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Pledge yourself to the gods, Divine or Daedric. Adds the option to live by the strict rules of the Nine Divines or the Daedric Princes.
- Permissions and credits
=== Vows and Covenants ===
version 1.6.1
April 15, 2011
by Picador & Damion Selore
----
* NOTE: This mod requires OBSE version 0015 or later! See Compatibility, below. *
= Overview =
This mod allows the PC to take Vows to the Nine Divines or form Covenants with Daedric Princes, requiring the PC to act in accordance with the rules of the gods but granting divine or daedric favor. I'll be implementing the vows and covenants one god at a time, probably roughly alternating between Aedra and Daedra.
At present, the Vows for Akatosh, Arkay, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, and Talos have been implemented. The Covenants for Malacath and Boethia have also been implemented.
Finally, the PC is given several new mundane abilities that can be useful even if none of the optional Vows or Covenants are explored. The mod incorporates all the features of my earlier mod, Diplomacy and Mercy. These are detailed in the Diplomacy and Mercy section below. The mod also allows the PC to set fire to containers or dead bodies using a torch, burning it up along with its contents and removing them from the world. (Don't do this to containers with important quest items in them!)
= Mechanics =
The mod will introduce the PC to the idea of taking Vows, through a conversation topic with various NPCs (e.g., members of the Nine Divines faction). After learning about vows, the PC has the option to pledge him- or herself to any Aedra whose wayshrine he or she visits. The PC can take multiple vows, but each one imposes taboos: prohibited behaviors that bring the PC into the disfavor of that particular god. If a PC has taken a vow to a god and breaks that god's taboo, he or she will be deprived of the powers granted by the vow and will suffer a penalty to his or her Luck until he or she atones for his or her waywardness.
All Vows to the Aedra grant a Luck bonus, and each also provides some other benefit. The benefit is often compensatory for the losses likely to be suffered from avoiding the taboo.
Vows to Daedra grant more significant powers but impose a Luck penalty. They are less likely to have a strict taboo, but will instead have a hunger that must be fed to keep the power operating.
Generally, when a Divine vow is broken, the PC loses the blessings of the god and instead takes on a Luck penalty. He or she must perform some penance to eliminate the Luck penalty, after which he or she may pray at the god's altar or shrines to reinstate the blessing.
= Diplomacy and Mercy =
PCs have two new abilities in Vows and Covenants, allowing them to bring combat to a non-violent resolution in two ways:
* Diplomacy: a diplomatic PC can negotiate a truce with his opponents. Through Speechcraft, bribery, Charm spells, or other avenues of raising disposition (provided by mods like Companion Share and Recruit), a diplomatic PC can convince his opponents to cease combat.
* Mercy: a merciful PC can demand surrender from his opponents. Those whose health is low will surrender and become non-aggressive.
Here's how these abilities work:
* The PC's normal Yield behavior is modified. Yielding to a friendly NPC (Disposition > Aggression) will work as normal. However, when you try to Yield to someone with Aggression > Disposition, in addition to the "Your yield was rejected" message, it will also trigger a decision by thr NPC to either surrender to you, to negotiate a truce with you, or do neither.
* If the NPC's health is below a certain threshold (normally equal to the PC's highest offensive skill -- Blade, Blunt, Hand to Hand, Marksman or Destruction -- plus 1/3 of the NPC's Disposition toward the PC, plus the PC's Fame, minus 1/5 of the NPC's Confidence), he or she will stop fighting and adopt a submissive posture (cowering or begging on their knees for mercy). The PC will be able to speak to the NPC, who will indicate surrender and beg for mercy. The PC has the option to take the NPC's gold or to offer mercy. After this, the NPC's Aggression will be lowered to 5 and Disposition toward the player will be either 30 points higher (if the PC was merciful) or 10 points lower (if the PC took the gold). Of course, Disposition usually starts pretty low if the PC has been beating them up. Note also that if the NPC's starting health is lower than the PC's combat skill, he or she will surrender if affected by this ability even without being injured: weak NPCs know better than to try to tangle with highly-skilled warriors, and will yield if given the option.
* An unconscious NPC will surrender automatically. However, a sleeping NPC will be startled awake and will not surrender in his confusion and alarm; an NPC who was unaware of the PC will also turn to look at the hidden PC and will not surrender unless the demand is repeated.
* If the NPC won't surrender, there's a chance he still might be willing to negotiate a Truce. If the PC's Speechcraft skill plus the NPC's disposition toward the player is greater than the NPC's Aggression, a truce is possible. This opens a 1-second window in which the affected NPC will become nonaggressive, sheathe his weapon, and initiate conversation. When the target begins conversation, it is up to the PC to raise the NPC's disposition above his Aggression (which is 100 in the case of most "enemies": bandits, marauders etc). Since Charm spells can't be used while in conversation, it's a good idea to cast them BEFORE trying to call a Truce. The NPC will display "Truce" as a topic of conversation: the response to this topic will indicate whether the PC has raised disposition high enough to end the NPC's attacks.
* You only get one chance at a Truce per NPC: if you yield to someone and then attack them or run out of conversational range, you won't be able to try again.
= Specific Vows and Covenants =
These are the Vows currently implemented. Each is listed with the relevant taboo, the penance required when that taboo is broken, and the benefits. All Divine vows grant a Luck bonus in addition to the listed benefits, while all Daedric covenants incur a Luck penalty.
