The Eldritch Knight
One of my favorite D&D classes reimagined as a modded Skyrim character build.
“We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
― H. P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu
The Eldritch Knight blends heavy martial prowess with arcane and otherworldly magics, leaving chaos in their wake.
Mods
Required: Ordinator, Triumvirate,
Recommended: Wintersun, Apocalypse, Andromeda, Imperious,
Race, Deity, & Stone
Deity:
"I am the mystery at the end of existence. The first secret whispered at the dawn of creation. I am the guardian of the unseen and the question unanswerable. I hold the knowledge forbidden and untangle the threads of fate."
—Hermaeus Mora (Wintersun Faiths mod)
“Read Eldritch Pages and bind them into Eldritch Tomes. Read books that teach new skills. Become my Champion at the Summit of Apocrypha.”
- Shrine blessing - Fortify Corpus: Spells and effects you cast on yourself last 15% longer.
- Follower - Demon of Knowledge: Find Eldritch Pages on corpses. Similar pages can be bound at a tanning rack to create Eldritch Tomes that improve your magic and shouts.
- Devotee - Omniscience: Pray to permanently raise a skill of your choice by one level. Costs 5% favor.
Race:
Orsimer: Martial preference, physical skills can too easily take a backseat in mixed builds. Berserking is a top tier ability that affects both physical and magic attacks. Gains magic more slowly at first, but balances.
OR
Altmer: Optimal innate abilities with Imperious Races makes Altmer the top tier pick for this build at high levels, but has low health and stamina at first level. Altmer have no equal in raw magical ability.
Alternatives:
Breton: Magically potent and resistant, but physically the weakest choice with Imperious. Having the strongest start in Conjuration redeems this, but Imperious Breton is a niche pick. Arguably top tier for Vanilla or Morningstar.
Imperial: Most balanced selection, solid stats & skills with equal physical and magical ability. The equivalent of choosing Human.
Dunmer: Useful selection with magic skills, but outclassed by Altmer by mid-game. Still, you can never go wrong with a Dark Elf (Dunmer or Drow).
Standing Stone:
Starter: Mage or Warrior, based on your race selection you'll use this to cover your early-game weak spot.
Choice: Atronach. The drawbacks of this stone are negated/replaced by the spell-count limitation of the Vancian Magic perk, meaning it is effectively a free boost to magic damage.
Stats:
M: 2 / H: 2 / S: 1
This build casts spells without Magicka, but the number of spells you may cast before recharging is based on your Magicka, so you still need to build it. Health should be your highest priority, especially in the early-game, but a little stamina investment is nice for power attacks. 200 Stamina should be plenty, so you can stop after reaching that. You do not have to follow the spread exactly, I would suggest investing between health & Magicka based on whether you're currently struggling more with survivability or spell-count.
Skills & Perks
Alteration: Essential utilities (auto-cast, teleport, etc.) & defensive magic, as well as access to Vancian Magic, a central aspect of this D&D-themed build. For those unfamiliar, Vancian magic is a Magicka-free system where you instead are allowed a certain number of spells each day, requiring you to sleep in your home or an inn to recharge your spell slots.
Conjuration: Summon Daedra & Warlock minions from the Triumvirate Mod.
Destruction: Destroy enemies with Eldritch Blast & other powerful non-elemental spells from the Triumvirate mod's Warlock list.
One-handed: Clear out health bars with power attacks. The spread may only show one perk, but that is because you have the option of what type of one-handed weapon you wish to use. Personally, I used a little bit of each, but investing in the sword line is wise if you want to wield Miraak's sword.
Heavy Armor: Wade through the battlefield impervious to your enemies' attacks.
Block: Essential for surviving longer fights with tough enemies or big groups. Functions well without perks, so investing them here should be a low priority.
Enchanting: The Enchantment tree has some useful combat perks. The crafting grind can be a bore, but a little investment can go a long way. Enchanting is particularly helpful, but smithing can help with survivability by improving armor. Alchemy is an option, and I use potions for nearly every character, but I chose to find & purchase them for this build & found that to be sufficient.
Quests & Roleplay
Imperial Army or Companions: The Eldritch Knight is a subclass of the Fighter class, so a foundation in physical combat is essential. Perhaps your Knight begins as an Imperial Orc or Thalmor spy, or maybe they are a Companion, a werewolf even. Lycanthropy is nothing if not eldritch.
College of Winterhold: Eventually, one must get serious about their magical studies. Level up, learn some spells, & become the Arch-Mage.
Main: Never one to shy from combat or a learning opportunity, the Eldritch Knight answers the call of the Greybeards, heading down the path of ultimate power & facing their destiny as the Dragonborn.
