One of the things that puzzled me in Oblivion was how you could go on a mass killing spree, and only serve a short time in prison. Sure you lost more skill points for serious crimes, but I think there should be harsher and more realistic punishments for things like murder in this game.

So maybe they should have executions for your character when you do those kinds of crimes? Like maybe hanging or beheading by sword? Of course you have the option to escape from your execution, or if you become a rich noble you could simply bribe the authorities not to execute you.

What do you guys think of this idea?

Whenever I went on a mass killing spree the guards always attacked me.

I think they only attack you if you refuse to be arrested.

I agree. I always thought that was weird.

I honestly don't think execution would be fun to see more than once. you're basically saying you would die, just like you would if you fell off a cliff or lost a fight, or if all the guards attacked you. That would just be putting off the inevitable and take away your gaming time. That's just my own opinion of course.

I agree with the OP. The whole crime system could use a good overhaul.

I would like it if a certain bounty/specific crimes make you hated enough that you get sentenced to prison for life. You then have to escape the prison and get the chance along the way to either slip out unnoticed, redeem yourself (at the risk of them just throwing you back into jail) or ****ing over the settlement whose prison it is even more.

This should all be done in some kind of scripted sequence at some point in the quest. You see a werewolf that's been terrorising the town attacking a family, you see bandits attacking (about to [do questionable sixual acts to]? It's likely to be an 18 after all) the settlement's golden girl (princess, queen, whatever. They have to have been benevolent and kind to the player in the past to give us a reason to care though), you see a fire starting that could consume a huge area of the poor district. In all of these scenarios you have to break cover and reveal yourself in order to help either side. If you want to exact one final revenge on the settlement for throwing you in jail you could kill the werewolf and family yourself, help the bandits to subdue the princess or help the spread of the fire. If you want to redeem yourself (or if you're just a nice person (maybe an interesting questline would be if the player were wrongly convicted)) then you could kill the werewolf to save the family, kill the bandits and escort the princess back or join in the relief effort to stop the fire and save the people trapped. And of course you can always just slip away unnoticed.

So yes, I would like to see the crime and punishment system improved upon, and I would love to a see a few quests that revolve around it. Not too keen on the execution idea. I think you should be put on death's row and, while the game never actually has your character executed, you suffer damage to attributes and skills the longer you rot away in prison by prolonging your escape.

Maybe harsher penalties in your stats , depending on your bounty, but execution? I wouldn′t like that.

Especially when the Journal says how many days you've spent in jail after killing all NPCs in the game: 1

If there should be executions for killing NPCs, then the stealth system needs to be refined. So you wouldn't be searched for execution because you murdered a family for the Dark brotherhood in Skyrim. I also think your guild mates should come and free you if you get execution status and get jailed before executon, like the Dark brotherhood comming rescuing you, murdering half a dozen guards in the middle of the night. That would be great.

You should also be able to get rid of your execution wanted level by different means. Like changing name and identity (removing all current fame and infame from your charater at the same time, no-one would be able to recognise you?). Just an idea.
Escaping ofcourse, maybe regular lockpicking and playing sick? If the guards don't want you to die in prison they might open the jail door, thus making you able to give them a good punch/paralyze them and escape.

But the guards are way too easy to kill in Oblivion, I think it would be better if Skyrim law-men would be much more powerful and able to take more hits, faster too. If they kill you, you would wake up in jail, thus balancing their raw power when fighting you. Sounds good?

Yes! But only the unlawful factions should break you out. Perhaps honourable factions can put in a good word for you to get you out? Depending on the severity of the crime of course.

Exactly what I was thinking, but going all rampage could get you kicked from honorable factions instead of execution? That would also be a somewhat solid solution? So if you kill too many NPCs, fighters guild and mages guild and some other good guy guilds would kick you / ban you?

Hopefully they'll remove the fines and compensation for serious crimes.
So a man kills your brother in front of you. You run to the nearest guard in panic. The guard arrives on the scene.

You: It's him! He killed my brother, the bastard!
Murderer: Here, city guard. 1000 septims. Can I go now?
Guard: All right. Let's go to the castle and get this business sorted out.
You: :blink:

Daggerfall's Justice system would be perfect. You commit a crime and you are caught. You're then brought in court and you plead guilty or not guilty. If you plead not guilty, you have to either lie or debate why you are not the culprit. Factors influencing the result would be your speech skill and if you are in the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood. Because if your criminal guild likes you, they'll help you get out of there. And in any case, you still have to pay a fine, which would be lower if you plead guilty and higher if you plead not guilty but you are found guilty anyway.

