Disclaimer: This build is my take on the build guide from Furrion17, The Hex Weaver. By all means, go check it out and, if you are like me and end up thinking "having to switch constantly between spells and swapping them out is a pain in the bum"... Maybe this is the build for you.
How long has it been since I last saw the sunlight? Or even another person... Mara help m-
...
No. They don't deserve any more prayers. I'm on my own... Time to get out of this hole.
As the Third Empire was being cornered on multiple sides by the Thalmor, the Stormcloaks and even the local "fauna" that ravaged their troops even before managing to reach the battlegrounds; General Tullius started a secret proyect to create super-soldiers by any means possible.
And so, a watchtower in Eastmarch was constructed with the alibi of it being a regular prison for dangerous criminals. While at the beginning they only experimented on actual criminals, the alchemists and mages soon discovered that the younger the subjects were, the faster their bodies adapted to the chemicals.
Normally Tullius wouldn't approve such actions but he didn't have a choice, now even the Forsworn were rebelling and man-power was scarce... But the more the war went on, the more orphans were lying around.
Alyn Vinte was one of those orphans, and the only one that survived the catastrophe inside the watchtower.
THIS IS A MODDED BUILD, granted, can be played without any mods but you'll be missing a lot.
Mods recommended:
- Ordinator
- Imperious
- Andromeda
- Wildcat
- Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul
- Alternate Start
- Combat Gameplay Overhaul
Want to turn it up a notch?:
I've slain countless dremora, giants... Even a couple of dragons... So why men keep throwing their lives away attacking me when I'm clearly armed? Am I that pretty?
Alyn talking with a shocked bartender after butchering 3 bounty hunters inside a tavern.
Race: Pretty much anything goes; but for roleplaying purposes I chose an Imperial, thanks to Imperious this race starts with:
- Discipline: The less useful, grants near allies 150 points of armor and 15% attack damage; as this build is a "solo" one, it seems pointless, but remember that in some quests you are forced to take a companion, and this makes it so they are (at least) a good punching bag.
- Imperial Virtues: Whenever Alyn enter combat, she regenerates either Health Magicka or Stamina a 100% faster. This regeneration is chosen randomly.
- The Human Spirit: At level 10/20/30 you can change permanently attributes, resistances and skills. Go with (Stats) +100 Health -50 Magicka; (Resistances) +50% Poison -25% Shock; (Skills) Two Handed +20, Heavy Armour -20/Light Armour +20, Pickpocket -20/Speech +20, Lockpicking -20.
Standing Stone: The Warrior is a go-to, but later when she starts getting some perks and you unlock the stones powers, she might want to swap it to The Lord.
The Warrior
- Fierce Spirit: Power attacks do 15% more damage, and ranged weapons do up to 15% more damage based on distance. Useful both when beheading enemies at melee, or do a bit extra with a crossbow against the vermin that likes to fly around for long.
- Warrior's Path: Learn all the "Warrior" Skills 10% faster. Useful for leveling up Two Handed, but that's it.
- Star of the West: Unlockable power that let's Alyn refill Health and Stamina, and fortify them for 30 seconds. A great combo with Colovian Star.
The Lord
- Crown of Autumn: Alyn can't regenerate Stamina in combat, but her power attacks deal 20% more damage and stagger.
- Old Stone: With this, Alyn can power attack even when out of Stamina, dealing 30% less damage and stagger.
- Kneel or Be Knelt: Unlockable power that throws targets to the ground, and deals 15 magic damage per 10 seconds, absorbing it as Stamina.
Name: Alyn Vinte
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown; Her physical appearance is that of a woman around her 30s.
Religion: Prior to her kidnapping, she was taught to praise the Eight Divines. After living such hell while imprisoned Alyn doesn't care anymore, seeing the Aedra and Daedra the same: a means to an end.
Alliances: Imperial Citizen (Prior). Currently she doesn't want any ties.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral. Being used and controlled almost all her life, Alyn values her own freedom over anything else. She won't take any sides unless there is good coin in it for her; be it killing monsters, saving people in need or aiding a organization, if the job is worth her time, she'll do it no matter who's the client.
