Character Build: The Novitiate Hero

Hello, my fellow Tamriellic Vaulters, to my latest build, and my entry for the Two in Two Event. With conjured weapons, a rather fatalistic desire to help people, and mobility, welcome to....

Brave Shine

My body is made of swords

My blood is steel, my heart is glass

I have emerged unvanquished from many battles

Never have I been put to flight,

But neither have I stood victorious.

Its bearer stands here alone,

Forging steel atop a hill of blades.

For that reason, my life has never needed meaning.

My body has been made of infinite swords.

 

A hero. That’s all you’ve ever wanted to be. Like a number of your renowned ancestors, and like the great men and women you read about in stories. Ordinary people who took a stand, and fought against the darkness to keep the innocent from death. However, since you were young, you’ve found yourself quite the subpar mage, only able to do a handful of spells at the most. Instead of letting your weakness overtake you, you trained, and explored, trying to find some way to boost your magical potential.

When you came of age, hearing rumors of dragons and vampires appearing in Skyrim, one of the first settled provinces, you bid farewell to your family in High Rock, and journeyed to the frozen land filled with magic and buried mysteries, hoping to save as many innocent lives from the carnage....

RaceBreton. I liked the idea of an individual coming from such a magically talented race being subpar in magic. Alongside that, they have a useful 25% Magic Resistance, the Dragonskin ability, allowing for a once-a-day 50% Magic Absorption, and a bonus to Conjuration.

Stat Spread: 0/1/3 in Magicka, Health, and Stamina. With the rather substantial boost the Advanced Atronach will grant us, and the limited amount of spells at our disposal, a large Magicka pool isn’t necessary. Stop perking health at about 170.

Standing Stone: The Mage to start with, then once you get the Alchemist perk up to at least 3/5, chug down a handmade Fortify Restoration potion or two to boost up the Atronach Stone to the Advanced Atronach Stone.

 

The Novitiate Hero facing off against the mighty bear.

 

GAMEPLAY

While this build can be played on Vanilla with the DLC, and as a PS4 player I am left without many mods I enjoyed on PC Skyrim and might enjoy on the XBox ONE. One mod I found adds the famous Unlimited Blade Works ability as a multicast needed Alteration spell.

This build, unlike a majority of mage characters I’ve done, only focuses on a few spells. Aside from the three (four with the Dragonborn DLC), Bound Weapon spells which will be, alongside Shouts, our only methods of fighting with our follower, who will be a mage-type follower. Once I had the necessary funds Jenassa from the Drunken Huntsman in Whiterun. As the build playthrough won’t last too long, she’ll do for the entirety of the playthrough, and his a decent follower.

The playthrough was pretty dang fun. From Helgen, all I needed was a simple Longbow, easily attainable from the, in my run, Stormcloaks archers in that one chamber with the little drawbridge, Iron Arrows, which you can get from those same archers, and a few from Hadvar, as well as another Longbow, and the Novice Hood and Robe you get from the dead mage.

Once done, and once you get a decent supply of gold from dicking about Whiterun Hold, and from brewing a few potions, I hopped a carriage to Winterhold, joined up with the College of Winterhold, and bought the highest level Robes of Conjuration I could grab from Enthir, as well as the Bound Weapon Spells. To grab Bound Dagger, we’ll need to make a quick stopover in Solstheim, provided you possess the Dragonborn DLC. Speaking of the College, I didn´t continue it past Hitting the Books, but I did make use of the facilities and NPCs.

Combat will generally begin with the Bound Bow, poisoned if possible. Once our enemies get within melee distance, then either dual-wielded Bound Swords, Bound Daggers, or a Bound Sword and Bound Dagger will be used. Even though I played this build on Adept, I found never staying still for too long, backpedaling and circling my opponent kept me alive, since the only armor I used was Penitus Oculatus Bracers and Boots, rather than trying to tank the blows like so many of my other characters could. The Bound Battleaxe was used against tougher opponents, like heavily armored Reaver Lords or Bandit Chiefs.

Alchemy wise, the only noteworthy potions I made were Fortify Restoration potions, made with either Abecean Longfin and Salt Pile, or Salt Pile and Small Antlers, and Restore Magicka/Health/Stamina potions. All others were made to A) Help level Alchemy or B) Sell to get some sweet, sweet Septims.

