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About this mod
This mod is an overhaul of all of Skyrim's vanilla questlines and the Dragonborn DLC, designed provide the player breaks at each stage, enhance roleplaying opportunities, and slow the game down so you can play it at your own pace.
HUGE THANKS TO agd25 FOR ALLOWING ME TO PORT THEIR AMAZING MOD!
- Permissions and credits
At Your Own Pace
Skyrim's quests tends to force you into them, especially the main quest. If you use the vanilla start there is no reasonable place to stop and go and do something else, despite the game being go anywhere do anything. Alternate Start helps, but you tend to run out of reasons to avoid Helgen. There is always a Dragon to fight, a quest to do, never time to steal every sweetroll in Skyrim. And no matter what character you are playing, you are always expected to be a hero, in a game with three evil questlines. So this mod should hopefully fix this, by giving the player breaks at various stages.
Main Quest
Firstly, after telling the Jarl about the Dragon, you are paid, and that's it. No epic quest, no quest marker, just play the game how you want. If you choose to offer help to Farengar, he will send you to Bleak Falls Barrow.
After returning to Farengar, he pays you and that is it. No immediate fight to the death between a brand new character and a Dragon. To spawn the Dragon attack on the Watchtower, ask him if he has seen any Dragons. After he tells you he would love to see a Dragon, a Dragon immediately turns up, and he isn't allowed to see it.
The main quest continues unchanged until you get to Ustengrav. The horn is still there, allowing you to return it, gain the third word of Fus Ro Da, and then ignore Delphine for as long as you like. Again, talking to Farengar progresses the main quest. Ask him to contact Delphine for you, and a letter will be sent shorty.
An Attunement Sphere has been given to Sulla, in Afltand. This is to allow players to explore Blackreach, without doing the main quest, or roleplaying a reason to explore every iceberg in the Sea of Ghosts.
Finally, Season Unending is skipped entirely. Jarl Balgruuf will help you whether or not the Civil War is ongoing.
All of the above options can be disabled using the MCM menu.
College of Winterhold
You are forced to go to the College for the main quest, and therefore join it. This is a huge problem for any character that doesn't want to be a mage. So an option has been added to just tell Faralda that you are just visiting, which requires an easy 25 speech check. If you wish to join, there is now a magic skill requirement of 25, configured by the MCM menu.
The College is an institution of learning. Now you need to actually be a mage to be allowed to progress. An MCM menu has been added to allow you to add skill level requirements to allow you to unlock main story missions. This should allow you to play the College storyline over the course of an entire game, without feeling rushed. The mod starts with skills of 50, 75 and 100 to unlock each of the first main story missions, but this can be changed in the MCM.
After joining the College and listening to Tolfdir, nothing happens. Only if you ask him about more lessons will Saarthal start. On ending Saarthal, the Archmage rewards you, and that's all.
If you choose to tell Urag that you wish to look into it he will send you to Fellglow Keep. Returning the books finishes the quest, without any prompt to continue.
Tolfdir now spends his days starring at the Eye. If you ask him about it the questline will continue, this time until it's end.
If you have not done enough Ritual quests before ending the storyline, you will never be offered the position of Archmage. By default 3 missions are required to prove you are a mage worthy of the title, but this can be adjusted via the MCM, or disabled. Even if you are worthy, you can refuse the position.
Thieves Guild
Brynjolf will now only talk to players that have stolen ten or more items. Otherwise he just ignores you. If you choose to talk to him, the questline will start. New options have been added to the next quest to forgive the debts and trick Brynjolf. After collecting the debts for the guild the first break occurs. Delvin and Vex will give you radiant quests and you can trade with Tonilia, but the guild proper doesn't open up until you have proved yourself.
Radiant quests are now independent of each other, so you can now take up to seven at once. They can now in anywhere in Skyrim, not just the cities, or if you choose, just in the city of your choice. Once you have done ten, the Whiterun special job will unlock, and another special job for each ten after that. The number of jobs done per city now doesn't matter, just the total. The number needed can be changed via the MCM.
Each special job you do unlocks another stage of the main quest. After Whiterun, Brynjolf will let you in to the guild to see Mercer, and Goldenglow will be available. Each of the next three quests follows the same pattern, do a special job, then speak to Brynjolf or Mercer to progress. If you don't want to do radiant quests, and instead prefer to just do the main quests, an MCM option has been added to unlock all main quest missions.
