Bonus Blog: Harkon Vs Cazador (Skyrim Vs Baldur's Gate)

 “The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.” – Garrett Fort

Introductions

Few creatures rival the terror brought by blood-sucking Vampires, who hunt the innocent and act in the shadows. These Vampire patriarchs rule their families with an iron fist. These Vampire Lords are willing to do whatever it takes to free themselves from the sun's tyranny, even if it would cause their people's doom. 


Will Harkon snuff out The Vampire Ascendant’s light or will Cazador butcher the bane of The Dawnguard?


Lord Harkon: Skyrim’s ruler of the Volkihar Vampire Clan.


Cazador Szarr: The Avid Vampire Lord from Baldur’s Gate

Before We Begin…

I would like to credit G1’s Dark Souls VS Skyrim and Bang’s Revan VS Dark Urge as they were a big help for scaling (I also wrote most of The Dark Urges scaling tho lol)


For Harkon I will be looking at all relevant Elder Scrolls Scaling, which doesn't deviate substantially from Skyrim. I will also be giving him access to Auriel’s Bow.


For Cazador, I will be looking at D&D as a whole which deviates fairly heavily from what's seen in Baldur’s Gate 3. I will be also treating him as if he has successfully become the Vampire Ascendant.

Background

Harkon

"I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again."


Long ago, Harkon ruled over a large part of Skyrim. He was a cruel tyrant who oppressed his people ruthlessly in his quest for wealth and power. Eventually, the realities of his mortal life began to sink in. So great was his appetite for power, he could not bear the thought of losing everything in death.


Despite the protests of his wife, Valerica, and his daughter Serana, Harkon began to explore the dark arts. When he learned of vampirism, he knew he had found a way to cheat death. But the immortal king quickly grew frustrated with the limitations of his newfound powers. He longed to walk the world in daylight with no fear of the sun’s enfeebling effects. Harkon spent decades searching through ancient lore to find a solution to this problem, and so it was that he stumbled across an old prophecy that foretold of a day in which the vampires would gain power over the sun.


Hidden for many years in Castle Volkihar, Lord Harkon became obsessed with the Tyranny of the Sun, a prophecy that foretold a time when the sun would be blotted out of the sky, shrouding the world in eternal darkness. He sought to carry out this prophecy so vampires could rule Tamriel without fear of burning in the sunlight. As he delved deeper into the prophecy, his wife became increasingly estranged. When she learned of his mad plan to fulfill the prophecy and darken the sun, she feared that he would kill every living thing in Nirn. To this end, he sought several Elder Scrolls and Auriel's Bow. Harkon's relationship with his family was strained after they became vampires, but animosity between him and Valerica rose rapidly after he discovered the Tyranny of the Sun. Two Elder Scrolls which detailed the prophecy fell into his possession at some point, making him dangerously close to achieving his goal.


Valerica, seeking power in her own right, worked to prevent her husband from achieving his ultimate goal. She arranged for Serana to be hidden away in Dimhollow Crypt with one of the Elder Scrolls that Harkon had acquired. She took the other scroll and fled into the Oblivion plane known as the Soul Cairn. Since that time, Harkon has searched tirelessly for his wife and daughter and the lost Elder Scrolls.


As Lord of the Volkihar, Harkon remained leader of the clan for millennia, turning some into vampires and accepting them into the coven, where they would remain at his side for hundreds of years. Harkon's search for his wife and daughter finally bore fruit in the fourth era, when the Dovahkiin became involved in his affairs. As a reward for bringing his daughter to the Castle from Dimhollow Crypt, he offered the Last Dragonborn the power of a Vampire Lord. Whether they accepted a place into the coven or remained with the Dawnguard is unknown, but after going to the Forgotten Vale with Serana and discovering the truth about the prophecy from its creator, Vyrthur, Serana turned on her father as fulfilling the prophecy would mean sacrificing her. The Dovahkiin, accompanied by Harkon's estranged daughter and armed with Auriel's Bow, slew Lord Harkon in his castle, where he made a final cry to his daughter's betrayal before melting into a pile of red ash.

Cazador

"I strove for perfection in all things - even those as imperfect as you"


Long before the 15th century the land that would encompass Tumbledown held a grand estate that belonged to the mercantile Szarr family. Unfortunately, every member of the Szarrs was murdered by a rival house, and their holdings were burnt to the ground. These grounds would become encompassed in fog and eventually became a cemetery in the upper city of Baldur’s Gate. How exactly Cazador survived the slaughter is unknown but following the death of Vellioth, Cazador’s Master, Cazador took his place as Patriarch of the family.


