No Death Mod v0.01
by Zolmir/Solmyr
Update: 2013 01 02


Download Link: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/29312


Executive summary

Your character gets knocked out instead of dying. You will lose your items. They can be reclaimed through a side quest.


Why did I create this mod?

Skyrim - like most of the single player games - has a save-load feature. Unfortunately, such a system makes player death less meaningful. If you can just load a save you made a minute ago, death is not a strong enough punishment. Soon the game loses its challenge, and the suspension of disbelief is gone - how exactly did your Dragonborn manage to defeat countless enemies while suffering no defeat himself?

Because of this, some people choose to play the game in "ironman", where they promise themselves not to load a previous save if their character dies. However, this has two problems: 1) It's hard to honor your commitment at times, and 2) Even vanilla Skyrim can sometimes throw monsters at you that can basically one-shot your PC in an unexpected moment. Although save-load is too easy, pure ironman might be too harsh.

This mod aims to address this problem by finding a middle way.


Description

The mod will prevent your character from dying. When your character's health drops below a certain threshold, (s)he loses consciousness, and wakes up at a random location in the wilderness.

But there is a caveat: All your items (except quest items) will be stolen by bandits. If you are determined enough, you can find out where they took your items, and reclaim them. However this won't be a cakewalk...


Q&A on Mechanics

Q: When does the mod trigger?
A: When your character's health falls below 30% of the maximum following a hit, your character faints. Your controls are frozen; your character is healed to prevent death; and the screen fades to black.

Q: Does it ever fail to trigger?
A: Yes: If your character's health falls immediately from something above 30% to negative, the mod fails to trigger. I plan to deal with this problem later on. Ironman players may want to consider it as true death.

Q: What happens when my character loses consciousness?
A: All the items on your character except quest items are transferred to a hand-placed non-respawning container; and your character is moved to a location in the wilderness. The locations are not exactly random, and the one closest to your location will be chosen.

Q: How can I reclaim my items?
A: Rumor has it that a particular Dunmer in Riften hears about every theft in Skyrim. Some coin might help loosen his lips.

Q: Is there a chance for my items to completely disappear?
A: None that I know of. All the containers are hand-placed, and set to be non-respawning. Still, I make no guarantees.

Q: What happens if my character loses consciousness more than once before reclaiming what (s)he lost previously?
A: The first time you lose consciousness after the mod starts (or after a reclaim); a chest is chosen from the list of hand-placed containers, and fixed. If you lose consciousness many times before reclaiming your items, all the items you lose up until you actually activate the chest will be stored in that same chest.


Future Plans

Minor:
- Creating a configuration spell to alter features of the mod
- Creating a debug spell to help you get all your items back instantaneously
- Adding diseases and injuries following a knock-out

Major:
- Code optimization and adding more respawn/chest locations
- Recognizing a knock-out caused by guards, where you will be imprisoned rather than knocked out.
- Creating side quests after knock-out. Examples:
(i) Becoming a prisoner/slave of outlaws or semi-intelligent enemies. Possibility to prearrange a ransom payment for your freedom.
(ii) Going to afterlife after death and receiving a resurrection from the Divines or the Daedra Lords in exchange of past or future deeds.
(iii) Possible integration with mods similar in spirit.


Requirements

Just the game itself.


Installation

Manually copy all the files in the archive to their respective places in the Skyrim\Data\ folder.


Uninstallation

Make sure you have reclaimed all your items, as the chests will be gone when you uninstall the mod. Unchecking or deleting the .esp file should be enough for an uninstall.


Reinstallation

Not recommended at the moment.


Important Disclaimer!

This mod is a Work in Progress. As such, you should be aware that it might create problems. It's a good idea to keep a save file from before you start using the mod.


Credits

Il Ducey, s7o, Verteiron, Michele, caleb68, Antares, and hypno88 for their helpful comments on Bethesda Skyrim forums.


Copyright

Feel free to alter the mod and play with the scripts for your personal use. If you plan to release your work, I would appreciate a private message.