Morgan
Well-Known Member
I've enjoyed this thread a lot and I've used many of the ideas here to modify my own playstyle. I thought I'd jot down some of the general principles I've come to use that suit my characters and are a lot of fun for me.
My Own Hardcore Style
Some a priori assumptions:
-The adventurer carries a pack. We cannot see it for some reason, but the Dragonborn doesn't carry all that junk in his pockets.
-"Clothes" is a generic term that includes several layers of attire that can be modified for weather.
-The more powerful a potion is, the larger it is. HOWEVER, the largest potions are still only about the size of airline liquor bottles. Smaller ones might represent a teaspoon-sized dose.
-Using a bed or sleeping mat is "resting" not sleeping. Resting can include puttering around the fire, flipping through books, having a bite to eat, then turning in. Using a sleeping mat for anything more than eight hours includes eight hours of sleep and the remaining time of leisure rest activity. Using a sleeping mat for less than eight hours results in at least an hour of non-sleeping activity and the remainder is sleep. Assume an adventurer needs a bare minimum of four hours of sleep, then five hours out of every twenty-four must be spent resting. Occasionally missing is permitted, but must be made up for with longer rest cycles for at least a week (this is all based on rest requirement studies done by the US Army that govern SOP applying to elite units. Presumably the Dragonborn is the sort of person that would qualify for Special Forces).
-The "Carry Weight" figure is not a pure weight that is equatable to pounds or kilograms etc. It represents an abstract figure that incorporates the actual weight as well as bulk of an item. For example, two items could have the same real-world weight but different "Carry Weight" ratings if one was dense and compact but the other was bulky and awkward.
-Magic items are readily identifiable as such, even by non-magical PCs.
Philosophy:
-Have a job! Despite the name, no one was born just to be the Dragonborn, or an adventurer at all. In the period Skyrim is based on, jobs tended to be passed down within the same family. So I decide what my char's father did, then assume that's the profession that he's following or escaping from.
-Must have specific, realistic reason for getting out there. Escaping from the law, hunting, mining, setting up shop in a different city, looking for a Stormcloak camp etc. No "I'm just gonna wander around and see if I can't find something to kill." The game storyline is set up to give us a framework: at first to escape Helgen, then deliver a message to the Jarl, then kill a dragon, and so forth. Expand on this.
-If my char decides to be a mercenary or bounty-hunter and make a living filling contracts, he must get the contract, do the job, and return. No one would actually hire him again if he filled a contract but didn't report the results until months later. The quests that he gets unwillingingly roped into he can perform at his leisure or not at all though.
-Spend some money from time to time! It's very easy to get into the habit of making or finding everything, and only using the merchants to sell junk to. Presumably other people are buying these things and other wares or the economy would collapse. However, there are some things that just cannot be found in the wilds but that also aren't part of the game. Shoe repair, that pack you can't see, sundry supplies used every time he forges, smelts, tools, uses an alchemy bench, etc. Every now and then buy something, anything, to return some money into the system for these undocumented but surely present commodities.
-Learn to ignore quests! This is a hard one. We like to clear the quest log, and that sometimes leads us to find justification for actions against type. Would a knight character really kill an old lady? "But she's really mean and abuses children!" If that's what the char would do then fine, but don't shoehorn it in just to clear the log or get an in-game benefit. Remain true to the character profile.
-Find a home! I don't mean buy a home, but at least have a spot that the char can say he's from. Be it an abandoned shack, a random little village, a particular inn, etc. The char must have a place he's from or at least staying at for awhile in Skyrim.
Travel:
-While traveling under normal circumstances, cannot wear armor or have heavy weapons equipped. A knife or dagger can be kept equipped.
-When traveling must wear clothes on body and feet. If it's cold, must wear a hat and gloves (Nords can ignore).
-Must always have in possession a wooden plate or bowl, a knife or dagger, and a tankard, cup, or flagon.