Cazador was brutal to his spawn, he tortured them, carved their flesh, starved them, his cruelty a response to each of their imperfections, and strictly enforced his four rules


First, thou shalt not drink of the blood of thinking creatures.


Second, thou shalt obey me in all things.


Third, thou shalt not leave my side unless directed.


Four, thou shalt know that thou art mine.


Cazador’s Ambitions did not end there, he sought to surpass his weakness to sunlight and become the Vampire Ascendant. To do so he would need to perform a ritual, a pact with the mighty devil Mephistopheles. This ritual would require the sacrifice of thousands of vampire spawn, this plan would have to wait as one of the 7 key spawn needed, Astarion had gone missing.


Cazador would send hunters after Astarion but to no avail, and eventually, Astarion would come to him, seeking vengeance. With his last puzzle piece in place, he would begin the ritual, and regardless of it succeeds, his fate is sealed and Astarion and his friends end his reign of terror.

Intelligence / Experience / Skill

Harkon

Harkon has been alive for millennia, "Do not presume to tell me who I can and cannot trust. I possess the wisdom of a dozen lifetimes, and I will make my own judgements. Now be silent, and hear what I have to say." He kept his clan’s secrecy for much of this time, Harkon managed to execute much of what would allow him to fulfill the Tyranny of The Sun. He should be as skilled as many of the warriors in Skyrim such as the Greybeards, Ulfric, or even The Blades, many of whom could turn the tide in Skyrims province-wide civil war. He seems to be a masterful spellcaster, a strong leader, and The most powerful Vampire in all of Skyrim. “In an age long forgotten to history, I ruled as a mighty king. My domain was vast, my riches endless and my power infinite”

Cazador

Cazador has 2 centuries of experience as a Vampire lord, and his time was well spent, organizing his spawn to gather thousands of victims for the ritual. He is a skilled spellcaster with a formidable 18 charisma, and 17 intelligence, comparable to trained wizards. He can wield both a staff and dagger in combat but by no means does he primarily fight with these. 

Equipment / Weapons

Harkon


Harkons Sword

A katana that can only be wielded by vampires. Each strike absorbs health, stamina, and Magika


Vampire Royal Armour

A set of Light Armour that increases the rate at which Magika regenerates.


Potion of Blood

Used by vampires as a substitute for human blood.


Vampire Boots

A pair of snazzy boots.


Necklace of Magic Suppression

This Necklace grants Harkon minor resistance to magic


Ring of Eminent Destruction 

This Ring boosts the power of Harkon’s Destruction Magic


The Bloodstone Chalice

Drinking from this will boost the power of Harkons vampiric abilities


Auriels Bow

Technically Harkon never uses Auriels Bow but if Dovahkiin is a dumbass he can give it to him


Legend says that in the Dawn Era, the bow was created by Anuiel for use by Auriel against the forces of Lorkhan during the Ehlnofey wars. When Trinimac defeated Lorkhan and tore out his heart, Auriel fastened it to an arrow and shot it long into the sea, where Red Mountain eventually formed.


Auriel’s Bow is one of the strongest bows in all of the elder scrolls, with just regular arrows it deals massive fire damage, especially to the Undead.


Bloodcursed Elven Arrow


A Bloodcursed Elven Arrow is an elven arrow that has been tainted with the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour. When fired into the sun by Auriel’s Bow they blot it out and remove the negative effects the sun causes to Vampires.

Cazador

Woe

“The gentle tap-tap-tap of a staff on stone sparked terror for all in Cazador's palace. It signalled an approaching storm, and all they could do was shrink into the background and pray its wrath would not fall on them.”

This staff increases the effectiveness of Cazador’s spellcasting. And seemingly allows him to use a form of telekinesis to freeze and throw around foes


Rhapsody

Cazador's love of poetry arose after he read on the naked stomach of a dead child in his homeland. The child was hung from the lowest branch of a tree. Cazador read the poem, and looked at the child, and he knew that here was the artform for him. This dagger becomes more effective for every foe slane (up to three) and possibly inflicts Bleeding while the wielder is Hiding or Invisible.



Szarr Family Ring

This ring carries the symbol of the Szarr family and has an inscription in some crusty old language.


