Thrall Thread : Living with the dead

[Daelon DuLac]

Hee... Hee... Funny my fury doesn't seem to work on them, although, for some reason it does work on bears. That's fun. I like to sic 'em on Riften guards.

Since Giants are level 30, a dual-casted Fury with the Animage perk will do. Although, it'd be much easier to hit 'em with a Frenzy (w/perks) because of the stronger level and AoE. Check the level caps of the Illusion spells on UESP. Levels are further increased for undead by Necromage.

Sorry, I did mean Frenzy. Once I get the higher level spell, I always unfavorite the lower level one. I've never tried the dual cast although I do have all the animages.

 

[KingNero]

Hi I’m new to this forum but I’ve been following this thread since 2012. I’ve wanted to add to this thread for a while now but I never thought I had anything significant enough to contribute until now. I discovered though out my travels of Skyrim is that the final dragon priest mask, Konharik, has been vastly underestimated for its uses. From Konharik it is possible to obtain two permanent spectral dragon priests with the twins souls perk by using the fortify restoration potion glitch and creating an overpowered fortify conjuration potion.

Steps to do this:
Step 1. Find an enemy, (and it must be an enemy for the mask to work not any of the traps found in dungeons) preferably a weak enemy or one that can deal consistent damage (any bandit will do).
Step 2. Equip Konharik and drink the fortify conjuration potion at about 30-40% health and let the enemy attack you until you’re a little above 15% of your maximum health
Step 3. Save (just in case the mask’s effect doesn’t summon a dragon priest, this may take a few reloads)
Step 4. Let the enemy get you below 15% health and if there is no summon reload the game.

Now if you want a second dragon priest you’ll have to use a calm spell and you’ll need to create and use an overpowered fortify illusion spell or if you have enough perks unlocked in the illusion tree just dual cast pacify to keep your first dragon priest calm while the enemy is attacking you then just repeat the steps. Now I know that they are technically summoned creatures and are considered summons but they are also undead and are affected by spells dedicated to the undead. The summoned dragon priest is level 50 and has 1490 health, 545 magicka, is 10% magic resistant and has immunity to frost, poison and any type of paralysis. Plus they only flinch when hit with a full unrelenting force shout.

Also another thing I’ve discovered is that the vampire’s servant stage 4 power granted as being a vampire is very useful for players who would rather have creatures serve them. With the necromage perk the player can summon creatures that are flagged as undead up to level 36 and standard creatures up to 30. The benefit of using the power over the dread zombie spell is that when the duration of the power wears off or if the creature dies or is dispelled the creatures do not turn to ash piles and can be re-resurrected. The most noteworthy of these creatures are Draugr Death Overlords level 34 variant, Werewolf Beastmaster level 28, Falmer shadowmaster shaman level 25, and Lurkers level 24. All of which have their own unique abilities as well as strengths and weaknesses. As for Dragonborn dlc thralls I’ve been focused on more of the creatures located on Solstheim but one NPC that stands out is Talvas Falthryon. At first glance he seems to be a weak contender compared to the other high powered mage thralls but what makes him stand out from the rest is the fact that he can heal himself and has a very wide array of spells and perks including necromage. This makes me curious to know if as an undead follower his necromage perk would take full effect and allow him to boost self-spells as well as some enchanted equipment given to him. Although he would no longer be able to continue to work as an active follower such as equipping apparel given to him, it would be interesting to see if there are any advantages to him being undead.

Another thing I would like to know is if changing your spouse into a vampire through the gift quest in the Dawnguard dlc actually flags that NPC as undead. This would be helpful to know because Valdimar from the Hearthfire dlc could be married, given the “gift,” converted into a blades member and then murdered to serve you in the afterlife as one of the most powerful dead thralls as his level cap is 50.

 

[iMACobra]

Another thing I would like to know is if changing your spouse into a vampire through the gift quest in the Dawnguard dlc actually flags that NPC as undead. This would be helpful to know because Valdimar from the Hearthfire dlc could be married, given the “gift,” converted into a blades member and then murdered to serve you in the afterlife as one of the most powerful dead thralls as his level cap is 50.