When you are asked to become a Nightingale, you can now say no. Brynjolf will follow your lead. You can also refuse to become the Guildmaster and give the role to Brynjolf. You can still get all unique artifacts if you choose these paths, the difference is only roleplaying.
The Thieves Guild dialogue fix has been implemented, but changed so only after Dampened Spirts will members of the guild tell you their life stories.
Dark Brotherhood
This plugin alters the start of the Dark Brotherhood questline. Firstly, it allows Lawful Good characters to complete Destroy the Dark Brotherhood without a single crime. Aventus leaves his door unlocked. A misunderstanding leads Grelod to attack you instead of the other way around, and a new dialogue option allows you to tell Astrid to defend herself. This allows access to the Marked for Death Word for all players, regardless of morality.
I have written a second mod, Listen - Dark Brotherhood Radiant Quests, to add length to the storyline, and give you a way to play an Assassin for the whole playthrough. The mods are made to be used together, but can be used separately as well.
Companions
The Companions storyline is just too short. So to fix that more radiant quests are now required before you progress. Six per story quest by default, but this can be changed via an MCM menu. Doing the required number of radiant quests gives you the option to ask for harder work, which will start the quests.
The storyline also is quite limited in who can do it. You need to be a Warrior who is willing to become a Werewolf. From a roleplaying perspective this prevents 90% of characters from completing the storyline. So alternate ways to do the storyline have been added. You can skip becoming a Werewolf by just telling Skjor you won't do it. Once you know that they are Werewolves you can just talk to Kodlak at any time to skip to Blood's Honor and the cure. You don't even need to join the Companions either. Just discover the secret by a finding a note in Gallows Rock, then talk to Kodlak.
A way to become a Werewolf without doing the Companions storyline is also available. Defy Hircine in Ill Met By Moonlight and he will turn you in response (this can be toggled off in the MCM). Regardless of how you complete the quest, the Silver Hand will show up at the end to kill Sinding, and a note they have will let you in the the Companions secret, letting you go up to Kodlak and start Blood's Honor, to either cure yourself or them.
Finally you can refuse the role of Harbinger, or just not be worthy to be offered it. When Vilkas tells you he is staying behind in Ysgramor's tomb, you can tell him you will lead the Companions (assuming you have completed Proving Honor, and have a Archery, One Handed or Two Handed skill above 75, changeable in the MCM). Or you can tell him that he is now the Harbinger, at which point he will follow you to Kodlak and assume the role of Harbinger.
If you use Growl, load it after this mod.
Dragonborn
Solstheim is a pain to explore in vanilla if you are roleplaying. You can't sleep without being mind controlled, which would lead any sensible character to immediately flee the island and not come back. So the Standing Stones now no longer effect the player, meaning you can travel to Solstheim safely. In addition, you now no longer have quest markers for the first quest to go to the Temple of Miraak, allowing players that what to ignore it for most or all of the playthrough to do so, without it cluttering your quest journal.
Misc
On entering the Bards College, Viarmo will ignore the player. Only if you speak to him will the quest start. All the items gathered for the College are no longer quest items, so you can do Dead Men's Respite without joining the College, without the book being stuck in your inventory forever.
Compatibility
These mods should go low in your load order, after alternate start mods. LOOT won't do this automatically. This is to prevent conflicts resulting in a questline being broken. It is probably not safe to install/uninstall mid game. I recommend using this mod alongside The Choice is Yours, as they complement each other quite well.
Skyrim's quests tends to force you into them, especially the main quest. If you use the vanilla start there is no reasonable place to stop and go and do something else, despite the game being go anywhere do anything. Alternate Start helps, but you tend to run out of reasons to avoid Helgen. There is always a Dragon to fight, a quest to do, never time to steal every sweetroll in Skyrim. And no matter what character you are playing, you are always expected to be a hero, in a game with three evil questlines. So this mod should hopefully fix this, by giving the player breaks at various stages.
Main Quest
Firstly, after telling the Jarl about the Dragon, you are paid, and that's it. No epic quest, no quest marker, just play the game how you want. If you choose to offer help to Farengar, he will send you to Bleak Falls Barrow.