= Akatosh =
* Order of the Hour *
In Cyrodil, the knightly Order of the Hour devoted to Akatosh takes the form of a monastic order of warrior-monks devoted to honing their unarmed combat skills. They spend their time meditating on the mysteries of the Dragon of Time, and take a highly mytical view of their martial training, often using their fighting skills only amongst themselves. However, in times when the temples of the Great Dragon need to be defended, the Fists of the Dragon are ready to put their skills to practical use.
Taboo: Use a weapon of any kind.
Penance: None required. The blessing is replaced with a Luck penalty when using a weapon, however.
Blessing: Akatosh grants members of the Order a bonus to Hand to Hand and Block skills and a natural Shield ability, reflecting their iron-hard skin and their ability to deflect even blades and missiles using their hands. Hand-to-Hand and Block skills also advance more quickly (5x and 3x as fast as normal, respectively).
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Arkay =
* Exorcist of Arkay *
Arkay guides lost souls on their journey through life and death. It is the duty of an Exorcist to cast out spirits of the dead trapped in this plane and guide them along their path to the Underworld.
Taboo: Summon undead or touch an unconsecrated corpse, whether human, beast, or undead.
Penance: An exorcist who has defiled himself must first immerse himself in purifying water, then pray to Arkay at a wayshrine.
Blessing: Arkay grants his exorcists wisdom and insight into the mysteries of life and death. They can share with others a vision of the underworld, sufficient to send most mortals and arrested spirits of the dead into fits of terror. Once a day, an exorcist can Consecrate a dead body, making it ritually clean for handling; this same power of consecration applied to a living person grants the Gift of Arkay, making the NPC immune to the powers of death (essential). This Gift can only be granted to a single companion at a time; casting it on a second removes it from the first. Finally, the Exorcist is granted the power to Banish the undead: at the cost of his own Endurance and Fatigue, he can destroy the form of an undead being, banishing it completely from this plane. This will destroy the remains, as well, so it's best not to use it to destroy an undead being carrying an important item.
The Exorcist is haunted by the spirits of any sentient beings he has killed. They pound against the wall separating the living from the dead, and the Exorcist can hear their howls of frustration, fear, and anger. When their numbers grow too great (six or more NPCs killed), they can break through into the world of the living, seeking out the exorcist responsible for their death. Such a breach can also occur when the exorcist is close to dying himself; Arkay will flood with life energy, but his proximity to death will pull those he has killed along with him back to the sunlit lands.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Kynareth =
* Hermit of Kynareth *
The sky god requires her ascetic followers to take a vow of poverty, limiting their carried possessions to a few chosen tools. In return, they are granted powers when under the open sky of Tamriel.
Taboo: Kill a creature of Tamriel (not an NPC, undead, or daedra) outside in the wilderness of Tamriel.
Penance: Sleep under the sky, then pray to Kynareth at one of her wayshrines or altars.
Blessing: The Living Saint of Kynareth may call forth the Rain of Kynareth once a day when outside, which washes away the pain and rage of all beings under the sky. All living creatures and NPCs have their Aggression reduced significantly and their wounds and diseases healed; undead and daedra, however, are struck by Kynareth's fury in the form of lightning. Kynareth also grants her Hermits increased Agility, Speed, athletics, and acrobatics, as well as a power that allows them to befriend wilderness creatures.
Once a day, the Hermit can use the Child of the Sky power, giving him the freedom of the birds. His ability to run and jump is boosted significantly, and the less he is carrying when he casts the spell, the higher he can jump.
These powers only work when the Hermit is outside of a city under the sky of Tamriel, and when he is carrying less than 100 pounds of gear.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Mara =
* Living Saint of Mara *
The goddess of life grants her Living Saint universal love and acceptance among the life of Tamriel, but requires them to abstain from all violence. The Saint brings life and love with her, healing the hurt and comforting the confused and angry.
Taboo: Kill any living creature, including NPCs (but not including undead).
Penance: Pray at an altar of the Nine in a chapel, then pray at one of Mara's altars of wayshrines.
Blessing: The Saint spreads peace and tranquility everywhere she goes. All living beings are rendered calm and non-violent when in her presence, and undead are repelled by her approach (although some powerful undead may attempt to attack from a distance).
The Saint may also resurrect the recently dead.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Stendarr =
* Paladin of Stendarr *
Stendarr is the god of Mercy, and his antecedent Stuhn is the Nordic god of Ransom. He requires his knights to show mercy to their enemies, offering the opportunity to surrender instead of killing them outright.
Taboo: Paladins of Stendarr may not kill any NPC without first giving them the opportunity to surrender (per the Surrender ability, above). He may not kill any foe who has surrendered or any other foe who is normally nonaggressive (Aggression = 5), either; these foes must be yielded to if they are fighting the Paladin for whatever reason.
Penance: A Paladin who has killed a foe needlessly must pay alms to a beggar, then pray to Stendarr to regain His favor.
Blessing: A Paladin of Stendarr gains Fame by subduing (i.e., successfully demanding surrender from) evil enemies. The Paladin is given the power to lay hands on a wounded, defeated foe and both heal the foe and convert her to the Paladin's faction. Paladins also have enhanced defensive combat abilities.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Talos =
* Sword Saint of Talos *
Talos asks his Sword Saints to devote their lives to serving the line of the dragon blood and honing their skill with a blade. Now, the Septim line, carrier of the dragonblood, is threatened by Mehrunes Dagon, and the sword saint must waste no time in assisting the Imperial line in its mission to relight the Dragonfires and defeat the Oblivion invasion. Talos grants the Dragonblade to his sword saint on condition that the bearer of blade pursues his mission without delay.
