Inquisitor in Skyrim
I would like to share my thoughts on leveling an unusual character - the Inquisitor (the class name taken from previous Tes games). Perhaps someone will be interested in trying it out in the game, or maybe someone will pick up some new knowledge about this magnificent RPG.
Foreword or About Balance in Skyrim:
As we all know, balance in Skyrim is quite shaky, vulnerable to munchkinism. Whether you’re a mage, warrior, or thief - without leaving the city, you can create such a powerful build that dragons will weep blood. The mage has the cheat percentage of spell cost reduction and the cheat dual-wield stance, the warrior has the cheat equipment with an astonishing armor rating and damage, and the thief can kill giants from stealth with one hit. After playing as all of them, I wanted something new, original, and I remembered such a wonderful class from previous Tes games - the Inquisitor. In short - a summoner mage with a bow. In this post, I will share my vision of this character in Skyrim.
Pros:
- Compared to the aforementioned mage, warrior, and thief - a fairly balanced class for an interesting playthrough on master difficulty
- Unlocked right from the start of the game. No "I'll just gather Daedric gear first, then go out from Riverwood!"
- Very resilient by the end of the game
- Not a one-button build
- Can lean into either magic or thievery
- Wide role-play opportunities
Cons
- Very fragile at the beginning
- May lack mana for constant casting of all spells in the early stages
- Low scaling potential
- Stuck in the same gear for almost the entire game
- No enchanting on weapons
Race Choice:
The character is absolutely racially agnostic; if you want an orc - go for it.
Most logically fitting would be: Breton - if you want survivability, Altmer - if you want more mana for deeper penetration into magic. Dark Elves/Nords also make sense for their respective resistances.
Skills and Spells:
The core of our character will be Conjuration and Archery.
From the first levels until the end of the game, our skill bar is permanently stuck with "Summoned Bow". Briefly about the main thing - we have infinite arrows and damage equivalent to Daedric from the first level. As we level up Conjuration, the basic damage of the bow will increase BY ITSELF, eventually reaching the damage of an equally well-crafted Daedric bow. Specifically for this bow, we level up and enhance our archery skills with perks, but more on that later.
What else does Conjuration provide us? After reaching level 100 (which will be our primary task), we obtain the uber-button "summon two Red Tractors for area clearing". Daedric Lords are something else. They roam around the locations, gather all the enemies, cut them down like grass, hardly die, and last over 3 minutes (see perks). After reaching 100 in Conjuration, you start feeling like a mafia boss, leisurely giving the command "take care of this" while smoking a cigar off to the side. However, after about level 35, the Daedra won't be as effective and will sometimes die without player support. But by that time (and with the right enchantments), the damage on our bow will be 220+ and the Dremoras will only be needed to distract opponents.
What else do we need? Of course, survivability. We could level Smithing, don light armor... but is it necessary? The mage has a brilliant school of Alteration, which, besides providing 300 armor for 5 minutes (at skill level 100), also gives cheat perks for spell absorption and reflection. Of course, we’ll take that! Also in this school, there is potentially interesting paralysis. IMHO, we don’t need it - we can knock back and paralyze with the bow. But if you feel like goofing around - learn it, use it =).
From other stuff - you must have enchanting for enhancing our gear, or we won't see any serious damage from the bow. We occasionally heal with basic healing, and it might help level up Restoration. You might also pick up Alchemy if you want to munchkin your stats on gear better. You can level something random just for XP - for example, Smithing, Illusion, Sneak, and Speech - easy and effortless. If you have the desire - level up Destruction, but we won’t be using it in combat. Stealth would also suit the character, maybe even throw in a couple of extra perks there after level 50.
Perks and Stats:
In Conjuration, we don’t take the master perks, as Atronachs are weaker than Dremora; we need all of the left branch up to double summons (the second point in range is not needed) and cast with both hands for duration. Don’t forget to get the summoned weapon damage increase as early as possible.
Everything in Alteration is clear and logical; the only thing is - you can take the master perk, but I didn’t like those spells, so I skipped that skill.
For Enchanting - we take the whole branch for gear.
