EDIT: I cleaned up this post, and put the finishing touches to my Nordic Storm-Sorcerer. I am restarting my game from level 1 since I have made so many changes to my first build. I also want to experience the game with the new patch, because I was starting to experience lag on my 8mb save prior to the patch.

#1
Nordic Storm-Sorcerer ( Magicka 500 / Health 300 / Stamina 300 )
Race: Nord
Name: Haakon Dovahkiin
Perk Total: [49-80]

"Nordic Storm-Sorcerers are a rare class of http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Way_of_the_Voice warriors, for these masters of ancient Thu'um arts are
also adept users of lightning magic. As reclusive as they are, they develop skills in stealth very easily.
Because of this, most of their opponents will never see them until a magically bound blade or arrow is in
their flesh. Even if one was to survive this initial attack, they must face the wrath of lightning and
well-honed martial skills. The most advanced Storm-Sorcerers will summon storm atronachs while creating
intense electrical storms with their synergy of arcane enchantments, magicka, and Thu'um."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Skills:

1) One-Handed (15 Perks focusing on "Armsman"/"Bladesman"/"Dual-Savagery"/"C.Charge"/"S.Stike"/"P.Strike")
2) Archery (14 Perks focusing on "Overdraw"/"Critical Shot"/"Quick Shot"/"Steady Hand[1/2]"/"Ranger")
3) Sneak (12 perks focusing on "Stealth"/"Shadow Warrior"/"Deadly Aim")
4) Enchanting (8 Perks focusing on "Enchanter"/"Extra Effect")

Minor Skills:

5) Destruction (0-8 perks focusing on "Adept"/"Impact"/"Incinerate")
6) Conjuration (0-6 Perks focusing on "Mystic Binding"/"Atromancy"/"E.Potency"/"Twin Souls")
7) Illusion (0-4 Perks on "Quiet Casting")
8) Heavy Armor (0-8 Perks focusing on "Juggernaut"/"Conditioning")
9) Smithing (0-5 Perks focusing on "Ebony Armor"/"Arcane Blacksmith")

Miscellaneous Skills: [No Perks]

~Block
~Alchemy
~Alteration
~Restoration
~Speechcraft
~Lockpicking


#2
Telvanni Sorcerer ( Magicka 600 / Health 250 / Stamina 250 )
Race: Dunmer
Name: ???
Perk Total: [47-80]

"Because assassinations are a regular occurance within the Dunmer house of Telvanni, many
members will include thick armor in their wardrobe and wear it almost exclusively, even
at leisure. Telvanni sorcerers are so accustomed to their heavy attire that it does not
hinder their attunement with magicka as much as one might think. These sorcerers will often
adorn themselves in extravagant curaisses infused with sophisticated enchantements, making
the common mage look very common indeed."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Skills:

1) Destruction (16 Perks focusing on "Intense Flames"/"Deep Freeze"/"Disintegrate"/"Impact"/"Master")
2) Conjuration (10 Perks focusing on "Atromancy"/"E.Potency"/"Twin Souls"/"Dual-Cast"/"Master")
3) Alteration (11 Perks focusing on "Atronach"/"M.Resistance"/"Duration"/"Dual-Cast"/"Master")
4) Restoration (10 Perks focusing on "Recovery"/"Ward Absorb"/"Avoid Death"/"Dual-Cast"/"Master")

Minor Skills:

5) Heavy Armor (0-12 Perks focusing on "Juggernaut"/"Fists of Steel"/"Conditioning"/"Reflect Blows")
6) Enchanting (0-8 Perks focusing on "Enchanter"/"Extra Effect")
7) Smithing (0-6 Perks focusing on "Daedric Armor"/"Arcane Blacksmithing")
8) Alchemy (0-7 Perks on "Alchemist"/"Physician"/"Benefactor")

Miscellaneous Skills: [No Perks]

~Sneak
~Speechcraft
~Illusion
~Lockpicking



#3

Telvanni Assassin ( Magicka 300 / Health 300 / Stamina 500 )
Race: Dunmer
Name: ???
Perk Total: [54-80]

"Because this assassin works for the Telvanni, he is very comfortable with enchantments as well
as all 5 schools of magic. However, his true skills are martial in nature. Since most of his arcane
targets have an affinity with magic, anything but mundane arsenal is inefficient. This has led to
his mastery of urivaled swordplay, marksmanship, and stealth. He will, however, utilize
unsophisticated magic skills in order to mitigate the wrath of his adversaries, so his attention
to Magicka is never completely abandoned."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Skills:

1) Archery (16 perks on everything)
2) Sneak (13 Perks on everything)
3) Light Armor (10 Perks on everything)
4) One-Handed (15 Perks focusing on "Armsman"/"Bladesman"/"Dual-Savagery"/"C.Charge"/"S.Stike"/"P.Strike")

Minor Skills:

5) Enchanting (0-8 Perks focusing on "Enchanter"/"Extra Effect")
6) Smithing (0-10 Perks focusing on "Glass Armor" and "Weapons")
7) Alchemy (0-8 Perks on "Alchemist"/"Physician"/"Benefactor"/"Poisoner")

Miscellaneous Skills: [No Perks]

~Block
~Speechcraft
~Lockpicking
~Pickpocketing
~Illusion
~Alteration
~Destruction
~Restoration
~Conjuration

I think your Nordic "Storm Sorcerer" sounds badass, and that is a very creative description! It sounds like an actual in-game specialization!

