Disclaimer: This post is long. Really long. It's more for me, curing my re-startitis, so I created a list of rules, perk build, and a fairly long back story for my newest character-- also a little history of my restart-itis. If you feel like reading, cool-- please let me know what you think / suggestions / etc. Thanks!! Also, to those who will cry plagiarism: I name ALL of my characters after those found in "A Game of Thrones" series-- the best fiction ever written (bar none).

Note: I changed the class name to "Gladiator" due to both the back story and the fact that he will be wielding more than just swords (previous name was Swordsman)

I played three classes so far: Smuggler, Cleric, and Summoner. The Smuggler was a stealth archer and I exploited smithing and enchanting. Stealth archery is easy without exploiting, so this made it a bore. The Cleric was a much better class in theory than in practice. I modeled him after a Baldur's Gate Cleric, wielding only a mace and shield using Restoration and Alteration (armor buffs). It wasn't until around level 25 that I realized the armor buffs are useless on a character wearing heavy armor, and without buffs the Cleric kind of lost his identity... While I played with rules on the Cleric I frequently cheated them. I just tried a summoner, and I picked up both smithing and enchanting. While I didn't exploit the two per say, it was still way too easy to play a heavily armored conjurer wielding 2h weapons. I also didn't play with strict rules and frequently fast-traveled. It was fun until level 30 when I realized I was grinding dungeons way too fast and ignoring story lines.

This brings me to my newest character, with strict rules and I'd like some feedback on what you all think.

• Name: Barristan the Bold
  
• Class: Gladiator
  
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  
• Race: Imperial
  
• Build: http://skyrimcalculator.com/#85410 (Some of the perks are explained in the story)
  
• Rules and Restrictions:
  
  • Master difficulty only, never sliding it back.
    
  • Never fast-traveling. Ever. For any reason.
    
  • Eating 2x/day and sleeping at night.
    
  • No magic whatsoever-- either learned or otherwise
    
  • No shouts other than unrelenting force-- the others are too "magey"
    
  • Bandits are killed on sight, and any vs. bandits quests are prioritized
    
  • Sneak will be used, but un-perked (back story explains why he knows how to hide)
• Notable mods:
  
  • Deadlier traps (they'll 1-shot you)
    
  • Tougher dragons (...yeah)
    
  • More dragon loot (self explanatory)
    
  • Faster horses (eases the burden of no-fast travel)

Story: The Arena in the Imperial City began as a destination to any adventurer who would seek fame, fortune, and glory. This soon changed, however. The greed of man turned this once esteemed event into a haven for slave trade, forced combat, and murder for entertainment. Men were bought, sold, and forced to fight in the blood soaked pits at the heart of the city. The blood lust of the Imperial City grew with every passing year, turning the once underground slave trade into a lucrative and prosperous business. Men were pitted against men, beasts, monsters, and worse... anything that would please the crowd and bring the slave masters more coin.

Barristan Selmy, a native of Cyrodiil and fisherman by trade, made a meager living selling his daily catch outside of Skingrad, south of the Imperial City. It was a simple but honest life. He fathered no children, held no wife, but he was content. One cold, dark night Boros was collecting fish and lizard eggs near the border of Black Marsh when he was ambushed by a large group of savage yet organized Argonian bandits. Boros managed to kill three of the bandits with nothing more than his quarterstaff before he was overwhelmed and captured. Their leader, impressed by the ferocity and courage he displayed, decided that instead of killing Boros he would sell him to the pits at the Arena District of the Imperial City.

The slave masters paid good coin for Barristan, and ignored his pleas and explanations that he was a free native of Cyrodiil, a simple fisherman. After watching his prowess with a sword and shield, the masters disbelief to his history grew and grew. Barristan, known to the masses as "Barristan the Bold," was generating so much coin for the masters he knew he would never be free again, so he fought. Hundred, if not thousands, died to the edge of his blade.