-On any long trip must have a couple pieces of edible food (eg. raw meat will not suffice unless there is a known cooking spit in the area).
-If a trip is very long (eg. between holds) it must be accomplished by carriage or horseback. Travel for exploration provides an exception to this. Under normal circumstances though, a trip eg. from Riften to Markarth would not be attempted without a horse.
Combat:
-If ambushed, what the char is wearing is what he fights with.
-If he can separate himself from foes long enough, he can switch to a sword or bow (assumedly these are strapped to the outside of the pack, bows unstrung).
-Cannot change into armor unless he is completely disengaged from enemies.
-Similarly, cannot use potions or scrolls mid-swing. Must at least separate from combat a bit.
-Okay to switch back and forth from magic to previously equipped weapons or shield at any time.
-If in areas where combat is highly likely, it is permissible to prepare by equipping armor and weapons. This is considered a high alert status though, and is slow and draining. Walk rather than run when in this state (until actually engaged, of course), and MUST rest if this state is maintained for more than two game hours. This does not apply to dungeoneering or bandit-busting, just world travel.
Loot:
This is where I find the most unreconcileable dissonance between realism, playability, and the game system. So I just killed a bandit, and his bloody, cheap, rusty, cut-up iron armor has some value. Realisitically, would it? However, in the European Middle Ages and in the Feudal period in Japan it is well-documented that commoners would, in fact, swarm over battlefields and loot the warriors' bodies for every scrap of metal or cloth they could grab. The willingness of my Dragonborns to engage in this sort of activity varies based on their RP persona. Figuring out how much of this type of loot he can caryr is difficult though. I don't care to just limit to some percentage of in-game carry weight. To me this just seems like trading some arbitrary number for another, and can still lead to unrealistic loads. Instead I always try to bear in mind some general guidelines for looting.
-Cannot carry more than one extra "main" piece of armor and two of each other piece. Multiply by three if traveling by horse and horse is nearby.
-Things of obvious value are always preferred over things of questionable value. Eg. jewelry and magic items have obvious value, plain gear and food etc. have questionable value, even if the number in the "Value" column is the same.
-Must always seek out a merchant and sell as soon as acquiring this "bloody" type of loot. No carrying it around for a while.
-Don't do things that seem unlikely!
-Trapping and the fur trade was a major part of the world's economy until not too long ago. The vast majority of these furs were made into clothes, hats, and other vanity items. Domestic (or semi-domestic) cattle and horses provided almost all utility leather. Therefore, unless I've decided earlier that tanning is part of the char's background, furs are for selling, not turning into leather. Buy leather if needed to improve gear.
Perks:
-Perks represent specialization and mastery achieved through strenuous study, experimentation, and training.
-Never take two levels of a perk at once. They represent cumulative experience, and I can't learn a more advanced technique if I only just learned the basic technique. In this same vein, always use a perk before taking the next one. So if I buy dwarven smithing, in addition to waiting some time I must also craft at least a couple dwarven items before taking Orcish smithing.
-Many of the perks are self-taught, such as most of the thief and combat perks. Some, however, are governed by appropriateness as described below.
-Perks should be appropriate, not just beneficial. For instance, unless I've developed a smithing background independently, then taking perks in smithing is inappropriate.
-This can, however, be accomodated by questing. For instance, if my non-smith character wants to specialize in smithing, then he can make a pilgrimage to several different smiths and spend some time training under each one. Starting with Alvor or another village smith, spend three days in his company (Alvor even has a little tutorial quest that does this). Buy at least 300 septims' worth of merchandise from him. Now the first smithing perk is appropriate. Then to go to Adrianna or Rustleif (or any other mid-level smith) before training more advanced perks, and finally Balimund or Eorlund before taking the top-level perks.
-Similarly, don't perk magic until visiting the college, buy from and chat with the trainer for that particular magic school. (In all cases, where possible, training levels in the skill count towards both time and money spent with trainer.)
