So, do you want unkillable essential NPCs?

No, but we're getting them.

Yea flagged as essential and killable. the fact that they were un killable in oblivion made me feel that my freedom was being harmed :angry:

No, make it like Fallout NV.

It'd be perfect if they were killable, but it would pop up and tell you that you failed the main quest, or whatever you failed. Kinda like... Morrowind. New Vegas did it too, and it doesn't cause any major quest problems.

Unkillable is unreal. :glare:

I only want important NPCs to be killable by me, and me alone.

Well, I voted for the third choice. Personally, I don't see it harming the game for RPers while also letting other players know that they should not kill this NPC if they want to finish the game.

So is magic.

Essentials are essential to the story - that's why you don't get to kill 'em, simple.

I liked the fact in Morrowind that you could challenge Divayth Fyr. He was so cool... mmm rare Daedric armor, yummy.
Challenging Vivec was even cooler.

I'm a good person anyway so I only challenged them to test my skills, then reloaded quickly, of course
If they are essential and killable, there should be some kind of immersive notice afterwards, like in Morrowind.

I always thought it was a nice feature in Morrowind if you killed a main character, the message would pop up (You can no longer complete the main quest correctly) or something to that effect. Realistically though, I probably won't kill essential NPCs, even if I could anyways. At least not until the main quest line is over.

Yeah, nothing like getting into a fight with an essential, it really blows the immersion.

I want Essential NPC's but for them to have a flag option (toggled in option bar) and for them to be killable because if i want to kill someone they should just.. die not get up and walk around after taking 20 to the face from a war hammer!

The system needs to change a bit. I think it shouldn't be possible for random creatures to kill NPCs travelling on the road, often Oblivion NPCs who travelled between cities got themselves killed that way. Either that, or the main roads need to be safer, or the NPCs should have guard escorts.

Quest essential NPCs should definitely not be killable by accident. Perhaps a mixed system of Oblivion and Gothic would work. Essential NPCs are knocked unconscious when their health reaches 0, and the player has the ability to do a killing move on the unconscious NPC to finish him off. Other NPCs and creatures wouldn't be able to do this. That way you can have all essential NPCs killable without the problems of them getting themselves killed.

Definitely the way New Vegas (and to a lesser extent Morrowind) handled NPCs.

Or if you kill an essential character your "choice" turn in to a consequence or whatever

No.

I'd like it as an option. In fact I would flag characters essential at times with the console so they wouldn't run off and die, such as the Unicorn.

You dont have the right definition of Realism. In the setting of The Elder Scrolls magic is Real and in this world it IS Realistic. The fact that people are invincible because they are related to a quest is not realistic.

For the main story let them be immortal, but for every other bloody quest I want to be able to kill... .-.

Make it like Morrowind where we get a creepy message when we kill somebody needed for the main quest

I like the third option best, so it doesn't infringe on your freedom too much.

If TES advertises itself as 'free-form', then option 3 is the only one that makes sense and justice to all: Those who do not want them to be killed learn as soon as they accidentally kill them (and it is possible to script them so they won't get in the midst of a Daedra infested revolution).

I was rp'ing a Shadow Assassin with some understandable grudge on the Empire an, rulers and nobility in general, and one of her goals was to kill the main characters and destabelise the Empire, which was moot, since essentials could not be killed.

I'm quite fine with ( a ) an indicator, either by cursor or text, labeling a character as essential to the main plotline and perhaps for guilds too; ( B ) a message stating that I killed a quest-essential character when it happens; and/or ( c ) buffed vitals for these essential characters, making them tough as nails within reason. Or other options I haven't yet considered. And there's other ways to deal with them, too, like secreting them away behind uber-challenging locked doors until the time comes you're supposed to meet them.

I very strongly disliked the essential NPCs of Oblivion. I also am not in favor of flags. I don't want to come across some NPC early in the game and see they are flagged, but not currently have any quests relating to them. That'd be a bit of a spoiler.
Besides, assuming the NPCs don't go around killing each other, the only character in the game who would be killing and essential NPCs is the player. And that's entirely preventable, if you are wanting to beat the MQ or any quests, don't go on a killing rampage prior to doing so I know for myself I did kill one or two ppl in Morrowind and had to reload as I had cut the thread or w.e lol. But it was great for replaying the game with new characters who didn't need so-and-so alive because I had no intention of doing the MQ with this particular character.