Unique Build Ideas?

[=CrimsoN=]

I've found that I only ever play Skyrim characters for long periods of time if they are unique character builds in the world of fantasy RPGs.

I've only beaten the main quest twice as a death knight (based off the WoW version) and as a pyro knight (basically a spellsword that only uses fire magick and fire damage enchanted swords). I've had a lot of fun playing the pyro knight, and Im looking for something unique in that aspect (being something unique like that).

Hoping for a little inspiration here.

[MyProfile]

Look a here.
http://theskyrimblog.ning.com/group/character-building/forum/topics/the-character-build-archive

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by MyProfile:

Look a here.
http://theskyrimblog.ning.com/group/character-building/forum/topics/the-character-build-archive

Yep. Been using that for awhile now.

[Rocket]

Mine's a multi-purpose Nord. He's saved the world as a benevolent Nordic hero clad in heavy armour and armed with a sword and shield, then went on to play the assassin complete with the sneaky moves and now he's trying to understand the game's messed up world by searching the halls of Apocrypha. People may say whatever they want but the one truth is: Rulfgard just follows the booty.

[Yeast]

I play a pure argonian Cryomancer
It's hard

[Shrapnel]

How can you have a 'build' in skyrim when there's literally nothing from stopping you from maxing everything?
A build consists of putting your *limited* amount of stats into certain skills to play/fight through a certain style.
There's no limit on what you can do in Skyrim.

[Spooks72]

google "wildlings skyrim" ...

[Brandybuck]

I'm in the same boat. Going to start a new playthrough this weekend, and still not sure what I'm going to go with. Dwemer mechanic, orc Shaman, one of the below? Dunno.

Anyway, coming from the less is more approach to builds, here are some ideas:

Pure Alteration Mage: Pure mage focusing on Alteration. No perks in other magic schools other than cost reduction perks. No armor, must use mage armor for defense. Putting out damage is going to be hard, so consider getting a tankie follower/bodyguard for when you have to delve into dungeons. Daggers are acceptable, or a quarterstaff if you have a mod for it.

The Naked Nord Brawler: In homage to the naked Nords of Morrowind. No armor, no clothes, no weapons, no stealth. You're drunk and you're looking for a fight. You punch people, that's what you're good at. You may use heavy armor gauntlets for the Fists of Steel perk. You may use thrown weapons if you have a mod. You may use Alteration, Destruction (frost), and Restoration, but cannot put perks into them. You may use an axe ONLY if you find a Nordic or Stahlrim axe enchanted with lightning. It's your axe Cloudcleaver that you lost so many years ago.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

Originally posted by Shrapnel:

How can you have a 'build' in skyrim when there's literally nothing from stopping you from maxing everything?
A build consists of putting your *limited* amount of stats into certain skills to play/fight through a certain style.
There's no limit on what you can do in Skyrim.

A build is also just a general term people use for a character archetype. It's a goal to set for leveling your character. I agree with what you're saying, but not everybody plays a single character all the way to max stats. A build, then, would be the final stat sheet at a high (but not max) level.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by Cake for Žižek:

Originally posted by Shrapnel:

How can you have a 'build' in skyrim when there's literally nothing from stopping you from maxing everything?
A build consists of putting your *limited* amount of stats into certain skills to play/fight through a certain style.
There's no limit on what you can do in Skyrim.

A build is also just a general term people use for a character archetype. It's a goal to set for leveling your character. I agree with what you're saying, but not everybody plays a single character all the way to max stats. A build, then, would be the final stat sheet at a high (but not max) level.

^This. For example, the pyro knight I created didnt have a single perk in anything other than Destruction, One-Handed, Enchanting, Conjugation and Light Armor. When I would have reached the level needed for the perks I wanted I would have stopped distributing perks.

I can't stand "jack of all trades" characters since it just feels boring for me (and a bit overpowered). I like a challenge, so I like to create specialized characters with strengths and weaknesses.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by LeCacty:

I play a pure argonian Cryomancer
It's hard

I know what you mean. Frost magick sucks in Skyrim cause of how many things are resistant to it. It also seems like it doesnt work the way it is supposed to by slowing enemies down. It slows me down when its fired at me, but doesnt seem to slow enemies down when I use it.

I remember that I tried to create the Oblivion version of the Necromancer NPC class (basically conjugation and frost magick destruction). I ended up giving up at Bleak Falls Barrow because it was just such a hassle.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by Brandybuck:

I'm in the same boat. Going to start a new playthrough this weekend, and still not sure what I'm going to go with. Dwemer mechanic, orc Shaman, one of the below? Dunno.

