The Whiterun Guard can go die in a fire! : V

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:43 pm

So here I am, playing as my merchant build, transporting my goods from Rorikstead to Whiterun, right? Along the way, BAM, bandits attack.

Well shoot.

So I'm not too far from a guard outpost, right? I manage to bob and weave and fall back to the outpost, thinking that the guard will help me out - after all, it's been a while since they've had a good bandit raid. I get there, and I hear "This should be good."

What.

"Oh, look, a fight."

Are you... kidding me?

So they're leaving little ol' me to fight off the bandits, with like, no combat training to speak of. Cute. Somehow... I managed to do it. Granted, I think I blew through a third of the stock of potions I had made, but hey, it's not like people in Whiterun need healing or anything like that, right guard guys? Nothing like wars or illnesses going around, nope, a perfectly healthy hold isn't it? You know, I do have a shipment of weapons and armor ordered by the Jarl... perhaps I think I'll give him a little word about that outpost. Surely if they don't need to fight bandits, they don't need the upgrades in gear they were going to get...

I mean, it's not like Skyrim's in the middle of a civil war or anything. Right?

Spoiler

A little context on this build - Merchant builds focus on actually creating things and selling them, rather than for combat. They max out the blacksmithing, alchemy, enchanting, and speachcraft perk trees before they shift their focus to other trees. They prefer to avoid combat as a result, obviously. To add onto that, this character is level five at the time, meaning that even then their skills are rather low, so on master difficulty, getting swarmed by three bandits when your best possible gear is a steel sword you found and some Elven Armor you scavenged off of some thalmor guy who woke up on the wrong end of a bear, and with only potions and prayers to keep you alive... yeah, not exactly the easiest of things. Glad I was doing a potion run as well, or I'd have been boned.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:04 am

i think you need a escort.... and skyrim? a compatent guard force...

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 4:40 am

Report them to commander Caius - he will see to it that they get docked a days wages and stripped of all their mead.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:18 am

Yep, you travel alone your a pretty dumb merchant.

If I was a guard I would have been laughing at you also.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:41 am

I think some powerful illusion spells might work here.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:14 pm

I think some powerful illusion spells might work here.

But a merchant wouldn't use magic.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 4:58 pm

But a merchant wouldn't use magic.

But they're in magical Skyrim.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:14 am

But a merchant wouldn't use magic.

Sorry but if a merchant is using enchanting, which is magic, why wouldn't they use illusion spells also?

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 11:12 am

I don't get why would someone roleplay as a merchant in Skyrim, like if all the goods would actually benefit someone, having people not buying but staring at goods or talking to the shopkeepers all day... Also you mention bandits are a problem, and what about dragons?

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 11:55 am

I could see maybe getting a follower JUST for longer trips, just hire the mercenaries in the bar, not use housecarls or other "real" followers.

Hire them to get to the next town, dump them and hire another for the next leg of the trip.

Traveling merchants would typically hire help for dangerous trips, so it could work from an RP point of view. Well, I guess a merchant build is almost the defiinition of an RP build.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:30 pm

a merchant build sounds like a fun/challanging one.

Whats your policy on selling used weapons?

cause I'd sure as heck be using them haha

Though I am playing a mage right now that only carries a dagger. All magic/stealth and one handed weapons

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:42 am

Next time, hire some bodyguards.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 5:05 pm

@Illusion spells: Level 5. Can't get those yet.
@Mercenary: I did have one. Dragon took him away. >_>
@Merchant uses no magic: Are you nuts? A merchant uses whatever they can if it means survival!
@Selling used weapons: Sadri's Used Wears is a store, is it not? Used gear is still great gear for basic travellers and people wanting just self-defense. Not everything has to be military grade.

My equipment focus with this merchant is light armor, heavy shield, 1H sword. But what your merchant uses is up to you! Remember, nothing is off the table, but any combat training must go AFTER the four merchant perk trees are maxed out.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 8:56 am

If you're on the PC, then I'd highly recommend http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/14037. Then you could have a small army with you.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:55 pm

and what about dragons?

He probably hasn't even grabbed the Dragonstone yet I'm guessing. Tomb-diving is not the forte of merchants.

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:27 am

PS3 user. My compy doesn't even have PCIe slots, that's how crap it is. I really wanted this for PC, but alas... I'm poor.

@Tomb Diving: She. Honestly. I'm wearing a dress and everything. Also, did actually do that quest, though it was to help out a fellow shopkeeper, rather than to do some stupid mythic dragon thing. Did have hired help for that.