Skeleton Key & Security skill issue

[Allana]

I've had the skeleton key in my inventory for a while, and noticed in some of the posts that it is a good idea to remove it from inventory prior to leveling up. So I put it in a container, and then something very odd happened. I immediately went from a security skill of 24 with the skeleton key to 240 without it, getting a bunch of the skill bonus popups. This seems to be contrary to everything I've been able to find about it, and pretty high for a level 12 character. I do have Legendary Abilities, Persuasion Overhaul, and Elys' Uncapper installed, though I don't find anything in the readme's or in searching to indicate they would affect the Skeleton Key.

 

Anyone have any ideas?

[WastelandAssassin]

try going to a near by container\door, press the ` key (to bring up the console), click on the container\door, and write lock 99

then try to pick the lock, and see if this behaves as though you have a skill of 24, or a skill of 240

because you may see a mistake in your "character sheet", but the game plays as though the mistake never happened

[Shadowfen]

I've had the skeleton key in my inventory for a while, and noticed in some of the posts that it is a good idea to remove it from inventory prior to leveling up. So I put it in a container, and then something very odd happened. I immediately went from a security skill of 24 with the skeleton key to 240 without it, getting a bunch of the skill bonus popups. This seems to be contrary to everything I've been able to find about it, and pretty high for a level 12 character. I do have Legendary Abilities, Persuasion Overhaul, and Elys' Uncapper installed, though I don't find anything in the readme's or in searching to indicate they would affect the Skeleton Key.

 

Anyone have any ideas?

 

Since the Skeleton Key adds 40 point to your security skill while in your possession, there is something wrong with you having a security skill level of 24 and the Skeleton Key. Since your skill level "drops" to 240 when you drop the key, the key scripts are working just fine - your skill level has been corrupted somehow. I don't recall precisely since it has been a while since I looked at them, but aren't Legendary Abilities and Elys Uncapper conflicting?

[Allana]

Sorry not to respond sooner, I've been away for a while.

 

try going to a near by container\door, press the ` key (to bring up the console), click on the container\door, and write lock 99

then try to pick the lock, and see if this behaves as though you have a skill of 24, or a skill of 240

because you may see a mistake in your "character sheet", but the game plays as though the mistake never happened

If I have the key, it works as if I have a skill of 24 (trying to pick a skill 99 lock is a useless exercise). If I drop it, I can pick anything.

 

Since the Skeleton Key adds 40 point to your security skill while in your possession, there is something wrong with you having a security skill level of 24 and the Skeleton Key. Since your skill level "drops" to 240 when you drop the key, the key scripts are working just fine - your skill level has been corrupted somehow. I don't recall precisely since it has been a while since I looked at them, but aren't Legendary Abilities and Elys Uncapper conflicting?

Actually, Legendary Abilities requires Elys Uncapper.

[Shadowfen]

Sorry not to respond sooner, I've been away for a while.

 

Since the Skeleton Key adds 40 point to your security skill while in your possession, there is something wrong with you having a security skill level of 24 and the Skeleton Key. Since your skill level "drops" to 240 when you drop the key, the key scripts are working just fine - your skill level has been corrupted somehow. I don't recall precisely since it has been a while since I looked at them, but aren't Legendary Abilities and Elys Uncapper conflicting?

Actually, Legendary Abilities requires Elys Uncapper.

 

In that case, something has corrupted your security skill level, most likely some other mod.

I've run into that with other mods and other abilities getting corrupted by a bug in a script. :(

[Striker879]

You may have already checked out this UESP Wiki article on the Skeleton Key. It doesn't add much not already mentioned here (I linked for completeness & background). There are console commands which can be used to return your security skill to where you want it. Read the caveats carefully (e.g. take note of setav vs advskill so you understand the consequences of using advskill).

[TheMastersSon]

Allana, I'm not a modder and this is a guess, but I think Security is limited to 0-255, so when you drop the key it subtracts 40 from your current level, and 24 minus 40 is 240. I think the game is working as it should. Try dropping the key and forcing your Security to higher than 40 to avoid wrapping below zero when you drop it again.

 

Apologies if the above is partially or completely wrong.

Edited March 3, 2011 by TheMastersSon

[Allana]

,

You may have already checked out this UESP Wiki article on the Skeleton Key. It doesn't add much not already mentioned here (I linked for completeness & background). There are console commands which can be used to return your security skill to where you want it. Read the caveats carefully (e.g. take note of setav vs advskill so you understand the consequences of using advskill).

I had checked that out, thanks for the suggestion, though. I did consider adjusting things with the console command,.but since I'm not really sure what it should be at this point, and everything else appears to be working pretty well, I think I'm just going to ignore it (& leave the key in a chest in my primary house in case I need it for something else).

 

Allana, I'm not a modder and this is a guess, but I think Security is limited to 0-255, so when you drop the key it subtracts 40 from your current level, and 24 minus 40 is 240. I think the game is working as it should. Try dropping the key and forcing your Security to higher than 40 to avoid wrapping below zero when you drop it again.

Well, actually, picking up the skeleton key is supposed to add 40 to my skill, so then it should bump the skill up to 40+whatever I started with. So removing it should drop the skill back down to the base level. The fact that it was 24 with the key in inventory is the real issue, as that implies I started with a negative value before getting the key. If it's wrapping, then it should have taken it to 239 (&, I was nowhere near that level ... at most I should have been somewhere between 30 & 40 before acquiring the key). I suspect that as Shadowfen suggested, something else has corrupted the skill value in my game. I did have some CTD's a while back, and those always do strange things, so that may be part of the issue.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This was just a really odd item.

Edited March 3, 2011 by Allana

[Striker879]

I think I'm just going to ignore it (& leave the key in a chest in my primary house in case I need it for something else)

Exactly the same solution I came up with to the leveling situation. I'll grab it from the desk at Rosethorn Hall once I'm master in security (at which point it will be superfluous). I agree that there must have been an issue with your security level. When I first got the key it raised my level as you indicated, and dropped it back whenever I took it out of my inventory. Just think about how many lockpicks you've yet to break!! I know ... I'm a joy. :tongue:

[Allana]

I think I'm just going to ignore it (& leave the key in a chest in my primary house in case I need it for something else)

Exactly the same solution I came up with to the leveling situation. I'll grab it from the desk at Rosethorn Hall once I'm master in security (at which point it will be superfluous). I agree that there must have been an issue with your security level. When I first got the key it raised my level as you indicated, and dropped it back whenever I took it out of my inventory. Just think about how many lockpicks you've yet to break!! I know ... I'm a joy. :tongue:

LOL.

Oh, did I mention I _hate_ the lockpicking routine? :wallbash:

 

The reason I know I was no-where near the max is that as soon as I acquired some useful unlock spells, I pretty much stopped using the darn thing.