Unfortunately no, your spouse will not be considered undead even if you give them the "gift". If you check with Detect Dead, your spouse is not detected. They are still detected with Detect Life flagging them as still living. Of course other people would've tried this, including me. We would've known by now if this was possible. Sadly, it isn't. An even better way to check is to use Necromantic Healing or Heal Undead. Both don't work. Only normal healing spells will....

 

[Adam Warlock]

New build for Sonja- Stealthy Necro-Spellsword
No restoration exploits

Level 31 Breton Vampire Lord Stage 4
Base attributes 280MP , 220HP , 100SP
Knows Master Level spells in all schools
No combat/armor/sneak perks
Only useful magic perk outside of Conjuration , Alchemy , and Enchanting is Dual-Cast Illusion
Fortify Enchanting potions(35%), Seeker of Sorcery , Ahzidal`s Genius
Thanks to TG Hood , I can wear 3 pieces of head gear
no more contnuously juggling jewelry in my inventory unless it`s for crafting or emergencies


Jagged Crown- Fortify dest34%/alt34%
Circlet- Fortify dest34%/conj34%
Circlet2- Fortify dest 34%/illusion34%
Necklace- Health+85/Resist fire 63%
Ring of the Erudite- Magicka+100/ Magicka Regen boost
Chest- Health+85/Magicka Regen85%
Hands-Magicka+85/Sneak+55%
Boots- Muffle/Sneak+55%
Dunmer Shoes for daytime outside- Health Regen42%/StamRegen42%

Attributes when fully equipped= 465MP/390HP/100SP (-60 each in the sun)

Unlimited charges with 102% destruction cost reduction when dual-wielding Keening and unimproved Harkon`s Sword. Physical damage is low but the multiple absorb effects are da bomb !
2H weapon is Ebony Blade (love those kill animations)
Conjured Bow with poisoned arrows if archery wanted

Shalidor`s Insight`s scrolls- Alteration, Illusion , Restoration
Potions of Fortify Alteration and Destruction

Strong but not over-powered
Boosts from alchemy or Shalidor`s scrolls may become necessary depending on foe , time of day , or expense of spell
If facing a tough opponent in melee , I trade 100 magicka for 100 health by equipping Ring of the Beast

 

[iMACobra]

Something new I discovered today. I stuck a Dwarven Mace on my Old Orc and he started dual wielding with his Steel Sword and Dwarven Mace. The Mace was on the off-hand. I've tested this with a couple other NPCs and it seems to work just like a Forsworn Weapon. So far, non dual wielding NPCs will only dual wield with a Forsworn Sword, Forsworn Axe, Pickaxe, Shiv, Ancient Nordic Pickaxe or a DWARVEN MACE!!! If you wanted any NPC to dual wield 2 maces, for whatever reason, it's always been possible! To wield 2 daggers, the Shiv and another dagger would have to be used.

Something interesting to note is that you needed a weapon of at least Elven quality (higher than Orchish) to make an NPC dual wield with a Forsworn Weapon. With a Dwarven Mace, you could even pair it up with a lower quality Steel Sword for some reason.

Someone had already discovered this but thought that Erandur could naturally dual wield: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/615803-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/66909521
And the last person said that any "Ranger" class NPCs can dual wield which is false. Jenassa can only dual wield because of the internal Combat Style that was set to her. NPCs' class only determines their levels in each skill.

 

[iMACobra]

The weirdest thing happened near the end of Liberation of Skyrim. After killing Legate Rikke, I thralled her and she started walking to her bed to sleep then I thought to myself, "What? Rikke never sleeps! She's always in the strategy room talking to Tullius about the civil war." Her AI package is bugged so she never sleeps, as does Tullius. But that's not the weirdest thing that's happened. I was a vampire so I was able to feed on her while she was "sleeping". Feeding on a corpse as a vampire!?! Strange, except I was already Namira's champion so I guess it's not so weird after all.... After killing Tullius, she was back to normal. Tullius will continue to have 1hp and Rikke will act abnormally when thralled until after you leave Solitude.

