Dune Builds: A Guide to Character/Roleplay Ideas inspired by Frank Herbert’s seminal novel

Hey there r/Morrowind,

those who have seen some screenshots of my latest playthrough may have recognised the obvious inspiration behind it, which got me thinking of other Dune-inspired builds to play in the future. I was, however, quite shocked to find that (in this subreddit at least), there is barely any mention of Dune-inspired builds. So here's my attempt at creating some guidelines (note that I am very open to criticism and changes):

Muad'Dib

"Muad'Dib is wise in the ways of the desert. Muad'Dib creates his own water. Muad'Dib hides from the sun and travels in the cool night. Muad'Dib is fruitful and multiplies over the land. Muad'Dib we call 'instructor-of-boys.' That is a powerful base on which to build your life, Paul-Muad'Dib, who is Usul among us"

Race: Imperial (the Atreides are noble blood)

Birthsign: the Lover / Thief (Agility / Sanctuary affects dodge, which translates well with the agility of the "Desert Mouse") or Warrior (Paul is a fearsome combatant), or Lady (Paul is an exceptional leader)

Specialisation: Stealth

Favored Attributes: Endurance / Agility or Endurance / Speed or Agility / Speed

Major Skills: Light Armour, Sneak, Illusion (mimics Bene Gesserit skill of the Voice), Block, Security

Minor Skills: Short Blade, Athletics, Acrobatics, Alchemy (maybe?), Speechcraft

Factions: House Hlaalu (for "backstory" then abandon them), Ashlanders (eventually becoming Nerevarine)

Special Notes: try living among the tribes for a period, roleplaying as a member of the Ashlanders (Urshilaku as they are most accepting and live in an Ashland setting).

Fremen / Fedaykin

"When you take your stand along the maker's path, you must remain utterly still. You must think like a patch of sand. Hide beneath your cloak and become a little dune in your very essence.”

Race: Dunmer (natives of the Ashlands)

Birthsign: the Warrior (for more combat-oriented role-play), Thief / Lady (classic agile / quick guerrilla fighters)

Specialisation: Stealth

Favored Attributes: Endurance / Agility or Endurance / Speed or Agility / Speed

Major Skills: Light Armour, Sneak, Mysticism, Block, Spear

Minor Skills: Short Blade, Athletics, Acrobatics, Alchemy, Mercantile

Factions: Ashlanders

Special Notes: you may need to do the Main Quest up until the point the Ashlanders accept you as their own, in order to roleplay in harmony with the Urshilaku tribe. This character roleplay focusses heavily on living from the land, hunting, fishing, gathering. The Fremen live among themselves and rarely contact settlers.

Bene Gesserit / Reverend Mother

"The Reverend Mother must combine the seductive wiles of a courtesan with the untouchable majesty of a virgin goddess, holding these attributes in tension so long as the powers of her youth endure. For when youth and beauty have gone, she will find that the place-between, once occupied by tension, has become a wellspring of cunning and resourcefulness.”

Race: Breton (fits with the "witch" theme of the Bene Gesserit) / Imperial (if roleplaying the "influential political concubine")

Birthsign: the Mage (for more mage-oriented role-play) or the Lady (for a more politics-centric roleplay)

Specialisation: Magic

Favored Attributes: Willpower / Speed

Major Skills: Illusion (mimics the Bene Gesserit ability of the Voice), Mysticism, Alteration, Sneak, Unarmored

Minor Skills: Short Blade, Athletics, Destruction, Alchemy, Restoration

Factions: House Hlaalu (fits with the focus on politics), Mages Guild, Imperial Cult (fits with the theme of Bene Gesserit working for the empire and secretly influencing others with their goals)

Special Notes: being a member of the Imperial Cult does not mean you believe in the Divines. The Bene Gesserit are not priests, they have their own secret agenda and use their ties with the Empire to hide them.

Mentat

"A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it.”

Race: Dunmer / Imperial / Khajiit (stealth-friendly races)

Birthsign: the Thief / the Lover

Specialisation: Stealth

Favored Attributes: Endurance / Agility or Endurance / Speed or Agility / Speed

Major Skills: Sneak, Light Armor, Security, Alchemy, Block

Minor Skills: Short Blade, Athletics, Acrobatics, Speechcraft, Restoration

Factions: Morag Tong (Mentats were often Master Assassins), House Hlaalu (fits with the focus on politics), Thieves Guild (Mentats have reliable sources and resourceful connections)

Special Notes: none.

Sardaukar

"The Sardaukar . . . soldier fanatics . . . tough, strong, ferocious men . . . from the Emperor's prison planet. Sardaukar do not submit . . . they carry coils of shigawire in their hair . . . strong enough to garrote a man."

Race: Redguard / Imperial / Nord (combat-friendly races)

Birthsign: the Warrior

Specialisation: Combat

Favored Attributes: Strength / Endurance

Major Skills: Heavy Armor, Block, Long Blade, Armorer, Short Blade

Minor Skills: Axe, Blunt Weapon, Spear, Athletics, Marksman

Factions: Fighters Guild (for "backstory"), Imperial Legion

Special Notes: none.