Taboo: Do not tarry! Three days must not pass without progress in the main quest.
Penance: Make progress in the main quest to regain Talos's favor.
Blessing: Talos grants his champion the Dragonblade, an Akaviri-style Dai-Katana of unearthly quality. It is not enchanted, but can harm ethereal beings. Talos also gives his sword saint resistance to fire and increased skill in Blade and Block. Finally, the sword saint's single-minded devotion to honing his swordsmanship means that the Blade skill advances 5 times as quickly as usual, and Block advances 3 times as quickly.
Granted by: Jauffre, or any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Boethia =
* Gladiator of Boethia *
Boethis is the daedric prince of murder, assassination, conspiracy and treason. He favors those who are ruthless in their pursuit of power and conquest. His Gladiators fight in the arena of the world, seeking out those in positions of strength, destroying them, and taking their strength to add to the Gladiator's own.
Hunger: Worthy foes must be killed by the Gladiator and their blood offered up to Boethia. For every 12 NPCs killed at the PC's level or higher, Boethia increases the power of the Gladiator's enchanted Ebony Mail.
Boon: The god awards his Gladiator the Ebony Mail, a powerful artifact that grows in power as more powerful foes are slain.
Price: Followers of Boethia must kill a worthy foe at least every 4 days. After that, Boethia will take back the Ebony Mail to grant it to a more ambitious pawn. To recapture Boethia's attention, the Gladiator must kill a worthy foe and begin rebuilding the power of the Ebony Mail from the beginning.
Granted by: Haekwon, priest at the Shrine of Boethia.
= Malacath =
* Outcast of Malacath *
Malacath is the Daedric Prince of the outcast, those forced out of society because they cannot or will not conform to its strict rules. He counts among his followers the pariah Orcs, the cannibalistic Ogres, and various barbarians, madmen, and hermits who have been forced to live in the wilderness when their crimes became too great for civilized society to tolerate. Malacath hates the trappings of civilized society, and He calls on His cultists to destroy items of magic and learning: books, scrolls, enchanted items, soul gems, and so on. In exchange, he grants them inhuman might when they fight without the armored encumbrances of the civilized warrior.
Hunger: Items of learning and magic must be sacrificed to Malacath by burning them in the brazier at His shrine or by burning containers or dead bodies with these objects inside them. The greater the value of the item so sacrificed, the more it satisfies the god. Non-preferred items (anything other than the items mentioned above) only count 10% as much as preferred items.
Boon: As the god's Hunger is fed, the strength of the outcast grows. As long as the PC is not wearing armor or enchanted clothing on a given body part, he is granted abilities corresponding to that part. These abilities grow in strength as the god's hunger is fed with more items of greater value.
Price: Malacath has no truck with wizards, scholars, or dandies. The magicka of the outcast is severely reduced, as are his Speechcraft and Mercantile skills. Also, as the Outcast's favor with Malacath grows, he becomes more ostracized by men.
Granted by: Shobob gro-Rugdush, priest at the Shrine of Malacath.
= Installation / Uninstallation =
Install by placing the file "Vows and Covenants.esp" in your Oblivion/Data folder and activating it under Data Files in the Oblivion launcher menu. Also copy the "Vows.ini" file in your Oblivion/Data folder. This can be edited to adjust the different weight of skill, disposition, fame, and NPC Confidence in calculating surrender. On loading a game for the first time, you will see two message boxes in succession telling you that you now have the abilities to demand surrender and to call truces.
(If you have Knights of the Nine installed, you can optionally also install the included "KotN Wayshrine Fix.esp" file, which changes the behavior of wayshrines to make it easier to take vows if your infamy is greater than 1.)
Uninstall by removing the .esp file. The only changes to the game that will persist will be from residual modifications to Aggression on NPCs who have surrendered, and residual fame and infamy from the vows, but this should actually make sense.
IF YOU ARE UPGRADING: Version 1.0 is a "reboot" release, meaning that you should uninstall the old version, save, then install v1.0. If you want to restore your progress in e.g. the Boethia or Malacath covenants, you should go to the console and type "sqv vowtomalacath" or "sqv vowtoboethia" and write down your Satisfaction variable (for Malacath) or your CurrentStage and QuestStage variables (for Boethia). You can then set these manually after re-initiating the covenants. Your fame and infamy changes will carry over from the old installation.
= Compatibility =
This mod should have few incompatibilities. It adds all spells, abilities, and items to the PC through a Quest, and no base objects or resources are modified.
There are a few precautions for people using other mods:
* Deadly Reflex 6: Both slightly modify the default GREETING topic, but this should have no adverse effect. Follow DR6's installation instructions.
* DIPLOMACY AND MERCY: You must uninstall this mod. All features are included here, but they will conflict with a second installation.
* The wilderness cell including Malacath's Shrine has had a brazier added to it. This is required to advance as an Outcast of Malacath, so make sure it's loaded after any other mod that changes this cell.
There might also be bugs in the code that produce strange consequences when modifying the Aggression of surrendered or truce-negotiating NPCs, but these should only affect the instance, not the base object (i.e. I use modav Aggression, not setav Aggression). I'll keep my eyes peeled for these during further testing.