One hot, smoldering summer afternoon Barristan learned that he was to be pitted against a pride of lions, unarmored wielding a simple quarterstaff. This was to be some perverse reenactment of his original battle with his captors so many years ago. He knew that this was to be his death. He was becoming old, and the slave masters saw that his value to them was nearing its end. They must have decided that this final event for a famous arena gladiator would generate the wealth they needed to buy his replacement-- a promising young Orc barbarian known as the "Green Hammer," named not only for the Orc's favorite weapon-- the biggest war hammer Barristan had ever seen, but for the city that owned him-- Hammerfell. The masters of the Imperial City were negotiating a sale with Hammerfell, and likely had a named price.

Barristan knew it was flee or die, although every slave in the pits knew that to flee was to die. It made no matter. Barristan knew the arena guards well, and the guards had grown complacent in their fondness for the Imperial. That afternoon the pot bellied Yander brought him his meal, and sauntered into his cell. Barristan, even chained at the wrists, made short work of Yander. Yander was a cruel guard, and Barristan held no pity in his heart for those employed by the slave trade. A decade in the pits had wiped Barristan's heart of pity for mostly anything... Barristan found Yander's key, donned his guard's uniform, and slipped out of the Arena unnoticed.

Getting out of the Imperial City proved trickier, as he was one of the most famous Arena fighters in Cyrodiil and his face was well known. As the sun began to set he ducked into an alleyway and traded the guard's uniform to a beggar for some soiled rags. Hiding his face as best he could, he slipped out of the main gate that night and struck north, for Skyrim. Barristan had shared his cell with more than one Nord in his years at the pits, and they spoke of vast dungeons and Dwemer ruins holding unimaginable wealth for those brave enough to venture there.

Barristan spent the better part of two years making his way slowly north, staying away from towns and sleeping in the vast forests of Cyrodiil. He quickly grew to know roots, plants, and toxins. He fished the streams and hunted the forests for food, careful to keep off the main roads by day. When at last he had reached Skyrim and their border patrol, the unthinkable happened-- an Imperial City slave caravan was heading south through the border and spotted him. The captain of their guard, a grizzled old man, recognized Barristan immediately. Before he could shout a warning, Barristan put an arrow through the man's heart and fled north.

In unfamiliar terrain he was shortly caught by the Imperial Army and brought in on charges of murder. And our story begins...

I assume no magic includes staves and scrolls. Does it also include refilling enchanted weapons? FYI - refilling raises the skill.

How can you justify creating a swordsman that doesn't take the bladesman skill? I'd drop the lockpicking perks for it (after all you stole the key when you escaped - not picked the lock). As a former gladiator, you should also be skilled at intimidation and missed that perk.

Very different from the usual complaint posts up on the skyrim section, its a relief to say the least.

BTW it was very enjoyable...

Correct-- no scrolls or staves. I'm going to try to buy/find filled soul gems to recharge weapons, if that doesn't work I might re-adjust the perk tree to include soul syphon-- but this character will not do any of his own enchanting.

Intimidation doesn't offer itself often enough to warrant a perk imo, I only took the "sell to anyone" perk due to his new profession of "treasure hunter," so he's going to need to sell a lot of junk.

I'm not sure "swordsman" was the appropriate name, as he's going to use any 1h weapon, but the critical damage on the sword perk isn't good enough to warrant 3 perk points in my opinion.

Very different from the usual complaint posts up on the skyrim section, its a relief to say the least.

BTW it was very enjoyable...

Thanks!

Interesting backstory & build. Can you say a little more about playstyle/tactics? I'm guessing sword & shield, making use of poisons/potions.

I feel your pain with the restartitis. I've never made a Skyrim character who's seen level 30 -- or 25, for that matter!

What main questlines do you plan to pursue? I can imagine this guy doing a lot of bounties, but they seem to dry up after awhile - except in Markarth; that place is always looking for people to kill Forsworn. Companions? MQ?