Anyway, coming from the less is more approach to builds, here are some ideas:

Pure Alteration Mage: Pure mage focusing on Alteration. No perks in other magic schools other than cost reduction perks. No armor, must use mage armor for defense. Putting out damage is going to be hard, so consider getting a tankie follower/bodyguard for when you have to delve into dungeons. Daggers are acceptable, or a quarterstaff if you have a mod for it.

The Naked Nord Brawler: In homage to the naked Nords of Morrowind. No armor, no clothes, no weapons, no stealth. You're drunk and you're looking for a fight. You punch people, that's what you're good at. You may use heavy armor gauntlets for the Fists of Steel perk. You may use thrown weapons if you have a mod. You may use Alteration, Destruction (frost), and Restoration, but cannot put perks into them. You may use an axe ONLY if you find a Nordic or Stahlrim axe enchanted with lightning. It's your axe Cloudcleaver that you lost so many years ago.

Thank you! Interesting ideas! I like it :D

[liosalpha]

Getting skyrim redone mod makes some new classes more fun.
Like a sumoner with restoration and conjuration. (can even make an little undead army with it)
Or a single element mage. (some perks exclude other in the mod)
My paladin was fun too. Sword and shield, heavy armor, restoration for auras and persuation for better shouts/ charisma.
It also has a unarmed perks, they are realy strong, but you cant block.

[Weasel Biggs]

Seeing as anything's possible, giving you "unique" build ideas seems a bit hard. If anything, I find that character concepts start to emerge if you stop thinking of Skyrim as a minmaxer's paradise and actually try and roleplay your way around things. Speechcraft suddenly becomes hugely important - especially if you have the Immersive Speechcraft mod installed.

Here's a few concepts I've toyed around with in the past:
The Blind and Elderly Breton Mage - I spam Detect Life and refuse to allow myself to stay at a safe distance. Consequently, I've pumped more levels into Health than Magicka. Dude's a mage who runs towards all loud noises and tries to unload all he's got so the other guy dies before he does.

The Disgraced Kleptomaniac Nobleman - an Imperial who simply MUST pickpocket as many people as possible. I chalk that up to his chronically wandering hands and to his problems not being controllable in a conscious manner. His hands just nick stuff, and he's left going "Oh, snap! Look at all those armed guards running towards me!"

That means I pump Pickpocket to the max and ignore practically everything else, except Speechcraft. Combat abilities develop accidentally and I deliberately let enemies whale on me. Dude's not an awesome adventurer or warrior; he's a pampered dandy with a condition!

The Warlock - an Orc specializing in Destruction, Conjuration and One-Handed weapons. A huge racist and an all-around git, I really lean on the guy's spite towards the Empire and his purely practical allegiance with the Stormcloaks. Chances are this guy's going to kill Ulfric after the Civil War questline is done with. It's time the Orsimer came down from the Wrothgarian and Dragontail Mountains and claimed Tamriel for their own! Only the might of Malacath's Chosen will ever manage to oppose the Thalmor's heretical beliefs!

The Naive Hunter - this Bosmer is a nice gal. She's so young and so nice and so in touch with Nature's fuzzy and cute sides that she ignores everything about the more ruthless aspects of Skyrim. I avoid killing as much as possible, but the more she kills, the more she's changed, retreating away from civilization for increasing periods of time.

The Skooma Dealer - this Khajiit is all about sleaze and easy profits; everything so he has enough to renew his stock and propose his services to Skyrim's wandering wastrels. His morals are nothing but a smoking crater in the pit of his blackened soul and he'd be a prime candidate for the Dark Brotherhood - if only consuming his own product hadn't made him so terribly paranoid...

Everyone's out to get him. Everyone has ulterior motives and nobody can be trusted. Playing him means being ready to break quests on a whim, because this dude doesn't have any problems with pulling his dagger out of nowhere and gutting folks left and right.

The Argonian Layabout - dude doesn't wanna work, because work's hard, maaaaan. Screw The Man, he'll just live off the land and do his thing. The problem is, hunting is hard and killing people is hard, too!

Playing him means mostly relying on followers and doing everything you can in order to AVOID levelling. Heck, even getting thrown in jail works. A jail cell counts as a free set of walls and a bed, right?

That's mostly how I go about creating "builds". I come up with a fun concept and try and explore it as best I can.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by WeaselBiggs:

-snip-

Those are all brilliant roleplays. Hell, they are 10x better than anything Bethesda comes up with. Good ideas too. Thanks.

[Jonocat25]

I'd guess that an Altmer unarmed melee combat only in light armor would be unique. I also think that that would be a short playthrough before you rage quit after dying 15 times bewteen Helgen and Whiterun.