After returning to Farengar, he pays you and that is it. No immediate fight to the death between a brand new character and a Dragon. To spawn the Dragon attack on the Watchtower, ask him if he has seen any Dragons. After he tells you he would love to see a Dragon, a Dragon immediately turns up, and he isn't allowed to see it.
The main quest continues unchanged until you get to Ustengrav. The horn is still there, allowing you to return it, gain the third word of Fus Ro Da, and then ignore Delphine for as long as you like. Again, talking to Farengar progresses the main quest. Ask him to contact Delphine for you, and a letter will be sent shorty.
An Attunement Sphere has been given to Sulla, in Afltand. This is to allow players to explore Blackreach, without doing the main quest, or roleplaying a reason to explore every iceberg in the Sea of Ghosts.
Finally, Season Unending is skipped entirely. Jarl Balgruuf will help you whether or not the Civil War is ongoing.
All of the above options can be disabled using the MCM menu.
- A Skyrim Unbound version is available, that just has the second half of the changes. Talk to Arngeir to start a Blade in the Dark. He will tell you to then talk to Farengar.
- Compatible with Realm of Lorkhan.
- Compatible with Alternate Start.
- Compatible with Alternate Perspective.
- Compatible with all Paarthurnax mods.
College of Winterhold
You are forced to go to the College for the main quest, and therefore join it. This is a huge problem for any character that doesn't want to be a mage. So an option has been added to just tell Faralda that you are just visiting, which requires an easy 25 speech check. If you wish to join, there is now a magic skill requirement of 25, configured by the MCM menu.
The College is an institution of learning. Now you need to actually be a mage to be allowed to progress. An MCM menu has been added to allow you to add skill level requirements to allow you to unlock main story missions. This should allow you to play the College storyline over the course of an entire game, without feeling rushed. The mod starts with skills of 50, 75 and 100 to unlock each of the first main story missions, but this can be changed in the MCM.
After joining the College and listening to Tolfdir, nothing happens. Only if you ask him about more lessons will Saarthal start. On ending Saarthal, the Archmage rewards you, and that's all.
If you choose to tell Urag that you wish to look into it he will send you to Fellglow Keep. Returning the books finishes the quest, without any prompt to continue.
Tolfdir now spends his days starring at the Eye. If you ask him about it the questline will continue, this time until it's end.
If you have not done enough Ritual quests before ending the storyline, you will never be offered the position of Archmage. By default 3 missions are required to prove you are a mage worthy of the title, but this can be adjusted via the MCM, or disabled. Even if you are worthy, you can refuse the position.
- Compatible with Improved College Entry - Questline Tweaks
- Incompatible with College of Winterhold Entry Requirements
- Load this low in your load order to be safe, as any conflict could break the questline.
Thieves Guild
Brynjolf will now only talk to players that have stolen ten or more items. Otherwise he just ignores you. If you choose to talk to him, the questline will start. New options have been added to the next quest to forgive the debts and trick Brynjolf. After collecting the debts for the guild the first break occurs. Delvin and Vex will give you radiant quests and you can trade with Tonilia, but the guild proper doesn't open up until you have proved yourself.
Radiant quests are now independent of each other, so you can now take up to seven at once. They can now in anywhere in Skyrim, not just the cities, or if you choose, just in the city of your choice. Once you have done ten, the Whiterun special job will unlock, and another special job for each ten after that. The number of jobs done per city now doesn't matter, just the total. The number needed can be changed via the MCM.
Each special job you do unlocks another stage of the main quest. After Whiterun, Brynjolf will let you in to the guild to see Mercer, and Goldenglow will be available. Each of the next three quests follows the same pattern, do a special job, then speak to Brynjolf or Mercer to progress. If you don't want to do radiant quests, and instead prefer to just do the main quests, an MCM option has been added to unlock all main quest missions.
When you are asked to become a Nightingale, you can now say no. Brynjolf will follow your lead. You can also refuse to become the Guildmaster and give the role to Brynjolf. You can still get all unique artifacts if you choose these paths, the difference is only roleplaying.
The Thieves Guild dialogue fix has been implemented, but changed so only after Dampened Spirts will members of the guild tell you their life stories.
- Load this after Requiem.