This may be a cut and paste from a PM, but I'd like a critique as well:

I'm trying to make a Warrior-Conjurer that will excel on Master Difficulty (sadomasochist, I know). Right now my plans are to specialize and max out in one-handed, conjuration, heavy armor, smithing, and enchanting. Anybody think that will work out well? As an alternate, I was thinking of substituting one-handed with archery, but it would seem that dual wielding has much higher DPS and perhaps killing potential for dragons? I just really want to be able to take care of those things ASAP...so tired of them simply flaming me to death with my last character before I restarted. Any suggestions or tips?

My main combat strategies will involve summoning my atronach(s) or whatever I have available, letting them initiate combat, and then backstabbing anyone busy with my companion and pet(s). Either that, or pelting the opposition with arrows, if that's a better choice?

Great character builds you got there. How did your Nord get bound bow so early? I couldn't find it.

@PsychoBlade.... Your build is very similar to mine(lvl 17 right now). You should invest in block, quick reflexes is a must for me. Also I only use blacksmith, I'm fine with just buying weapons or using grand soul gems for enchantments. I rather spend my perks on restoration and archery.

Well, if you really want to know this spoiler...




On a side note...

I just cleared another dungeon with my Nord. It was epic. Plenty of traps and interesting encounters. At one particular moment, I was trying to maneuver for a stealth shot with my bound bow. However, I walked right into a Fire trap powered by a soul gem. I backed up and then used my bound bow to shoot the soul gem off of its pedestal, effectively disabling the arcane trap. I didn't even know that was possible, but my first attempt sure as hell disabled it. I was then able to assassinate my target with my bow, and then switched to my bound sword to slit the throat of the mage cooking in the next room.(all without being detected) I felt smart, lol...

When I got back to town, I found my first Ebony gauntlets and Ebony Armor for sale. They are the best armor I have ever seen in TES. Needless to say, I bought them, and my loot from the dungeon just barely covered the costs. I literally have 4 gold coins at the moment. This makes me very glad that I chose heavy armor over light armor.

Keep us updated on that because it sounds promising and I might try that out also if it goes well enough.

Race wise I'd say:
Breton --- 25% passive magic resist, always made a Breton class before but they had better stats back then
Lizard --- 10x heal over time for a minute once a day, new and very tempting, it's like a hands free cell phone not having to use that menu or swap hands
Tall Elf --- 5 levels of extra stats magic wise, first character was pure mage only using conjuration didn't need much mana since didn't use other spells

Stat wise it's pointless to have high magic points, if there is one type of magic you use you simply enchant the magic reduction and you won't use other spells since of the stupid perk limitation along with having to take your time using that menu is annoying to the point you just want to stick with one set.

300ma, 400hp, 300sta
Seems the best type of stats

I play as Dunmer and Nord for roleplaying reasons, and I just simply like them the best.

I use multiple schools in all three builds, so a high mgicka bar is still essential... especially since I don't bother with enchanting perks until late game. I also don't like the idea that my character is dependent on gear in order to function at all. I want to destroy things, even when I am naked.

Balanced stats like 300 / 300 / 300 work mid game (I currently use 220 / 200/ 200 on my nord at level 33. It works very well so far), but I want to stack magicka in Late Game to maximize casting endurance.

I think you're too all-over-the-place with most of those. Perks are more important than skills, and skill numbers are only important in terms of what perks they unlock. Early levels you'll do fine, but it's at 40+ where things will fall apart. Destruction will feel weak and useless and you'll feel you've wasted all those perks and skill points on them. Your bow or melee weapon will do far more damage, especially with sneak.

In past TES game, it was fun to make a Jack of All Trades, but Skyrim's perk system has really made that difficult if not impossible over the long term life of a character.

Really?! Two Storm Atronachs (Fully Perked), Storm Call (Fully unlocked), and Lightning Storm (with cost reduction) will not work against most enemies? From what I have read, Lightning Storm is Constant channeling, so while my Atronachs fend off my enemies I power up the master spell and keep it going untill all enemies are dead (I don't have to worry about friendly damage either, because Storm Atronachs are immune to lightning). Even if it does fail, I have melee skills that can destroy the remaining survivors within seconds.

To be fairly honest, I don't think I am all over the place at all, since the perks I have chosen have a synergy to them. Mystic Binding combined with Damage perks from Archery for initial sneak attacks, and Fully perked Swords for alternate melee combat. Specialized Lightning perks and conjuration atronach perks create a powerful Lightning AoE strategy. Recovery and Avoid Death, are useful regardless.

EDIT: I have taken out Recovery and Avoid Death, so your arguments may have had some credence in that respect after all.

Nevertheless, Lightning Storm (like all Destruction spells) has its damage capped. Awesome at some point, weak and useless later. And what if you're fighting Storm Atronochs? I'm thinking by the 40s you're going to be using melee and bows 90% of the time. I would feel like "damn, I wasted all those perks on Destruction."

