How to roleplay as a Dwemer?

[Red Guardian]

I'm thinking about picking either a High Elf, a Wood Elf or a Dark Elf (with pale skin) and only use Dwarven equipment and training all arts of combat. Regarding magic, enchanting would be the only choice. And with the stealth path, alchemy. But apart from all that, what else?

The Dwemer virtually don't exist. So I wouldn't be able to enter cities (unless diguised or something). Therefore I wouldn't be able to haggle. I'd had to do some crazy inventory management and live in one of the many Dwemer ruins. It would be like a hardcore mode experience, imo, if taken to heart. Any ideas? Thanks.

[legoless]

Fyr Manor might be your thing.

[AKB]

It doesn't really make sense to be a Dwemer in modern times, but I can offer some advice. I would suggest you ask yourself, firstly, why your character is still there? You seem to be focusing on how to roleplay, now what you are roleplaying. Do they know why they are there, and if not, what do they plan to do now that they are back? Did they not disappear like the rest of the Dwemer? It's the same thing you should always ask yourself before you create a character, why is my character adventuring?

For example, here is what I decided would serve as my last character's backstory. Through deciding who my character was in his background, I could more naturally determine what he would do within the game. Mind you, this isn't anything special as far as roleplaying characters go, it's just an example of how you should decide on some key events of their lives to help you plan out what else they would do. Haraldr was a rough and tumble sort, growing up as part of a poor family living in Bravil. From a young age, he took to thieving and various other minor acts of crime with some child hooligans he ran with. When war raged through Cyrodiil, his city was sacked, and his family and most of his friends were lost in the chaos. From that incident, he grew to despise the Dominion.

With not many ties to the rest of the world remaining, Haraldr ended up as a camp follower for the legion, helping with odd jobs around their encampments during the course of the Great War and during the chaotic period following that, and even would serve as a scout and spy from time to time. His time around the Legion served to straighten him up, he left behind most of his criminal traits, but never actually joined. He only ever saw the Legion at its worse, and was never quite fond of it. But he did learn the basics of soldiering, and became the mercenary type as he grew older. He wandered from city to city along the border between the Dominion and the Human Provinces, showing up to provide his services in trouble spots along the way. Despite his clear bias towards accepting assignments against the Dominion, and even some personal attacks on them funded by nothing but his own hatred of them, they never really took special notice of him. The Dominion had many angry humans fighting against them along the border, all were guilty in the eyes of the Justicars, so he never grew famous or infamous in either sides eyes for his actions.

For two decades, he fought these battles, until he fell in love. The battlefield was no place to raise a family, so he moved far away from the Dominion, bought land, built a farm. His little farm and family grew, and he was finally ready to settle down into a more civilized lifestyle. Then, one day, he woke up in the mud around his home. His homestead was completely burned down, his family was gone, and he awoke heavily injured, and with a new, mysterious tattoo that he had no knowledge of receiving. For reasons he could not explain, the only thing that he could think of was that the answers to what had happened to him awaited him in Skyrim. So with nothing but the scraps he could recover from the wreckage of his life, he set out to learn what had happened.

In this little bio, I determine what my character will be "trained" in doing, so I can say I'm a stealthy fighter type of character. I also can say he has experience doing mercenary work, so it'd be completely reasonable for me to start looking for jobs to get me on my way. I determine he despises the Dominion, and isn't fond of the Legion, but is familiar with them. I also decide what he looks like, he probably keeps a more clean, military look to himself. He is heavily scarred. Probably a bit larger, and has a distinctive tattoo. I also give him a goal to discover what had happened that night, when it all went wrong.

So determine what your character's life was before you played him, to help you decide how to play them.

[Leckan]

Dwemer, from my understanding, were cynical, isolationists, and fiercely independent, so staying away from towns and such except when necessary would make sense; although, could I suggest getting a home with Hearthfire that's outside of town?.
They were dedicated to science rather than magic but were always in pursuit of learning, and they regularly challenged the gods as well which many believed is what may have lead to their disappearance. So I probably wouldn't do any Daedric quests, unless you flip that Daedric Prince the bird as you walked off with their relic. You could probably do The Cursed Tribe just to get Volundrung back, an ancient Dwemer weapon.

I'd probably go with a Dunmer, since the Dwemer looked like they had light grey skin to me. If you're doing a male, give him a big ol' beard and braided hair.

You'd clearly want to focus on heavy armor (Dwarven armor). Now whether you want to two-hand it or go with a sword & board is your choice, but I'd use a bow for range.

Dwemer were machinists and scientists, so I'd do blacksmithing (at least to Dwarven) and alchemy (such as blinding the Falmer).