Dragons and Mages were fairly easy. Use trees and the like to block most, if not all of the damage from their Shouts, coupled with Dragonskin, as Shouts do count as magical attacks. Then, using a Bound Bow, with some help from your follower, pepper the dragon with arrows until they land, then switch over to dual-wielding Bound Swords, or a Bound Battleaxe, and circle the landed dragon, hacking at it. Repeat using a Bound Bow if it is able to lift off and fly until they’re dead. Due to the mini build nature of the Event, I wasn’t able to grab Dragonrend within the required level cap. Mages were a lot more squishy, as aside from Flesh Spells, very few mages you fight wear more than simple robes, and thus, just a quick Dragonskin, followed up by dual wielding some Bound Swords, and just cutting them to ribbons will do.

If you have Hearthfire and construct a home, I personally put down an Enchanter's Tower, Bedrooms, and a Storage Room, to give it a touch of an arcanist´s home. Marriage wise, I married Jenessa, who I RPed as my character´s fiancee.

 

PERKS

 

Equipment

Bound Weapons - Our primary damage dealers. Plus, the fact they have no weight reduces stamina usage when using power attacks.

Diadem of the Savant - While considered Light Armor, this nifty little trinket, which can easily be found on the little stump close to Froki´s Shack, slightly decreases spell cost for certain spells.

*X* Robes of Conjuration - These will be the primary attire of the build at later levels. Once you gain access to the College of Winterhold, speak to either Enthir, the shifty black market Bosmer mage, or Phinis Gester, the Conjuration trainer for the College, and purchase the highest level Robes of Conjuration you can.

Novitiate´s Striders - Penitus Oculatus Boots enchanted with Fortify Stamina Regen.

Hero´s Wristguards - Penitus Oculatus Bracers enchanted with Fortify One-Handed

A Promise Kept - Gold Ruby Necklace enchanted with Fortify Healing Rate. This seemingly insignificant pendant was given to you by your fiancee shortly before her departure to seek her fortunes. You promise to reunite with her, and eventually found her again in Whiterun.

Dragon-Blades Signet - Gold Diamond Ring enchanted with Fortify Two-Handed. The signet ring was said to have been worn by a mighty Jarl during Molag Bal´s attempted assimilation of Mundus. It glows with a faint light, and legends say it bolsters the bearer´s martial prowess.

Kanshou - Stalhrim Sword enchanted with Absorb Health. This blade said to have been paired with its twin by a wandering spellsword in days long past, is said to rejuvenate the wielder, and calm their nerves during a battle.

Bakuya - Ebony Sword enchanted with Chaos. This blade said to have been paired with its twin by a wandering spellsword in days long past, is said to bring elemental devastation upon any its blade so much as scratches, and bring forth righteous fury from the wielder.

 

A more experienced Novitiate Hero, his swords ready and waiting

 

Special Moves

 

Rho Aias - (Fortify Restoration+Single/Dual-Casted Wards)

This enhanced Ward was said to have defended a large village from an onslaught of Daedra during the Soulburst. While your Magicka supply is limited, it is said to block almost all attacks.

Unlimited Blade Works - (Secret of Arcana/Strength+Potion of Fortify One-Handed+Dual-Cast Bound Swords+Dragon Aspect)

Through all your years of study, and determination of fulfilling your dream, no matter its flaws, you created a world in your mind which, though it taxes you, can be brought into reality, or pull others into this mental landscape, where swords, weapons without number, await your call.

 

Roleplay

  • Help anyone in need, no matter what it may cost you. In quests like ¨In My Time of Need¨ consider who you believe is telling the truth before going through with your decisions.

  • Once per day, cast a Bound Weapon spell and start hacking and shooting at the training dummies and archery targets in Whiterun, as a form of training.

  • Never steal, unless you absolutely have to.

  • Never strike down a surrendering enemy. If they, however, choose to get up and try and kill you again, then feel free to gut ´em.

 

Thanks

Thanks to Duvain for the sweet Perk Spread, nice job for a newcomer in the world of spreads dude, and thank you, my friends, for reading.

 

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