= Other Suggested/Required Mods =
* This mod REQUIRES Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) version 0015a or later. You can download OBSE here:
http://obse.silverlock.org/
* Elys' Universal Silent Voice is more or less mandatory if you want to be able to read the dialogue in this mod (or in any mod with unvoiced dialogue).
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16622
* The Diplomacy and Mercy functions become much more useful in conjunction with a mod that lets you recruit friendly NPCs or exchange items with them. TheTalkieToaster's "Companion Share and Recruit" (CSR) is an excellent mod that complements Vows & Covenants nicely.
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3066
* Negotiating a Truce is much more challenging when using Persuasion Overhaul; it makes Personality and Speechcraft actually useful.
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12367
* Hermits of Kynareth will probably want a bedroll of some kind in order to sleep outside. My favorite is "Not a Bedroll", which adds a simple pillow you can use to sleep anywhere.
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15146
= Changelog =
v 1.6.1
*Fixed a bug where D&M was looking for specific directX scancodes instead of actual control input, making those who don't play with the default config unable to demand surrender.
*Fixed a bug in the Love of Mara script that caused horses to convulse when ridden.
v 1.6
* Tightened up most of the scripts used in the mod, fixing a lot of small bugs
* Fixed a bunch of death-tracking bugs
* Added vows for Mara and Kynareth
v 1.5
* Overhauled Truces and Surrenders. They both use the "yield" action now, and there is no more "Demand Surrender" power.
* Fixed a bug with infinite messageboxes upon your death with the Arkay vow
* Changed Stendarr's "Lay Hands" power to boost Responsibility, changed name to "Stendarr's Mercy"
v 1.4
* Cleaned up the Surrender script again
* Cleaned up messagebox and armor bugs in the Boethia covenant
v 1.3
* Fixed a bug with Stendarr taboo breaking immediately upon penance being completed (thanks phoenix1213!)
* Cleaned up Surrender and death-tracking scripts a little
* Added a .ini option to scale the Satisfaction given to Malacath by burnt offerings
v 1.2
* Fixed a bug with infinite messageboxes on adding the Boethia covenant (thanks phoenix1213!)
* Changed surrenders: no more surrenders by sleeping NPCs, you now get a Message when someone surrenders, and an NPC will automatically surrender if knocked out ( 0 fatigue)
v 1.1
* Fixed a bug in the Arkay vow that made you violate taboo when dealing with merchants
v 1.0
* Overhaul of Arkay vow: exorcists now healed when close to death, but also haunted by dead spirits; new Banish power; new warning before handling a corpse the first time
* v1.0 is a reboot release: no more support for previous versions, so uninstall old versions, save, then install v1.0. See Installation instructions.
* Bug fixed in Boethia covenant flinging up nonstop warning messages after three days inactive (thanks Riothamus!)
v 0.9
* Overhaul of Boethia covenant: added Ebony Mail instead of increased Strength, got rid of Madness
v 0.81
* Adjusted messages about Malacath sacrifice to be less distracting
* Malacath's Price token gets taken off and replaced when PC rests or sleeps, resetting the Drain values in case of e.g. Intelligence gain or loss
v 0.8
* Made more tweaks to shader effects
* Fixed incorrect Malacath amulet enchantment values
* Added "immolate" feature, allowing the PC to torch containers to sacrifice their contents to Malacath (or just to remove them from the game world)
* Sacrifice of non-magical items (non-books, etc) please Malacath now, but only at 10% of value
v 0.7
* Altered effect shaders to only glow initially - this removes the permanent red glow from those who take Daedric Covenants (thanks to Soor's "Initial Glow" mod for implementing this!)
v 0.6
* Added Infamy growth over time for Malacath
* Added Boethia's Madness if the Gladiator goes 3 days without killing a worthy foe
* Added a trigger for Malacath's Rage (missing from earlier versions)
* Added warning for D&m users to uninstall D&M
v 0.5
* Added Vow to Arkay
v 0.4
* Changed diseases from 0.3 into enchanted tokens. Whew, that was a lot of duplicated effort.
* Split death-detection code off into a separate quest/spell/token system. This might make a good mod resource.
* Modified the Talos vow's sword to stop being a quest item after the MQ ends
* Added Covenant for Boethia
* Fixed some Topic problems for Malacath
v 0.3
* Added code to undo the modav effects from previous versions.
* Changed all Vow-granted abilities and modded attributes to diseases that get re-added automatically if cured. This prevents any funkiness with modav values conflicting with other mods (such as e.g. Encumbrance and Fatigue mods).
* Modified the Talos vow to stop after the main quest ends
* Added XP-boost configuration to the INI file
* Added Covenant with Malacath
v 0.2
* Added XP boosts for Akatosh vow.
v 0.1
* First release of Alpha mod.
= Attribution and License Information =
Contact Picador through the Bethesda Forums or by emailing [lucaspicador at gmail dot com].
Feel free to use this mod and all its contents in any way you like. Some attribution to Picador in your README would be appreciated if you think it's due.
If you want to start your own variant mod using this as a baseline, please name it something different so as to avoid confusion.
