DISCLAIMER

I understand that Skyrim is a game in which killing is necessary. I understand that "playing without killing stuff" sounds boring and that the team did not create an appropriate environment for a non-violent player. That being said, my question below is for ROLEPLAYING PURPOSES. I don't care if you think I'm playing the game wrong, I paid sixty bucks just like everybody else and I should be able to do whatever I damn well please.

It seems like theirs nothing you can do in Skyrim to avoid becoming a sociopathic killer. It's in everything you do. Deliver this message, and kill 20 bandits along the way. Find my lost whatever, and tear though an underground army of vampires. Go to the gas station and buy some smokes, and don't forget to brutalize some soldiers before you get back.

It seems like your character comes with a factory installed "no remorse, no regret, no fear, no hesitation" chip in his/her brain that allows him/her to instantly and effortlessly start plunging daggers into peoples throats and smashing their faces in with warhammers. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. My point is, this limits a role-players options when creating a backstory for a character. No matter who your character is, no matter what his past may be, he is automatically an autonomous killing machine.

I need advice. My intention is not to play a non-violent character. My intention is to create a non-violent character, and then gradually warm him up to the idea of killing. I wouldn't expect a young alchemist from Cyrodiil to meet a band of brigands with a barrage of waraxe attacks. That being said, I'm having troubles planning my characters first kill. I want it to happen as realistically as possible. I want it to be provoked, but justifiably so. He won't be murdering anyone because they call him a milk drinker. It has to be something bigger. In a game full of sadistic necromancers and the lot, its difficult to think of how this "virgin kill" would go down.


tl;dr - Roleplaying a new character, want his first kill to be meaningful and not some random unprovoked assault in a mineshaft. Suggestions?

Sneak, illusion, alchemy (for invisibility potions)

My first thieves guild character always tries to sneak around enemies whenever he can. And for the most part, I've been fairly sucessful.
I've passed through whole rooms full of guys.
But it is difficult to be sure, and you WILL have to kill somone 'unspecial' eventually.

Set difficulty to lowest (or not), invest in spells like fear, invisibility etc. and whenever someone attacks you run for your life.
If you yourself don't want to kill but you are alright with others killing people hire someone to help and use spells like fury or shouts like animal allegiance.

That's actually a fun idea. Might try it sometime

Perhaps you can use the hectic situation at Helgen and the erratic nature of the "flames" (or "sparks", if you're a Dunmer) spell to your advantage? An alchemist likely would *know* magic (all NPC alchemists do), but might not be very good -- thus, might accidentally kill someone with a spray spell in self-defense. Now, granted, Hadvar and Ralof are essential and can handle the enemies on their own, but considering that there's a big scary dragon outside flying around burning the place to the ground, I'd assume that anyone would be trying to get out of there as quickly as they could.

The serenity outside makes for the perfect place to contemplate the kill/s. Heck, for more pathos, there's a shrine to Talos with a bloodbath at its base nearby. Even a Thalmor justiciar -- a note on his body makes it clear that he was just trying to please Elenwen and she thought him somewhat annoying. Nice bit of moral relativism. His robes are valuable, but will the prisoner strip the body for coin?

Pretty decent way to warm a character up to the thought of killing, though it would, I think, have to happen rather fast.

You can't plan your first time, kid. Just lay back and let it happen. Let your tears wash away your shame.

First kill to be meaningful?

Easy, kill the imoerial captain at the start of the game.

Just to help out, my characters backstory is that he grew up in Morrowind, then his family were brutally murdered by a group of bandits. He followed them to Skyrim, where the bandits ran into the Stormcloaks and ambushed them. Just as my character was watching his parents murderers get slaughtered, he was caught by the Legion and taken to Helgen.

He's now a hunter, and lives in a cabin just outside Falkreath, hunting deer and other animals and selling their pelts and meat at the local store.

(I haven't started this game yet as its a plan for my new DID character but...). My character is going to come across a group of bandits, when running away he gets cornered. Pulling out his bow, he prays to Stendarr for mercy, and takes out the bandits. He then heads to the Graveyard in Falkreath to pray for forgiveness. After that, his luck gets worse, as he bumps into more bandits whilst hunting. After a while, he finds killing easier (not innocents, but those that attack him first).

Wait what? a sociopath killer? i don't recall "having" to kill "everything" that walks around and become in you'r words would be a monster of a person; not every NPC/Animal is hostile towards you lol

And what's the trouble in finding your characters first kill about? it's handed to you in a silver platter in Helgen!!! you know? when the Imperials tried to chop your head off? not provoking enough to you? conveniently sending you to the chopping block w/o any regards to you're background because it would be too "inconvenient" for them, that's not justifiable enough? i mean a Aldiun had to show up to unintentionally(for him but maybe not by "fate") to save ur [censored] haha

Honestly you'r conclusion that "It seems like theirs nothing you can do in Skyrim to avoid becoming a sociopathic killer" is gravely over-exaggerated, it should be more like "it seems like theirs nothing you CAN'T do in Skyrim to avoid becoming a sociopathic killer" .....

unfortunately thats exactly what your first kill is when escaping helgen unless you allow yourself to get attacked while you wait for ralof to kill them. Killing in self defense is not muder, its a necessary act of survival in the harsh land of skyrim

theres basic conflict choices, kill or be killed or run away like a coward...no enemy will yield even though they say they surrender

Get a companion and play a Healer. Honestly, as long as enemies attack you first, I don't see it being an issue if you have to kill them.

get 2 companions.

play with npc minds.

control the battle.

run, hide, disappear.

search youtube for pacifist monk in skyrim. Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2d2KRIUYCM

Do your research before winding up the clock until it breaks...

