Interesting NPCs has its own follower system that is a copy of the vanilla follower system and works on the same principle as vanilla - only one follower can be hired at a time.
It is highly recommended that INPC should be used in its default state, the way Kris meant it to be. This is because there are certain quests where certain followers involved in the quest are scripted to leave your service. Using a follower managmenet mod like EFF, AFT et al may create some minor or not so minor issues, or cause you to think the follower mod has glitched out on you. This is also true of a mod like My Home is Your Home (MHYH) - do not set a home for your INPC follower until you have done all their related quests.
If you are not using a follower mod and need to reset the follower count for some reason (e.g., an INPC tells you you already have an INPC follower with you even if you don't), the console code to deploy is set 3dnpcfollowercount to 0
Note: the follower mod compatibility patches were made by the authors of EFF and AFT respectively, and are their sole work and responsibility. We cannot provide solutions to any issues you may have with them.
Many users are using one or the other successfully and this is simply a compilation of helpful information/advice from our collective experience.
With that under our belt, if you want more than one INPC follower, or just want a mod that helps manage your follower better, the following are recommended:
Extensible Follower Framework - patches available for v4beta6 and v4beta13 respectively in our download section. Thanks to Noobzor for making the latter patch
UFO is not recommended for INPC as it is deemed buggy and abandoned right now. Edit: it is in a finalised state but not recommended for use with INPC until such time as a patch comes out.
Currently EFF and SMF have the best compatibility, although you may still encounter a few minor quirks with them. AFT is also known to have some minor issues. I don't use it myself and thus, hand over the stage to Unedjis who has had extensive experience with it.
AFT and Interesting NPCS by Unedjis
Disclaimer: I am not a modder. Hence, what I'll be writing here is purely from personal ingame experience (about 800+ hours, completed 99% of INPC content) and what I learned from following this mod's comment section on a daily basis for about half a year now. This means, the solutions to issues posted below have been found by trial and error, and I'll have a hard time explaining why things work the way they do. Also, depending on the setup, results may differ.
Short version:
Both mods work together (if you use the patch available in AFT's file section) but from time to time you'll need to be prepared for some fiddling around.
- Always save before using any follower commands, especially before hiring/dismissing a follower. Then check if you can reverse your command (i.e. re-hire a dismissed follower).
- Never click out of a hire/dismiss dialogue. Give the scripts time to run.
- When dismissing, use the INPC command ("Alas, it's time for us to part ways" ) first. If that doesn't work, use Tweak Options --> Actions --> Dismiss [Normal].
- Do not use the " Dismiss but hang out here" command.
- Both vanilla followercount and 3dnpcfollowercount should always be 0; they are both merged into TweakFollowerCount. "help followercount" brings up all three.
IMPORTANT! If you have more than one INPC follower, proper dismissal works in 2-3 steps:
1) Use "Alas, it's time for us to part ways" and wait for the line to finish. This causes one follower (not necessarily the one you're talking to) to lose its AFT management options.
2) Use Tweak Options --> Actions --> Dismiss [Normal] on the same follower you just talked to (the one you want to leave). This should send him on his way.
3) Talk to the other follower(s) you still have with you. "Re-hire" them with the "Follow me" command so they get registered by AFT again.
**Additionally, from user kilted Frog, a few more bits of wisdom regarding dismissal:
Here's what I do, which is essentially what Unedjis reported, though a different way.
Take note the order in which you hire your iNPCs. So, let's say you hired Zora first, Erevan second, and Amalee third. Now you want to dismiss Zora. You need to dismiss them in reverse order, and then rehire. So, what I'd do is dismiss Amalee, then Erevan, then Zora. Then rehire Erevan and Amalee. It's a pain sometimes (I always play with two followers most, rarely 3 and never more than that), but it keeps AFT and iNPC working smoothly together, for me anyways.
Thanks, kF!
Addendum! Once you have your load order set, don't move it around in regard to AFT placement. This is liable to cause issues.
Long version:
- The more followers you have with you, the more interference you'll get. Personally, I learned to limit myself to two managed followers at a time even though more would be possible. "Managed" means managed by the AFT framework, giving you the Tweak Options and outfit management dialogue. NPCs that only follow you for a quest often do not allow you to access their inventory or give you any commands; those I do not count. The reason for this limitation is, the more followers you have, the more likely it is commands (especially when trying to dismiss) get mixed up. Don't ask me how or why.