 

[Irishman]

Dammit my Mage Dremora disappeared from the Midden even though I anchored it with all 3 Butcher Journals!

On another note, can someone tell me the stats of Malyn Varen at Level 25? I am going to do a write up on him, but Im not sure how it works in UESP to work out the Health stats when its written like this:

Health - 75+(PC-1)×8.3

PC is your characters level right? So does this mean that as my characters level increases so does Malyns health (even if it is very minor)

 

[iMACobra]

Dammit my Mage Dremora disappeared from the Midden even though I anchored it with all 3 Butcher Journals!

On another note, can someone tell me the stats of Malyn Varen at Level 25? I am going to do a write up on him, but Im not sure how it works in UESP to work out the Health stats when its written like this:

Health - 75+(PC-1)×8.3

PC is your characters level right? So does this mean that as my characters level increases so does Malyns health (even if it is very minor)

Malyn Varen's stats at lvl. 25:

Health 275
Magicka 220
Stamina 65

Primary Skills:
Destruction 77
Illusion 72
Heavy Armor 50
One Handed 50

Yes, PC means Player Character I believe. I think UESP took the equations from the Creation Kit and that's how it prob'ly looked like on their end, even if it doesn't quite add up at the end correctly... Malyn Varen stops leveling after you pass lvl. 25 so you must use PC=25 for his max stats. I DO have the correct values even if the calculations from those equations compared to mine are incorrect on your side because I am playing on PC thus I can also give you skill values.

On your review of Malyn Varen, he CAN be pulled out of the Azura Star on Aranea's side of the quest. Even if the quest finishes like you said, he shouldn't disappear so he can still be pulled out along with a Dremora Mage by fast traveling back to Azura's Shrine after Azura's done talking and after the quest finishes. You might have to try a few reloads to get this to work and there IS enough time to thrall him before Azura pulls you out. Malyn Varen really can use Ice Spike. He will cast it in his right hand with a Lightning Bolt in the other like Serana. He did this when fighting a Revered Dragon. Pitting him against Beem-Ja probably caused him to lose his magicka extremely quickly because Beem-Ja spams Lightning Bolts like there's no tomorrow with the help of the Apprentice Destruction perk, causing him to cast twice as much as Malyn Varen ever could. Beem-Ja also has 295 Magicka compared to Malyn with 220. Even if Malyn Varen does use a 1h weapon on him, 50 1H just doesn't cut it for a superb melee fighter. Nonetheless, he's okay... but he's not the best seeing as he caps at level 25, limiting his potential. And nice pic (for Malyn Varen) BTW.

 

[Irishman]

Thanks mate! Yeah for some reason he never wanted to use Ice Spike when I had him + I never really thought that he would be better than Beem-Ja, I was really surprised at how quickly he went down though!

I only tried once with Azura's side of the quest and it failed, I read somewhere else that it doesnt work (google) so I gave up. Thanks for that info to.

I will edit these into the review

 

[iMACobra]

For my new Argonian necromancer, Zaterra, I am utilizing helmet stacking glitches to create more powerful enchantments for thralls because I am going to use only 2 thralls for most of this playthrough with minimal interference in battles from my character. Because I'm only using 2 thralls (I'll change them depending on the situation), I'm using the best Fortify Enchanting and Smithing gear and potions I can create in the game without the use of the Fortify Restoration glitch.

