Dragon Shouts

Dragon Shouts (also known as Dovahzaan) are an arcane form of magic that was prominently used in Tamriel but has gradually become obscure; in Skyrim there are few who retain the ability to perform Dragon Shouts. The Dragonborn (Dovahkiin) is able to use the language of the dragons to great effect due to their ability to absorb the souls of Dragons. A minority of non-player characters also have the ability to use dragon shouts.

There are 24 dragon shouts in the game and each is performed by the vocalization of specific words of power. Dragon Shouts are discovered on the walls of old ruins, and gained by slaying and absorbing the souls of dragons. As more are slain the users ability to learn and use new shouts increases. These shouts have powerful effects and provide the user with a variety of abilities. For instance, one shout sends foes hurling away from you, another shout instantly teleports you from one spot to another, and yet another shout lets you conjure forth spells of ice or fire doing heavy damage. The player can choose to only vocalize part of a dragon shout which will lower the recharge time of the shout but cause the shout to be weaker. In an interview Todd Howard said every shout has 3 words and there is 1 word per word wall. Todd Howard has also said that certain shouts allow you to be able to call on dragons for help.