- Before using ANY command on a follower (especially before hiring, dismissing or telling a follower to wait), SAVE your game. Then, after you've used the command, IMMEDIATELY validate that you can reverse your command (i.e. that you're able to re-hire a follower after dismissing him or telling him to wait). Else, you might find yourself playing a couple of hours, then coming back to the follower only to find that he's irreversably broken.
- When hiring a follower, do not click out of the dialogue and WAIT until you get the message that he's been registered by AFT. Give the scripts time to run.
- When dismissing a follower, first use the INPC command ("Alas, it's time for us to part ways." ). Do not click out of the dialogue but wait for them to exit on their own. Then talk to them again; if the Tweak Options are still there, they are still registered by AFT and effectively still following you. In that case, go to Tweak Options --> Actions --> Dismiss [Normal]. This *should* get rid of any follower. If it doesn't they're probably following you for a quest.
- Do NOT use the " Dismiss but hang out here" command! More often than not, this will result in you being unable to re-hire INPC followers. Also, many of the followers are needed in specific places for certain quests and I'm not sure how that would play out (if you've told Valgus to hang out in your home when really he needs to be somewhere else).
- If everything else fails, you can try the Reset NPC option (under Settings).
Main features that appear to be safe to use (i.e. I'm using them without incident):
- Outfit management - Manual level up - Modified combat AI (e.g. dual wield override) - Teaching/unteaching vanilla spells - Possibly lots of other stuff I've never tried - I have no idea about horses. I don't ride because I'd have to dismount for every Mountain Flower I see.
General stuff and theory (skip if you don't like reading):
- Interesting NPCs has its own follower system, which is cloned from the Vanilla follower system. This means it has an independent follower count, which is why you'd still be able to hire one Vanilla and one INPC follower at the same time but not more than one each. By itself, AFT does not account for the separate INPC follower count. This is rectified with the patch, which summarizes both the Vanilla and 3dnpcFollowerCount under TweakFollowerCount. Typing "help followercount" into the console brings up all three follower counts (Vanilla, INPC and AFT), and if everything is set up correctly, both Vanilla and 3dnpcfollowercount should ALWAYS be at 0.
- This third party follower count has a couple of consequences (mostly positive). Most importantly, you can hire a total of up to five followers freely chosen from Vanilla and Interesting NPCs (and any other mod that uses the Vanilla follower count or has been patched for AFT). However, Interesting NPCs has been developed without any follower mods in mind, so do not expect any banter between INPCs if you have more than one of them with you at any given time - except if you're on a quest with them and more than one of them follow you for the quest. Related to that is that sometimes, followers get booted as you progress in a quest. If they do, do not try to force them to follow you again because that might break the quest.
is there a way to make super followers repeat their commentary? I love Anum-La, Rumarin and Zora but notice that they would comment on things once and never again.
I tried changing the dialogue from 'Say once' to 'Random' in xedit but no luck.
I have a mod called elysium estate which adds a house that I would like olette to move to but it isn't listed under the houses she can go to! Anybody know how I can fix this?
I had no idea where I could put this, so I'm just gonna put this here. Hell, I don't even know if you're still checking comments or anything anymore. But, the questline Blood of Kings? I have never cried because of a game or a quest, but when I finished Blood of Kings--I cried. I really cried. It was such a great story and I loved it immensely. It felt so... real. It dragged me into the storyline and never let go. It was so unique and beautiful. I can't explain my want, need, to replay it over and over again. Thank you. For this whole thing. This wonderful mod. Thank you.
Hey all! I really like Zora as a follower, but my PC can't handle having this many npcs in the game. Do you guys know if there is there a way that I could just get Zora and her quests only?
A question about Interesting NPCs and recruiting them. Do they react to the places you take them to or are they only good for only one solid conversation at the location I found them? Currently playing with 3DNPC, Alternate Start, and Nether Follower Framework. I chose the Start where you're in the abandoned prison. There I found Fiona's Familiar. I recruited him and he hasn't said a thing since. I can trade with him but he says nothing. We stopped at a Dwarven ruin and no reaction. If I took him to the companions in Whiterun, would he react to the sight of Fiona?
