One of the three vampire clans of Vvardenfell, the Aundae are blessed with dark powers of the mind; their path through the darkness relies on their mastery of magic. Conflict with the Berne and Quarra along with the events of the Red Year led to the destruction of the Aundae, with the few remaining members leaving Vvardenfell to seek opportunities elsewhere. One in particular chose to leave for Skyrim to establish a base of power there and someday rebuild the clan. The people of Skyrim must pray that such a day never comes…
The Aundae Vampire
Race: Altmer's the clear choice here. From a gameplay standpoint, their Highborn power, starting Fury spell, extra magicka, and relevant skill boosts (+10 Illusion, +5 Destruction, Restoration, and Conjuration) make them perfect for the build. From a roleplay standpoint, all the members of the Aundae Clan in Morrowind are Altmer.
Stone: I used the Shadow Stone up until I got the Invisibility spell and Expert Illusion perk, at which point I switched over to the Ritual for some fun with raising masses of corpses.
Stats: 3/1/0. While you shouldn't be getting hit a lot, health shouldn't be neglected, though the focus should be on magicka. Stamina use is very limited, and what little is used up can be restored back via Respite.
Equipment: Blade of Woe, Mage’s Circlet, Necromancer Amulet (from Blood on the Ice), Archmage’s Robes, Ring of the Erudite (Nightweaver’s Band for those without Dawnguard), Shrouded Hand Wraps, Shrouded Shoes.
Shouts: Aura Whisper and Throw Voice are great for stealth. You should also pick up Ice Breath and Ice Form as they fit in with the frost magic theme of the build.
Quests: The College of Winterhold, Dark Brotherhood, and Volkihar are the primary questlines that the Aundae Vampire should pursue. The Dragonborn Main Quest is also a nice option for the lucrative Black Book abilities.
Skills
Sneak/One-Handed: A natural skill choice for any assassin. You’ll want to max out Stealth and perk your way up the right side of the tree to Assassin's Blade. Putting some perks into Armsman in the One-Handed tree will ensure that your sneak attacks will continue to be lethal on higher levels and difficulties.
Conjuration: A master necromancer, the Aundae Vampire is capable of raising undead of all kinds, but can also summon Frost Atronachs and Dremora Lords. Grab all the perks in this tree except for Master Conjuration, the Bound Weapon perks, and Conjuration Dual Casting.
Illusion: The Aundae Vampire is an expert in this school of magic, manipulating enemies while staying out of sight. Frenzy spells are what you'll primarily be using, but Courage spells are also nice to use on your undead minions once the Master of the Mind perk is obtained. Grab everything in this tree.
Destruction: When discovered, the Aundae Vampire uses frost spells for offense. Perkwise, you should work your way up the tree to Expert Destruction and grab the frost related perks as well.
Restoration: Whether they are casted on yourself or your undead minions, healing spells are always useful, as is the Necromage perk on a vampire. Your primary targets are Adept Restoration and Necromage. Later on you can grab Respite, both ranks of Recovery, and Avoid Death.
You should be at level 55 once the build is completed.
Combat
Start off battles by sneak attacking a foe to quietly eliminate them; then sneak back into the shadows and raise their body to make them fight the other enemies. At higher Conjuration levels, you can skip the sneak attack part and simply summon a Frost Atronach or Dremora Lord if you so choose. Note that summoning spells are relatively loud when casted, so try to pick up the Quiet Casting perk as soon as you can. Once your enemies are sufficiently distracted by your minion, start dual casting frenzy spells at them to get them to start fighting each other. When you get the chance, move in and hit them with another sneak attack, slipping back into stealth if you can. However, if you get detected, start firing off frost spells to finish your foes off. The slow effect from the frost damage should keep the enemies at bay, but with 0 AR, all it takes is a couple of solid hits to ruin the Aundae Vampire’s day, though healing spells will help you stave off death. Still, if things get too dangerous, paralyze your assailants with Ice Form and escape back into the shadows, where you can sow confusion amongst the enemy once again.
Replies
This is exactly how I envisioned the Aundae vampire clan to be like, good work Al!
Thanks guys!
It’s a nice build but what happened to the video?
Great build Albino!, your build rank is apprentice now :)
Shouldn't he join the Dawnguard to help get rid of the Volkihar? Vampire or not, If he's from another clan, he would stay loyal to his clan, vampires are territorial like that. They don't particularly go around changing clans because every vampire clan has a different bloodline. But I guess that could all be said for any vampire build, it's hard to roleplay well with a lore friendly vampire from another clan