- Load this after More Dialogue Options.
- Incompatible with most other Thieves Guild mods. If they have any features you want to see in this then let me know.
Dark Brotherhood
This plugin alters the start of the Dark Brotherhood questline. Firstly, it allows Lawful Good characters to complete Destroy the Dark Brotherhood without a single crime. Aventus leaves his door unlocked. A misunderstanding leads Grelod to attack you instead of the other way around, and a new dialogue option allows you to tell Astrid to defend herself. This allows access to the Marked for Death Word for all players, regardless of morality.
I have written a second mod, Listen - Dark Brotherhood Radiant Quests, to add length to the storyline, and give you a way to play an Assassin for the whole playthrough. The mods are made to be used together, but can be used separately as well.
Companions
The Companions storyline is just too short. So to fix that more radiant quests are now required before you progress. Six per story quest by default, but this can be changed via an MCM menu. Doing the required number of radiant quests gives you the option to ask for harder work, which will start the quests.
The storyline also is quite limited in who can do it. You need to be a Warrior who is willing to become a Werewolf. From a roleplaying perspective this prevents 90% of characters from completing the storyline. So alternate ways to do the storyline have been added. You can skip becoming a Werewolf by just telling Skjor you won't do it. Once you know that they are Werewolves you can just talk to Kodlak at any time to skip to Blood's Honor and the cure. You don't even need to join the Companions either. Just discover the secret by a finding a note in Gallows Rock, then talk to Kodlak.
A way to become a Werewolf without doing the Companions storyline is also available. Defy Hircine in Ill Met By Moonlight and he will turn you in response (this can be toggled off in the MCM). Regardless of how you complete the quest, the Silver Hand will show up at the end to kill Sinding, and a note they have will let you in the the Companions secret, letting you go up to Kodlak and start Blood's Honor, to either cure yourself or them.
Finally you can refuse the role of Harbinger, or just not be worthy to be offered it. When Vilkas tells you he is staying behind in Ysgramor's tomb, you can tell him you will lead the Companions (assuming you have completed Proving Honor, and have a Archery, One Handed or Two Handed skill above 75, changeable in the MCM). Or you can tell him that he is now the Harbinger, at which point he will follow you to Kodlak and assume the role of Harbinger.
- Aela will only talk to you after the Giant attack if you help, otherwise she just ignores you.
- Vilkas will only say he has never heard of this outsider if you are under level 10 and Dragon Rising has not been completed.
- You now have an option to tell Aela you couldn't beat Vilkas.
- The misc. objective showing you the Companions locations between missions has been disabled.
- Radiant Quest givers will no longer wait for you at the entrance to Jorrvaskr.
- Radiant Quests now start with Bandits and Animals, and get harder as you complete story quests. By the end, you will have moved on to fighting Vampires and Falmer instead.
- Female NPC's are only targets for Hired Muscle if they are above level 15.
- When you first become a Werewolf, you do so outside the city, just outside the backdoor to the Underforge.
- The door at the end of Dustman's Cairn that locks you into the final room is now unlocked.
If you use Growl, load it after this mod.
Dragonborn
Solstheim is a pain to explore in vanilla if you are roleplaying. You can't sleep without being mind controlled, which would lead any sensible character to immediately flee the island and not come back. So the Standing Stones now no longer effect the player, meaning you can travel to Solstheim safely. In addition, you now no longer have quest markers for the first quest to go to the Temple of Miraak, allowing players that what to ignore it for most or all of the playthrough to do so, without it cluttering your quest journal.
Misc
On entering the Bards College, Viarmo will ignore the player. Only if you speak to him will the quest start. All the items gathered for the College are no longer quest items, so you can do Dead Men's Respite without joining the College, without the book being stuck in your inventory forever.
- Shadr in Riften now no longer just stands there, waiting for you to talk to him.
- Jaree-Ra in Solitude only talks to criminals, and only once.
- The Riverwood Trader NPC's now have AI packages before the Golden Claw is done.
Compatibility
These mods should go low in your load order, after alternate start mods. LOOT won't do this automatically. This is to prevent conflicts resulting in a questline being broken. It is probably not safe to install/uninstall mid game. I recommend using this mod alongside The Choice is Yours, as they complement each other quite well.