I also recruited Griffith, the former Dark Brotherhood assassin, and Morrigan, the young orphan he's protecting. (If I hadn't recruited Morrigan, would he have abandoned her?) They were with me when I went to find Aventus Arretino in Windhelm and no reaction from Morrigan. (At least there is a little chit chat between Morrigan and Griffith but nothing I haven't heard before.
My guess is that most interesting NPCs aren't meant to be recruited and thus do nothing special outside of the location where you find them. On an earlier PT, I did find Zora and went on her special quest. I assume not all Interesting NPCs have this.
Many of them (particularly the ones listed as "super followers" on the 3DNPC.com website) have both vanilla area- and quest-aware commentary (or can react to area "types" such as caves, ruins, etc. if a modded area has the proper designation).
If you are using the NFF feature that allows "disposable hirelings" then it'll allow you to recruit just about any NPC. I highly recommend turning that off as it can break quests, especially those tied to mods.
It's recommended you review the information at 3DNPC.com so you are aware of which followers have which features, which contain their own quests (or participate in other larger quests involving many characters), and can likely answer other questions of this sort.
Many thanks for your reply, shawn! You told me everything I needed to know on the interplay between 3DNPC and the follower mods!
Being that you're a guitarist, perhaps you can tell me if there are any good mods that change the songs and music played in the taverns. Three songs is not enough! And so help, I'm pondering an "evil PT" where my PC kills every bard who sings "Ragnar the Red"!
Well, my character typically plays as a bard using Ordinator's speech perks. Interesting NPCs adds a few bards in places that didn't have them before (Dragon Bridge, Rorikstead, that vampire at the college, a traveling bard who goes from town to town, etc.) and they all play unique numbers. The Vilja mod also includes many unique songs and some additional bard characters in a few places. As for replacing the remaining vanilla songs, I just always look at it in my modded load order as them being the crappy cover band playing tired old staples (like the Skyrim equivalent of "Freebird") that has to open for better bard characters like the modded ones that show up later.
I'm using the EFF patch and Anum-La refuses to leave-she does her dismiss dialogue but doesn't leave. Would that "set 3dnpcfollowercount to 0" console command help?
Probably not. If you install the EFF patch mid game it will break the dismiss options via dialogue for companions recruited before installation. You can still dismiss them through the EFF menu however. So to dismiss Anum La switch EFF to standard mode via EFF's MCM and then dismiss via the menu that pops up when you next try to talk to her.
I didn't install the patch midgame, I just started a new game with it. If I did what you're suggesting, would I be able to turn EFF back on? Skyrim wouldnt be the same without Zora, Rumarin and Anum-La with me.
What I am suggesting doesn't turn EFF off. It switches it to standard mode. I have expirenced the same bug you where describing and while I wasn't able to dismiss them through dialogue I was able to dismiss them through the menu (which shows up in standard mode). This in no way turns EFF off, and yes of course you will still be able to recruit multiple followers later.
My character loves Valgus with all her heart, but she seems to have been a bit too understanding about the demise of his wife (i.e did not convince him to move on), so now my brave Nord lass has a broken heart.
Is there any way to "reset" the dialogue with Valgus? To do the graveyard conversation again?
Hi, this is driving me crazy and I don't know where else to ask. I have a follower who I THINK must be a mod, but I can find no evidence for his existence ANYWHERE. His name is Lorion, he's an Altmer conjurer, and I found him in Solitude. Is he from this mod? I've googled for hours and I'm sure he's not from the vanilla game, and his abilities are weird-- he can summon a spectral Dragon Priest, and then his Dragon Priest can summon things/reanimate corpses as well! I just cannot figure out where he came from, and his dialogue is super-limited, offering no clues. If anyone has info, I'd really appreciate it! (The ONLY reference to a "Lorion" I could find was a beggar from ESO, and it's definitely not my guy.)
He's added by Relationship Dialogue Overhaul. The mod also added at least one other follower that I know of at Riften, a female Argonian named Nubaree.
Follower Mods and 3DNPC (150 comments)
Interesting NPCs has its own follower system that is a copy of the vanilla follower system and works on the same principle as vanilla - only one follower can be hired at a time.
