LE To Fear No Longer - OVERHAUL

[Susanoo24]

WARNING: This is a quest mod that Im requesting -- and it's a doozy.

 

 

So, I took into account the advice and the feedback that was given to me on my idea for a quest mod. I'm willing to provide concept art, write out dialogue (it may not be my best suit, but I can still do it), create NPCs for it, and even help with the layout of the environments. I say this to get the point across that, were this modification to begin construction, I would not simply wait for it to be made -- I would participate in its creation. To those of you who have seen the previous post that I made about "To Fear No Longer", please discount it; this is an overhaul of the story.

 

I'd like to propose an idea for a quest arc mod. As you may have already guessed, it's called "To Fear No Longer", and it will take the Dragonborn across Tamriel and beyond. He/she will aid a clan whose entire purpose revolves around keeping Mekörfund at bay, scouring the family's dilapidated tombs and walking among the ruins of a once-legendary city. Perhaps even confronting the past and learning a little bit more about the Daedra and the Dwemer and the history of Nirn in the process. But first, a little backstory is in order.

 

Skip this if you're not interested in the backstory:

 

 

So, I'd like to create a quest arc in which the Dragonborn joins the Talonstar Clan in their fight against Mekörfund. It'll be pretty extensive, with the player fighting through planes of Oblivion, entirely new cities, parts of the other provinces (I'm thinking Cyrodil and Morrowind). And it's not just a beat-'em-up, either, as far as I've intended: there will be a bit of mystery to find the necessary artifacts, the player will have to find ways out of situations with more than just brawn (intimidation won't work as often as you might like). I'm doing this to show that even the Dragonborn can be in way over his head sometimes -- especially when he's dealing with gods.

 

I haven't worked out too much more than what I showed in the backstory, just locations and things like that; the actual quest is still in the air, but I'm always willing to pass ideas around with people (in fact, that's what I intended to do).

 

Yes, I know that this could take a long time, but I'm prepared to stick with it for as long as I need to. It's just that I know that, with my current lack of experience on the matter, the mod would be very lackluster. I don't want that.

 

 

EDIT: After looking over the "DON'T BUMP THREADS" post, I felt it necessary to rephrase. when I said that I wanted to participate, I did not mean it as in "I'll control everything you do for the project" -- I meant it as "I don't want to be lazy, because laziness is poorly received when you're requesting big projects like these". I'll take any help I can get.

 

EDIT 2: Also, in order to keep this topic from getting too cluttered, send me a personal message if you have any ideas for the story -- and I'll talk about it with you before posting it on here as part of the story; if this mod gets underway, I don't want anybody to be confused about what will and what won't be part of this mod. So I'll edit the original post once I've gotten enough ideas, and I'll put in a plot document.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Susanoo24

[MarkInMKUK]

I like the synopsis - a great tale for the bards to tell in the taverns.

 

I'm not a modder (yet), but if I ever reach any kind of competence at it, I'll be tracking the project.

 

Good luck, and it looks like a fascinating quest.

Edited June 3, 2014 by MarkInMKUK

[Susanoo24]

I like the synopsis - a great tale for the bards to tell in the taverns.

 

I'm not a modder (yet), but if I ever reach any kind of competence at it, I'll be tracking the project.

 

Good luck, and it looks like a fascinating quest.

 

Hm, I might use that as a way for the player to hear about the Talonstar Clan/Chosen of Akatosh. He/she could enter one of the inns of Skyrim, and overhear a bard singing about the clan; upon asking about the song, the Dragonborn is told that, incidentally, there are a few members of the clan roaming about Skyrim at the moment.

 

Thanks for that.

[MarkInMKUK]

A few more thoughts:

 

I've taken another look at the backstory file. and what you mention as the concept. Currently it's (stripped of the story) a fairly linear quest sequence - mostly consisting on "go there ... do this ... find this ... move on" sequences.

 

May I suggest that you look at what each style of player can bring to the mod, and what each style might, in turn, receive from it? There's also no obvious difference between "good" and "evil" paths, which would make it a better RPG experience, and add to replayability.

 

Maybe whole sections of the mod might be tuned to specific classes of player - some sections suiting a 'thud and blunder' warrior, some suiting a sneaky thief/assassin type, other requiring devious mage skills. There are, inherent in your description, npc clan members who could be of any class needed - maybe if (for example) the player is a mage, then the quests given could include a couple of mage-specific ones while the "clan members" handle other quests more suited to sneaks or warriors. Then if you replay as a thief, the sneaky quests would be given to you and the mage ones "handled" by the clan. Instantly the mod gains three playable paths, and more interest for different character types. Of course, for those who are an all-rounder, the chance to do all the quests COULD exist, but the player might need to be a higher starting level to make it possible.