Archery - also needs no comments; the only thing is - we don’t need the Ranger branch besides critical hits, as we won't be running from anyone - it will be our Dremora that everyone else will run from. Of course, you can take the arrow gathering perk, as that summoned bow always seems to run out of arrows =(
If you will be leveling further - I recommend investing in Alchemy. Alternatives are Sneak or Restoration. Just for fun...
Regarding stat distribution - it all depends on your style of play. Personally, at level 49 without gear, I had these stats - 360 mana (Altmer), 320 health, 150 stamina. Initially, it’s better to invest in mana - until you feel that casting Skin + Summon + Bow goes off smoothly (this should consume ALL your mana. If anything is left after such casting - concentrate on MP). Raising stamina above 150 is not profitable; we only need it for aiming. In theory, you could even leave it at 100. Everything else - into health.
Tips for Playthrough:
If this isn't your first trip to Skyrim - feel free to crank up "master" from the very beginning. The character was initially built for this difficulty level, and with careful play at the early levels, you can easily manage it throughout the game.
As mentioned before, the primary task is to grind for 100 in Conjuration. We level "Soul Trap" on corpses, dumping all perks into it. At the early levels, the bonus to bow damage together with the summon will overshadow all other skills in profitability.
Regarding the bow’s location:
Personally, I obtained the spell at the Winterhold College from the Conjuration teacher. I recommend searching there. But if someone really can’t manage to buy it, here’s a user tip from Zerester:
[quote:] The Summoned Bow spell book can be found not only with traders. It's located in the Fort Amol prison (Fort Amol), not far from Irvasted; we enter the prison, to the left is a bookshelf, to the right of it is a basket, under the lamp in the basket lies the book (be careful, upon your first visit to Fort Amol, it will be crawling with necromancers!!!). For those who didn’t understand where exactly the book is, here’s a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrrPKb42FCY. [end quote]
After that, we start actively practicing Archery and Alteration, summoning Daedric Lords only if necessary. Remember, at this stage they are our panic button, a last resort. It’s better to buff yourself with "Skin" and shoot another arrow from the bow instead of watching two tractors work and gathering loot. However, once everything is leveled and the mana cost reductions in Conjuration kick in - we start running around with Dremoras constantly (approximately level 25+).
A small tip - when leveling high in Alteration, it's easier to do so while standing knee-deep in water and casting "Waterbreathing" on yourself. I’ve often read recommendations that go something like “find a spider and run around it, casting Skin.” That’s nonsense; this method is way too slow compared to Waterbreathing.
Level up Enchanting early! Buy as many soul stones as you can afford, fill them with any passing critters, and make "enchanted daggers, cheap, reliable, stylish! Buy 20 in one go!" This also helps raise Smithing (free XP).
Regarding the signs - initially take the "Mage" for leveling Conjuration, then switch to "Lover" so that the remaining skills level evenly. If you are going to do Alchemy/Enchanting - don’t be lazy, activate the respective sign (and get some sleep). When your main skills hit 100, switch to The Lord - in my opinion, the most powerful sign for late-game play.
About shouts - I’ve tried numerous ones, but none seemed worthy enough to distract me from archery until I found the Time Slow shout. Gentlemen, for the Inquisitor - it’s the most overpowered shout in the game! Especially after learning three words. It’s impossible to hit us, we can’t be caught, we shoot three times faster, and we have plenty of time to aim. What else do you need for happiness?
Regarding gear - our target enchantments should be +% to bow damage, +Conjuration skill, +Alteration skill (that is, mana cost reduction), +% fire/cold/electricity resistance. For the second set: +enchanting skill, +alchemy skill (if you’re using it), +sneak skill (if you want to level skills with trainers by stealing money back).
So, the game's strategy is quite simple - enter a cave, cast Light, Ebony Skin, summon two Dremoras, trigger our magical bow, and go explore. Actively use the right mouse button to avoid hitting our own Dark Warriors, and at the slightest threat to our holy self - activate fus ro dah time slowing and pepper the surroundings with a thick layer of arrows.
This is the character we end up with - we have strong summons, a very high survivability thanks to Alteration (even avoiding magic feels lazy), and very high bow damage due to bonuses from Archery, Conjuration, and Enchanting.
And lastly - take care of your knee!