delfofthebla

I'm afraid it's not that easy. Indeed, it is a "waste" that the work that I have done is not being released, but that's just it--it's not in a releasable state. The only part of the mod that's "complete" is the Phylactery cell that BartokTB designed. The Liches themselves, and the story surrounding them, are either non-existent, or unfinished. I have absolutely no intention of released the mod in its current state. It may be selfish of me to say that, but it's my project so I do retain that right. I do not wish to release my work in its current state and hope that some random modder will come along and "make it all work". But perhaps you're right--it shouldn't be left to rot away. My goal was to create a mesh of Lichcraft and The Illuminated Order. What's really lacking is the second half of the equation. The Illuminated Order was an amazingly immersive quest mod that left an impression on people that most of them would never forget. Where I currently stand, that is not something I can accomplish. But Lichcraft was much more simple. I could accomplish that. It would still take quite a bit of work, but it's not completely impossible--I'd just have to sacrifice a lot of what I was hoping to achieve. (There's nothing saying I couldn't update the mod later though, if I ever had the time / resources) There are three major issues with the mod right now. 1) There is no Lich model, and any attempt to create one (or use a pre-made one) will have a very large number of issues regarding equipment and animations. Side Note: Using the dragon priest model in a manner similar to that of the dawngard DLC is possible, but carries the same issue of not being able to wear equipment (And probably dialogue, but I haven't looked into that.) 2) The Liches are not completely fleshed out, and have not had all of their core features implemented. (Or some of them retain game-breaking bugs.) 3) There is no story or any sort of implementation for the Liches. They are only accessible via console commands. Truthfully I had been so mentally crushed over the project falling apart that I had completely given up on finishing the mod at all. In my mind, it was "It's impossible to create my vision anymore, and I'm tired. I give up." Even after the mod had dissappeared from my worries, the thought of going public with "I failed, I'm sorry." kept me from even looking at anything Skyrim related. Be that my threads, or the mod itself. I dunno, I'm probably getting ahead of myself again. (It's a major problem of mine), but I may be willing to see what I can do about this. I should have some free time around Christmas, and I might be willing to take another stab at the mod. I wouldn't be releasing anything like I had originally hoped, but if I could manage to rummage together what I have already created--I think I'd feel better about the whole thing. So how about this. As I said above, I'll have some time around Christmas. I'll try and fix up the mod and release it--whether it's as pretty as I want it to be or not. If I can't do that, I'll release everything I have, so that somebody else can finish what I couldn't. People shouldn't get their hopes up too high on this, but it may be something to look forward to. I'm a lot more willing to make sacrifices than I was several months ago, so I think I might be able to manage this on my own.

Well, I'm not entirely against the idea, I do not believe that it would be that easy. The largest issue with the modding community for the elder scrolls games, is that if someone is desiring to create a mod, they typically have their own ideas on what they want to create. For simple projects, it wouldn't be uncommon for multiple people to agree on the idea and work together, but for larger projects, such as this one, it's rare to find people motivated enough to help out. I've received countless offers from forum users to help with the mod, but unfortunately, few of which were actually modders. Most people either want to: a) Beta Test b) Voice Act c) Help out but they have no experience I've attempted to take in some people that had no experience, and "raise them up" so to speak, but they usually took off once they realized it wasn't as easy as they had thought. If somebody messaged me and said "Hey! I love your idea, and I saw that you're discontinuing the project. Would you mind if I took over your work?" I would be pretty surprised. If this person had the "resources" to actually finish the mod, I would rather they just join me and finish it how I envisioned it. If I don't have to search for people on a daily basis, and I can just concentrate on the actual work, I think I'd be able to finish the mod. However if they were just going to polish what I had already created, I would not be "OK" with that. If they're just touching up what was already created, I'd rather it not be done at all. Thanks for the support. :) A final closing thought: The thing with Elder Scrolls games is that I always tend to go back to them, and I believe it is the same for most people. I could come back in 6 months, a year, or maybe 2, and then suddenly have a huge desire to finish the mod. I don't intend to banish the project from my life, or anything of the sort. While I do not think I will work on it in the short future, further down the road, who's to say? I just don't want people sitting on their thumbs waiting for the mod to release anytime soon, and that is why I chose to label the project as "discontinued".