Many thanks to all the Oblivion mod community members who talked to me about this mod: your wisdom and inspiration were at least as important as my work in making this mod into something that makes people's games more interesting. Thanks also to riklund for inspiring this work with his "Friendly Oblivion" mod.
version 1.6.1
April 15, 2011
by Picador & Damion Selore
----
* NOTE: This mod requires OBSE version 0015 or later! See Compatibility, below. *
= Overview =
This mod allows the PC to take Vows to the Nine Divines or form Covenants with Daedric Princes, requiring the PC to act in accordance with the rules of the gods but granting divine or daedric favor. I'll be implementing the vows and covenants one god at a time, probably roughly alternating between Aedra and Daedra.
At present, the Vows for Akatosh, Arkay, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, and Talos have been implemented. The Covenants for Malacath and Boethia have also been implemented.
Finally, the PC is given several new mundane abilities that can be useful even if none of the optional Vows or Covenants are explored. The mod incorporates all the features of my earlier mod, Diplomacy and Mercy. These are detailed in the Diplomacy and Mercy section below. The mod also allows the PC to set fire to containers or dead bodies using a torch, burning it up along with its contents and removing them from the world. (Don't do this to containers with important quest items in them!)
= Mechanics =
The mod will introduce the PC to the idea of taking Vows, through a conversation topic with various NPCs (e.g., members of the Nine Divines faction). After learning about vows, the PC has the option to pledge him- or herself to any Aedra whose wayshrine he or she visits. The PC can take multiple vows, but each one imposes taboos: prohibited behaviors that bring the PC into the disfavor of that particular god. If a PC has taken a vow to a god and breaks that god's taboo, he or she will be deprived of the powers granted by the vow and will suffer a penalty to his or her Luck until he or she atones for his or her waywardness.
All Vows to the Aedra grant a Luck bonus, and each also provides some other benefit. The benefit is often compensatory for the losses likely to be suffered from avoiding the taboo.
Vows to Daedra grant more significant powers but impose a Luck penalty. They are less likely to have a strict taboo, but will instead have a hunger that must be fed to keep the power operating.
Generally, when a Divine vow is broken, the PC loses the blessings of the god and instead takes on a Luck penalty. He or she must perform some penance to eliminate the Luck penalty, after which he or she may pray at the god's altar or shrines to reinstate the blessing.
= Diplomacy and Mercy =
PCs have two new abilities in Vows and Covenants, allowing them to bring combat to a non-violent resolution in two ways:
* Diplomacy: a diplomatic PC can negotiate a truce with his opponents. Through Speechcraft, bribery, Charm spells, or other avenues of raising disposition (provided by mods like Companion Share and Recruit), a diplomatic PC can convince his opponents to cease combat.
* Mercy: a merciful PC can demand surrender from his opponents. Those whose health is low will surrender and become non-aggressive.
Here's how these abilities work:
* The PC's normal Yield behavior is modified. Yielding to a friendly NPC (Disposition > Aggression) will work as normal. However, when you try to Yield to someone with Aggression > Disposition, in addition to the "Your yield was rejected" message, it will also trigger a decision by thr NPC to either surrender to you, to negotiate a truce with you, or do neither.
* If the NPC's health is below a certain threshold (normally equal to the PC's highest offensive skill -- Blade, Blunt, Hand to Hand, Marksman or Destruction -- plus 1/3 of the NPC's Disposition toward the PC, plus the PC's Fame, minus 1/5 of the NPC's Confidence), he or she will stop fighting and adopt a submissive posture (cowering or begging on their knees for mercy). The PC will be able to speak to the NPC, who will indicate surrender and beg for mercy. The PC has the option to take the NPC's gold or to offer mercy. After this, the NPC's Aggression will be lowered to 5 and Disposition toward the player will be either 30 points higher (if the PC was merciful) or 10 points lower (if the PC took the gold). Of course, Disposition usually starts pretty low if the PC has been beating them up. Note also that if the NPC's starting health is lower than the PC's combat skill, he or she will surrender if affected by this ability even without being injured: weak NPCs know better than to try to tangle with highly-skilled warriors, and will yield if given the option.
* An unconscious NPC will surrender automatically. However, a sleeping NPC will be startled awake and will not surrender in his confusion and alarm; an NPC who was unaware of the PC will also turn to look at the hidden PC and will not surrender unless the demand is repeated.
* If the NPC won't surrender, there's a chance he still might be willing to negotiate a Truce. If the PC's Speechcraft skill plus the NPC's disposition toward the player is greater than the NPC's Aggression, a truce is possible. This opens a 1-second window in which the affected NPC will become nonaggressive, sheathe his weapon, and initiate conversation. When the target begins conversation, it is up to the PC to raise the NPC's disposition above his Aggression (which is 100 in the case of most "enemies": bandits, marauders etc). Since Charm spells can't be used while in conversation, it's a good idea to cast them BEFORE trying to call a Truce. The NPC will display "Truce" as a topic of conversation: the response to this topic will indicate whether the PC has raised disposition high enough to end the NPC's attacks.
* You only get one chance at a Truce per NPC: if you yield to someone and then attack them or run out of conversational range, you won't be able to try again.
= Specific Vows and Covenants =
These are the Vows currently implemented. Each is listed with the relevant taboo, the penance required when that taboo is broken, and the benefits. All Divine vows grant a Luck bonus in addition to the listed benefits, while all Daedric covenants incur a Luck penalty.
