This is awesome - so I'm not the only one who feels this way. I'm very impressed by the folks who operate with a moral code. I can't believe it would be too hard for Bethesda to add rewards for a PC that behaves this way. I mean, look how easy it is to get in good with a vendor! Do one or two quests and help them resolve some issue or acquire some item, spend some money in their shop and voila! free whatevers as long as you like. How hard is that to program for other behavior? Don't kill giants and mammoths and after a certain period, they'll ... I dunno, supply you with animal pelts and an occasional toe.

Regardless, I'm very encouraged by you folks, makes me enjoy playing even more.

I think there was going to be possible friendly interaction with giants, but it got cut.

I've never killed a mammoth, and only killed the specific giants that the bounties send you for, as they've gone hostile and are a threat. It's the one thing I turn on the floating quest arrow for, so I can see which giant is the one that will update the quest.

For all alchemy ingredients that come from 'good' creatures I just buy them and RP that they came from creatures that died naturally. Some are frustratingly difficult to get this way, like Bear Claws and the 2 ingredients from Sabre Cats, but Giant Toes are easy enough to purchase.

Tried to talk to a giant once, he sent me on a one way trip to Masser.

Then I found out about the mammoths and their grand souls.

Sorry OP, I can't in good faith take down every fox, deer and goat I come across and leave the mammoths alone. If it makes you feel any better, I use every part of the animal, from its soul to its tusks.

I can't come up with a good solution to collecting ingredients. I appreciate your roleplay strategy but Alchemy is really easy to improve and become overpowered. Stuff that grows is not too difficult (mostly - isn't canis root just impossible to spot in the wild?) but what about the ingredients from creatures? Killing Falmer and Hagravens is fine, but bears, sabre cats, wolves? Not cool, especially because you can generally out run them.

My current PC has three, free, sources of alchemical ingredients: Angela's Aromatics, the college at Winterhold, and Wylandria in Riftin. With the exception of giant's toes, I think I'm going to stop buying ingredients. Either the PC finds it or he gets it from these sources otherwise I'll consider it unavailable. By the way, if you want a lifetime supply of chaurus eggs, try the Frostflow Lighthouse - it's ridiculous.

Do what you gotta do, man. No judgements here. I'm just explaining my perspective and enjoying the fact that others share it.

The best part of this statement is it can be interpreted not just one, but TWO ways.

1) Send you into orbit - Obvious

2) Their space program reads "If they invade my personal space, they die!" - Not so obvious

I don't hunt animals of any sort because I can't justify killing something for a pound of meat. 50 pounds, 100 pounds, 1,000 pounds in the case of a mammoth... yeah, I can live with that.

And I try to only kill the people I'm paid to kill. Sneak past 20 bandits, ice the leader, and leave unseen. It's bad business to kill for free. This usually applies to giants as well.

Kynes Piece shout, when you are able to, pacifies animals so you don't need to kill them, it's not my type of game-play to kill animals anyway. Giants, we leave each other alone, but always buy their toes........... from the Alchemist.

I got your back. I don't mix and use potions and I don't wear enchanted gear, so the giants and mammoths are safe in my game.

However, if a giant hits on me after taking down a dragon, it's toast.

PS: their chests are fair game. Peaceful or not, I'm looting those bad boys!

why would I?

Use animal allegiance on the mammoths. They will fight for you. Giants usually don't have a chance. That is if you are not bothered by killing a giant

Giants tend to be aggressive when it comes to territory. Before I knew any better, I had one try to kill me when I tried thanking it for saving me from a dragon.

So I just kill them.