With the 2 beast races as vampires, the Thieves Guild Hood won't glitch on the head but the Ancient Shrouded Cowl can. Because the Worn Shrouded Cowl looks visually similar to it, it will also glitch on the head. As an Argonian, I can glitch not only 3 but 4 headpieces at once. First, I would equip the Ancient Shrouded Cowl, then Worn Shrouded Cowl, 2 different Circlets, and then a Falmer Helmet or Penitus Oculatus Helmet. The Ancient Shrouded Cowl should drop off after the second circlet. With the Worn Shrouded Cowl, 2 Circlets, and a Falmer Helmet, that is 4 headpieces for 8 free enchant slots. With a ring, necklace, and handpiece, you now have 7 enchant slots for Fortify Alchemy to make really strong potions. Wearing all of Ahzidal's Armor will actually increase Enchanting skill thus increasing enchantments.

With the help of being a Necromage vampire, Ahzidal's Genius, and alternating Seeker of Sorcery and Seeker of Shadows to make more powerful Fortify Alchemy enchantments and Fortify Enchanting potions respectively, I was able to make 7 pieces of 53% Fortify Alchemy gear, 4 pieces of 53% Fortify Smithing gear, 93% Fortify Enchanting potions, and 372% Fortify Smithing potions. With the 25% increase from Necromage, they are 66%, 66%, 116% and 465% respectively. Keep in mind that I had to alternate between wearing Ahzidal's Armor (giving me 112 Enchanting skill) for whenever I enchanted gear and using my 66% Fortify Alchemy gear when making potions and I had to alternate between using Seeker of Sorcery and Seeker of Shadows so I took quite a few trips to Apocrypha to get my high percentage gear and potions. I also used Seeker of Might to further increase the armor rating of thralls which is especially useful for those that wear low quality armor such as Hamelyn and Forsworn.

It may not be along the lines of getting 18463947234% gear and potions from the Fortify Restoration glitch but it can still make your thralls almost unkillable if you use all of your assets correctly.I will post more about the percentages of enchantments I can get for thralls, for example, I can put exactly 2 100% magic resists on foot pieces. I don't plan on using these boosted enchantments on myself and don't plan to wear 4 headpieces at all times to make myself at least still killable to most enemies although I can post what I would use for enchantments later.

 

[JayW]

I put together a an assortment of thralls that make an odd team but which are a lot of fun end game.

Up until now I've been relying on a pair of master cultists to do most of my bidding. I have four in total - 2 seeker summoners and two non summoners. They get boosts to their destruction magic which means their chain lightning can be quite deadly. For my current play through I've been perfectly happy breaking the resto loop to provide unlimited shouts in order to build a bad ass dragon priest (combined with his own cult).

End Game however I decided to mix it up a bit. I wanted to use the resto loop to create super conjuration potions that would be able to provide a permanent dragon priest follower through Konahrik. I had been hoping for two dragon priest summons but for some reason it doesn't activate for me - it's quite tricky to pull off the timing for one let alone two and eventually I gave up (I'm not sure whether it's even possible but in theory it should be).

Once I got a reliable method of getting it to activate, I threw in a conjure werebear. Activating the power at low health and just after taking the super conjuration potion I was able to get both permanent (16000 hours or so according to the timer) werebear and dragon priest followers. After that I heaped in Cicero with a anguine rose. I can add a riekling if I really need to and at some point I might take on Barbas.

Because I've got the Werewolf Vampire lord Hybrid thing going on as well I find that I can go hunting with a pack consisting of my werewolf character, two spectral werewolves, a perma werebear, a perma spectral dragon priest, the dragon priest's storm thrall, Cicero and his Dremora Valkynaz. Together they are pretty formidable and a lot of fun to go hunting with. Not the easiest things to gather but worth the effort.

 

[Ward]

Hello again gang,

does anyone have a DEFINITIVE lists of anchors? All of the lists i have seen have been hit and miss does anyone one have a list of anchors that are 100% working? Again the lists i have seen are not completely accurate.Thanks!

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Hello again gang,

does anyone have a DEFINITIVE lists of anchors? All of the lists i have seen have been hit and miss does anyone one have a list of anchors that are 100% working? Again the lists i have seen are not completely accurate.Thanks!

Bounty letters, the blood taking thing from Discerning the Transmundane, and that's all I can definitively speak for.