= Akatosh =
* Order of the Hour *
In Cyrodil, the knightly Order of the Hour devoted to Akatosh takes the form of a monastic order of warrior-monks devoted to honing their unarmed combat skills. They spend their time meditating on the mysteries of the Dragon of Time, and take a highly mytical view of their martial training, often using their fighting skills only amongst themselves. However, in times when the temples of the Great Dragon need to be defended, the Fists of the Dragon are ready to put their skills to practical use.
Taboo: Use a weapon of any kind.
Penance: None required. The blessing is replaced with a Luck penalty when using a weapon, however.
Blessing: Akatosh grants members of the Order a bonus to Hand to Hand and Block skills and a natural Shield ability, reflecting their iron-hard skin and their ability to deflect even blades and missiles using their hands. Hand-to-Hand and Block skills also advance more quickly (5x and 3x as fast as normal, respectively).
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Arkay =
* Exorcist of Arkay *
Arkay guides lost souls on their journey through life and death. It is the duty of an Exorcist to cast out spirits of the dead trapped in this plane and guide them along their path to the Underworld.
Taboo: Summon undead or touch an unconsecrated corpse, whether human, beast, or undead.
Penance: An exorcist who has defiled himself must first immerse himself in purifying water, then pray to Arkay at a wayshrine.
Blessing: Arkay grants his exorcists wisdom and insight into the mysteries of life and death. They can share with others a vision of the underworld, sufficient to send most mortals and arrested spirits of the dead into fits of terror. Once a day, an exorcist can Consecrate a dead body, making it ritually clean for handling; this same power of consecration applied to a living person grants the Gift of Arkay, making the NPC immune to the powers of death (essential). This Gift can only be granted to a single companion at a time; casting it on a second removes it from the first. Finally, the Exorcist is granted the power to Banish the undead: at the cost of his own Endurance and Fatigue, he can destroy the form of an undead being, banishing it completely from this plane. This will destroy the remains, as well, so it's best not to use it to destroy an undead being carrying an important item.
The Exorcist is haunted by the spirits of any sentient beings he has killed. They pound against the wall separating the living from the dead, and the Exorcist can hear their howls of frustration, fear, and anger. When their numbers grow too great (six or more NPCs killed), they can break through into the world of the living, seeking out the exorcist responsible for their death. Such a breach can also occur when the exorcist is close to dying himself; Arkay will flood with life energy, but his proximity to death will pull those he has killed along with him back to the sunlit lands.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Kynareth =
* Hermit of Kynareth *
The sky god requires her ascetic followers to take a vow of poverty, limiting their carried possessions to a few chosen tools. In return, they are granted powers when under the open sky of Tamriel.
Taboo: Kill a creature of Tamriel (not an NPC, undead, or daedra) outside in the wilderness of Tamriel.
Penance: Sleep under the sky, then pray to Kynareth at one of her wayshrines or altars.
Blessing: The Living Saint of Kynareth may call forth the Rain of Kynareth once a day when outside, which washes away the pain and rage of all beings under the sky. All living creatures and NPCs have their Aggression reduced significantly and their wounds and diseases healed; undead and daedra, however, are struck by Kynareth's fury in the form of lightning. Kynareth also grants her Hermits increased Agility, Speed, athletics, and acrobatics, as well as a power that allows them to befriend wilderness creatures.
Once a day, the Hermit can use the Child of the Sky power, giving him the freedom of the birds. His ability to run and jump is boosted significantly, and the less he is carrying when he casts the spell, the higher he can jump.
These powers only work when the Hermit is outside of a city under the sky of Tamriel, and when he is carrying less than 100 pounds of gear.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Mara =
* Living Saint of Mara *
The goddess of life grants her Living Saint universal love and acceptance among the life of Tamriel, but requires them to abstain from all violence. The Saint brings life and love with her, healing the hurt and comforting the confused and angry.
Taboo: Kill any living creature, including NPCs (but not including undead).
Penance: Pray at an altar of the Nine in a chapel, then pray at one of Mara's altars of wayshrines.
Blessing: The Saint spreads peace and tranquility everywhere she goes. All living beings are rendered calm and non-violent when in her presence, and undead are repelled by her approach (although some powerful undead may attempt to attack from a distance).
The Saint may also resurrect the recently dead.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Stendarr =
* Paladin of Stendarr *
Stendarr is the god of Mercy, and his antecedent Stuhn is the Nordic god of Ransom. He requires his knights to show mercy to their enemies, offering the opportunity to surrender instead of killing them outright.
Taboo: Paladins of Stendarr may not kill any NPC without first giving them the opportunity to surrender (per the Surrender ability, above). He may not kill any foe who has surrendered or any other foe who is normally nonaggressive (Aggression = 5), either; these foes must be yielded to if they are fighting the Paladin for whatever reason.
Penance: A Paladin who has killed a foe needlessly must pay alms to a beggar, then pray to Stendarr to regain His favor.
Blessing: A Paladin of Stendarr gains Fame by subduing (i.e., successfully demanding surrender from) evil enemies. The Paladin is given the power to lay hands on a wounded, defeated foe and both heal the foe and convert her to the Paladin's faction. Paladins also have enhanced defensive combat abilities.
Granted by: any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Talos =
* Sword Saint of Talos *
Talos asks his Sword Saints to devote their lives to serving the line of the dragon blood and honing their skill with a blade. Now, the Septim line, carrier of the dragonblood, is threatened by Mehrunes Dagon, and the sword saint must waste no time in assisting the Imperial line in its mission to relight the Dragonfires and defeat the Oblivion invasion. Talos grants the Dragonblade to his sword saint on condition that the bearer of blade pursues his mission without delay.