Guess it's about time I stop putting this off. Prepare for a giant wall of text. A couple months before Skyrim released, I decided to try and play through Morrowind again. I've done this countless times but for some reason I'm never able to finish the damn thing. Anyways, this time around I went with a heavily modded version, and while I was searching for mods, I stumbled upon this mod developed by VenomByte; entitled, lichcraft. This mod allowed the player to permanently transform himself into a Lich. I played through the game and while I expected the mod to be somewhat interesting, I really didn't know what I was in for. This man...was a genius. It added more than I could possibly imagine, and forced me to play the game in a whole new way. Certainly it was filled with many bugs and wonky features that didn't really fit, but the mod as a whole was amazing. The concept of being able to play as a Lich created this amazing level of immersion and excitement for me, and while I, yet again, was unable to finish playing through the game--I had a killer time. I wanted to re-create that experience in Skyrim. After Skyrim was released and I had a chance to play it, I was dead set on the idea of creating a Lichdom mod similar to Lichcraft. Something that would allow me to play as my ideal vision of a Lich. Shortly afterwards I played the Illuminated Order mod. This didn't give quite the same "Lich" experience as Lichcraft, but it was still amazing. Hell, it was more amazing in many ways due to the story and lore that was provided within it. I was now set on combining the two. I wanted to merge Lichcraft with Illuminated Order, and I wanted to do it in Skyrim, with my own power. Oh what an overly ambitious desire that was. But I knew it was ambitious. The scope was much more than I had the power to create, and I knew this well. So I sought help. Coincidentally, my old modding buddy from the Oblivion days (Malevolent) was at it again, and this time, he had a team. The team was going to create numerous Skyrim mods, and they had all the skills to do it. I was...excited. However, shortly after joining the team and getting acquainted with everyone's skills and ideas, things immediately started to go south. We lost members like wildfire, until it was just me and Malevolent left. Even still, I had hope. We posted up some recruitment posts, and just kept working. I programmed and programmed, and programmed some more. I tediously created numerous abilities and spells, and I playtested them until I felt they were perfect. I woke up and I immediately would start working--I wouldn't stop unless it was to eat or use the restroom. I'd go to sleep, and lay in my bed thinking of what I would do tomorrow, and how I would do it. I had stopped talking with my friends so much, and I had stopped playing games. Looking back, I don't know how it ended up that way. I was just...overflowing with passion and inspiration, I guess. I'm not sure when it started, but somewhere during the development process, I had decided that my work, as far as programming goes, was complete enough that I didn't need to focus on it that much anymore. We needed a story, and we needed a good one. But we also needed somebody that could create the world for that story. I actively started seeking new members for the team. I'd send countless private messages to dungeon designers and writers, attempting to fill the skills that we ourselves lacked. Occasionally I'd find someone willing, and I'd be filled with joy. "Yes! Finally, we can start moving forward." Unfortunately, most new members lacked the skills to really create what I was looking for, and most took off before accomplishing anything major. It was at this point, that my position as a programmer turned into one of a manager. Every day was filled with writing forum posts, talking to potential new members, or trying to discuss the direction of the mod with new ones. I started writing more actual words than code, and it was really starting to wear on me. The situation with our new writer was a particularly troublesome one. Not that he was a bad guy or anything, it's just that our vision's did not coincide with each other, and our conversations typically consisted of several paragraphs-worth of disagreements and debating. Even still, he was one of the few that actually gave me some hope towards the mod. We were making progress, however minute it was. This project officially started in February, and I continued to work on it until about the middle of May. It was about this time that I started to become rather stressed. I was cracking under the pressure. I couldn't find the people we needed, and the people that we found required more attention than I would have liked. (With the exception of BartokTB. That man was a godsend.) So I decided to take a break, and I went to go play Diablo 3 with my friends. This was when it all came crashing down. As much as I look back on Diablo 3 as a terrible game that nobody should play, I did manage to find it enjoyable for a while. I..had fun. Something that I hadn't done in 3-4 months. My motivation completely disappeared at this point. I no longer had the passion, the inspiration, or the drive the complete the mod. I was sick of looking for new members, sick of recruiting members that would leave after a day, and I was sick of the countless limitations that the Creation Kit contained. The work kept piling up in areas it shouldn't have. Simple model related tasks were suddenly going to take weeks to a month. It was infuriating, I was fed up with it all, and now, so was Malevolent. Shortly after, my writer informs me that he was taking off the month of June to work on another project. Which, seemed odd to me, but I really couldn't bring myself to fight it, and I let him have his month. With my supposed dream-team crumbling into pieces, my writer taking a sudden hiatus when I needed him most, and Malevolent losing all motivation to continue on work he wasn't even sure he could do, I was disheartened to say the least. I still had hope though. If I could find another 3D artist...if I could just hold out for my writer. If I could just...find a dungeon designer. The mod could be completed. It could still be done! I could still finish this god damn mod! Unfortunately, reality wasn't so kind. The writer disappeared on me, I still couldn't find anyone else, and a month later, during a reformat, I forgot to backup my Skyrim directory. At that point, the last month and a half of work was completely lost. It wasn't an excessive amount of work, but it was enough to deal the final blow. I lost all motivation at this point, and haven't worked on the mod since. I'm a college student that currently lives with his parents. It's due to this that I was able to devote so much effort towards the mod, and anything else really. I've had an excessive amount of spare time at my disposal. Unfortunately, that time is running out. I'll be graduating soon, and my time is mostly being consumed by preparing for my senior project, and trying to find a job. I'd be lying if I said I don't have "any" spare time, but the fact of the matter is, it's much lower than it used to be, and I just don't have the drive anymore. To all of you who have been waiting desperately for an update or release, I am sorry. I've raised your hopes and then dashed them into pieces. Maybe someday I'll get crazy motivated and start working on this again, but that's...unlikely. At the very least, it won't happen any time soon. I'm not in a position in my life to where I want to stress over this mod. I'd rather focus on my graduation and job hunting without worrying if I'll ever find someone to fill that [one] spot that the mod needs to make progress. Thanks everyone for your support during the mod's development. Whether it was actual contributions, feature ideas, or just moral support, I thank you. Between the nexus forums and the Bethesda forums, I have received a countless amount of suggestions, ideas, and praise during the development of the mod. And BartokTB, man I don't know what I would have done without you. I doubt I would have even made it through half of the bulls*** I went through if it wasn't for all the people that were interested in the mod. So once again, I am sorry for being unable to finish the final product.