Executions wouldn't be fun though. You're just asking to reload a save game after mudering folks. I liked how in Morrowind, if you had a too high bounty on your head, the guards would kill you instead of arresting you.

Definitely. While I realise a line has to be drawn on how convoluted to make the guild experiences, there has to be some improvement over past games. I don't feel as though I'm part of the guild when I'm not on a quest. I'm just another scrub - not one of their brothers in arms

Criminal justice needs to be a lot better. In fact, losing skill points in prison is an excellent incentive to be put in prison: more opportunities to level up and raise your attributes!

Guards should try to apprehend the the player character - knock him/her unconscious. Drag off to jail, appear in court, get a sentence. Fines and prison time for breaking laws (stealing, slander, breaking-and-entering, assault). If you kill someone, I don't see why the rest of the population would want to let such a dangerous killer go free. Time to dance on the rope (hanging). Or be beheaded. I could see exile as a lesser form of punishment (for lesser crimes), too, as well as time spent in the pillory as public humiliation.

One of my Oblivion characters just killed 50 people. IRL, that would warrent a death sentence, no? Yet if I surrender and spend time, I'll be free again (of course I'l be in there for a year most likely).

In Skyrim, if I kill 50 people, I would want the government to try and execute me (while I make my daring escape).

Ultima,
that whole thing about giving the password to the villain or he slowly killed your companions, that was great.

Exile would be an interesting punishment, would certainly add a new element to the game knowing that if you ever returned to a certain area you would be attacked on site (sorta like how sometimes the guards would glitch in Morrowind and continue to attack you in a certain area even after you did your time, especially Balmora).

YES! You await your execution day with patience from a cell. However, each day you spend in that cell is actually a chance to escape. Do you make your daring attempt? Do you wait for death, and game over? Or do you load a pre-crime-spree save?

I feel like I've read this before, did you post this in that bringing back morrowinds trial/judge system thread?

Yes whole thing needs to be overhauled. I want them to just give me a small warning if I steal a spoon or the npc I stole from just takes it back. But if I keep doing this they'll arrest me.


Bribing nobility/judes/lawyers, sweet talking the gaurds, all that good stuff.

And yes I would love the option to see my character hanged- mostly for [censored] and giggles and then load up the screen.

This is another case of fun vs. realism. Personally I think that execution is too much, sure the punishment for murder was nothing in previous games, well, except maybe in Morrowind where you get a death sentence after the 5k mark.

Anyway, the crime and punishment system surely needs improvement. I think the player needs to pay a larger sum of gold for a charge of murder AND be forced to do a public service, not something minor like cleaning, feeding the cattle, but something more serious like hunting a nearby wild animal, a bear for example, something that is too dangerous for the guards themselves.

If the player dies then it's an honorable death and his name is cleared. If successful, however, then he would have done the city a good favor and his crime is forgiven.

Just a suggestion

It will be great if your punishment was being hanged in a public place. Then you see one of your thieves/assassin friends shot the rope with a arrow, Robinhood style.
"Adios amigos! *Jumps into horse*

I was thinking more in terms of shunning. No one would speak to you, no one would trade with you. No more quests available from the locale you were exiled from. Unless the NPCs were powerful, having them attack the player would just result in another bloodbath and depopulated town.

I'd love to see harsher punishments for crimes and some sort of improved justice system since criminality is such a large part of these games. That would have to go hand in hand with a better reputation, detection and detention system though. No psychic guards for one. If no-one sees you commit a crime it shouldn't affect your rep or make you wanted. Also being wanted in one town news shouldn't then spread instantly around the world so every guard is after you.

A wanted system where bounties are levied against you (like regulators in Fo3, but more specific) would be nice.

Not sure about execution as an actual punishment. I think some crimes should have the guards try to kill you (please don't make guards superhuman) and possibly you could be sentenced to execution but actually killing the player... Nah, i think that's a bit much. I like the idea of you being sentenced to death in the arena or being sent out in a loincloth and a sword on some near impossible quest though as that allows you a chance to redeem yourself.

I think elements of the Daggerfall crime system ought to be re-implemented. There's definitely no logic behind a rich character being able to go on a killing spree, pay a guard, and then have their reputation and the world around them revert to normalcy. Fines and compensation may still be good for petty crimes such as pickpocketing and assault, but things such as breaking-and-entering and murder should bring the player to court. If their personality is high enough, they stand a chance in being found not guilty by means of lying or debate.

If the outlook doesn't seem so good, you could still plead guilty and garner a significantly shorter jail sentence.

I wouldent mind it if OTHER people did crimes too. It would be kinda cool seeing a bunch of bandets get caught doing something then the next day watch them get hung(I know its hanged now but that sounds stupid to me) or beheaded.