Taboo: Do not tarry! Three days must not pass without progress in the main quest.
Penance: Make progress in the main quest to regain Talos's favor.
Blessing: Talos grants his champion the Dragonblade, an Akaviri-style Dai-Katana of unearthly quality. It is not enchanted, but can harm ethereal beings. Talos also gives his sword saint resistance to fire and increased skill in Blade and Block. Finally, the sword saint's single-minded devotion to honing his swordsmanship means that the Blade skill advances 5 times as quickly as usual, and Block advances 3 times as quickly.
Granted by: Jauffre, or any member of the Nine Divines faction, such as a priest.
= Boethia =
* Gladiator of Boethia *
Boethis is the daedric prince of murder, assassination, conspiracy and treason. He favors those who are ruthless in their pursuit of power and conquest. His Gladiators fight in the arena of the world, seeking out those in positions of strength, destroying them, and taking their strength to add to the Gladiator's own.
Hunger: Worthy foes must be killed by the Gladiator and their blood offered up to Boethia. For every 12 NPCs killed at the PC's level or higher, Boethia increases the power of the Gladiator's enchanted Ebony Mail.
Boon: The god awards his Gladiator the Ebony Mail, a powerful artifact that grows in power as more powerful foes are slain.
Price: Followers of Boethia must kill a worthy foe at least every 4 days. After that, Boethia will take back the Ebony Mail to grant it to a more ambitious pawn. To recapture Boethia's attention, the Gladiator must kill a worthy foe and begin rebuilding the power of the Ebony Mail from the beginning.
Granted by: Haekwon, priest at the Shrine of Boethia.
= Malacath =
* Outcast of Malacath *
Malacath is the Daedric Prince of the outcast, those forced out of society because they cannot or will not conform to its strict rules. He counts among his followers the pariah Orcs, the cannibalistic Ogres, and various barbarians, madmen, and hermits who have been forced to live in the wilderness when their crimes became too great for civilized society to tolerate. Malacath hates the trappings of civilized society, and He calls on His cultists to destroy items of magic and learning: books, scrolls, enchanted items, soul gems, and so on. In exchange, he grants them inhuman might when they fight without the armored encumbrances of the civilized warrior.
Hunger: Items of learning and magic must be sacrificed to Malacath by burning them in the brazier at His shrine or by burning containers or dead bodies with these objects inside them. The greater the value of the item so sacrificed, the more it satisfies the god. Non-preferred items (anything other than the items mentioned above) only count 10% as much as preferred items.
Boon: As the god's Hunger is fed, the strength of the outcast grows. As long as the PC is not wearing armor or enchanted clothing on a given body part, he is granted abilities corresponding to that part. These abilities grow in strength as the god's hunger is fed with more items of greater value.
Price: Malacath has no truck with wizards, scholars, or dandies. The magicka of the outcast is severely reduced, as are his Speechcraft and Mercantile skills. Also, as the Outcast's favor with Malacath grows, he becomes more ostracized by men.
Granted by: Shobob gro-Rugdush, priest at the Shrine of Malacath.
= Installation / Uninstallation =
Install by placing the file "Vows and Covenants.esp" in your Oblivion/Data folder and activating it under Data Files in the Oblivion launcher menu. Also copy the "Vows.ini" file in your Oblivion/Data folder. This can be edited to adjust the different weight of skill, disposition, fame, and NPC Confidence in calculating surrender. On loading a game for the first time, you will see two message boxes in succession telling you that you now have the abilities to demand surrender and to call truces.
(If you have Knights of the Nine installed, you can optionally also install the included "KotN Wayshrine Fix.esp" file, which changes the behavior of wayshrines to make it easier to take vows if your infamy is greater than 1.)
Uninstall by removing the .esp file. The only changes to the game that will persist will be from residual modifications to Aggression on NPCs who have surrendered, and residual fame and infamy from the vows, but this should actually make sense.
IF YOU ARE UPGRADING: Version 1.0 is a "reboot" release, meaning that you should uninstall the old version, save, then install v1.0. If you want to restore your progress in e.g. the Boethia or Malacath covenants, you should go to the console and type "sqv vowtomalacath" or "sqv vowtoboethia" and write down your Satisfaction variable (for Malacath) or your CurrentStage and QuestStage variables (for Boethia). You can then set these manually after re-initiating the covenants. Your fame and infamy changes will carry over from the old installation.
= Compatibility =
This mod should have few incompatibilities. It adds all spells, abilities, and items to the PC through a Quest, and no base objects or resources are modified.
There are a few precautions for people using other mods:
* Deadly Reflex 6: Both slightly modify the default GREETING topic, but this should have no adverse effect. Follow DR6's installation instructions.
* DIPLOMACY AND MERCY: You must uninstall this mod. All features are included here, but they will conflict with a second installation.
* The wilderness cell including Malacath's Shrine has had a brazier added to it. This is required to advance as an Outcast of Malacath, so make sure it's loaded after any other mod that changes this cell.
There might also be bugs in the code that produce strange consequences when modifying the Aggression of surrendered or truce-negotiating NPCs, but these should only affect the instance, not the base object (i.e. I use modav Aggression, not setav Aggression). I'll keep my eyes peeled for these during further testing.
