Race- ?

Weapons- Ebony Blade or Katana ?

Perks- ?

Armor- ?

Goals I should focus on- ?


Any help is appreciated

?

I would probably add archery also.
Wear light armor either scaled or leather.
Maybe do the civil war quest in a shogun kind of way.
Alchemy may also fit this kind of character.

Thank you and, now that I look at the racial bonuses, one handed is not given to the Dunmer...should I consider a different race?

Probably hard to do well without mods as far as clothing goes. Katana for sure. There are both 1h and 2h katana's in the game. I have no idea on clothing without mods. I'm sure if there aren't any modded clothes of that style yet there certainly will be at some point. Until then maybe one of the unhooded robes. Perks should be all 1h and 2h obviously and speech because Samurai tend to talk a lot. No idea other than the possiblilty of tossing in some magic maybe but that would be up to whether you want to play the character straight up or mystical. You could also go for the unarmed perk and wear some kind of leather gauntlets and punch people. And yes, archery for sure.

Grow a fu man chu!

Maybe be an Altmer with Smithing and definitely alchemy and possible Restoration.

Be an Orc!

Orcish armor in previous TES games had a very samurai look to it. It's different now, but Orcs get good skill bonuses and a great racial ability. Plus they just feel like a good choice for a character who wants to wander the earth, righting wrongs and kicking ass.

Actually orcish armour is a good shout, the helmet looks pretty damn samurai like at least

I've done this as a Nord-Cyrodilic Blade and legionnaire, but I think you'd gain more satisfaction out of it as an orc simply for the story value. Get yourself a brutal yet wise look and a nice samurai haircut and get out there and teach the world the meaning of justice.

Weapon depends on the type you want to play, and not only the difference between one-handed and two-handed weapons. If you manage to get your hands on a katana, it's just that; a one handed katana. But if you want to go for the more aesthetically pleasing two-handed katana, the Ebony Blade, you'll have to do dishonest deeds to acquire it and perhaps even be influenced by its dark power afterwards. Then again, you could just obtain the blade and disregard any story connected to it. Both types of katana benefit from one-handed perks, so you don't need to worry about that.

Perks, I don't know. That has a lot more to do with your preferred playstyle rather than the role you're playing.

Armour? In my eyes, everything from Hide to Studded to Scaled armour works, and possibly even the standard Steel Armor without shoulderguards if you're into heavy armour - which a samurai probably wouldn't be in a terrain like Skyrim's. If you're gonna be the Dragonborn too, you might as well go for getting the Blades armour from Sky Haven Temple once you get there.

Goals? Virtues and honour. You have your codes and ideals and you follow them strictly - as such imposing them upon others as well. Your blade will carve the world into a place where justice is law and whatever deity you pray to influences your actions in every day life.

Or something else, that's just my two cents.

Okay. This is from a more historically accurate perspective, since I'm a Japanese/East Asian Studies major. I apologize if I sound elitist or anything in the following, it's a side effect of liking my major xD

Race- It depends on what you want out of your build. Do you want to look like a Japanese guy ingame? If so, I'd do an Imperial or Nord. Otherwise, I'd go Orc.

Weapons- 2H Katana. If they add them in (they were in Game Jam!) or if you were to have a mod, you can use polearms as well, especially a Naginata if you had one.

Perks- 2H, Speech, Heavy Armor, Archery. Any others based on your playstyle.

Armor- Heavy. I know a lot of people here said light, and I suspect that either has to do with appearances of ingame armor or the fact that Samurai armor was largely made out of leather - however, it's incredibly heavy and difficult to move around in. I haven't seen it ingame yet, but in previous games, Orcish armor looked a lot like Samurai armor. Really depends on what you're going for, though.

Goals I should focus on- It depends. Make a backstory! Are you a Ronin (a Samurai without a master) looking for a Lord/Daimyo to follow? Are you a warrior poet, like many Samurai were? Are you looking for revenge for a wrong done to you or to your family? Or are you a poor Samurai, like the later ones were, who were forced to sell the blades of their swords just to keep out of debt to the merchants? Are you a Samurai after Samurai were outlawed or no longer useful, trying to find a new occupation that utilizes your skills? (these are all based on either history or literature, and really have nothing to do with game lore)

A samurai would use Heavy Armor. Any weapon skill (should focus on Archery and one other). Block. Magic I doubt as it may be considered unhonorable. Poisons are a no no. Potions to heal, increase stamina, and augment skill would be ok. Speech would be a skill they would have. To bad there isn't a music or art skill - so Smithing for both the art and practicality of it. No thieving. No lying. No abuse of the weak. No assassination.

Any race is ok, it would bepend on the character's mind set. Can they be honorable? Can they remain loyal to their master to the death?

The goal should be to find a master (Jarl/Storm Cloaks/Empire). To do what they ask of you and defend/support their hold to the death. To improve your skills to the utmost.

You want to become a Blade. You will get an early access to a katana. There are not many such swords in the game. Luckily there is a unique one, too, called Dragonbane.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Dragonbane
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Dragonbane

Search the wikis and follow the associated quest line. One cannot tell you much here without using spoilers. Know that it is a "leveled" weapon and the later in the game you find it the stronger it will be.

I didn't think samurai existed in TES world.

Why Alchemy and Restoration?

Orcish culture is based off of Japanese culture ingame, IIRC (the armor, at least, looked Japanese in previous games). If not, the Blades' architecture, weapons, and armor are definitely inspired by East Asian culture.

I think the OP is refering to Akaviri Dragon guards or the blades.

Light or heavy?

All Blades armor is heavy.

Go to Japan for any of that !
Haha just kidding , I don't know but I think that Breton or Altmer races will fit perfectly

Heavy Armour, Two Handed (maybe get a good No-Dachi mod), Archery, Smithing.

http://skyrimcalculator.com/#98181

Simple.

Alchemy for medicines and poisons and Restoration because we're in a world where magic exists.

I think a Samurai would be merging with a Cleric or Paladin if you added in Restoration and Alchemy.

I agree with 2-handed in principle, but what 2-handed weapons would be appropriate? AFAIK Ebony Blade is actually classified as 1-handed.

Are there any other greatswords that look right?

Ebony and Orcish greatswords are both curved, but they're heavy.