Thanks, glad to see you're interested in the mod. What you are speaking of is planned to be included, yes. However, you won't be able to use it for very long when you are lower level.

Thanks for the support. :) I have recently made some rather drastic changes to the Vampiric Lich that I have not made completely public yet. I've been meaning to update the main post, but due to his design changing every so often, and my own lazyness, I have not done so yet. When the concept was as it is currently described in the main post, yes, I was planning to allow them to consume black soul gems. However, with his new concept, I will "possibly" allow this, but I'm not entirely sure. It will make more sense once I get around to updating the main post. Each Lich will carry a couple "spells", but these are mostly used for their special features. (Such as the Phylactery Bound Lich's host swap spell.) The Vampiric Lich (which has gone reworks since the main post was last updated) will be receiving a few special combat spells, but no other Lich will. I've mentioned it once before in this thread, but I'd prefer that any evil, dark, or necromancer type spells be added via completely different mods. My goal is to change the overall gameplay experience without adding any extra fluff. I believe that other mods can easily fill the gap for those wishing to roleplay as necromancers or other type of sorcerers. If I can get some animations made, or find a way to just sort of "take" the dragon priest animations, yes, I will have a floating animation for the model. However, the model situation is pretty unclear right now. I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to add special animations to the Lich. In the event I do however, I will not allow you to "levitate". I believe that such a thing should be kept to an actual spell. I 'may' add such a spell myself, but I'm not so sure.