= Other Suggested/Required Mods =
* This mod REQUIRES Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) version 0015a or later. You can download OBSE here:
http://obse.silverlock.org/
* Elys' Universal Silent Voice is more or less mandatory if you want to be able to read the dialogue in this mod (or in any mod with unvoiced dialogue).
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16622
* The Diplomacy and Mercy functions become much more useful in conjunction with a mod that lets you recruit friendly NPCs or exchange items with them. TheTalkieToaster's "Companion Share and Recruit" (CSR) is an excellent mod that complements Vows & Covenants nicely.
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3066
* Negotiating a Truce is much more challenging when using Persuasion Overhaul; it makes Personality and Speechcraft actually useful.
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12367
* Hermits of Kynareth will probably want a bedroll of some kind in order to sleep outside. My favorite is "Not a Bedroll", which adds a simple pillow you can use to sleep anywhere.
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15146
= Changelog =
v 1.6.1
*Fixed a bug where D&M was looking for specific directX scancodes instead of actual control input, making those who don't play with the default config unable to demand surrender.
*Fixed a bug in the Love of Mara script that caused horses to convulse when ridden.
v 1.6
* Tightened up most of the scripts used in the mod, fixing a lot of small bugs
* Fixed a bunch of death-tracking bugs
* Added vows for Mara and Kynareth
v 1.5
* Overhauled Truces and Surrenders. They both use the "yield" action now, and there is no more "Demand Surrender" power.
* Fixed a bug with infinite messageboxes upon your death with the Arkay vow
* Changed Stendarr's "Lay Hands" power to boost Responsibility, changed name to "Stendarr's Mercy"
v 1.4
* Cleaned up the Surrender script again
* Cleaned up messagebox and armor bugs in the Boethia covenant
v 1.3
* Fixed a bug with Stendarr taboo breaking immediately upon penance being completed (thanks phoenix1213!)
* Cleaned up Surrender and death-tracking scripts a little
* Added a .ini option to scale the Satisfaction given to Malacath by burnt offerings
v 1.2
* Fixed a bug with infinite messageboxes on adding the Boethia covenant (thanks phoenix1213!)
* Changed surrenders: no more surrenders by sleeping NPCs, you now get a Message when someone surrenders, and an NPC will automatically surrender if knocked out ( 0 fatigue)
v 1.1
* Fixed a bug in the Arkay vow that made you violate taboo when dealing with merchants
v 1.0
* Overhaul of Arkay vow: exorcists now healed when close to death, but also haunted by dead spirits; new Banish power; new warning before handling a corpse the first time
* v1.0 is a reboot release: no more support for previous versions, so uninstall old versions, save, then install v1.0. See Installation instructions.
* Bug fixed in Boethia covenant flinging up nonstop warning messages after three days inactive (thanks Riothamus!)
v 0.9
* Overhaul of Boethia covenant: added Ebony Mail instead of increased Strength, got rid of Madness
v 0.81
* Adjusted messages about Malacath sacrifice to be less distracting
* Malacath's Price token gets taken off and replaced when PC rests or sleeps, resetting the Drain values in case of e.g. Intelligence gain or loss
v 0.8
* Made more tweaks to shader effects
* Fixed incorrect Malacath amulet enchantment values
* Added "immolate" feature, allowing the PC to torch containers to sacrifice their contents to Malacath (or just to remove them from the game world)
* Sacrifice of non-magical items (non-books, etc) please Malacath now, but only at 10% of value
v 0.7
* Altered effect shaders to only glow initially - this removes the permanent red glow from those who take Daedric Covenants (thanks to Soor's "Initial Glow" mod for implementing this!)
v 0.6
* Added Infamy growth over time for Malacath
* Added Boethia's Madness if the Gladiator goes 3 days without killing a worthy foe
* Added a trigger for Malacath's Rage (missing from earlier versions)
* Added warning for D&m users to uninstall D&M
v 0.5
* Added Vow to Arkay
v 0.4
* Changed diseases from 0.3 into enchanted tokens. Whew, that was a lot of duplicated effort.
* Split death-detection code off into a separate quest/spell/token system. This might make a good mod resource.
* Modified the Talos vow's sword to stop being a quest item after the MQ ends
* Added Covenant for Boethia
* Fixed some Topic problems for Malacath
v 0.3
* Added code to undo the modav effects from previous versions.
* Changed all Vow-granted abilities and modded attributes to diseases that get re-added automatically if cured. This prevents any funkiness with modav values conflicting with other mods (such as e.g. Encumbrance and Fatigue mods).
* Modified the Talos vow to stop after the main quest ends
* Added XP-boost configuration to the INI file
* Added Covenant with Malacath
v 0.2
* Added XP boosts for Akatosh vow.
v 0.1
* First release of Alpha mod.
= Attribution and License Information =
Contact Picador through the Bethesda Forums or by emailing [lucaspicador at gmail dot com].
Feel free to use this mod and all its contents in any way you like. Some attribution to Picador in your README would be appreciated if you think it's due.
If you want to start your own variant mod using this as a baseline, please name it something different so as to avoid confusion.
Many thanks to all the Oblivion mod community members who talked to me about this mod: your wisdom and inspiration were at least as important as my work in making this mod into something that makes people's games more interesting. Thanks also to riklund for inspiring this work with his "Friendly Oblivion" mod.