Self Impossed Challenges For Oblivion!

[Xeivous]

.-

I did say directly...

 

Hmmm maybe play a game where you can only use scrolls to attack...

 

or go completely genocidal on one race...

[Sebiale]

Not mine, but a really fun idea, and Discord is just hilarious. "Playing Oblivion...as a pacifist." (Begins on post #7) Uses only a few mods, only really notable ones are OOO, Frostcrag, and the Orrey.

I love it, especially the humor screenshots, my favorites are when Discord ran into the Frost Titan and when she's working with Bill and Fiona. So far Discord's gotten through the game with only 1 assault, which is from the minion she had stolen from Kalthar and then attacked him in the Leyawin reccomendation, which should have been impossible as a pacifist, so I think it's okay.

A pity that there's been no updates for a few months, I'm hoping it's just because of college or something like that.

[roquefort]

"I just wish there was a perk of some kind to accomplishing [transport between homes], like teleportals suddenly appearing in all of them so you could teleport between them, once you have acquired and upgraded them all, but there isn't."

 

I'm pretty sure there's a mod that does something of that sort. Can't remember what it is unfortunately.

 

EDIT: I think I found it >>>

 

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4413

[Ferryt]

Not mine, but a really fun idea, and Discord is just hilarious. "Playing Oblivion...as a pacifist."

 

I've actually been looking into this, myself, since I normally play characters that try not to get into direct melee combat. Except for the Thieves Guild I don't think there are any main quest lines that can be completed without killing someone or something. I might point out, that even something as innocuous as gathering Nirn roots qualify as assault according to Discord's own criteria (she did mention plants and you kill a Nirn root plant when you harvest it). Many of the side quests put you into direct conflict, as well, as part of the quest.

 

Can the Main Quest be completed without taking any offensive action against anyone? I honestly don't see how. I've completed it once with a stealth-based character, but even then managed to get drawn into battle, however hard I attempted to stay away from it.

 

The Thieves Guild is a no-brainer, here. It's the only major quest line where you're specifically instructed to avoid killing anyone.

 

There are several quests, both in the Recommendations and the primary quest line for the Mages Guild where it's going to be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to avoid killing someone -- probably why she included Frostcrag. Personally, I don't think the Mages Guild can be completed as a pacifist.

 

The Fighters Guild and Dark Brotherhood are clearly out as quest lines that can completed without killing someone or something.

 

I think the same could be said for the Daedric shrine quests. Some of these require dead NPCs, and not all of them look like they can be done by luring them into traps, although a few can be done if you're clever, without ever attacking them, yourself. If, like me, Discord would consider the use of a Soul Trap as an offensive action then the final quest, where you have to collect nine souls, obviously can't be completed. You have to do at least one in order to complete the Main Quest, although the recommended artifact for Martin's ritual (Azura's Star) can actually be acquired without lifting a finger against anyone.

 

I'm not quite sure what she was thinking of when she decided upon Knights of the Nine as one of the installed mods -- completing that requires you to do battle with the ghosts of certain knights to prove your worthiness to pursue this quest. There's simply no way around this, since you're involved in a direct one-on-one challenge with each of them. Refusing to fight them ends the quest line right there.

 

Sadly, Bethesda designed this game with the hack&slash player in mind. That's why almost every quest puts you into direct conflict with someone or something. Still, it would be an interesting challenge to see just how much of the game can be beaten as a pacifist. If you allow the option of physically shoving an opponent into a trap (or into the water or lava) it increases the options, but I don't think a real pacifist would do that. Indeed, intentionally leading an opponent into a fatal trap is not "pacifism", either, although fleeing to the safety of guards or other armed NPCs certainly is. Even so, the options for things to do in the game seem quite limited. I'm anxious to see how Discord fares.

[Sebiale]

Discord successfully accomplished all the Mage recommendation quests, and several more past that.

 

When it comes to killing things, Discord usually relies on having other things nearby that she can frenzy or charm into working for her. Like how she killed the Voice of Nature by constantly charming it so that the other Amazons killed it. Or with the guards Billy and Fiona. Billy killed an entire goblin cave for her, all she had to do was keep the, protected and healed and follow along.

 

Discord is basically trying to see if some ingenuity can take the place of the hack-n-slash aspects.

[Ferryt]

So inciting someone with "Frenzy" to make that person attack someone doesn't qualify as an aggressive action for her? I wouldn't have thought that. Were I to attempt something like this the only way I would get someone killed is by leading them (which is to say, running for my life) to some people who are equipped to handle the danger, and if any innocent person were to be harmed in the process I would consider that plan to have failed. Any spell effect which essentially forces an NPC to do your fighting would be an act of aggression for me because you're manipulating them into something they wouldn't ordinarily do, against their wills, and putting them into danger in your stead -- not the act of a "pacifist", the way I interpret the word. Charming an enemy into not attacking you isn't quite the same thing, though, because you're imposing peace ... and not war.

 

Anyway, I can see how, if you really want to do much in this game with a pacifistic character that you're going to have to take a few liberties with the basic premise.

[Sebiale]

Here's what Discord can't do:

Strike a Living/Demonic/Undead/Animal/Vegetable/Mineral/etc personage with a weapon or bare hands.

Shoot anything with a health damaging spell or arrow

Conjure anything (to help with combat)

Give anyone a Poisoned Apple

Ride a Steed (so it can't help with combat)

Sidetrack while accompanied by a Quest companion(I have to escort them direct to their destination)

Use Chameleon, either spell or enchantment (otherwise might be too easy)

Fast-travel to avoid danger.

 

Here's what Discord can do:

Rely on the kindness of strangers/guards

Hide, or failing that, Run like crazy

Mess with minds(raise disposition to gain allies, etc.)

Lead enemies into traps

 

Don't take the idea too literally.

[Xeivous]

That pacifist run is making for a great read...

 

 

also making me redownload a lot of mods as to replay oblivion.

[juliam]

i tried many things, my last game, i was breton, warrior combat

it starts at str and endur 35 so it's not the best race for warrior

i play on normal difficulty, i never teleport,

i use these major skills: armorer, alteration, illusion, mysticism, lightarmor, mercantile and security

but i use only armorer...

this way, i raise my minor skills for str, endurance, agility when i decide i want to level

and i do so when i gain 10 skills in each of those 3 attributes

this is why i get to level 12 with 100 in str and endurance just closing the gates

[majikmonkee]

I've challenged myself two different ways, neither is incredibly inventive but I figured I'd contribute.

 

My first challenge was playing an orc named Ugh Gro-Malog who attacked everyone indiscriminately right from the beginning. It was really hard to keep a good supply of healing potions and repair hammers for a while, and I found myself taking refuge in caves from guards, severely wounded on several occasion. Things eventually evened out in my favor after I came across the Sauron armor (from a mod of course) and the included mace that comes with a powerful knockback enchantment. I retired from playing as him after visiting every castle in Cyrodiil (including the Imperial Palace), killing every killable resident, and spending the night sitting in the castle throne. There was nothing left to dominate.

 

My latest challenge is playing a Breton thief named Corrine who wears no armor, just clothing, and carries only a dagger (it was originally just an iron dagger but I upgraded to silver after realizing the issue this would present with ghosts). Despite being Breton, I allow myself the use of no spells aside from those required for quests or for healing, and her challenge is to never kill an NPC except in self defense, and even then, only if there's no way to avoid it (I used the busy roads mod, so in the case of bandit attacks, there are people other than Corrine to finish off the bandit). I'd originally considered having her be a total pacifist, but that's just not practical in Cyrodiil unless you plan to complete only a handful of quests.