[Discontinued] - Info Here I am a member of the development team, "Creative Onslaught", and we are currently recruiting new members to work on our current project - True Lichdom. This project has been in development since the Creation Kit was released, and I have written up several WIP posts discussing the mod since then. Nexus Forum [WIP] Thread #1 (Current Nexus Thread) Bethesda Forum [WIP] Thread #2 (Current Bethesda Thread) Bethesda Forum [WIP] Thread #1 Bethesda Forum [Pre-Wip]Thread The goal of the mod is to integrate the "Lich" concept as a playable form (similar to Vamprism/Werewolves). However, we are going rather...in-depth with the concept. The mod will offer a full-featured questline, similar in length to a typical Skyrim guild, and will provide several Lich archetypes for the Player to play as. Each Lich form designed will have its own custom model, and present entirely new gameplay concepts. The rough list of required tasks needing completed are as follows: 1) A 'guild themed' questline with entirely unique NPC's and voiced dialogue. 2) Several dungeons and interior cells. 3) A new custom player model, possibly with its own unique animations. 4) New Gameplay mechanics. 5) Custom spell effects. Since the initial thread was posted, the mod concept has been well received, and much of the development has already been completed. The team is working on the mod as often as we can, and several areas are making great progress. However, other areas have made little to no progress at all. Quite frankly, the scope of the project has grown into so much more than I had originally planned, and progress is too slow. For that reason, we are recruiting new members to assist with the mod. I have some teaser screenshots of a few interior cells that we've created. I do want to point however, that these only show a mere fraction of the work that has been completed on the mod. Screenshots While we already have several members with varying skillsets, we still need more people with any of the following skillsets: Quest Designers, Dungeon/Interior Designers, Modelers, Texture Artists, and even Voice Actors--we need it all. Voice actors are not something we are too worried about presently, as the mod has not reached the stage at which we are ready to add them, but they will indeed be needed at some point. If you are willing to help complete the following, please post here or PM me. I should also be able to give any additional info desired, so please let me know. Modeler/Texture Artist The modeling situation is rather complicated. Currently, all models are being modeled and textured by one person. We have a few assets already designed, created, and textured, but many are still being completed. Due to our situation, we are even deciding to cut a few corners for the initial release of the mod. If we had an extra modeler or two, I dare say the scope of the mod would change rather drastically. Regardless of what decisions we make down the road, we could really use anyone who proficiently do any of the following: 1) Design, create, and alter custom armor meshes. 2) Create UV maps and color textures for various meshes. 3) Design and Create custom spell effects that can be used either as standard projectiles, or as static animated meshes within the game. Animator The Lich model will currently be using default player animations. However, if we were able to recruit an animator, we would like to create a new unique set of animations for the mode. We could use someone who can do any of the following: 1) Design, create, and implement new character animations Dungeon/Interior Design The mod is going to have several custom dungeons and interiors included within the mod. We need someone who can do any of the following: 1) Design and build several custom dungeons that match the theme of traditional Bethesda built Skyrim dungeons. 2) Design and build several custom interior cells that would be used as pieces of the questline. 3) Connect any designed dungeons to the Tamriel worldspace. Quest Design The current team is already hard at work writing up a questline. What we need is someone who can do any of the following: 1) Take a written questline and implement all quest objectives, quest chains, and quest rewards within the Creation Kit. 2) Take written dialogue and assign it to the appropriate actors during the appropriate situations. 3) Take a written scene and implement it into the quest as a scripted Story Event. I have a progress tracker within my WIP threads if you are curious about the full progress regarding the mod. Though it is a little bit outdated and undescriptive in some areas. If you are interested in helping with the mod, or would like more information either post here, or send me a PM. Thanks.

Wow! I played the Morrowind Lichcraft mod for many hours that eventually my save was very odd and glitchy. Not completely related but if you want something to tide you over whilst this mod is in development you may want to try out the SM essential player mod. It basically makes you essential, if you lose all of your health you kneel to the floor with critical health. If you die shortly after being knocked down to critical health you become a ghost, and have to wait to return back to life, and then you'll have to collect your gear. You could roleplay some sort of immortality or semi-lichdom with that. The mod can be found here SM Essential Player @ SkyrimNexus My apologies for taking the attention away from the mod! I actually remember the creator of this having some issues back on the Bethesda CK forums when he was trying control the players death. I too was having the same issues as he, so I saw him in a couple of threads. I didn't know he had finished his mod, so I gave it a download (just to see how he did it). He actually found a way around an issue I was having that I didn't think of, which was pretty cool. I changed my mod to use the the same method as he, and one of my complaints I had has now been dealt with--so thanks for posting this. Glad you're looking forward to the mod. Thanks for the support. :)

I'm thinking that divine intervention may be one way to "CURE" you of Lichdom. Death is another. Maybe a specialized healing power. A ritual. And my favorite: Spontaneous Reanimation. But if it is a potion or normal spell that would really ruin the whole mod for me. Let's hope that it is not just a mundane spell or potion. Don't worry, it isn't. :)

