Bretons (Oblivion)

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In addition to their quick and perceptive grasp of spellcraft, even the humblest of Bretons can boast a resistance to magical energies. They are particularly skilled at summoning and healing magic.

Bretons are half-elves and they populate the province of High Rock, where the second game of the series, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, takes place. They are capable mages with high magicka resistance but have few other distinctive features. They are considered an intelligent race in Tamriel, known for a proficiency in abstract thinking, a possible reason for their adeptness in the magical arts.

History

Template:Sect-stubThe Bretons like much of the Humans orignated from Atmora like the Imperials and the Nords. Though unlike the Imperials and the Nords the Bretons are half elf and half human. When Ysgramor and his sons came to Tamriel they founded the great city of Saarthal. On the Night of the Tears, the snow elves which previously had an alliance with the new Nords/Humans sacked and burned the great city. It is rumored that the Snow Elves attacked the city because of the Eye of Magnus, which can be found in TES Skyrim. When the Elves attacked, they took many slaves; some took them west to High Rock and others took them south. As the years went by the Humans bred with Elves. Thus this what created the race of Bretons who can use Magic and are good at fighting.

- Vladimir TES Historian

Physiology and culture

Ancestry

Bretons are the elven hybrids of Nedic and Aldmeri ancestry. Because of this, Bretons physiologically appear similar to Men races. Their magical talents find explanation in their mer blood.

Professions

Excelling magically, Bretons make excellent mages and easily escalate through the ranks of the Mages Guild and Arcane University. Several of the guild's highest ranks, including Arch-Mage, Master-Wizard, and Wizard are held, mostly, by Bretons. Eloquent and linguistic by nature, Bretons also make excellent Merchants, using their magical expertise to open shops that sell magical wares. The Gilded Carafe, run by Claudette Perrick, is an example of this.

Character creation

Attribute modifiers

Attributes	Male	Female
Agility	-10	-10
Endurance	-10	-10
Intelligence	+10	+10
Luck	+0	+0
Personality	+0	+0
Speed	-10	+0
Strength	+0	-10
Willpower	+10	+10

Skill bonuses

Skill	Modifier
Alchemy	+5
Alteration	+5
Conjuration	+10
Illusion	+5
Mysticism	+10
Restoration	+10

Special abilities

• Fortify Magicka +50
• Dragon Skin
• Resist Magicka 50 points
• Disposition - +5 with other Bretons.

Usage

"Pale skin, snotty expression. You're a Breton! The masters of magicka, right? Hmph. You're nothing but a stuck-up harlot with cheap parlor tricks. Go ahead, try your magicka in here. Let's see you make those bars disappear. No? What's the matter? Not so powerful now, are you Breton? You're not leaving this prison 'til they throw your body in the lake. Oh, that's right. You're going to die in here, Breton! You're going to die!"

―Valen Dreth

A Breton mage, casting Buoyancy on herself.

Bretons are a fairly balanced race. Their lowered Endurance is somewhat compensated by their resistance to magic, although the female lowered strength is somewhat fatal. The magicka boost and skill bonuses make for a powerful mage. Illusion is supported by the magicka boost to balance out a Breton into a good sneak. The Breton strategy in battle is simple: Use destruction spells at the beginning to devastate the opponent until you run out of magicka, then take out a blade and finish them off, using restoration to heal off whatever willpower gives back.

Suggested classes

• Bretons' natural magicka resistances make them capable Battlemages and Witchhunters. Bound weaponry and armor make excellent use of the Breton's Conjuration affinities, compensating also for their lack of weapon- and armor-based skills. For Battlemage characters, especially females, The Lady helps bolster Willpower and Endurance, the latter governing the Heavy armor skill crucial for battlemages, as well as governing health.
• Bretons make excellent raw mages. They excel at all magical talents. Female and male Bretons gain bonuses to Willpower as well as Intelligence.
• Alteration's Open Lock spells and Illusion's Invisibility make Bretons effective mage-thieves.

Useful birthsigns

• The Mage: useful to add to the magicka boost and make your destruction stronger and longer lasting. Basically all the Breton race is used for is aided by the addition of magicka, at all levels.
• The Apprentice - The normally fatal 100% magic weakness is lowered by the Breton's magic resistance, which makes the Breton wield insane magic power with only a 50% weakness to magic. Even though this makes a good character, an Altmer born under the mage achieves the same magicka at 100% weakness, so if you want this set go Breton.
• The Warrior - The 10+ Endurance will help the low health and couple nicely with the magic resistance into a good tank, whilst the strength makes for a strong warrior to wield destruction as an effective way to start a battle from afar.

Names

Because Bretons are based on the real-life ethnic group, their names mirror the French names of these Breton. Examples include:

Male names

• Ambroise Canne
• Francois Motierre
• Mathieu Bellamont
• Gaston Bellefort

Female names

• Antoinetta Marie
• Arielle Jurard
• Claudette Perrick
• Jeanne Frasoric

Notable Bretons

• Hannibal Traven - Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild. Propagator of the Necromancy Ban of 3E 431.
• Francois Motierre - Chorrol-resident who faked his death with the aid of the Dark Brotherhood.
• Delphine Jend - Evoker of the Mages Guild.
• Mathieu Bellamont - Speaker and betrayer of the Dark Brotherhood
• Jauffre - Grandmaster of the blades and a major supporting character in the story.

External links

• Official codex on Bretons
• Imperial Library's entry on Bretons
• Wikipedia article on Bretons