Powers / Abilities

Harkon

Vampire Physiology

"You contracted a disease, perhaps, but you are no true vampire. Accept my gift and I promise that you will learn the difference”. 


A vampire is a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, which consumes the blood of living creatures. The vampires of Tamriel are undead, diseased persons who are hated, hunted, and misunderstood by the living. Whether they consider themselves cursed or blessed, or whether they have given into their animalistic instincts or have sought to rid the world of the disease, vampires are nonetheless considered abominations Harkon is more than just a normal Vampire. Harkon is a true vampire, far beyond that. Harkon’s Vampiric Blood is potent enough to purge lycanthropy and presumably other similar conditions. It was even strong enough to knock out The Dovahkiin upon entering their body. Vampires are also naturally resistant to cold damage


Enthrallment

Vampires can forcibly enthrall mortals, dominating them to do their bidding.


Magic

Harkon is a skilled spellcaster, as the leader of his clan it would be logical that he knows the spells his daughter Serana can cast.


 Vampire Drain

This spell drains the health of the target while healing the caster at the same time


Ice Spike

This Spell fires a spike of ice dealing Frost damage and draining stamina


Ice Storm

This Spell unleashes a whirlwind of cold dealing continuous Frost damage and draining stamina



Lightning Bolt

This spell fires a bolt of lightning that deals Shock damage and drains Magicka


Chain Lightning

Functions similarly to Lightning Bolt but can now jump to multiple enemies


Reanimate Corpse, Raise Dead, & Revenant

These spells allow the caster to revive a dead humanoid and make it fight for them.


BFR

Harkon was capable of banishing the Dovahkiin from his castle, teleporting him away from its grounds. 


Summon Skeleton

Harkon can summon Skeletons


Vampire Lord

Harkons Vampiric Blood is pure, allowing him to take the form of a Vampire Lord.


Flight: Vampire Lords can float a small distance above the ground.


Perks



Power of the Grave: 50 points of bonus to health, magicka and stamina as a Vampire Lord.

Mist Form: Power: Turn into an invulnerable mist, while health, magicka, and stamina regenerate.Supernatural Reflexes: Night Power: Everything slows down while you move faster. 

Blood Healing: Killing a person with a power attack bite restores all your health.

Unearthly Will: Night Powers and Blood Magic cost 33% less.

Poison Talons: Melee attacks do 20 points of poison damage.

Night Cloak: In combat, you are surrounded by a cloud of bats that feed on enemies within melee range.

Corpse Curse: Blood Magic: Target is paralyzed.


Night Powers

Bats: Allows Harkon to turn into a cloud of bats then flies forward several feet before reforming as a Vampire Lord.

Vampire Sight: Grants Harkon Night Vision

Detect All Creatures: Sends out a sonar-like pulse that reveals all forms of life, living or undead, in a white aura for a few seconds. It also reveals the location of corpses.

Mist Form: Transforms Harkon into an invulnerable cloud of mist

Supernatural Reflexes: For 23 seconds, Harkon sees the world as if time has grinded to a halt


Blood Magic


Drain Life

This spell drains the health of all those caught within its area of effect and heals the caster


Vampiric Grip

Vampiric Grip is similar to the Telekinesis spell, except it affects almost any creature or character instead of an item, which can be lifted off the ground and held in the air at the cost of Magicka upkeep. The target can then be flung into the air by releasing the spell


Summon Gargoyle

This Spell Summons a Gargoyle

"Gargoyles are magical creatures that can form a stony skin when stationary, making it easy to mistake them for a statue. Their claws are able to absorb health from their victims."


Cazador


Vampire Physiology

Strahd blog when?!?!?

Vampires are immortal, allowing Cazador to live for centuries. It also grants him immunity to non-magical Slashing, Piercing, and Bludgeoning Damage as well as resistance to Necrotic Damage. It also grants them passive regeneration and the ability to fly short distances


Potent Misty Escape

Cazador can transform into a cloud which is immune to non-magical physical damage and resistant to magical damage. While in Mist Form, Cazador is Ethereal and he may blind and deal Necrotic damage to nearby enemies.


Vampiric Swarm

Cazador summons a swarm of bats, if enough are near his target they become vulnerable to piercing damage and Cazador will regenerate health each turn


Spellcasting

Blight

This spell allows spellcasters to drain the moisture and vitality from a target creature using necromantic energy. It's especially effective versus plants.


