User:PsijicOrder/Skyrim Roleplaying Ideas/Increased Realism

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Traveling[edit]

  • Slow down! You don't need to run/jump everywhere. Take a walk in the forests.
  • If you do run while you travel, take the occasional rest.
  • Only travel in good weather. If you must travel in poor weather, wear appropriate attire. Consider running to find a camp or cave to wait out the storm.
  • If you come across a village, don't keep going. Unless you're doing something important, stop by. See how the livestock and townspeople are doing.
  • Spend nights in inns or taverns. If you are caught in the wilderness at night, stop by the side of the road as if you were camping.
  • For players who consider Fast Travel to be unrealistic, its use can be minimized or eliminated. Spending more time journeying across Skyrim can greatly enhance the aesthetic appeal of the game; some of the lesser traveled places are stunningly beautiful.
  • Use your map and compass more realistically or you can use the carriages to fast travel.
  • Use your map only when you are sheltered. If it is raining or snowing, your map could get soaked and most likely ruined.
  • When entering a dungeon, carry a torch and walk slowly, on the lookout for unknown dangers.
  • Walk around towns and use horses if necessary, only run when running from something ex.after the dragon attack outside Helgen.You can use horses so you don't need to walk everywhere.Bring a follower with you and download the Horses for followers mod or U.F.O (U.F.O includes horses for followers). Leave an apple for your horse and place some gold inside a barrel as if to pay the horse carer and stable(unless you are friends with the Carer, then you don't have to pay). Wear clothes around town.
  • If you see some notable scenery, don't walk past it like it isn't there! Take it in. Maybe plan a time that you are going to plan a visit there. Meditate on your beliefs or just relax.

Horses[edit]

  • Take care of your horse more realistically.
  • Always leave your horse at a stable, in its paddock.
  • Leave an apple or carrot near your horse.
  • When riding, take your horse's fatigue and Health into account
  • Don't run nonstop between cities through the middle of the wilderness, jumping over boulders, running into trees, and swimming across lakes. When possible, stick to the roads.
  • Only run full speed when you are attacked or urgently need to get somewhere. Slow down when your horse is exhausted or injured.
  • Leave some money in a barrel as if to pay the stable owner.Remember to take good care of your horse.Stick on the roads so your horse doesn't fall over a cliff or get attacked by a Sabre - Cat.

Eating[edit]

  • Although it is not necessary, eating regularly is an easy way to enhance role-playing.
  • Eat three meals a day at the appropriate times (or less if you are poor). Eat foods appropriate for your character and the mealtime.
  • Once you have eaten, wait for one hour to show it takes time to actually eat--you haven't just instantly eaten your meal.
  • If you find yourself a long way away from a house or an inn, then gather some nearby natural ingredients. Seeds, flowers and other things could make a meal.
  • Sit down in a chair when you eat.
  • Eat out at the local inn, socializing with others.
  • For breakfast you could have a bit of meat and bread and remember to give food to followers.You can read a book you got from the Jarl's Palace when eating and remember to return it to the palace after.
  • Remember you can download a mod for eating and drinking.
  • For lunch you could be in the wilderness for all we know so remember to bring food for you and your follower
  • On special occasions buy expensive Mead and dessert

Sleeping[edit]

  • Sleep in a home appropriate for your role. If you can't afford a house (or do not want one), rent a room at an inn or find a bedroll. Also, rent a room when you are visiting a Hold.
  • Put your armor in the cupboards, put your sword on the bedside table next to you, etc, before you sleep. Put on a simple outfit as "pajamas".
  • Read a book before going to bed, like you fell asleep reading.
  • If you must wait instead of sleeping then wait under a balcony or a tree, or in a crevice in a wall, to simulate sleeping on the streets or wilderness.

Houses[edit]

  • Take off your shoes when you enter your house.
  • There are many options for decorating your house:
  • Place appropriate items throughout: books on bookshelves, wine in wine racks, decorative armor on shelves, writing items on desks, food and dishes in the kitchen. If you are a mage put potions and scrolls everywhere.
  • Create displays that commemorate your adventures, for example by showcasing items representing animals or people you have conquered: some Dragon Scale or Bone or a Daedric Artifact on a shelf.

Equipment[edit]

  • Try playing the game using a realistic limit for the amount of items your character can carry. If you need to transport more items than a person could realistically carry, use a horse.
  • Wear clothing appropriate to the weather and/or activity.
  • Take off your armor and replace it with casual clothes when you're in towns.
  • Wear clothing and use weapons that are appropriate for your character. Ex. No deadric armor for your goody two shoes herbalist!
  • Change clothes in your house or in secluded areas, people in real life don't strip down and change clothes in the middle of the street.
  • If you buy clothes in a shop , walk into another room and try them on as if to see if they fit.
  • If you are a pure mage don't wear armor and use shield spell instead

Combat[edit]

  • Simulate damage from combat beyond simply losing health.
  • Rest after a fight so you are prepared for your next encounter.
  • After a major battle or after catching a disease, take several days to gradually heal, slowly doing more physically demanding activities.
  • Don't change armor after combat has begun, maybe a helmet.

Memorials[edit]

If you become attached to the NPCs in the game, you can pay homage to them after they die.

  • Place the NPC's robes/cuirass and/or sword in a place of significance and honor.
  • Add dead guild member’s items to the guild hall.
  • Rename the items (by enchanting them, for example) to name them after the NPC who used them.
  • Scatter flowers and torches where someone died.
  • Use the weapons, armor, or spells of fallen NPCs when avenging their death.
  • Straighten out a fallen ally's (or opponent's) body (folding the arms if possible) and place the body in a peaceful location. If he or she died in the water, drag the corpse onto land, possibly a meadow of flowers, and perhaps leave a flower next to the body.
  • If near a fire, cremate the body by dragging it in.