Personality: Alyn is a quiet and distrustful woman. She doesn't want (or need) friends only to hold her down. As such she'll try to travel and work as a mercenary alone as much as possible. and when forced to cooperate with others will disregard their safety, focusing on completing the job... That is unless the job itself is to protect someone or something.
Weapons: As we are going for a Two Handed build, we'll need Greatswords, two of them of course.
- Steel for humans. Any would work for this but for RP purposes we shouldn't upgrade it beyond steel. This one will be used against any humanoid enemy we find, from regular humans to giants and even "normal" animals should be dealt with this sword.
- Silver for monsters. The silver Greatsword is a perfect fit, doing extra damage to undead as it is. We'll be using silver against any "magic" creature: dragons, undead, vampires, dremora, cursed (Werewolves/Werebears), etc.
Armor: Any light armor would do the job, but if you don't have any mods regarding this and want something along the lines of "Witcher Gear", the Dawnguard light version is a perfect fit.
Jewelry: This is your own choice, but for the sake of this build...
- Amulet of Talos: Alyn doesn't care about the so-called Divines, but their boons are still useful for a monster hunter. This will help her use the Signs more often. (Read the "Signs" section down below)
- Ring of Peerless Sure Grip: Tricky to get, can find it as loot or in some stores, but the 40% added damage is worth the trouble.
Stats: 0 magick, 10/15 health (I'd recommend 15 if you are using Wildcat with Burst Injuries), everything else into Stamina.
Major Skills:
Two-Handed: Her body is not that of a regular human anymore. Wouldn't make sense for her to use regular swords when she can brandish something heavier.
Pff-... Seen kids playing with bigger swords than yours!
Recommended Perks:
- (20) Trained Fighter- With this, she can hit more times before tiring herself.
- (40) Ferocious Strength- Hit harder, hit faster, and aim for their heads. Those creepy necromancers can't raise the beheaded.
- (60) Subjugate- Rare is the chance she gets to fight against one lone enemy. Efficiently hit them all at the same time.
Alchemy: Alyn learned a lot about concoctions and poisons while being subjected to them.
Never thought I would be grateful to those bastards...
Recommended Perks:
- (50) Lab Skeever- For 20 seconds after using any alchemy lab, beneficial potions she drinks last 15 times more and are 25% stronger. This is even stronger using Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul (I'll be calling it "CACO" for now on) as the mod adds some portable Mortar and Pestle, letting you create (weaker) pots and poisons on the go, and of course, benefit of this perk.
- (90) Chymical Wedding- Coupled with the pre-requisite perk of Witchmaster, gives you temporary buffs after drinking beneficial potions.
- (90) World Serpent- When she shouts, her blood boils, transforming itself in a dangerous poison to others. After a shout if she gets hit, can retaliate with +50 poison damage per second for 10 seconds.
- (100) That Which Does Not Kill You... (Optional)- After finding some texts about the experiments she went through, Alyn found out about a potent toxin, if she manages to survive long enough after consuming it, she'll get even stronger and maybe learn a bit more about potion-brewing.
Light Armor: She might not be a regular human but a strike in the heart is still mortal. Still, mobility can't be sacrificed.
Want me to tank a Giant? Drop the Skooma.
Recommended Perks:
- (40) Keen Senses- Wearing a helmet can prove useful to avoid damage to the head but also hinders her ability to scan the surroundings. This will let her use her body armor to deflect some dangerous hits.
- (60) Into the Maelstrom- Either be a group of Forsworn or a Giant and his Mammoths, the chances that she'll be fighting against more than one enemy at a time aren't small. Luckily her inhuman reflexes let her shrug off some of the damage.
- (70) Wardancer- When in combat she enters a trance, spotting weak points and exploting mistakes of the enemies. She needs to be fully focused so once she gets hit, she'll need a few seconds to re-focus again.
Speech: Alyn doesn't really talk a lot... But that makes it even more frightening whenever she does.
Nazeem, was it? I'm wondering if you could fit both my swords on that big mouth of yours.
Recommended Perks:
- (40) Windborne- Whenever she shouts, wind seems to aid her in battle, making her faster and deadlier.
- (50) Force Redoubled- Not even the Greybeards know how, but sometimes Alyn is able to shout almost non-stop without any drawbacks.
- (60) Hurricane Force- The more she gets used to shout the powerful these are. Jurgen Windcaller is in awe watching from Sovngarde.