-In all cases, skills that a particular race has a +10 in are exempt from this requirement (so my Dunmer char can perk destruction without ever visiting the college, but not the other magics).
My Own Hardcore Style
Some a priori assumptions:
-The adventurer carries a pack. We cannot see it for some reason, but the Dragonborn doesn't carry all that junk in his pockets.
-"Clothes" is a generic term that includes several layers of attire that can be modified for weather.
-The more powerful a potion is, the larger it is. HOWEVER, the largest potions are still only about the size of airline liquor bottles. Smaller ones might represent a teaspoon-sized dose.
-Using a bed or sleeping mat is "resting" not sleeping. Resting can include puttering around the fire, flipping through books, having a bite to eat, then turning in. Using a sleeping mat for anything more than eight hours includes eight hours of sleep and the remaining time of leisure rest activity. Using a sleeping mat for less than eight hours results in at least an hour of non-sleeping activity and the remainder is sleep. Assume an adventurer needs a bare minimum of four hours of sleep, then five hours out of every twenty-four must be spent resting. Occasionally missing is permitted, but must be made up for with longer rest cycles for at least a week (this is all based on rest requirement studies done by the US Army that govern SOP applying to elite units. Presumably the Dragonborn is the sort of person that would qualify for Special Forces).
-The "Carry Weight" figure is not a pure weight that is equatable to pounds or kilograms etc. It represents an abstract figure that incorporates the actual weight as well as bulk of an item. For example, two items could have the same real-world weight but different "Carry Weight" ratings if one was dense and compact but the other was bulky and awkward.
-Magic items are readily identifiable as such, even by non-magical PCs.
Philosophy:
-Have a job! Despite the name, no one was born just to be the Dragonborn, or an adventurer at all. In the period Skyrim is based on, jobs tended to be passed down within the same family. So I decide what my char's father did, then assume that's the profession that he's following or escaping from.
-Must have specific, realistic reason for getting out there. Escaping from the law, hunting, mining, setting up shop in a different city, looking for a Stormcloak camp etc. No "I'm just gonna wander around and see if I can't find something to kill." The game storyline is set up to give us a framework: at first to escape Helgen, then deliver a message to the Jarl, then kill a dragon, and so forth. Expand on this.
-If my char decides to be a mercenary or bounty-hunter and make a living filling contracts, he must get the contract, do the job, and return. No one would actually hire him again if he filled a contract but didn't report the results until months later. The quests that he gets unwillingingly roped into he can perform at his leisure or not at all though.
-Spend some money from time to time! It's very easy to get into the habit of making or finding everything, and only using the merchants to sell junk to. Presumably other people are buying these things and other wares or the economy would collapse. However, there are some things that just cannot be found in the wilds but that also aren't part of the game. Shoe repair, that pack you can't see, sundry supplies used every time he forges, smelts, tools, uses an alchemy bench, etc. Every now and then buy something, anything, to return some money into the system for these undocumented but surely present commodities.
-Learn to ignore quests! This is a hard one. We like to clear the quest log, and that sometimes leads us to find justification for actions against type. Would a knight character really kill an old lady? "But she's really mean and abuses children!" If that's what the char would do then fine, but don't shoehorn it in just to clear the log or get an in-game benefit. Remain true to the character profile.
-Find a home! I don't mean buy a home, but at least have a spot that the char can say he's from. Be it an abandoned shack, a random little village, a particular inn, etc. The char must have a place he's from or at least staying at for awhile in Skyrim.
Travel:
-While traveling under normal circumstances, cannot wear armor or have heavy weapons equipped. A knife or dagger can be kept equipped.
-When traveling must wear clothes on body and feet. If it's cold, must wear a hat and gloves (Nords can ignore).
-Must always have in possession a wooden plate or bowl, a knife or dagger, and a tankard, cup, or flagon.
-On any long trip must have a couple pieces of edible food (eg. raw meat will not suffice unless there is a known cooking spit in the area).