Lightning Storm is Constant Streaming, so I can keep channeling it for endless damage if my cost reduction is high enough.

If I run into a Storm Atronach, then that is why I have Bound swords and bound Bows perked. My own Storm Atronachs should keep them occupied while I maneuver for the kill.

I already use melee and bows 90% of the time, they are my favorite. The lightning storm is merely there for tactical advantage. Constant electrical bombardment with two companions that are immune to it... I don't see how that will be weak at any level. (Unless you are playing on Master, which I am not.)


EDIT:

I appreciate the criticism, but you are not providing enough reason to support your claims.

I like the build I'm building something similar but using 2hander,light armour instead. I plan on using lightning magic with a shield backed up with archery and GreatSword and speccing into conjuration for the atronachs. Prob not the most powerful build but I want something with good variety of combat stratergy to keep things fun!

I updated my Perk Build for my Nord Storm Sorcerer. It is edited in the very first post.

Damn, storm-sorcerer is a brilliant idea. Great job.

Too many interesting builds to try out, not enough time .

I changed my build for my Nordic Storm-Sorcerer... again....

Your build will work fine, if only because it has several self-sufficient builds within it.

For example:

Stealth + Illusion = 30x backstab instant kill, invis, 30x backstab instant kill the next guy, invis, etc.
Heavy armor + Smithing + Archery + One hand = your basic hack and slash character. make sure you've got some magic resist enchants and you can take on anything
Destruction + Conjuration + Enchanting = no cost summons/destruction spell. spam fireballs into a room 300 yards away, walk in and everything is dead

The problem is going to be sticking to your strategy. It is VERY easy to let a skill fall way way far behind. Do you know how painful it is to level a weak destruction skill when you could easily destroy people with your powerful melee attacks? You're going to need to stay on top of conjuration, destruction, 1h, archery, stealth, and illusion. Basically using them all the time. Inevitably you're going to leave one behind. Also, successful sneak attacks don't level up your armor skill and wearing heavy armor makes it difficult to successfully perform sneak attacks...

Frankly, I would drop destruction from the mix. IMO bows are just better when you need a ranged attack, especially late game. I would also add block perks. They're really good. If you cast muffle while you're walking around and summon your weapons/flame atronoch a lot early, you can keep all of your other skills up.

I like your Telvanni Assassin build. :thumbsup:

I modified my Build offline even before you posted. I came on here to edit it, and found your text.

I agree with most of your constructive criticism. On my level 35 character, just before I deleted him, my destruction was actually starting to fall behind. It was at 40+, but my one-handed was at 70+, and my archery was at 60+.
~Even so it was still very useful for stunlocking the Dragons when they came at me with their breath attacks. That alone, is incentive enough to keep the skill of Destruction.
~I had no problems performing sneak attacks in heavy armor, ironically enough. (I cast muffle alot, and have the muffled movement perk.)
~Also, with my updated build, I only need to get illusion to 50 for Quiet Casting, which won't be a problem. That is one of the easier skills to level, and it was at 50+ without focusing any training in it at all.
~As for block perks... I just don't like shields... never have. I will agree that they are more efficient, but on this character I don't want shields.

As for keeping my skills balanced throughout the gameplay, I am prepared to have certain skills, like destruction magic, level slower; so I have relegated it as a minor skill now.


After my initial trial with the game at level 35, I have a good grasp of how to build my perks. I have a list of perk priorities below; if one perk isn't available yet, then I will pick the next perk branch down that has an available progression.


[EDIT: Please note that, even though some minor skills have perks with higher priority, it only means that I pick them as soon as the perk is available. I don't powerlevel the skill before actually playing the game.]

Perk Branch Priorities: (With the preceding ones having priority over those lower on the list)
1) ~2 Perks for "Mystic Binding"
2) ~4 Perks for "Quiet Casting"
3) ~4 Perks for "Deadly Aim" and "Muffled Movement"
4) ~15 Perks for "Armsman"/"Bladesman"/"Dual-Savagery"/"C.Charge"/"S.Stike"/"P.Strike"
5) ~14 Perks for "Overdraw"/"Critical Shot"/"Quick Shot"/"Steady Hand[1/2]"/"Ranger"
6) ~4 Perks for "Conditioning"
7) ~8 Perks for "Enchanter"/"Extra Effect"
8) ~4 Perks for "Juggernaut"
9) ~8 Perks for "Adept"/"Impact"/"Incinerate"
10) ~4 Perks for "Atromancy"/"E.Potency"/"Twin Souls"
11) ~8 Perks for "Stealth"/"Shadow Warrior"
12) ~5 Perks for "Ebony Armor"/"Arcane Blacksmith"

I imagine that by level 50, I will have mastered my bound weapons, and have enough perks in Enchanting to utilize Destruction and Conjuration effectively by cost reductions. There is no doubt that this character has a high level cap, but then that is what I intended. I believe that I have streamlined it enough that it will work even as a level 50 cap, picking perks in a natural progression within this structure.