Call Lightning

 This spell allows spellcasters to call down lightning to hit all targets within range. The spellcaster can also continue to call down lightning repeatedly on subsequent turns.



Vampire Ascendant

Upon completing the ritual and sacrificing The Vampire Spawn, Cazador can become the Vampire Ascendant, not only does this form remove his (Dark) urge to drink blood and remove his weakness to the sun, but it also grants him some other benefits as Cazador permanently gains the buffs granted to him during the ritual


Ritual Sources: For Each of th 7 Ritual Sources, Cazador gains additional Movement & Temporary Health, as well as all his spells do additional Necrotic damage (1d10 each)

Ritual Drain: Astarion: Cazador gains an additional bonus action

Ritual Drain: Violet: Cazador gains +5 AC

Ritual Drain: Yousen: Cazador will heal for 2d8hit points each turn


Stats

Harkon

Overall

  • Made a deal with Molag Bol to become immortal

  • Nearly fulfilled the prophecy of The Tyranny of The Sun

  • One of Skyrim’s most fearsome foes

  • Ruled his clan for millennia

  • Among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim.


Power



Speed


Durability

Cazador


Overall

  • Was a Vampire Lord for 200 years

  • Collected thousands of Vampires to sacrifice to Mephistopheles

  • Easily defeated Astarion with no effort

  • One of the final bosses of Baldur’s Gate 3

Power


Speed

Durability

Why is bro getting Backshots



Weaknesses


Harkon

God this is unfunny, my options were limited

As a vampire, Harkon is of course weakened by the sun, this also makes him weak to fire. Harkon is also very narrowminded and obsessive, his plan would have been detrimental to his vampires as well and he didn't seem to really care.

Cazador

While removed by becoming Vampire Ascendant, Cazador has the urge to drink blood and can have his passive healing negated by sunlight or holy water.

Before The Verdict


Does Harkon scale to Alduin?

This might seem like an obvious no, but considering Harkon is a DLC final boss similar to Miraak who scales to Alduin, there could be an argument to be made. Harkon himself was able to either banish The Dovahkiin from his castle or knock him out with the potency of his blood, but neither of these can be attributed to raw power even if they can be done well after Dovakiin’s fight Alduin. Harkon says nothing about being able to fight The World Eater or anything and even says directly that he isn't the strongest thing around "There is much to learn, but if you master the powers of the Vampire Lord, few enemies will be able to stand against you." Few is the key word there if he was truly powerful enough to take on gods then he certainly would have boasted about it. So No Harkon does not scale to Alduin.


Auriel’s Bow

Now typically the debate over Auriel’s Bow is scaling it to speed, I just think it does and the topic has been heavily discussed elsewhere, no need to do that now frankly. Now the question is, how high does blocking out the sun get? The Sun or Magnus is the common term for the largest tear in reality between the Mundus and Aetherius. It appears as a bright orb in the skies of Nirn and is the main source of light and Magicka in the world, providing a constant flow from Aetherius. The way I interpret what is happening is that it's applying some sort of cover to Magnus, to limit this flow of light and Magicka. Now the size of Magnus and the other reality tears is never stated from what I could find, but given the planets seen in the sky are infinitely sized-planes the sun could potentially be that size. This feat could reasonably range from Star to High Universal depending on the Star’s size. Now another aspect to lack at is if you interpret it as affecting the entire tear, all the way to Aetherius which is a ludicrous jump of power. The feat could read somewhere in the High Hyperversal to Low Outer range, but frankly, there isn’t any evidence that it does and it's just a real stretch in my opinion.


Outer DND?

Well not mentioned here, there are arguments for characters on the level of Demogorgon scaling to Far Realms creatures (if you wanna understand why that’s outer read Revan VS Dark Urge) however that is violent overkill and the confusion it would cause is just not worth arguing here, that scaling deviates incredibly far from the Baldur’s Gate games and for someone relatively isolated like Cazador there’s no need to go further than Demogorgon itself. 


Verdict

Stats

Let's get speed out of the way, it should be comparable, even if Cazador has more evidence for being beyond the finite ranges, Auriel’s Bow is one of the most blatant infinite speed feats I've ever seen. Now Cazador should be faster on the finite ends but I don't believe that either should be put there


Power is just as clear cut but there's more to talk about. Cazador scales to various feats in the stellar ranges, whereas Harkon is only reaching that level with Auriels Bow. The High end of The Bow isn’t up to snuff either, even blocking out an infinitely large sun isn't up to snuff with things Demon Lords are cranking out consistently, and a feat as insane as Demogorgon shaking the Abyss and Astral Sea. 