You could get married, then 'let' somebody kill your wife and in a murderous rage avenge her.

I am still annoyed by how many truly sociopathic quests there are, but I'm starting to realize the power of the other side of the game. My first character began as an honest merchant/fighter but now with 40 dragon kills under her belt and unnumbered bandits...she is definitely wending her way towards sociopathy. However....the truly powerful (though unexciting) power in this game lies in tradeskills. With alchemy and smithing and enchanting you can make yourself very very very tough..enough to just brush off many enemies like flies. I think my next character may be a priest of Mara. I will start in Riften and learn stealth from the thieves guild....then wend my way to Winterhold and become a formidible illusionist...and max out my tradeskills. I am curious to see how far I can get without killing sentient beings. Not sure if animals would count for this...I would probably avoid killing them too with calm spells. I guess drauger would be fair game as they are already dead. Wouldn't want to kill dragons...would have to avoid starting the MQ. Definitely couldn't play the CW line at all. Hmmmmm.....

My mage character was like this. She was just a young Breton wanting to join the college because the one in the Imperial City wouldn't take her because she was from a poor family.

She used her flame spell on some Stormcloak archers while trying to escape Helgen and was terrified when she realized they were standing on oil and were burned alive right before her. She was so emotionally scared that she never used flames again and focused more on other spells. Even up to the time I retired her she always avoided killing anything if she could.

Damn, restoration, sneak and illusion baby. You could certainly complete a number of quests without resorting to violence.

However sooner or later your gonna have to man up and take down a dragon, because they eat pacifiers fro breakfast!

Wandering along the road, a bandit grabs you from behind and demands you to hand over your valuables. As a reflex, you whip out your dagger (Assuming you have one) to intimidate him, but he lunges forward, impaling himself on it.
There. Its a start. I've never really thought about it because my character enjoys murdering innocents, not to speak of the joy when murdering people who arn't so innocent ^.^
And when someone calls me a "Milk Drinker", I turn around and blast their face off.

Your character sees a shady character on his way to the merchant to buy a few food items for his journey.

Shady character: Yo dawg, you tryna stare me down homie?"
You: Shut up biznatch this be my territory
Shady Character: ::pulls out 9 mm pistol::
You shoot him with an arrow and throw up a gang sign.

Defending yourself =/= sociopath.

The world of Skyrim is a violent and dangerous place. You will inevitably find yourself in combat - you have to choose whether to defend yourself of flee. To pursue combat or avoid it.

The game starts with Imperials trying to execute you for an unknown reason (one that you, as a roleplayer, can come up with yourself). How do you react to that? Do you want revenge, do you forgive them, or are you just confused? If you want revenge - what better provokation is there than almost getting executed by them? And after Alduin strikes, you have to help one side to get out of there alive. Whichever side you choose, you'll of course provoke the enemy. I'd not call that unprovoked. It's the same when you're free to explore the world - walk into some wanted bandits' hideout, and expect them to react aggressively.

Skyrim does not force you to become a killing machine without remorse. That playstyle is just one of many playstyles.

My current character never starts a fight, but will kill anyone / anything that attacks, simple self-preservation. This includes "enemies", such as the Thalmor, dragons, animals, whoever or whatever. "I didn't start this, but I'm damned sure going to finish it," is his creed. This sort of makes it difficult to run around with a follower, since they tend to charge into the fray without thought or hesitation, so unless I absolutely have to have help, I tend to travel alone. Poor Lydia has gained 50 pounds sitting around the house eating and drinking all day, and challenges me when I get home. "Are you lost? *burp*"

It's also hard to avoid killing once a fight has begun, since even when an NPC says, "Mercy! You win! I surrender!" as soon as they get a few hit points back, they attack again. Frustrating, but part of the package.

Sometimes instead of just callibg an NPC dead I like to assume that at least some of them were rendered unconscoius by my attacj. It helps morality from a roleplaying point.

A "first kill" could never be "meaningful" sorry...even in a game

I swear to god, nobody on this forum reads the OP before they post.

I'm not trying to play a pacifist for the entire game. Hell, he might end up a psycho killer. Helgen is off limits because I'm not beginning my character in Helgen. Saying that a first kill is meaningless and that killing, in war or defense or anger, or any killing is easy and a person doesn't think twice about it, is ignorant. Again, I'm trying to do this REALISTICALLY. I've seen some good advice, but most of the replies could have been avoided if people read before they posted. I want my character to loosely follow this type of story:

"Now the first time you kill somebody, that's the hardest. I don't give a [censored] if you're [censored]in' Wyatt Earp or Jack the Ripper. Remember that guy in Texas? The guy up in that [censored]in' tower that killed all them people? I'll bet you green money that first little black dot he took a bead on, that was the [censored] of the bunch. First one is tough, no [censored]in' foolin'. The second one... the second one ain't no [censored]in' Mardis Gras either, but it's better than the first one 'cause you still feel the same thing, y'know... except it's more diluted, y'know it's... it's better. I threw up on the first one, you believe that? Then the third one... the third one is easy, you level right off. It's no problem. Now... [censored]... now I do it just to watch their [censored]in' expression change."

I'm afraid you will kill someone eventually who you don't want to. Just sta out of dangerous areas until you want to go there