It is highly recommended that INPC should be used in its default state, the way Kris meant it to be. This is because there are certain quests where certain followers involved in the quest are scripted to leave your service. Using a follower managmenet mod like EFF, AFT et al may create some minor or not so minor issues, or cause you to think the follower mod has glitched out on you. This is also true of a mod like My Home is Your Home (MHYH) - do not set a home for your INPC follower until you have done all their related quests.
If you are not using a follower mod and need to reset the follower count for some reason (e.g., an INPC tells you you already have an INPC follower with you even if you don't), the console code to deploy is set 3dnpcfollowercount to 0
Note: the follower mod compatibility patches were made by the authors of EFF and AFT respectively, and are their sole work and responsibility. We cannot provide solutions to any issues you may have with them.
Many users are using one or the other successfully and this is simply a compilation of helpful information/advice from our collective experience.
With that under our belt, if you want more than one INPC follower, or just want a mod that helps manage your follower better, the following are recommended:
Extensible Follower Framework - patches available for v4beta6 and v4beta13 respectively in our download section. Thanks to Noobzor for making the latter patch
Simple Multiple Followers- no patch required
Amazing Follower Tweaks - patch for 3DNPC can be found there
UFO is not recommended for INPC as it is deemed buggy and abandoned right now. Edit: it is in a finalised state but not recommended for use with INPC until such time as a patch comes out.
Currently EFF and SMF have the best compatibility, although you may still encounter a few minor quirks with them. AFT is also known to have some minor issues. I don't use it myself and thus, hand over the stage to Unedjis who has had extensive experience with it.
Disclaimer: I am not a modder. Hence, what I'll be writing here is purely from personal ingame experience (about 800+ hours, completed 99% of INPC content) and what I learned from following this mod's comment section on a daily basis for about half a year now. This means, the solutions to issues posted below have been found by trial and error, and I'll have a hard time explaining why things work the way they do. Also, depending on the setup, results may differ.
Short version:
Both mods work together (if you use the patch available in AFT's file section) but from time to time you'll need to be prepared for some fiddling around.
- Always save before using any follower commands, especially before hiring/dismissing a follower. Then check if you can reverse your command (i.e. re-hire a dismissed follower).
- Never click out of a hire/dismiss dialogue. Give the scripts time to run.
- When dismissing, use the INPC command ("Alas, it's time for us to part ways" ) first. If that doesn't work, use Tweak Options --> Actions --> Dismiss [Normal].
- Do not use the " Dismiss but hang out here" command.
- Both vanilla followercount and 3dnpcfollowercount should always be 0; they are both merged into TweakFollowerCount. "help followercount" brings up all three.
IMPORTANT! If you have more than one INPC follower, proper dismissal works in 2-3 steps:
1) Use "Alas, it's time for us to part ways" and wait for the line to finish. This causes one follower (not necessarily the one you're talking to) to lose its AFT management options.
2) Use Tweak Options --> Actions --> Dismiss [Normal] on the same follower you just talked to (the one you want to leave). This should send him on his way.
3) Talk to the other follower(s) you still have with you. "Re-hire" them with the "Follow me" command so they get registered by AFT again.
**Additionally, from user kilted Frog, a few more bits of wisdom regarding dismissal:
Here's what I do, which is essentially what Unedjis reported, though a different way.
Take note the order in which you hire your iNPCs. So, let's say you hired Zora first, Erevan second, and Amalee third. Now you want to dismiss Zora. You need to dismiss them in reverse order, and then rehire. So, what I'd do is dismiss Amalee, then Erevan, then Zora. Then rehire Erevan and Amalee. It's a pain sometimes (I always play with two followers most, rarely 3 and never more than that), but it keeps AFT and iNPC working smoothly together, for me anyways.
Thanks, kF!
Addendum! Once you have your load order set, don't move it around in regard to AFT placement. This is liable to cause issues.
Long version:
- The more followers you have with you, the more interference you'll get. Personally, I learned to limit myself to two managed followers at a time even though more would be possible. "Managed" means managed by the AFT framework, giving you the Tweak Options and outfit management dialogue. NPCs that only follow you for a quest often do not allow you to access their inventory or give you any commands; those I do not count. The reason for this limitation is, the more followers you have, the more likely it is commands (especially when trying to dismiss) get mixed up. Don't ask me how or why.