Cazador’s raw power allows him to take stats relatively easily, as he even outdoes Harkon’s potential high end. While the pair should be matched in terms of speed.

Arsenal and Abilities

Equipment

Equipment is fairly simple, Harkon’s is far superior. Cazador wields Woe which has an impressive ability to stun and ragdoll foes, but Harkon has abilities in Vampire Lord form that do the same. Cazador also has Rhapsody which is far worse than Harkon’s own sword. On top of this Harkon has Auriel’s Bow as a ranged option, superior Armour, and the Bloodstone Chalice to Buff himself


Physiologies

Comparing the attributes of their respective vampirism is interesting, Harkon’s blood could potentially overwrite Cazador’s Vampirism if he got it into his system and knock him out for a time, which would make their physiologies on par and give him a chance to go for the kill, while Cazador’s vampirism grants him flight for greater mobility, regeneration for greater longevity, and resistance to necrotic damage. Ultimately I think the potential for Harkon to equalize the playing field and get a chance for the kill is a far bigger advantage than what Cazador’s Vampirism offers


Spellcasting

Spellcasting is pretty simple, Harkon’s Ice spells and Cazador’s Call Lightning basically equal out. While Harkon’s Vampire drain is great in theory, it would most definitely qualify as Necrotic damage and be resisted by Cazador. Cazador’s access to Blight could be enough to deal some serious damage or even kill Harkon meaning his Spellcasting should be better. Harkon does however have passively regenerating Magicka as opposed to Spell Slots.


Vampire Lord

Vampire Lord grants Harkon access to a huge variety of abilities, he can throw Cazador with telekinesis, slow down his perception of time, become invulnerable and more. Vampire Lord hold a huge amount of variety but none of these really give him any way to kill Cazador.


Vampire Ascendant

Vampire Ascendant significantly increases Cazador’s damage output and gives him such busted regen that Harkon’s attacks aren’t gonna do much lasting damage, even if Harkon overwrites his Vampirism it wouldn't get rid of the ritual’s effects. This alone lets Cazador ignore basically everything Harkon has going for him.


Summons

Harkon can summon Skeletons, reanimate corpses, and even summon entire Gargoyles, not only are these way stronger than the swarm of bats Cazador has but it’s way more options for Summoning.

Tertiary Factors

Both characters’ actual skill and intelligence are fairly vague. Given that Harkon wields a more complex weapon in melee combat and has been around longer, it's logical to say he’s probably at least somewhat better in fighting, although Cazador’s powerful spellcasting and ability to round up that many vampire spawn, he should be able to keep up at least in terms of smarts.

Summary

Harkon

"The vampire is eternal, and with immortality comes the revelation that these bonds never endure... it's fleeting, momentary at best."

Advantages

  • Comparable Speed

  • More experienced and likely more skilled

  • More variety of Abilities

  • Stronger summons

  • Could potentially Drain Cazador’s life force…

  • Could knock Cazador out with his Blood…

  • Hot Daughter


Disadvantages

  • Far weaker

  • Lacks passive resistance to the sun

  • … but Cazador resists and Harkon is unable to outpace Cazador’s regeneration

  • ... but he has no way to kill Cazador.

  • Tedious Questline


 Cazador

“You truly forgot my power. You truly thought that our bond as creator and creation was all that stopped you from killing me”

Advantages

  • Way Stronger

  • Comparable Speed

  • Stronger Spellcasting

  • Regeneration lets him tank all of Harkon’s attacks

  • Passive answer to sunlight

  • Raw aura



Disadvantages

  • Less experienced

  • Less variety

  • Inferior equipment

  • Worse summons

  • 3 minutes of screen time


Conclusion

This verdict is clear cut, Harkon holds many advantages but none of them let him get past Cazador’s Power, Durability and regeneration. Even Harkons most potent abilities can only temporarily stop him and it's all less practical than getting one shot by someone far more powerful.



Harkon may have denied the Tyranny of The Sun, but Cazador Guarded him from living past Dawn

The Winner Is Cazador

“Witness the birth of The Vampire Ascendant! Ecce Dominus!”
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