Master Illusion / Assassin + Funny Stories

[Ariadne33]

My character is named Dream. She's a Breton Illusionist + Assassin. Here's my build: http://skyrimcalculator.com/265257

I power leveled, going to Riverwood, getting Faendal as a follower and buying training and trading my money back. Then I pickpocketed trainers all over Skyrim until Pickpocket was 100 (no perks though). I went back to Riverwood and Sneak attacked Hodvar until that was 100, then I went to Whiterun and bought Muffle, casting that over and over until THAT was 100. I've done so many characters, I like to get to what starts making a build unique which isn't until around 20-30, I don't like the super low level stuff anymore.

As I quested, I found a Soul Trap weapon and started collecting filled gems to raise Enchanting. I use the Lord Stone but fast travel to the Guardian Stones and get Lover's Comfort whenever I'm planning a leveling session. Next I made a set of armor with -100% cost Alteration + Conjuration and sat next do a dead body with hundreds of iron ore and cast Transmute w/ one hand and Soul Trap w/ the other until those were 100. Smithing was kind of miserable now that you can't do it quickly with iron daggers but I just bought out every vendor and made every piece of gear I could.

Money isn't an issue because I found the Banish and Absorb Health enchants which make a single iron dagger worth 2k. This simplifies adventuring as I don't really need to micro manage the weight to value ratios of items I loot anymore. I don't fret about all the Silver Swords that get left on the ground

Anyway, my gear looks like this (I like to name my items btw)

STANDARD GEAR
Dreambreath Helm: Fortify Illusion (-25 cost) / Waterbreathing
Dreamguard Mail: Fortify Illusion (-25 cost) / Fortify Health (+62)
Dreamwalk Boots: Fortify Sneak (+40%) / Fortify Stamina (+62)
Shrouded Gloves: Backstab
Dreamvigil Amulet: Fortify Illusion (-25 cost) / Fortify Health (+62)
Dreamlover's Promise: Fortify Illusion (-25 cost) / Fortify Health (+62)
The Hellfire Shard: Absorb Health (20) / Fiery Soul Trap
Azura's Star
Sanguine Rose

I know I have cost reduction perks in Illusion, that was because I didn't want to struggle through the early levels until I got max Enchanting. I also thought about casting Restoration for free before deciding I just wanted the upfront health bonus. It's the surprise stuff that gets you: the traps, the bite of a dragon, the sabre tooth tiger behind you, etc.

The basic strategy is to Pacify everything and then Sneak attack at leisure. It's cheesy but I enjoy it and the graphics are amazing. My white-eyed, soulless Breton, slitting throats, their body bursting into flame right before I take their souls. Anyway, I used Sanguine Rose to help in group situations in the beginning but it's almost completely unnecessary now that I can cast Pacifies for free and dual cast them. There isn't much that isn't rendered harmless.

Dragons were a pain because I'm a horrible shot with a bow and it doesn't do much damage so takes forever. I did one-shot one with a Sneak attack once which was pretty funny though Nowadays, I use my few perks in Destruction along with -100% cost Destruction gear swaps to blast everything with lightning if I need to. I use lightning because you don't have to lead your shot the way you do with other elements (easier to hit moving dragons! plus it looks the prettiest).

My follower is Faendal and my spouse is Camilla, because I think it's funny that I help him get rid of Sven, then I steal his woman, now he follows me around tanking things in his Ebony Mail. I guess his self-esteem isn't too damaged by that turn of events. It's not his fault Camilla is into chicks

And lastly, I finally can get the add-ons for my PS3 (Yay!) so I tried to adopt a child. The lady asked what I did for work and I said I was an assassin. She thought I was joking! Hehe. Little does she know what kind of household the kid will grow up in: an assassin that tricks enemies into lowering their defenses so she can slit their throats and claim their souls, living with her lesbian wife, her wife's ex, another woman servant, and occasionally Dremora pets. Plus Dream is gone a lot so won't ever have time for the kid anyway, but that's okay. Lydia can handle it.

After all, she's "sworn to carry my burdens." LOL

 

[Ariadne33]

And I should've said Azura's Star is actually The Black Star and clarified that my armor is Legendary Dragon armor. I'm close to the armor cap (need 1 more Agile Defender perk I guess).

 

[Leseras]

Just a little advice. If you want to start with max levels and are going to waste time grinding, it might be better to just use the console command Advskill to get the levels instantly.

 

[Psiberzerker]

When you're grinding up Enchanting, Silver Swords are worth more than Iron Daggers, so you get more Experience enchanting them with Banish, and it levels a lot faster. It also works on things like Foreswords, which can be Improved (First, so you don't need Arcane) to level Smithing, and more Enchanting. Just trying to make your (And anyone elses', who reads this) next build go quicker. Since the Iron Dagger Glitch got patched, the quickest way to power level Smithing is to make/improve the most valuable items you can (just like Enchanting, and Alchemy.) I usually just hunt, and Improve Foresworn Armor, because it's valuable, and there's an almost unlimited supply. (You'll run out of Skill Levels before you run out of Foresworn Armor pieces, and leather, especially if you go back, and re-improve pieces as your skill advances.) This means I don't have to mine, and Smelt, neither of which give you any XP, and I can take brief crafting breaks mid-adventure (Most Redoubts have Smithing Stations) rather than just clicking through menus for hours to grind it up in one go. It also means you don't have to haul too many materials around all the time.

Also, if you have 2 good Followers, like a Housecarl, and Spouse (Who can go Adventuring with you) you can load them up, fill a Chest with Ingots/Hides/Armor.., have them Take All, and send them home. Grab another Follower to pack mule until you get back, and then, you'll have piles of materials to work with when you return. I like having 2 Bases, like Sky haven Temple, (You can use recruited Blades the same way, and Fast travel straight to the Boss Chest) and Whiterun, or Riverwood. That way, you can alternate back, and forth, trading a laden follower for an empty one. With multiple houses, and bases, you can do triangular trade, or rotate around the circuit to sweep the Holds of anything, and everything valuable...

 

[Ariadne33]

Just a little advice. If you want to start with max levels and are going to waste time grinding, it might be better to just use the console command Advskill to get the levels instantly.

"And lastly, I finally can get the add-ons for my PS3 (Yay!)"

Plus I kinda like grinding sometimes, I know I'm weird

 

[Ariadne33]

And thanks for the other advice, Psi, kinda late though... Wish I'd known that sooner... hehe. I suppose maybe with the next character... Think I'm going to stick with this one for a while though. My goal was to have a character that I'd enjoy doing all the quests with (I know I can't literally do ALL of them. I had to kill Narfi for example because I couldn't get his quest with the Dark Brotherhood one active). This character is powerful, fun, and graphically very cool to see do her stuff whether it's backstab kill shots or dual casting lightning at dragons