You can also honor your fallen enemies, in particular if they fought honorably. This may include people acting immaturely, they didn't mean or want to start combat.

  • Take their armor only to upgrade your own, not for profit.
  • Leave their weapon next to their body to symbolize that they died honorably.
  • If dealing with someone like a Pirate, either drag them onto their ship or into the sea and let them float.
  • If someone such as a Dark Brotherhood Follower dies, hide the corpse and clothes so no one can learn anything of the Dark Brotherhood's enchanted armor.

Miscellaneous[edit]

  • Give your character a personality with preferred foods, activities, and clothes. What creature or race does he/she hate/like the most?
  • Do not reload your last save game after making a mistake, such as killing someone accidentally. Continue playing and live with the consequences of the mistake.
  • Adjust the difficulty based on your game-play preferences.
  • If you think sneak attacks or power attacks should be able to kill enemies with a single blow, change the difficulty to novice or apprentice.
  • If you think fights with bears and wolves should be desperate struggles for survival, change the difficulty to expert or master.
  • Given that most people don't have supernatural attention spans, try not to wait for long periods of time all at once, unless there is a good reason (e.g., you're spying on someone).
  • Bathe periodically by taking off your clothes and swimming. Wash your clothes, too, by dropping them in the water. For more realism, drop them in a sunny place and wait for them to dry; if it's cloudy, wait a bit longer.
  • Use Followers as bodyguards, friends or colleagues.
  • Tell your followers to wait in a place where they would actually stay (Inn, bar, guild hall etc.)
  • Put a realistic limit on how much gear can go into a container. How can you put seven sets of armor a war axe and six shields into one chest? Take the size of the item into context. Also your desk should not contain weapons and armor even if it would fit. Inkwells, books, and maybe a dagger is good though.
  • Play the game according to your chosen race:
  • Try to only use skills that your race favors (e.g., skills for which your race has positive modifiers).
  • Only deal with merchants of your race; generally try to help NPCs of your race.
  • Use appropriate equipment (Orcs use Orcish; Elves use Elven; etc.)
  • If you are role-playing a job for which you should be paid, you can receive your pay in multiple ways:
  • Pickpocket your pay from the person you're dealing with.
  • When you take a book from a guild's library, you have a week to read it before it must be returned. Bribe members in the area for overdue fees.
  • Use a War-Hammer or similar weapon when entering taverns or other places you'd like to be noticed.

Religion[edit]

  • Dedicate your life to a Daedric Prince or God. Choose a god to follow based on your character's race and class.
  • Worship your Chosen god through activities that would please your particular god. Visit the temple every morning and pray. If you strongly believe in your god then you could wake up every day at a certain time and place a gift on the altar. Place fresh flowers on graves to show the gods that you're devoted to them.
  • Worship according to your race if you hold pride in it.
  • Convert as many people as possible.
  • Summon a Daedra Lord only on certain days. You could therefore celebrate these days by acting as a madman on Sheogorath's summoning day, reading books all day when it's the summoning day of Hermaeus Mora, etc.
  • Read through and study the holy texts of your religion. Copy them and drop them in public places to spread your faith!

Family[edit]

  • If you have a family, keep in touch with them, or create a scenario that discourages contact.
  • If they died, that may change your opinion about the races, factions, or people involved.
  • If your parents or close family are rich or powerful, then you have great power where they live. In other words, if your brother was a Chancellor, you would have much influence.
  • Make your family race-appropriate so no Altmer fathers and Orc children.
  • Play with a race that has few last names, like Altmer. Other Altmer that you like, or even dislike, for drama, are your relatives.
  • Use marriage to fully immerse yourself
  • Don't treat your spouse like a cook or a servant but an actual spouse. Try to stay with them for long before adventuring or they may become bored and leave you.
  • Maybe make a scenario where your housecarl betrays you and cheats with your wife. Punish him/her an flee the building. Stay at a friends house until you cool down. If you cheated on your wife, don't come back until you have collected something like a gem or nice clothes.
  • If you have Hearthfire, adopt children and have a Spouse. Make sure to stay with them for a while so that they won't think that you died on an Adventure.

Followers[edit]

  • Eat for your followers.
  • Keep your followers in mind when you do quests.
  • Pay your follower daily.
  • Your followers are people too so they need to rest as well.
  • Don't run ahead and leave them behind, walk with them.
  • Help them train. If you are a member of the Companions and have progressed into the Circle, train the lowest ranked people.
  • As Arch-Mage, it is your duty to train the wizards. Guide them through and give each of the Apprentices battle-experience. Brelyna Maryon, J'zargo, and Onmund are perfect examples to guide them through[use Summoned Atronaches for them to train on]
  • Outfit them with the suitable gear. If you are in a cold area like Winterhold, don't give them some topless fur armor. If you are in an area like Falkreath, give them lighter armour.
  • Talk to your followers during a journey. Listen to what they have to say. Try to think of them as friends instead of followers.
  • If you are in the Dark Brotherhood and are The Listener take out your initiates on a contract you get from the night mother. See how they handle. If they can't kill very well train them on summoned atronatches etc.

Holidays[edit]

  • Celebrate holidays that are for your race, or religion.
  • Be in your house, or in an Inn, and celebrate.
  • For a feast or dinner on a holiday, get the best and even most expensive food and drinks.
  • For special holidays, that require giving someone a gift, before they wake up, put something in their end table or wardrobe.
  • Get something you like, and put it in your end table or wardrobe, then sleep more, and when you wake up, pretend someone gave you it.