 

[iMACobra]

Hello again gang,

does anyone have a DEFINITIVE lists of anchors? All of the lists i have seen have been hit and miss does anyone one have a list of anchors that are 100% working? Again the lists i have seen are not completely accurate.Thanks!

All I can say is the best way to compile a list of "true" permanent anchors is to test for yourself from lists given on sites such as uesp.net and gamefaqs.com which items are truly permanent or not. The best way to check for console players is to sell the supposedly permanent item to any buyer and wait until their inventory respawns. If the item is still there for buying, then it is most likely permanent. I wouldn't recommend doing the save, hit, and reload trick to reset their inventories because I've had items that were completely permanent disappear from their inventories this way. I will most likely do a playthrough completely dedicated to testing for permanent items since I'm on PC. Also, another note, most items will lose permanency if you drop them in the overworld and/or put them on racks.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Hello again gang,

does anyone have a DEFINITIVE lists of anchors? All of the lists i have seen have been hit and miss does anyone one have a list of anchors that are 100% working? Again the lists i have seen are not completely accurate.Thanks!

All I can say is the best way to compile a list of "true" permanent anchors is to test for yourself from lists given on sites such as uesp.net and gamefaqs.com which items are truly permanent or not. The best way to check for console players is to sell the supposedly permanent item to any buyer and wait until their inventory respawns. If the item is still there for buying, then it is most likely permanent. I wouldn't recommend doing the save, hit, and reload trick to reset their inventories because I've had items that were completely permanent disappear from their inventories this way. I will most likely do a playthrough completely dedicated to testing for permanent items since I'm on PC. Also, another note, most items will lose permanency if you drop them in the overworld and/or put them on racks.

I notice that silver swords are permanent. Wherever I've sold them, they are still in the same inventory forever more. I've had silver swords at some of my vendors for months and months in game time and they never seem to go away!

 

[iMACobra]

The way I am going to test for permanent items on PC is by thralling the respawning NPC called "Sacrifice" at the Altar of Thrond in the Dragonborn DLC so I can have a completely empty NPC at all times. Every time I get supposedly permanent items I'll stick them in the Sacrifice and use the console command "resetinventory" on the corpse. If the item is permanent, it will still be on the Sacrifice. If it's not, she'll be completely empty.

 

[iMACobra]

I notice that silver swords are permanent. Wherever I've sold them, they are still in the same inventory forever more. I've had silver swords at some of my vendors for months and months in game time and they never seem to go away!

There are always special cases but thanks for noting this so I can test for which Silver Swords are permanent. I would suspect the scripted ones that die to Werewolf Farkas are the ones with the perment Silver Swords.

 

[Adam Warlock]

U

I notice that silver swords are permanent. Wherever I've sold them, they are still in the same inventory forever more. I've had silver swords at some of my vendors for months and months in game time and they never seem to go away!

There are always special cases but thanks for noting this so I can test for which Silver Swords are permanent. I would suspect the scripted ones that die to Werewolf Farkas are the ones with the perment Silver Swords.

Unfortunately, while Silver weapons are PERSISTENT (remain in vendors) , they are not Permanent and will not serve as anchors. Another object like this is the Gaulder Amulet

 

[iMACobra]

What do you mean by PERSISTENT? They'll disappear from containers (non-vendors) after some time? The items from the Fishing Job radiant quest disappear once I forcibly reset their containers. There are items that don't disappear when I do this such as Bounty letters and Treasure Maps I-X but the fished stolen items DO disappear making me think they're persistent.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

What do you mean by PERSISTENT? They'll disappear from containers (non-vendors) after some time? The items from the Fishing Job radiant quest disappear once I forcibly reset their containers. There are items that don't disappear when I do this such as Bounty letters and Treasure Maps I-X but the fished stolen items DO disappear making me think they're persistent.

I'm getting that "Persistent" means that they remain in a vendor's inventory in to perpetuity, but, if placed in a re-spawning container, they will eventually dissappear, while a "Permanent" item never does, even if placed in a re-spawning container. Am I right Adam?