LE Nonviolent Alternatives...

[AnkhAscendant]

Ever think "Wow, NPC dude, you're pissing me off, but I don't really want to murder you because I'm not actually evil"? Okay, I haven't really either, but I have thought that I don't really want to have to murder all of the bandits between me and the back of the cave, or the guards between me and the door, or whatnot. It doesn't really seem realistic that your only two options in this world are running away or going on a killing spree (or option 3, of course, just never be seen).

 

I liked that in Oblivion you could knock people out and loot them. I would like to be able to render people unconscious, tie them up or drag their bodies into a nearby room or cage, whatever. Besides enabling you to play a game in which you are not a murderer, I think it shows a little more mastery to be able to get in, get out, and leave your victims alive ;)

 

On a separate but related note, I want some sort of diplomacy options. I frankly miss the disposition system from Oblivion and Morrowind. I think that in Oblivion you could Calm a foe and then minigame their disposition up high enough that they wouldn't actually attack you when it wore off (if you had a high enough Speechcraft and personality, that is). I would like to be able to talk my way into places, talk my way out of situations, and basically be a smooth operator, not a wild NPC-killing barbarian.

 

I did have an idea for the latter part. I don't know if it's actually possible, but my bandaid solution was to create dialogue options that you could get while they were hostile, which consisted of a Persuade-Intimidate-Bribe choice of something like "Calm down! I don't want to hurt you!", "Put that away before someone gets hurt.", and "Maybe you'll listen to 'reason' [pay 500 gold]". If you were successful it would raise the NPC's disposition one level, although I would have wanted to make sure you couldn't Intimidate beyond a 2 or Bribe beyond a 3. (Obviously different wordings, down their own 'rise disposition' dialogue branch, if available when not hostile.)

 

Of course, if anyone knows of any mods that already do either of those things I would be much obliged.

[WinterFlower]

I'm not quite certain how that would work... D=

 

Aren't all bandits, thugs, and generally "bad guys" in Skyrim hostile by default? You can't really engage in conversation with hostile creatures, can you? Does "stop right there criminal scum" count?

 

I'm not sure, but if there's a bandit faction(s), they could be made neutral (or guard-like), and have dialogue options added. Maybe even use some according responses from guards and such, so that you won't have to voice act or put silent subtitles.

 

However... ! As good as your idea is, if I were a bandit in Skyrim, I would certainly murder and plunder an outnumbered stranger. Or first exort a good amount of coin and maybe weapons, then slit her throat. Mwahaha *evil*. D:

 

Anyways, I'm just saying this out of my general (and poor) understanding of coding. If it is possible, I would certainly endorse the idea! Bargaining with criminal scums is awesome.

[AnkhAscendant]

So! It turns out there is at least one mod that has done something to make a nonlethal character: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=77254327 Much better than I thought I would find. (Gasp, a useful speech tree, what's this?) Although I stand by my original request, I'd like to see more ability to talk your way out of situations ^^

 

@WinterFlower: I was thinking that the hostility would be modified down as disposition was modified up, and I was really hoping that somehow it was possible to to force a conversation with hostile creatures. ^^; But I have no idea if it actually is possible. The mod I found uses yields, and I think that should work. and yeah, bandits are probably manipulative jerks, but I was hoping that a high speech skill would sway them to your side :P

 

 

More thoughts on the sneaky non-speech nonviolence:

-Isn't that priest that Molag Bal makes you kill tied up? That animation should be able to be used for tying up other people. (Maybe?)

-Chloroform potion crafting?

--If you get close enough, undetected, to pickpocket someone, you can chloroform them with basically the same animation as the throat-slitting one, sans dagger.

-Carrying around rope to tie people up, obviously you'd have to have something to do it with. But since I've never seen rope ingame, that I remember, leather strips instead?

 

-I have no idea how to go about actually knocking people out in combat. .-.

[WinterFlower]

That is beyond awesome. Thank you! *hugs*

 

PS. Chloroform sounds awfully scientific. I suggest opiate instead. And could be a generic paralysis + calm effect, same as with vamps!

[missmary]

I would like to see something like this as well, especially when I play as rogues or thieves, it just doesn't make sense to kill everyone you come across! Being able to knock people out is something I really miss from Oblivion, it was really useful and you're right it doesn't seem realistic to kill everyone in your way. I'm really not sure how to go about this myself but you had some really good ideas that i'm sure a skilled modder could implement. I mean a lot of the mechanics are already kind of there.

[AnkhAscendant]

I found this mod, Sneak Tools, yesterday while I was looking for a way to strangle people. skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/19447 It seems like a very good start, since it allows you to knock people out (unfortunately automatically, not based on any kind of skill except your ability to sneak close enough to activate them), and as a bonus has grappling hook / rope arrows for climbing, and the ability to extinguish and relight light sources.

 

I still stand by my original ideas, but I highly recommend this in the meantime ;)

[Urtel]

I have an idea for this !

 

Give every race a kind of ability to use: To scare/reason an enemy. Then deppending on your level/fame/skills it simply rolls dices (Oh lovely DnD) and decides, if you succeded...

Btw imperials have a Voice of Emperor, wich works in this way, but 100% succes. Also needs to be fixed - not to work on forsworn, talmor and stormcloaks factions.

[missmary]

I found this mod, Sneak Tools, yesterday while I was looking for a way to strangle people. skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/19447 It seems like a very good start, since it allows you to knock people out (unfortunately automatically, not based on any kind of skill except your ability to sneak close enough to activate them), and as a bonus has grappling hook / rope arrows for climbing, and the ability to extinguish and relight light sources.

 

I still stand by my original ideas, but I highly recommend this in the meantime ;)

 

Thanks AnkhAscendant :) this will be better than nothing anyway. Hopefully there will be a skill based mod like this in the near future though!

[MistahShowtime]

Perhaps someone could make some non-lethal weapons to knock people out with? Something like a slingshot that you can shoot rocks with, a bo staff, a police baton, or something similar to a tazer that has a paralyzing effect which lasts for a while (maybe 300 seconds so you have time to get away). Of course, it would be weapons more lore-friendly instead of something like an actual police baton/tonfa or tazer. Maybe a club without spikes on it or the ability to use otherwise useless items like a frying pan to knock them out. If there could be a mod to use the hilt of your weapon to hit someone in the back of the head that you were able to sneak up on to knock them out it could work as well.