Skyrim Special Edition
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UserMingzi

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UserMingzi31

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About this mod

By considering the implied power and limitations of Miraak's own Bend Will shout, this extremely lightweight mod aims to reimagine Bend Will in a way which is immersive and powerful, without turning it into a game-breaking cheat spell.

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Translations
  • Mandarin
Changelogs

The Pitch


It is on the one hand extremely frustrating and on the other very much understandable when game developers make the decision to nerf a power or weapon possessed by a game's 'big bad' once it is in the possession of the player. Yes it's unimmersive and may feel like a slap to the face of the player, but cheat items/powers ultimately undermine gameplay and fun. The Bend Will shout is a prime example of a power which has suffered this fate.

But what if we could have it both ways? By considering the implied power and limitations of Miraak's own Bend Will shout this extremely lightweight mod aims to reimagine the Bend Will in a way which is immersive and powerful, but without turning it into a game-breaking cheat spell.

Overview

Bend Will operates as normal, but when two and three word versions are used on an NPC which is significantly weaker than the player (default setting - player's level is more than 1.5X that of NPC) the NPC's will is broken (an additional permanent effect is triggered). This permanent effect does the following:

  • strips the NPC of their faction allegiances
  • adds them to the player faction
  • makes them an ally of the player
  • makes them a potential follower (so long as they have an actor 'voice' with the necessary dialogue - see complimentary mods)
  • makes them foolhardy (confident in battle)
  • makes them protect allies in conflicts (you)
  • ensures they will never report you for a crime or try to arrest you
  • you are notified (top-left) that "a will was broken"

It does not make the regular 30-second bend will effect permanent and so they will not automatically follow you once this has ended. It does not increase or remove the follower limit, but you can pair it with a mod which does if you wish to use it to create an army.  The effect will work on dragons if the third word is used.

How is this immersive?

I have considered the implied power and limitations of Miraak's bend will shout. The fact he is using artefacts to magnify it gives us some wiggle room however. 

The key point is that he is capable of permanently enslaving some people and dragons. However, not all people are affected equally:
  • some appear relatively unaffected but struggle to identify what is happening, or at least the source 
  • powerful individuals seem more resilient (e.g. a particularly snobbish dark elf mage)
  • the dragonborn can only be temporarily affected (when he sleeps or touches a corrupted stone) but snaps out of it
  • some become full servants (cultists)

Following this, the Dragon Born should also be able to permanently control some, but not all. They should be able to create loyal followers, as well as make towns of the weak docile and servile, but they will not be able to bend will their way through all threats in Skyrim and strong enemies will ‘snap out of it’. Although some may be able to resist being controlled, they won’t quite recognize what you are doing to the rest of the populace.

There is an option to remove the level restriction if you would prefer a pure power fantasy. 

Could this break my save?

In order to minimize the risk of this breaking quests etc.:
  • The effect does not work on essential NPCs (can be changed in options if you prefer to live dangerously)
  • The effect does not work on NPCs Bethesda added to an exclusion list for the original Bend Will power.
  • Merchants, blacksmiths and trainers only receive a ‘light’ version of the permanent effect, which should have the same behavioural impact in practice, while still allowing them to stay in the merchant and trainer factions they need to function.

That said, the effect could still possibly cause some strange, or rather interesting, effects if used on NPCs who are part of scripted quests. Mod added merchants/trainers may quit offering their services if their will is broken, depending on how the mod author set them up. Please report what you find, but ultimately you need to use the mod responsibly.

Optional Settings

The first time you use Bend Will with two or three words a lesser power will be added called immersive bend will options. 

1) How much more powerful the player must be than the target in order to break their will. These options are:

  • no restrictions (cheat mode)
  • equal to or greater than (so it will work on guards etc. which are set to the player’s level)
  • 1 level higher than target
  • more than 1.5X level of target (default)
  • more than 2X level of target

2) Enable break will effect on essential NPCs

  • no (default)
  • yes 

Compatibility

Only touches Bend Will shout and only adds an effect to it so should be compatible with most things:
  • I have play tested with Thunderchild without issue - no patch required
  • patches for Thoom Se and Ultimate Shout can be found here
  • a Wyre Bashed patch should be enough to solve conflicts with any other mods which modify Bend Will, but I will aim to make patches if reports of conflicts are made for those who don't know how to make these. You could just make sure IBW loads after any other shout mod.

A Note on NPC Level Scaling 

Keep in mind that in vanilla Skyrim, NPC levels scale to some extent with the player. Some NPCs, such as guards, are set to directly level with the player, so they are always at your level. However, you will always find NPCs with lower and higher levels than the player as you adventure.

Using mods which remove or modify NPC scaling or encounter zones will have an impact on how often you encounter an NPC whose will you can break. This mod would probably be most satisfying in a Skyrim without level scaling, but I enjoyed testing it alongside SimonMagnus’s Encounter Zone mod.

I have provided options so players can adjust the level differentials as required to suit their set up and preferences. For example, if you want to be able to break the will of all that are set to be at the same level as the player, there is an option for that. Feedback welcome on what options should be available.

Complimentary Mods

I strongly recommend using Immersive Bend Will alongside a mod which increases the number of voices with follower dialogue:

Follower Voice types Expanded 
- Or -
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul 



My Other Mod

Dead & Daedric Guardians - for necromancy and conjuration based playthroughs

Undead Guardians - for necromancy themed playthroughs