 

Another alternative is making different paths through the dungeons which will be opened up for different characters - with unique items along each path so that you have to play a different style to gain different (and mutually exclusive) items. Also - is there a reward other than level gains and knowledge? Class-specific final rewards might also make each playthrough more "unique".

[Susanoo24]

Good idea; I even had an idea where -- about mid-way through the quest -- you can choose to abandon the Chosen of Akatosh for Mekörfund. You would get an entirely different array of prizes for completing that quest arc.

But here's what I've got so far for the Chosen of Akatosh's final prizes:

 

Warrior: Earns mastery of Tur-Orin (the guardian and adviser of the clan -- he is a dragon), and can use him to aid the player in combat and to serve as a steed. Gains the Sword and Shield of Talin. Can use Tur-Orin to divulge some of the secrets to the Talonstar Clan crypts.

Mage: Becomes the leader of the Chosen of Akatosh, and can call members to serve him/her in combat. Gains the Helmet and Ring of Talin. Learns a new spell which can teleport the player short distances.

Thief: Earns the Book of Lords, which allows the player to transport themselves to the Talonstar Den at random points in its history (when it was first formed in the covenant with Auri-El, or when it was under Heron Talonstar's rule, or when it had just become the Chosen of Akatosh); they can search the den for any useable tools, which they can take with them back to the present day [i guess that using the book would take the player to a randomized room that would otherwise be inaccessible]. Gains the Boots and Bracers of Talin.

 

What do you think of that?

[MarkInMKUK]

Pretty good. I might suggest an amulet for the mage in place of a helmet, plus maybe a three-alternative unique robe & gloves & hood or light armour & mask or heavy armour & helm set to be collected on the way depending on class. Don't make them overpowered, but create unique textures - maybe have runes spelling out "Talin of the Chosen" on each item and add a "hidden" enchantment if all parts are worn together specifically aimed at protecting against Mekörfund in some way so the final boss battle is easier if the item is worn.

[Susanoo24]

Hm. Yeah, I agree; each of the classes was going to have armor of their own. But, I had decided to go against the usual amulet for wizards, and had instead chosen a helmet, because I felt that it better represented the "head" of the Talonstar Clan (a symbol of fortitude and intelligence). It's strong on its own, but given certain enchantments, it will be able to shield against both magic and melee; perhaps it could enhance magicka.

 

I had some concept art for the Heavy Armor sets somewhere around here; I'll see if I can upload them soon.

 

In the meantime, I'm already almost done with Girealof as an NPC -- barring, of course, unique/quest-based dialogue and voice acting.

[MarkInMKUK]

Maybe a hood for the Mage, then, if you prefer headgear. Another idea might be a Dragon-Priest-Style mask and have Mekörfund recognise it and assume that the player is his old nemesis Talin if they are wearing the mask.

 

Quest areas - as the clan's advisor is a dragon, maybe a hidden access in all of the barrows leading to a deeper area. It'd just take a secret door ... or two ...

 

Just thinking - where you have mods such as Skywind and Skyblivion being worked on, try to be as compatible as possible with their landscapes. That way you can provide your own cut-down Morrowind and Oblivion areas, or possibly have a different version of the mod that just adds your own content to those megamods.

[Susanoo24]

(Hood/Mask): Yeah, a mask's just fine.

 

(Hidden Rooms): I was thinking of doing that, too; two minds thinking of it just makes it better, I suppose. More grounded, more believable. So there'll be a couple of hidden rooms/chambers/dungeons in most of the quest locations -- and Tur-Orin can show them to the player.

 

(Provinces): I'll keep that in mind. If things get too difficult to parallel, though, I may have to simply discard my idea for going to other provinces. Of course, I could also just have the cities at the edge of both provinces -- far enough out of the Skyblivion/Skywind mods' ways to not be a problem, but far enough in the provinces' territory to be recognized. That would save me some effort.

 

Which reminds me, do you know anyone who knows how to design exterior landscapes?

[MarkInMKUK]

No - which is why I suggesting piggy-backing on the work done by the Skyblivion/Skywind groups (I always look for an easy option). Morrowind in particular is SO distinctive that you'll need to request and use many of the Skywind models and textures to make it look right.

 

Re the hidden rooms - maybe a new Dragon Shout "Reveal what is hidden" or "Open Sesame"...

 

More practically, start with the basic mod just in Skyrim. Then add extra locations once you have the main mod running. There's a mod that adds shattered Oblivion gates to the Skyrim world - maybe make that a pre-requisite and then re-open some of the gates if needed for access. Of course, then you have to deal with whatever comes through, AND close them afterwards...