Minor Skills:
Block: Sometimes is not even worth trying to dodge a strike. Why would she roll away of a meager thief when she can easily bash his little dagger away?
Did you really expect me to take that obvious blow?
Recommended Perks:
- (20) Timed Block- It's easy for Alyn to parry a weapon with some force, making the enemy stagger for a few moments.
- (30) Poke the Dragon- Parrying not only lets her avoid damage, but also open her enemies defenses, allowing her to hit their weak spots.
Smithing: Bought and found equipment is fine... But why stop there when she could craft some or upgrade them?
Adrianne we all already know you aren't the best smith, now could you shh for a bit?
Recommended Perks:
- (0) Smithing Mastery- She doesn't care about elven or dwarven metal, no need to be picky when steel and silver cuts all the same.
Usually here I would write down some "RP locked" potions and poisons to follow the Witcher lore, but adding a mod as CACO, you would be missing on a lot if I limited the number of effects Alyn is allowed to use.
This doesn't make her overpowered by any means, thanks to the combat mods, you still need to plan and prepare for the fights.
The Signs are weak and basic spells that Witchers use in combat to balance their skills with the blade. Now some may be thinking "But so far you seem to disregard any sort of magic in this build!" and congrats! You are right, using magic would mean needing to use One Handed and swapping spells (and even unequipping them to block). And while it can be viable it's a mess unless you use some mods to fix that.
So instead we'll be using the next best thing: Shouts.
(Side note: We'll only be using the first word of each shout, except with "Axii" as you need to use 2 for it to work)
-Aard: Unrelenting Force (FUS)
Aard throws foes off-balance, letting Alyn catch some breath or hit without danger.
-Axii: Bend Will (GOL-HAH)
With Axii she can turn the tides of a battle, making people and animals temporal allies.
-Igni: Fire Breath (YOL)
A burst of flame that engulfs her enemies for a few seconds. Deadly against undead.
-Quen: Become Ethereal (FEIM)
Alyn uses Quen to defend herself, allowing her to avoid dangerous blows or traps completely for a few seconds.
-Yrden: Slow Time (TIID)
Yrden lets Alyn slow down foes, making it easier to fight a big group or dodge ranged attacks.
Using Alternate Start Alyn will begin her journy in that same cell inside the "Abandoned Prison". Be careful, not only she'll have limited lockpicks... But it seems she isn't the only one roaming it's halls.
Summary:
CACO: As I said before, this mod adds mortars and pestles that let you do alchemy virtually anywhere, but the good stuff doesn't stop there.
- Rebalance of Alchemy: If you've been playing Skyrim for a while you probably already know how broken this skill can be, from getting you dozens of thousands of gold to a loop for overpowered enchantements. CACO tweaks a lot of things to make it fair yet strong, and adds some new ingredients and effects.
- Alchemist's Retort: A tool to make wax coatings for your weapons. These are similar to regular poisons but are a bit weaker and in exchange they last way longer. Think of them as Witcher Oils.
- Altars: They no longer cure diseases. Being able to create the cure yourself on the go, stopping by an Altar to heal them would be a waste of time... And RP-wise Alyn would avoid using them as much as possible.
- Potion Consumption: You can't spam the potions to heal to full mid-battle. Now they work on a timer, that is, they heal you over time (you can choose between 1s/5s/10s). If you drink another before the other finishes, they'll override, healing you only the amount of the new potion.
CACO adds a lot of other things like food and cooking, but lets move on.
Roleplay: If you are familiar with the Witcher universe you probably won't need any advice here but for those that don't...
- Alyn is no hero nor villain. Doesn't matter if a boy ask Alyn to kill a very bad granma or if a pack of wolves are attacking town; either they pay her in gold or they help themselves. (No, a family relic won't do ffs)
- The tools of the trade. Never, ever take a fight unprepared. She has a lot of options to strengthen herself, and taking a fight against two dragons head on is a shortcut to Sovngarde.
- Not everything is white or black. Even those that aid others have dark secrets. As an example, if she joins the Companions she'll do so only until she finds their "secret". And will refuse the offer.
