Oblivion-Style Lockpicking

Overview

This mod replaces Morrowind's relatively barebones lockpicking with a system very similar to Oblivion's.

Depending on their level, locks will have between 1 and 5 pins to pick. The goal is to move each pin and lock it in place when it reaches the top. This requires good timing, but as in Oblivion, listening carefully or looking for a pattern can make it much easier.

To stay in line with Morrowind's "character skill first" design philosophy, the system has a per-pin success chance, calculated from the base lockpicking probability. Even if you lock a pin with the right timing, your actual chance of success will be based on this number. To avoid excess frustration, failing a pin due to a bad roll won't reset the rest of them, unlike if you get the timing wrong. If you want, you can disable this mechanic entirely and guarantee success with correct timing, like in Oblivion.

By default, the minigame is real-time to keep the stakes high, but you can have it freeze time if you prefer. Additionally, the minigame is used for both lockpicks and probes by default, but if you'd prefer to keep disarming vanilla, there's a config option for that.

The mod also emulates the effect Oblivion's Security milestones had on the minigame (Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, etc.)
For every milestone (25 levels by default, configurable) one additional tumbler will stay in place if you miss the timing for a pin. At the highest milestone (Security 100 by default), tumblers won't reset at all when you make a mistake. You can change the milestone interval in the config or disable this feature entirely if you like.

Overall, the mod is extensively configurable and just about every aspect of gameplay can be modified to your liking, though the default configuration aims to be fair and relatively close to vanilla difficulty.

Texture Override Support

The mod supports the creation of add-ons that override lock textures based on specific criteria. If you're familiar with Skyrim's "Security Overhaul", this has similar capabilities, but a little less advanced.

Available criteria are:

• levelLowerBound (integer, inclusive) - The minimum lock level
• levelUpperBound (integer, inclusive) - The maximum lock level
• recordId - A list of locked object record IDs (e.g. "dwrv_chest00")
• modelId - A list of locked object model paths (e.g. "meshes/o/contain_dwrv_chest00.nif")
• randomChance - (decimal, 0-1) - Chance to apply the skin if all other criteria are met
  

For example, an override file that reskins all Dwarven locks between levels 40 and 59:



A full guide is included as a .txt file in the "textures/OblivionLockpicking" folder.

Reskin Mods

Rhymer's Lockpicks
Also includes wonderful new models and textures for all lockpick tiers.

   

Installation

This mod currently requires OpenMW 0.49. A future MWSE port is possible, but not currently being made.

• Place the contents of the archive into your Data Files folder, or add it as a data directory in the OpenMW launcher.
• Enable "OblivionLockpicking.omwscripts" in your load order.
  

Removal

Simply remove the mod's files from your Data Files folder or unlink them in the OpenMW launcher.


Compatibility

ReAnimation: Make sure to use the latest (4/7/2025+) version of that mod. Older versions will throw an error and break this mod's UI.

Anything else that modifies lockpicking will likely not be compatible.

Balance mods that change security-related GMSTs (fPickLockMult and fTrapCostMult) are fine and those changes will be taken into account.

Should be compatible with lock bashing mods (Lock Bash EE has been tested to work) that don't directly change lockpicking, but feel free to report any issues and I'll do my best to fix them.


Credits