- Before using ANY command on a follower (especially before hiring, dismissing or telling a follower to wait), SAVE your game. Then, after you've used the command, IMMEDIATELY validate that you can reverse your command (i.e. that you're able to re-hire a follower after dismissing him or telling him to wait). Else, you might find yourself playing a couple of hours, then coming back to the follower only to find that he's irreversably broken.
- When hiring a follower, do not click out of the dialogue and WAIT until you get the message that he's been registered by AFT. Give the scripts time to run.
- When dismissing a follower, first use the INPC command ("Alas, it's time for us to part ways." ). Do not click out of the dialogue but wait for them to exit on their own. Then talk to them again; if the Tweak Options are still there, they are still registered by AFT and effectively still following you. In that case, go to Tweak Options --> Actions --> Dismiss [Normal]. This *should* get rid of any follower. If it doesn't they're probably following you for a quest.
- Do NOT use the " Dismiss but hang out here" command! More often than not, this will result in you being unable to re-hire INPC followers. Also, many of the followers are needed in specific places for certain quests and I'm not sure how that would play out (if you've told Valgus to hang out in your home when really he needs to be somewhere else).
- If everything else fails, you can try the Reset NPC option (under Settings).
Main features that appear to be safe to use (i.e. I'm using them without incident):
- Outfit management
- Manual level up
- Modified combat AI (e.g. dual wield override)
- Teaching/unteaching vanilla spells
- Possibly lots of other stuff I've never tried
- I have no idea about horses. I don't ride because I'd have to dismount for every Mountain Flower I see.
General stuff and theory (skip if you don't like reading):
- Interesting NPCs has its own follower system, which is cloned from the Vanilla follower system. This means it has an independent follower count, which is why you'd still be able to hire one Vanilla and one INPC follower at the same time but not more than one each. By itself, AFT does not account for the separate INPC follower count. This is rectified with the patch, which summarizes both the Vanilla and 3dnpcFollowerCount under TweakFollowerCount. Typing "help followercount" into the console brings up all three follower counts (Vanilla, INPC and AFT), and if everything is set up correctly, both Vanilla and 3dnpcfollowercount should ALWAYS be at 0.
- This third party follower count has a couple of consequences (mostly positive). Most importantly, you can hire a total of up to five followers freely chosen from Vanilla and Interesting NPCs (and any other mod that uses the Vanilla follower count or has been patched for AFT). However, Interesting NPCs has been developed without any follower mods in mind, so do not expect any banter between INPCs if you have more than one of them with you at any given time - except if you're on a quest with them and more than one of them follow you for the quest. Related to that is that sometimes, followers get booted as you progress in a quest. If they do, do not try to force them to follow you again because that might break the quest.
(Thanks so much, Unedjis! )
I tried changing the dialogue from 'Say once' to 'Random' in xedit but no luck.
I have a mod called elysium estate which adds a house that I would like olette to move to but it isn't listed under the houses she can go to! Anybody know how I can fix this?
Thanks!
I also recruited Griffith, the former Dark Brotherhood assassin, and Morrigan, the young orphan he's protecting. (If I hadn't recruited Morrigan, would he have abandoned her?) They were with me when I went to find Aventus Arretino in Windhelm and no reaction from Morrigan. (At least there is a little chit chat between Morrigan and Griffith but nothing I haven't heard before.
My guess is that most interesting NPCs aren't meant to be recruited and thus do nothing special outside of the location where you find them. On an earlier PT, I did find Zora and went on her special quest. I assume not all Interesting NPCs have this.
If you are using the NFF feature that allows "disposable hirelings" then it'll allow you to recruit just about any NPC. I highly recommend turning that off as it can break quests, especially those tied to mods.
It's recommended you review the information at 3DNPC.com so you are aware of which followers have which features, which contain their own quests (or participate in other larger quests involving many characters), and can likely answer other questions of this sort.
Being that you're a guitarist, perhaps you can tell me if there are any good mods that change the songs and music played in the taverns. Three songs is not enough! And so help, I'm pondering an "evil PT" where my PC kills every bard who sings "Ragnar the Red"!
My character loves Valgus with all her heart, but she seems to have been a bit too understanding about the demise of his wife (i.e did not convince him to move on), so now my brave Nord lass has a broken heart.
Is there any way to "reset" the dialogue with Valgus? To do the graveyard conversation again?