Synergies:
It's true that this build use "low tier" weapons and armor, steel and silver weapons can only get you so far... But here is where the perks and skills come in. Speech buffes your "Signs" to the point that they hit harder and makes Alyn able of (almost) spamming them non-stop. Two-Handed, Block and Light Armor synergizes well, letting you counter attack faster and harder. And Alchemy is the big cherry on top, keeping it all together and giving her the edge against the harder foes.
Fighting:
- Against melee: Thanks to Combat Gameplay Overhaul (CGO) Alyn have actual choices, she can block the enemy attacks, allowing for a parry and the consequent counter... But if the enemy is power attacking and she is low on stamina or health, roll-dodging away is the better choice. When fighting powerful foes, waxing the swords and drinking some potions is heavily recommended.
- Against Ranged (Archers): Yrden, Quen and Axii are useful here, never underestimate archers while playing with "Burst Injuries" from Wildcat, Alyn can end up disarmed, falling in the ground or even dead. Aard can also help her close the gap while stopping them to shoot.
- Against Ranged (Magic, Dragons): These ones are undoubtedly the hardest to fight. Against mages, if they are in a group try to finish them off before anyone else, and if there are more than one, focus the necromancers. With Ferocious Strenght she can minimize the number of undead they can raise, but Alyn should still focus them down. If they managed to raise some, cast Igni and rush in for the kill.
Against dragons, she can poke them using a crossbow until they land. Waxes, potions, signs and avoiding their bites are crucial to survive a fight with one. If near a Giant camp, cast Axii on some Mammoths and let the big boys do the lifting.
First of all, none of the art and drawings are my own, and all the credit goes to them.
Secondly... I said it already but this build is my take on the one made by Furrion17: The Hex Weaver so go check his builds out!
And lastly, this is my first ever build (I'm saying it like you can't already tell by the lack of decent presentation...) maybe I'll do some more in the future but who knows. Anyway hope you managed to reach this far and if so please go ahead and drop any thoughts or criticism you have, either about the build, the character... Anything is welcomed!
Replies
I HIGHLY Recommend the mod grandmasters wolven armour the mod alows you to craft it in two colors grey and a mix of red brown and grey you also get two swords steel and silver with the mod . lastly i always make my charcter male REALLY like the back story here however i use the hex weaver,s vamperim and no i do not cure it i do not go with the devines rather lady nocturnal as some vampires bow to her too particually those from cyrodil or they revere clacvis vile these are just my thoughts and what i have learnt from watching the lady of scrolls videos on youtube
Yeah there are tons of armor mods (and some weapons as well) based on the Witcher universe... For this build I would go with Ciri's if I had to choose one; tho, I agree the Wolven one is lit af, at least the female version.
About vampirism/lycanthropy, this build isn't as viable with any of those. Mainly because I'm using Sacrosant and being forced to stay indoors at daytime is a bit too much; besides as The Vedymin doesn't use magic at all, she won't benefit from the buffs to destruction, illusion and stealth, yet she'll be getting a -25% resistance to fire... Lycanthropy can be a bit more viable... Yet she'll be losing on Alchemy exp, by being inmune to all diseases (so she doesn't have to craft [Cure Disease] pots); and losing the exp buff from sleeping is a heavy blow as well, leveling up light armor, alchemy and speech without using exploits is not a fast thing to do.
About praising some gods, Adyn has her own motives for not doing so, but if you want to include them on your take of the build I heavily recommend Wintersun as it overhauls the whole "religion" system of the game, check it out!
I play a male imperial when playing this build i normally max myself out by level 142 but i usually stop im the cheat room,s exp chamber by level 141 this leaves a huge gap for Learning skills till i hit 142 so i tend max the Character out in everything even skills i do not use mainly i do this for two reasons role play purposes someone as long lived would have picked up a few tricks the other reason i do alot of quests i find it vexing when some skill you get as a reward takes you over set limt i have ocd so i notice this enough to bug me . with Witcher armours i would like to see someone make one baased pefectly on the neflex show i,m doing that style of witcher look for cosplay event at some stage sans the contacts and white hair because i am modeling my look on this concept but male and wearing the armour of the mentoned netflex style I also always use wintersun in my playthrough
With vamperism i suggest the mod ring of the cursed sun something ive been using with my play throughs recently as for werewolfs cannot help there as i do not use them