A Vanilla NPC is not turning Essential?

[tawney]

"Vanilla" does mean that it's something original that came with the game, right? Wasn't sure but I heard it implied that way before. Regardless, I'm having a problem with an NPC file in the TES Construction Set. Dark19murderer3 which is the Khajiit underling at the end of the Dark Brotherhood quest. I have edited him into a CM Partner (he still has the underling commands too) and I've checked both the Essential box and the Quest Item box. But for some reason when I test him to see if it works I am able to kill him. What's wrong with this edit? I've saved it as a plugin after I gave him a makeover, because I wanted him to wear a Dark Brotherhood leather helmet too. Everything I've modified on him inlcuding health and skills are active and work correctly. Except he is not actually an essential even though he is ticked as one. I thought the original CM Partners are supposed to be essential right? Well I changed his script to the partnerscript and added everything cm to him. I don't have the non-essential file installed either. I also tried using the console command setessential (id) 1 but it didn't recognize the command. What could be wrong?

[bamspeedy]

Start a new game.

 

I ran some tests with a quick test mod and when starting a new game he is essential, when continuing from an old save he is not essential. When I erased all of his inventory he was naked whether I started a new game or continued from an old save.

 

Note: player.placeatme 86755 will place a copy of him in front of you to test instead of trying to play through the whole dark brotherhood questline. (he may run away so you have to chase him if you are fast enough, otherwise just TAI to stop him)

 

I thought the original CM Partners are supposed to be essential right? Well I changed his script to the partnerscript and added everything cm to him. I don't have the non-essential file installed either.

 

Nothing in the partnerscript sets them as essential. It's just each of the dozen or so companions included in that .esm/.esp have the 'essential' flag marked.

 

I don't have the non-essential file installed either.

 

That doesn't matter either, it only effects the default CM partners that are added in that particular .esp. (and not companions that are added by other .esps, but depends on that .esp/.esm as a 'master')

[jaysus]

its posible that he just needs to reload:

 

open console

click on kahjit dude

write: disable

hit enter

write: enable

hit enter

done

[bamspeedy]

its posible that he just needs to reload:

 

open console

click on kahjit dude

write: disable

hit enter

write: enable

hit enter

done

 

Didn't work for me, but it's worth a try.

[tawney]

The console command to disable and enable didn't work for me either. I'll try the player.placeatme command next. He will still look like the edited one and have all the new stats right? Or will he be like the old one and I'll have to go in the TES CS and re edit?

[tawney]

Well I tried to use the placeatme command but I could still kill him. Since starting a completely new game is pretty much out of the option, I fooled around with the TES SC a bit more. This time I found a way that satisfied me enough. I opened up his NPC file as if I was going to edit him but instead I renamed the ID and created another one of him with a different ID. I placed him on the map next to where my character would be after renaming the old one and changing his face a bit (I don't really want a clone...) and when I tried the console command kill he only went unconscious. *Jumps for joy* Now I have a studly assassin Khajiit partner who won't die! :thumbsup:

 

And since disabling or deleting the original crashes the game, I'll just leave him behind to guard my house or something... I'm so cruel to him... :pinch:

[LFact]

Well I tried to use the placeatme command but I could still kill him. Since starting a completely new game is pretty much out of the option, I fooled around with the TES SC a bit more. This time I found a way that satisfied me enough. I opened up his NPC file as if I was going to edit him but instead I renamed the ID and created another one of him with a different ID. I placed him on the map next to where my character would be after renaming the old one and changing his face a bit (I don't really want a clone...) and when I tried the console command kill he only went unconscious. *Jumps for joy* Now I have a studly assassin Khajiit partner who won't die! :thumbsup:

 

And since disabling or deleting the original crashes the game, I'll just leave him behind to guard my house or something... I'm so cruel to him... :pinch:

 

If you're using OBSE, you can try 'reference.SetRefEssential 1' to make an NPC essential on-the-fly. And also there's 'Companion Master' for your companions.