorb health from enemies. Or you can substitute one of the other weapons for either a different dagger or sword with different enchantments. To live up to the build, it does focuses on all the Thief skill trees, despite listing some of them as secondary. Lockpicking will make it easier for him to lockpick harder locks. With Ordinator mod, The Contractor will utilize the “Laughing Ghost” power to quickly teleport him to unsuspecting target and deliver a killing blow.
Early on, the ideal the weapons The Contractor can utilize is the Blackwater Blade and Mehrune’s Razor (assuming if you haven’t started either the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood questlines yet). Or use a different dagger with a custom enchantment (Vanilla or Mods).
Creation Club Content:
- Shadowfoot Sanctum
- Bow of Shadows
- Dead Man’s Dread
Required Mods:
- Immersive Armors
- Royal Armory
- Ordinator Perks
- Alternate Start
- Imperious Race
- Zim’s Immersive Artifacts.
- Dungeon Strider Armor (optional for the mask)
- Andromeda Standing Stones
- Artful Dodger
- Summermyst Enchantments
- Disenchantable Dark Brotherhood Gears
Recommended/Optional Mods:
- Project Proteus:
- Dragonborn Crafting Hall Special Edition
- Ordinator Perks (enhancements):
- 20 Percent more Perk Points or 50 Percent more Perk Points options
- All Armor, All Enchantments
- Multiple Enchantments, Ordinator Patch
Disclaimers and Closing Notes:
This is my first build that I wanted to share for a long time. However, I’m fully aware that it is not 100% perfect and may not be even optimized. This build does rely heavily on mods and some other “game breaking” mods. I hope this is enough with my calculated estimation of my character’s gameplay build and stat wise. This is not a typical level 44-56 kind of build and does go beyond that or even more. If you want to play the build with ALL the recommended and maxed out Thief skills trees, you might consider using some of those “game breaking” mods I listed as recommendation. One of them is Project Proteus, which basically allows you to make many changes and “redefine how you play Skyrim”. You can use this to modify the numbers of perk points and level if you want to meet the whole “Master Assassin/Thief” theme. If Project Proteus is not for you, you can consider #% more perk mods as part of Ordinator Perk mod or other methods of getting more perks. Multiple Enchantments and All Armor, All Enchantments does open the opportunity for more variety of playstyles with more enchantments, if not overpowered. If you feel like it, you can make changes to this build (gears and stat wise) as long as the character’s reputation and major skills remain unchanged as possible. Once again, it is not perfect, but something I wanted to share for a long time.
I’ve played Skyrim since 2013 and Anniversary Edition is my “fourth” Skyrim version. I first played the game on Xbox 360 and became utterly fascinated by the world. But I was playing on a pirated and translated version, which I unfortunately can’t read. Also, I was struggling my way around the game (partially due to the translated language and not English) and getting killed too easily. I made the decision to buy the game for PC and in English. Let’s just say that PC “provided” ways for me to navigate the world more easily. It also opens the door for modding. And I’ve played Skyrim since then. It became one of my top favorite games of all time.
As you may have noticed, this build was inspired by the John Wick movie series. It was one of my favorite action movies of all time. Ever since watching the first John Wick, I immediately got the idea of making a Skyrim build based on John Wick and I have played this same build multiple times. I also tried to come up a Skyrim version of the John Wick movie series with this very build and character. The backstory was completely made up and I know that I missed a couple of lore details for my character. I’m planning to make a couple of future character builds that were inspired by other characters in John Wick universe such as Sofia (in John Wick Chapter 3) and even Donnie Yen’s character in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4.
(Likes, comments, and feedbacks would be much appreciated!)
Image Citations:
If your character was another Race and or Class | .: Forgotten Realms Cormyr :. (proboards.com)
Pin by William Burn on Thief! | Fantasy art, Concept art characters, Character art (pinterest.com)
File:ON-place-Leyawiin.jpg - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
File:LG-cardart-Alisanne Dupre.png - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
File:LG-quest-Brotherhood's Fall.jpg - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
File:LG-quest-Brotherhood's Justice.jpg - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
File:MW-concept-10.jpg - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
File:ON-concept-Dark Brotherhood Assets.jpg - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
File:LG-cardart-Unexpected Demise.png - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)
Replies
Awesome work, reminds me of a John Wick build I'm working on
Thanks man! This build was something I wanted to share for quite a long time. Looking forward to your version of the build!
Aye man, it seems that you have a pretty cool character here. I think you should use the same font size across the board minus for titles and sections. This is quite a long build and there is some repeating info and some sections that you could shorten or combined with others. In my opinion, you should get a shorter backstory since this is a character "build". Also, remember that you can get a perk spread in order to have less text in the skills section
Appreciate the feedback. I can definitely shorten the backstories for my future builds, but I had a lot of fun coming up for my character's backstory since I want to make it a little similar to John Wick and his character. My long backstory was also inspired by Fudgemuppet's YouTube channel since some of their builds can be a little long so if I want to make a detailed character I wanna have a detailed backstory. I'll alo try to use the perk spread too next time.
Yeah, I feel you no worries man, but remember that the medium is different. It is easier to listen to a "long" video than it is to read a wall of text. Also if you really want to share some deep backstories, you can put a short version for the character build and post the long one in the Story Corner of the website.
There is a character building guide on the forum here, you might want to check it out. You can always modify the build that you've posted, if you want to improve this one someday you can.
One thing that I forgot to mention (I'm not trying to tell you what to do), it is often difficult for people to relate to builds that require a lot of mods so you might want to consider that next time. It's actually a piece of advice I got from an experienced builder, remember that the goal here is to make people eager to try the build that you're presenting. All and all, I hope to see more builds from you in the future!
I finally got around to it :)
First off, the build itself it well thought out and constructed, so Kudos to you on that.
The backstory is well thought out, taking into account possible decision from the elder scrolls legends in the era previous to the current story... though that would mean your build's race has the life-span of a dunmer, perhaps even more... so this is something you may want to consider.
The perks itself is a large list... not sure if you'd want to list out every description... sometimes, less is more.
Just the main names in a graphic package is more than enough.
Personally, i'm a fan of combinations.... meaning, the combination of attacks that can be pulled out into a move.
How do the attacks fit together? Which perks affect that sequence?
The description of the perk properties can be manifested when talking about the move
I hope the above pointers helps when constructing your next build or working on a revamp of the current one
Thanks for the feedback. Will try to implement these improvements in my next build or revamp this one.
Regarding the Elder Scrolls Legends era before the events of Skyrim, I don't know if I calculated the era correctly. I planned for him to be a child starting at 4E 168. He would have grown to be a young adult in his 20s by the time of 4E 188 (unless thats not how it era works). He would have met Alisanne Dupre a few years before 4E 188. Then after the Fall of the Dark Drotherhood, he goes on to the next part of the story which is 7 years later into 4E 195 when he either tracks down Uther Nere or Adovon Vules. After killing either one of them, it would take another 6 years before Skyrim's event. Roughly calculating, Corvus would be in his 30s by the time of Skyrim's event or probably close to the age of Ulfric Stormcloak. But again, I don't know how long these eras go by. If the era calculation is incorrect, perhaps a lore piece of Corvus receiving some form of slowed aging magics could remedy this plothole (shouldn't be too detailed and too hard I think.)