Their automatons are all powered by soul gems and they were exploring the planes of oblivion, so you could probably go with conjuration. They also have enchanted relics, so enchanting is applicable.

Heavy Armor
Archery
Alchemy
Enchanting

One-Handed?
Two-Handed?
Block?
Conjuration?

[Dark Spark]

As to origin: I roleplayed a member of the Dragon Cult thrust into modern times by the grace he was caught in the same time-wound as Alduin (he was there at the Monahven, crouching just out of view).

When Grumpy #1 re-emerged into the world, this one mortal lackey popped out along with him, fell down the mountain and ended up at Darkwater in time to get nabbed.

Your Dwemer could have arrived under similar circumstances: someone from the distant past who fast-forwarded over Red Mountain and so escaped his peoples' fate.

[all_freed]

I cant remember if the dwarves cab use magicka spells but i thinj the ghost in the tribunal expansion could do enchanting and what not without nornal methid (like the enchanting station).

Also maybe you can think about using alteratiin speel like Transmute to combine ores. I think sneak is acceptabke too because the dwarves arent always dressed in heavy armor and they can pribably squeeze in one or two sneak attacks with a bow if they do.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Dwemer could cast spells. All the Dwemer ghosts in Morrowind did. They're Elves after all. They just see magic as a science and a tool to be used and studied, rather than something intrinsically, well, "magical".

They're more likely to spend time on Sciences like Alchemy, Enchanting or Blacksmithing than on channeled magicka like Destruction or Alteration, though. As a rule of thumb. Enchanting was so common in Dwarven society than any rank and file soldier could put fire on a blade, according to Radac from Tribunal.

[MetaCthulhu]

I would suggest getting a mage follower. It's a win/win scenario: No self respecting mage would give up a chance to study the Dwemer, and with a mage always in tow, while wearing dwarven armour you can tell everybody in town that, "it's just a magical construct. Nothing to see here." Might help with the shopping.

[legoless]

You could probably do The Cursed Tribe just to get Volundrung back, an ancient Dwemer weapon.

No way, don't do this. Malacath is one of the race's worst enemies, and Volundrung has been corrupted beyond redemption. Unless you wanna turn to the dark side as well, stay away from that hammer as a Dwemer.

[Leckan]

You could probably do The Cursed Tribe just to get Volundrung back, an ancient Dwemer weapon.

No way, don't do this. Malacath is one of the race's worst enemies, and Volundrung has been corrupted beyond redemption. Unless you wanna turn to the dark side as well, stay away from that hammer as a Dwemer.

He is their enemy, but why wouldn't Dwemer want to reclaim their relic?

Dwemer could cast spells. All the Dwemer ghosts in Morrowind did. They're Elves after all. They just see magic as a science and a tool to be used and studied, rather than something intrinsically, well, "magical".

They're more likely to spend time on Sciences like Alchemy, Enchanting or Blacksmithing than on channeled magicka like Destruction or Alteration, though. As a rule of thumb. Enchanting was so common in Dwarven society than any rank and file soldier could put fire on a blade, according to Radac from Tribunal.

That's interesting.

[legoless]

He is their enemy, but why wouldn't Dwemer want to reclaim their relic?

"Who now knows the tale of how this Dwemer hammer came to embody the power of one of their most bitter foes?" -Martin Septim

[all_freed]

@Pilaf The Defiler Oh yeah I forgot about those!

i the dwemer could just roleplay as arrogant and say that they don't believe in the power of a Prince or they think their dwarven knowledge can overcome any obstacle. even though some people learn from mistakes there is always the chance that lightning can strike twice. after this you can get the volundrung and put a lot of diseases on yourself like corpus (the one from tes3).

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Interestingly, Yagrum had Volendrung in his possession in Morrowind, in a locked chest, but it had no enchantments on it. It's plausible he was able to use his knowledge as a tonal architect to temporarily purify it. That purification clearly didn't last, because it was corrupted again in Oblivion and Skyrim. Maybe an expert Dwemer enchanter could suppress the Daedric nature within it, but keep in mind Yagrum was an elite mind in Dwemer society, and unless your Dwemer is a total Mary Sue character, he or she is NOT as smart or accomplished as Yagrum.

[Mattbott]

you might play a modern man or mer who are posessed by a Dwemer ghost (or who thinks they are lol). That might simplify the headcanon for you. It would also explain why you don't behave like a Dovahkiin for a while

My archaeologist character was a Dwemer expert and I had a lot of fun going through the game focusing on Dwemer sites and artifacts. The dwarven crossbows and aetherium forges were especially rewarding