Familiars/pets?

[Xenavire]

My girlfriend keeps bugging me to request this, so here goes.

I haven't seen any companion pets (other tha CM partners etc), and nothing that acts like a familiar. So I was wondering if someone knows how to, or if it is possible, to make non-combat pets.

 

If you are wondering the differences between CM companions and this, think along the lines of DnD familiars (basically pets that give bonuses to stats).

 

I think the base of the mod should be to make an NPC that you can summon/dismiss with a toggle spell (summoning a different one dismisses the old one too, so no summoning 5 different pets or anything). The NPC is unkillable (for simplicities sake) and should be undetectable by monsters if possible (to make it non-combat). It would have no combat scripts, basically only following you and nothing else.

 

For now I know of a few animals that could be turned into a familiar for testing purposes (deer etc, possibly wolves/dogs) so this could start as a scripting project, and evolve into modelling/texturing/animating.

 

As I said, my girlfriend keeps asking this constantly, she wants to have a little piggy following her 24/7. I would like a cat personally, and I am sure other people would love other pets too. If at some point the familiars could grant small stat bonuses (+x to stat, perhaps +3 to agility for a cat, etc) to encourage use of the mod.

 

Obviously this should be available to non-mages too (for RP purposes the whole mod would be great for anyone) but I would think adding an npc to the Arcane university (possibly outside chatting to gaurds) to sell the familiar spells should be enough.

 

Lastly, I think one more addition could make this mod even better: adding woodland grace as a toggle aura (for the nature people, druids/rangers etc) giving you the option to play without being attacked by the cuddly bears and wolves. (Possibly adding vermin into the script might be handy, some monsters don't seem to be affected by woodland grace.)

 

All of this is just an idea, and I know there a bunch of mods that share similarities, but I have yet to find one that works just right.

[AnimalRiot]

not quite as you described but close as per your girlfriend's request - meet Clover the lucky pig by Mondstein.

[Xenavire]

Haha, thats perfect for my girlfriend! Would be nice to have a whole range of choices (and without needing an item equipped as that one seems to?)

 

For the meantime this can be enough, until some nice person with the know-how decides the game really needs familiars. (If only I knew scripting.)

[scarycave]

If you want to make a pet that doesn't get involved in combat, you could always set his/hers/it's confidence to 0. Giving it every faction available might also help stopping enemies from attacking it. Setting it's combat style to that of a deer (Which to my knowledge can't attack) should prevent retaliation.

For the bonus's you could make a custom ability that get's added to the player by the familiar when it's called and removed when dismissed.

[Xenavire]

That is pretty much what I would want in the long run, but finding someone to do it (as I do not have any scripting or modelling skills) doesn't seem to easy right now.

 

Perhaps someone will decide to do it someday, but my girlfriend is happy, so for now this mod can be supported with suggestions as to how it could be done I guess, but until someone serious comes along I guess this is a "dead" mod request...

 

Thanks a lot for the input though, those ideas are very similar to what I was thinking. One thing though, do characters of the same faction following you alert people while you are sneaking? (If that is confusing, the simple way to say it would be, would the pet alert gaurds etc? And if it is considered the property of the player (not sure if that is possible or needed by the summon) would it count towards tresspasses etc?)

 

Good to see some interest though! Thanks everyone =p

[jamochawoke]

If you want to make a pet that doesn't get involved in combat, you could always set his/hers/it's confidence to 0.

 

This will likely make it run away. You want to set its aggression to 0.

 

Giving it every faction available might also help stopping enemies from attacking it.

 

That could work but tedious :P.

 

Setting it's combat style to that of a deer (Which to my knowledge can't attack) should prevent retaliation.

 

This will not work as deer do attack on occasion (they have a confidence of 5 so they mostly run all the time)... and they are actually freakishly strong lol.

[Chmielu88]

For more furries check Maigrets page. She has a very large collection of pet companions - some fight, some do not, but they all looks great. Your girlfriend will surely find something nice.

Personally, I highly recomended House Cats. They are - in my opinion - the cutest companions in Oblivion ever.

 

Have fun ;)

Edited June 1, 2012 by Chmielu88

[scarycave]

This will not work as deer do attack on occasion (they have a confidence of 5 so they mostly run all the time)... and they are actually freakishly strong lol.

[/Quote]

 

Maybe not the deer then, I had no idea they could attack. :ohdear:

All I know is though, if a creature has a combat style that it lacks an animation for.

For example: Set a mudcrab to fight like a lich, and it will not attack. It has no cast animation.

Edited June 4, 2012 by scarycave