-If a trip is very long (eg. between holds) it must be accomplished by carriage or horseback. Travel for exploration provides an exception to this. Under normal circumstances though, a trip eg. from Riften to Markarth would not be attempted without a horse.
Combat:
-If ambushed, what the char is wearing is what he fights with.
-If he can separate himself from foes long enough, he can switch to a sword or bow (assumedly these are strapped to the outside of the pack, bows unstrung).
-Cannot change into armor unless he is completely disengaged from enemies.
-Similarly, cannot use potions or scrolls mid-swing. Must at least separate from combat a bit.
-Okay to switch back and forth from magic to previously equipped weapons or shield at any time.
-If in areas where combat is highly likely, it is permissible to prepare by equipping armor and weapons. This is considered a high alert status though, and is slow and draining. Walk rather than run when in this state (until actually engaged, of course), and MUST rest if this state is maintained for more than two game hours. This does not apply to dungeoneering or bandit-busting, just world travel.
Loot:
This is where I find the most unreconcileable dissonance between realism, playability, and the game system. So I just killed a bandit, and his bloody, cheap, rusty, cut-up iron armor has some value. Realisitically, would it? However, in the European Middle Ages and in the Feudal period in Japan it is well-documented that commoners would, in fact, swarm over battlefields and loot the warriors' bodies for every scrap of metal or cloth they could grab. The willingness of my Dragonborns to engage in this sort of activity varies based on their RP persona. Figuring out how much of this type of loot he can caryr is difficult though. I don't care to just limit to some percentage of in-game carry weight. To me this just seems like trading some arbitrary number for another, and can still lead to unrealistic loads. Instead I always try to bear in mind some general guidelines for looting.
-Cannot carry more than one extra "main" piece of armor and two of each other piece. Multiply by three if traveling by horse and horse is nearby.
-Things of obvious value are always preferred over things of questionable value. Eg. jewelry and magic items have obvious value, plain gear and food etc. have questionable value, even if the number in the "Value" column is the same.
-Must always seek out a merchant and sell as soon as acquiring this "bloody" type of loot. No carrying it around for a while.
-Don't do things that seem unlikely!
-Trapping and the fur trade was a major part of the world's economy until not too long ago. The vast majority of these furs were made into clothes, hats, and other vanity items. Domestic (or semi-domestic) cattle and horses provided almost all utility leather. Therefore, unless I've decided earlier that tanning is part of the char's background, furs are for selling, not turning into leather. Buy leather if needed to improve gear.
Perks:
-Perks represent specialization and mastery achieved through strenuous study, experimentation, and training.
-Never take two levels of a perk at once. They represent cumulative experience, and I can't learn a more advanced technique if I only just learned the basic technique. In this same vein, always use a perk before taking the next one. So if I buy dwarven smithing, in addition to waiting some time I must also craft at least a couple dwarven items before taking Orcish smithing.
-Many of the perks are self-taught, such as most of the thief and combat perks. Some, however, are governed by appropriateness as described below.
-Perks should be appropriate, not just beneficial. For instance, unless I've developed a smithing background independently, then taking perks in smithing is inappropriate.
-This can, however, be accomodated by questing. For instance, if my non-smith character wants to specialize in smithing, then he can make a pilgrimage to several different smiths and spend some time training under each one. Starting with Alvor or another village smith, spend three days in his company (Alvor even has a little tutorial quest that does this). Buy at least 300 septims' worth of merchandise from him. Now the first smithing perk is appropriate. Then to go to Adrianna or Rustleif (or any other mid-level smith) before training more advanced perks, and finally Balimund or Eorlund before taking the top-level perks.
-Similarly, don't perk magic until visiting the college, buy from and chat with the trainer for that particular magic school. (In all cases, where possible, training levels in the skill count towards both time and money spent with trainer.)
-In all cases, skills that a particular race has a +10 in are exempt from this requirement (so my Dunmer char can perk destruction without ever visiting the college, but not the other magics).
