I am writing about this idea while I still I have the motivation to think that this is a good idea.

I always wanted a mod that would shift the responsibility of doing the main quest to another character. I didn't always wanted to be the main Hero. Sure, it was fun the first few times, but I got tired of doing the same quests every time I started the game, and now I feel its just a burden. Now I want to explore the land, and solve different problems in different regions, explore, but the main quest stays in the back of my head as a burden. With FCOM and mods like Enhanced Economy, I got closer and closer to a feeling I like now in Oblivion, that I am not the center of the "Universe", and that there are many other heroes like me in the land. And now with the new version of Vilja that adds the possibility to be a companion for an NPC, its even better to feel free and relaxed in Oblivion.

So, my vision of how this mod would look like would be that you start in another place, not the imperial prison, like some of the mods that already exist, but now the main quest would be started by an NPC, a real NPC, that you would see in the world at different times. And this NPC would solve the main quests at different periods. For example he would clear Kvatch after 20 game days, and finish the final Quest in 300 days for example. And during this time maybe you could hear rumors about what he has done, or even see him, for example at the entrance to Kvatch in day 10 with Iron Armor all over, and meet him in later quests with ebony armor and enchanted weapons, so you could see how he improves. But while he finishes the main quests maybe it would be possible to direct the mod content to you, for example to continue the mod Kvatch Rebuilt, even though he cleared the City.

Anyway, this is my vision, if you have another one post bellow.

I know that many people are busy with their projects, but I hope that someone who shares the same feelings I have about the main quest maybe would do this mod, since I presume that it won't take so much work as other projects.

I like this idea. I would love it if I could still help out in some minor way. Perhaps provide support at certain points, but not be the focus, like you said. Also, I would like the gates to be open for a while so that I could close a few to get the sigil stones and ingredients. I do use a few sigil stones and like to have a good stock of ingredients. I wonder if the timing should be linked to my character's level, even though I'm not involved anymore. If you set a specific time in game days, then it might make it hard for me to get the goodies I want from the gates. However if it was keyed to my level, then I could still have the opportunity to go in and close the gates at certain points. One of the keys for me is being able to get a good supply of fire salts, for example, which are only available for a relatively short window of levels. Frost salts are also an issue.

This is quite a task you're considering! But I definitely like the idea

This is a good idea, but perhaps an overly complex one.

There is a mod that helps alleviate the "main quest burden", though it is yet unreleased and still in development. The mod is called Kvatch Prelude, and you can find it here: http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1042037-wipoblivion-prelude-kvatch/

Basically with it you would be able to avoid the main quest altogether if you so chose, and play as if you're experiencing Cyrodiil before the crisis ever took place. Kvatch would be as it was (with Kvatch Rebuilt compatibility, allowing you to rebuild it anew if u so choose to do the main quest) and Cyrodiil and the emperor would be very much alive and at peace.

Not what u had in mind, but I think it fits the bill nicely. No more amulet to carry around. No more avoiding the Kvatch area. No more feeling guilty about the unfinished Main Quest listing in your quests-in-progress tab.

I was also thinking about that, but helping out the main quest hero would mean more work for whomever would like to start working on this, if anybody will even want to do this. If he will have time it would be great to have some minor quests to help the character that does the main quest. And also what you said about the main quest getting finished according to your level sounds good, but I would prefer a time interval.



Yes, that mod looks nice, but not exactly what I had in mind. I would personally like to see the main quest start, advance and finish, because I like seeing the turmoil caused by the change in the land, just it wouldn't be me who would finish it.

Are you going to make the mod?

As far as Kvatch prelude that is not a new idea - see http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19949 - which uses the KR resources to have Kvatch alive and populated.

I would think that a great idea would be to divorce the concept from an alternate start mod. Thereby allowing it to be used by a greater number of people and avoiding all the extra hassles of compatibility with alt start mods. I would have used the above mod were it not conflicting with mods that I wanted (or at the time thought were required) to start from the beginning.

That is the issue with Alt start mods they can cause grief with mods that expect the tutorial to be there or are initiated with the chargen stages.

So doing it as such the character still meets the Emperor and gets the amulet and then delivers it to Jauffre and the option to cop out because super hero blade master is there to carry on. A fade out a few weeks later and the main quest is over. But getting into having the gates open but someone else closing them - yuck - besides who would want that? I think the whole point about avoiding the main quest is not having to deal with the gates and all that.

Anyway - just a suggestion.

I would but I can't, I don't have the patience or the knowledge to do this. I can't even realize if what I am asking is easy or difficult for a moder, I just know that it is something I would like as a long time player and mod user.

I rather like the idea of giving the player a chance to back out of the main quest at Weynon Priory, or even earlier (give the Amulet to Baurus and wash your hands of the main quest before you even leave the tutorial). Let the blades rescue the emperor's son and save the world ... that is their job, is it not? Besides, why on Earth would a small army of elite soldiers just sit back and trust the fate of the world to an untested, unskilled, and underequipped escaped criminal? Because the emperor had dreams about him or her? I always really disliked that lame handwave.

Though considering how many side quests and mods depend on you being the Hero of Kvatch or the Champion of Cyrodiil to justify your getting involved, a lot of the game wouldn't make much sense anymore if you weren't either of those... hmm, heh, maybe the Real Main Hero could be cloned from your own character, so you getting involved in all those quests could be written off as a case of mistaken identity?

Of course, being able to continue questing while the Blades complete the main quest in real time would be even better, but I'd imagine it would be a nightmare to mod that.

Other than a bunch of house mods and Verona bay bloodlines I'm not familiar with that many mods that require you be the savior. Maybe malevolent or Servant of the Dawn.

Even bg's integration which does have being the main hero as the key to the resolution to a few quests does not require it for any single one giving other options. Am I just unaware of the great many?

I can think of more issues with alternate starts than alternate endings.

On second thought, I was exaggerating. I can't think any more than you mentioned, but I have this nagging feeling that I'm forgetting a few big ones, having not played any epic quest mods in a long while. But even so, that's still more than a few great mods that wouldn't make any sense anymore. My suggestions of having the player "coincidentally" look just like the real hero was just a silly handwave to solve the issue without any extra work, and possibly a hook for some unique quests. Would be interesting to have the real hero come looking for the jerk that's been impersonating him/her, no?

I can't say much about alternate start mods as I don't use any, but most of them work by delaying the main quest until you get arrested in the Imperial City, right? For those ones, at least, it should be pretty easy to make them compatible if you delay the option to fob the main quest off on someone else until after you've gotten arrested and started the main quest. It would be inconvenient to have to go through the tutorial dungeon to get the ball rolling, but at least you wouldn't have to do it all yourself.

Now having the main quest complete itself without you ever even seeing the emperor or his Amulet, yeah, that would require patches.

Yes, this idea sounds good too, with the Blades solving the problems, but I personally would like a hero.

So, is there any moder out there at least a little interested in doing a mod of this kind?