Discerning the Transmundane: The Eldritch Knight has a chance encounter with Hermaeus Mora & devotes themself to him in search of greater knowledge.
Other Daedric Quests: The Eldritch Knight may seek out other Daedra to gain their artifacts.
Dragonborn: Peak questing for this build, challenging & flavorful! Defeat Miraak & become the champion of Hermaeus Mora.
True knowledge is neither good nor evil. The Eldritch Knight is ultimately a seeker of power & knowledge and may perform morally questionable acts in that pursuit. However, they may also possess a compassionate or sadistic streak. This build is a class, not necessarily a character, so you may roleplay them as you wish. Perhaps ultimate power ultimately corrupts, or maybe the Eldritch Knight is a noble warrior who happens to be misunderstood due to their association with strange powers?
Gameplay & Equipment
Combat can go many ways with this build, but a standard rotation involves conjuring an ally, applying a debuff or DoT to major threats, dropping a couple Destruction spells, & then clearing the field with your weapon. Mix in potions, scrolls, teleports, shouts, & shield blocks/bashes, depending on the situation. Vancian Magic requires you to be strategic & sparing with your spells, so keep that in mind when deciding your moves.
Equipment progression is mostly typical for Skyrim warriors, iron & steel, Dwarven equipment is an option & there's no reason you would have to skip it, but I feel the appearance is distinct from the aesthetic of the build, so I held out for Orcish, then onto Ebony. For your final set, I recommend Daedric armor with Miraak's mask & sword. There are many good options for enchantments, so apply them as you see fit.
Spells
Triumvirate Warlock Spells (Available from Wuunferth the Unliving in Windhelm Palace)
These spells are the bread & butter of the Eldritch Knight's spell list.
(Novice) Eldritch Blast: Warping blast that deals 20 raw damage. If the target dies, bind their Spirit for 30 seconds.
(Apprentice) Balefire: Corrupting fire deals 15 magic damage and burns for 2 poison damage for 10 seconds. Targets are 30% weaker to warlock minions.
(Adept) Witch Bolt: Bolt of dark fire that deals 3 raw damage for 60 seconds. If the target dies, bind their Spirit for 30 seconds.
(Expert) Cloudkill: Corrupting blast deals 50 magic damage and leaves a 20 poison damage cloud. Targets in the cloud are 30% weaker to warlock minions.
(Master) Hurl Into Oblivion: Deals 60 raw damage and flings survivors into Oblivion until the spell is cast again. If a target dies, bind their Spirit for 30 seconds.
(Novice) Conjure Gremlin: Summon a Gremlin for 60 seconds. If a Spirit is offered, gains 40% chance to disarm targets.
(Apprentice) Conjure Temple Grim: Summon a Temple Grim for 60 seconds. If a Spirit is offered, its attacks interrupt and feed on spellcasting.
(Adept) Conjure Ravagor: Summon a Ravagor for 60 seconds. If a Spirit is offered, gains an 8 point per second vampiric cloak.
(Expert) Conjure Magister: Summon a Magister for 60 seconds. If a Spirit is offered, it regenerates 25 Magicka per second.
(Master) Conjure Leviathan: Summon a Leviathan for 180 seconds. If a Spirit is offered, its attacks immobilize and bleed targets.
Other Spells
These spells are good for leveling, utility, or irregular situations. Most are from the Apocalypse magic mod. Feel free to use any spell that you deem useful & thematically relevant, these are just suggestions.
Flames and Sparks: (Destruction) At-Will
Unbound Fire: (Destruction) At-Will, bolt of wildfire that deals 10 damage. The flames randomly jump to the target or caster, dealing 25 damage.
Bound Sword: (Conjuration) Summons a Bound Sword to fight with.
Conjure Daedra: (Conjuration) The Apocalypse mod adds numerous Dremora summons, and Atronachs are always solid.
Ocato's Recital/Medora's Memory: (Alteration) Store up to 3 self-targeted spells, such as Stoneflesh & Ghostwalk, to be cast on yourself for no cost at the start of combat. Medora's is an improved version which doubles the duration of the auto-cast spells.
Spelltwine: (Alteration) Bind chosen effects (increased resistance, increased weapon damage, etc.) to up to 3 spells. Those effects are granted whenever you cast the spells they are bound to.
Mark & Recall: (Alteration) Recall (Teleport) to Mark. Numerous applications, including teleportation in combat.
Hethoth's Grimoire: (Alteration) Creates a hovering spell tome of the (projectile, non-concentration) spell in your left hand. It repeatedly casts the spell in the direction you are facing for 30 seconds.
Oblivion - CURSE MIND DRAGON: (Shout) Overwhelm enemies with knowledge or unleash the power of Hermaeus Mora. (Thunderchild Shouts)
Replies