You could essentially playthrough the Lich experience, in a...non "pure evil" manner, but the very nature of the Lichdom existence is very dark, selfish, and immoral. As I said, you can probably avoid being "pure evil", but you will not be able to play as a 'white knight' or anything of the sort. People hate you, and they will attack you. You could choose to not attack them back, but well, that will make your playthrough more difficult. (Though that in itself could prove to provide an enjoyable experience.) The characters that guide you along through your transformation aren't exactly the nicest people in the world either, thought I can't say too much about that yet. EDIT: I think TheTolerableNoob said it pretty well earlier in the thread. Yes, all undead spells will indeed affect you. The transformation involves a "true death", making you an "undead" being. Like you, I believe that there is no cure for this process. The dead cannot be brought back to life. Reanimated perhaps, but not "revived". There should be no 'cure' for the Lichdom state. As you put it, you suffer a "true" death--there is no coming back, regardless of whether or not the Lich is tired of being a Lich and "wants to go back". Because of this, my plan was to not include a cure quest. However, this project is being developed by a team, and the while I am controlling the general direction of the mod, I am not writing the quest. The questline is being written by another member of Creative Onslaught, and despite my efforts, I was unable to convince him to not include a cure quest. He has absolutely insisted that one be included, and for that reason, I have decided to include one. While a cure for Lichdom is quite...unimmersive and illogical, I do believe the cure quest concept that we have decided on is completely valid and totally justifiable (even for the Phylactery Bound Lich). As hard as that may be to believe, you'll just have to trust me on that. :P

As far as the transformation goes, you will be able to use all menus while you are a Lich. There will be no differences from the Lich form and your human form, other than their appearance. And are you not in favor or killing someone or not in favor of "not" killing someone? The full transformation process has not been completely decided yet, so it could technically go either way. Though honestly, I wasn't really considering forcing the Player to make a sacrifice or anything. I find that that is suited better for more "demonic" or "daedric" type rituals--not Lichdom.

Of course. :) I can't give you any estimates, but there will definitely be more screenshots, and at least a few videos coming up. You will probably see some feature highlight videos before you see any more screenshots.

I've updated the main post a bit with some more info. We are still very much looking for assistance with the project, so if you are willing to help, please post here.

I have no current plans to alter the relationships between undead and Liches. While Liches are frequently associated with raising undead and having undead legions under their control, I personally do not think that should be something that is a part of this mod. Raising undead is part of Necromancy, not Lichdom. It's just that, well, Liches are "typically" Necromancers. (Though this is not always the case) I also do not think Liches are really 'allied' with all undead in the first place. In a typical setting where one would encounter a Lich, it is more likely, in my opinion, that the undead around him are not really "allied" to him, but rather, he was the one who summoned those undead, and that is why they are allied to him. Not to mention, A very large amount of the enemies encountered in Skyrim are Draugr, and making all of them allied with the Player simply because he is a Lich, is a really, really bad idea. My goal with this mod is to create the perfect Lich "setting" without adding too many unnecessary aspects. That is to say, I want to change the Players gameplay "style" rather than give them a bunch of fluff. Necromancy is just another branch of sorcery--it is not "tied" with Lichdom. Followers too, would fall under the same category. It's not that I do not support the necromancy ideas, but rather, I would much rather my mod be installed alongside a "proper" Necromancy mod, than for me to build one directly into mine. While some may be disappointed by this, I think that in the end, it is for the best. I am very confident that someone will come along and create a proper Necromancy mod that fills that "gap" for everyone. (and honestly, I haven't checked in a while--maybe someone already has). yes, the vile art of necromancy mod is actually quite good, I was thinking about downloading it beside this one when it comes out And that is my wish--for people to combine whichever Necromancy mod they like best with my own. :)

I have no current plans to alter the relationships between undead and Liches. While Liches are frequently associated with raising undead and having undead legions under their control, I personally do not think that should be something that is a part of this mod. Raising undead is part of Necromancy, not Lichdom. It's just that, well, Liches are "typically" Necromancers. (Though this is not always the case) I also do not think Liches are really 'allied' with all undead in the first place. In a typical setting where one would encounter a Lich, it is more likely, in my opinion, that the undead around him are not really "allied" to him, but rather, he was the one who summoned those undead, and that is why they are allied to him. Not to mention, A very large amount of the enemies encountered in Skyrim are Draugr, and making all of them allied with the Player simply because he is a Lich, is a really, really bad idea. My goal with this mod is to create the perfect Lich "setting" without adding too many unnecessary aspects. That is to say, I want to change the Players gameplay "style" rather than give them a bunch of fluff. Necromancy is just another branch of sorcery--it is not "tied" with Lichdom. Followers too, would fall under the same category. It's not that I do not support the necromancy ideas, but rather, I would much rather my mod be installed alongside a "proper" Necromancy mod, than for me to build one directly into mine. While some may be disappointed by this, I think that in the end, it is for the best. I am very confident that someone will come along and create a proper Necromancy mod that fills that "gap" for everyone. (and honestly, I haven't checked in a while--maybe someone already has).

I really can't say. I'm certainly hoping I could release it around that time, but I can't give you any guarantees one way or the other, sorry.