The MQ really tests one's resolve wrt not fast-travelling. I've only done that questline once, but the back & forth of it would seem pretty tedious after awhile, unless you're breaking it up with other tasks - but that seems to break the immediacy & importance the MQ establishes. I dunno. I never fast-travel at first, but always end up doing it at some point, usually when I'm starting to approach the end of a major questline.

I'm going to focus the Civil War on this one-- siding with the Storm Cloaks. The whole "freedom" undertone kind of lines up with my back-story of slavery. As to the tactics, it's going to be sword 'n board with poisons and potions. I LOVED the sword/shield combat on the Cleric, I found 2h with the Summoner to be a bore so I know I'll enjoy it.

I'm going to do my best with the fast travelling, I plan on taking my time.

I can imagine you will do a lot of hunting for the food you'll eat twice a day. That should be fun. Have you given any thought to what home you'll use? Perhaps you'll stay in abandoned homes or bed rolls? Given any thought to marriage? It sounds like your character is a loner, but I thought I'd ask.

Great back story.

Thanks! Yeah, he's a loner so no companions or wife. I plan on using a bow for hunting-- both for leathers and for food, but not combat-archery. And I do plan on using exactly what you said-- abandoned homes, bedrolls, and maybe an inn. Game-play wise it'll be tough not to buy a home to have a place to stash my alchemy gear, so I'll probably end up taking the Whiterun home and nothing else.

So, on the archery issue, will you use a hunting bow? or are you going to cheat a little and use a kick butt suped-up combat bow for hunting?

and fishing.. Are you like me and wish that there were fishing poles in this game? I like catching my fish with my bare hands and all but it'd be neat to have fishing poles or perhaps spear fishing.

I also wish that we could set up our own campsites. Start your own fire with fire wood that you chopped yourself, set up some kind of shelter and bed, put a cooking pot over the fire, etc.

Riskybiz, your avatar is very appropriate considering your restart-itis which I'm constantly dealing with as well. I've yet to make level 30 myself, although I feel like I'd easily have made 60 by now if I just stuck with my first character instead of the usual go around.

One other thing that I find might help. All the advice here, plus your plan and backstory seem pretty solid. But if you can, even though you're going to be doing the Civil War quest, which I assume you've already explored to a certain extent... get yourself off the beaten path? This char you describe is a hunter/wanderer/loner anyhow, so it fits... but it'll help you keep the game somewhat fresh.

For me, there's been nothing worse than starting a new character and then doing the same things over and over - embershard mine, down to riverwood, kill some bandits, go to bleakfalls, down to whiterun, kill a dragon, etc etc... same stuff in the early game. For me, the best cure for restart-itis was getting out of those mines and immediately going in the opposite direction - right to Falkreath and then North from there... see what happens...

just a thought. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice! I like the name, Rattleshirt, I'm guessing you'd recognize my character names (Davos Seaworth, Barristan the Bold, Thoros of Myr, and Qyburn)

Oh absolutely. Great names all of those. I take Rattleshirt for forums because it's a name in jest and slightly insulting to him. My character names are all over the place.

And I agree 100% on your take on Song of Ice and Fire. Bar none.

Strictly hunting bow for this guy. I really do wish we had fishing and camp sites, even a bed roll.

Good read. Thanks.

YES! I love these detailed back-stories. The only thing that seemed strange was that he spent nearly two years going from Cyrodil to Skyrim, a journey that even with the longest possible detour, over the roughest terrain, by an inexperienced outdoorsman should take no more than a week or two.

Yeah, I suppose I butchered Tamriel's geography a bit-- but in my mind's eye Tamriel's is a an entire world, making Cyrodiil as big as a country. If I kept the actual scope of the game intact, Barristan could run 200 laps around the planet in 2 years :/

Nice build concept. Personally I would remove the smithing, as even stopping at steel will allow you to create some godlike weapons eventually and spoil the challenge, given how strong your alchemy will be etc.

Changed the class name to "Gladiator," fixed!