Morrowind talk:NPC Classes

Questions

It seems classes are needed by the game only to determine which skills will be the most important to a class. But that does seem overly redundant, since all (NPCs)classes can be reduced to fighter, mage, thief and (for NPCs) Merchant (whatever it is he trades in). With PC classes it makes more sense since players actually use most of their skills and not just one or two like many NPCs. The "roleplaying" reason is probably "So the NPC has something different to say in his dialog. But that's not true. Already there are classes that use teh dialog of another. Just take a look at all the "service" classes - i.e. Monk Service, Mage Service, Thief Service etc. None of those will tell you their class is Monk Service, only Monk.

Why are there (so many)classes for NPCs? Is it just because it is easier to program that way (dialog editor)? On the other hand why are those NPC only classes? True, some don't make any sense or just don't work in the game (like playing an Ordinator, Shipmaster, or Guild Guide) but most work just as well as the normal classes - and after all, with the custom class feature you could build those (NPC) classes anyway.

What is the reason for distinguishing between i.e. Monk and Monk Service, Priest and Priest Service class? Is it again just for easier reference in the editor? But there are some classes where IIRC there are no such distinction (such as Smith) and some where the distinction seems idiotic (such as Trader and Trader Service).

Just some thoughts... -Meisterdieb 13:24, 28 December 2008 (EST)

The varied classes makes it harder to set up dialogue, but then the varied dialogues and skills are there for easy access when one wants to create a new NPC. The classes are just templates for the developers to use. There are NPC only classes because it doesn't fit the story for the player to be a wise woman or shipmaster. I'm not sure why there is a trader and a trader service, but can only surmise that somewhere along the line when they were developing classes, they needed a distinction. Perhaps the AI packages are linked to class as well. Lukish_ Tlk Cnt 20:45, 28 December 2008 (EST)

"My Trade" Descriptions

Whenever you ask an NPC about "my trade", they give you a different description based on their class. I noticed that none of these are recorded in the wiki, so I took the liberty of recording a few of them--if we can get them all (or most of them), then they'd be a fine addition to the class page(s):

Agent - "I'm an agent. I work for a House, or a company, or the state, and I do things that need doing. Mostly I handle matters in the business or diplomatic line, things that require mercantile skills, or the arts of speechcraft. I trade in knowledge -- hard facts and rumors. Knowledge is power, as they say. And sometimes I do other sorts of things. Things I can't talk about."

Alchemist - "I'm an alchemist. Alchemy is the process of refining and preserving the magical properties hidden in natural and supernatural ingredients. I sell potions. I also sell the various kinds of apparatuses alchemists need to make potions, and buy and sell ingredients."

Apothecary - "I'm an apothecary. I brew and sell potions to heal wounds, restore bodily and mental attributes, and cure diseases. I also buy and sell ingredients."

Assassin - "I'm an assassin. Killing is my profession. I am discrete, efficient, and reliable. In Morrowind, the assassin's trade is an ancient and honorable profession, restricted by a rigid code of conduct, and operating strictly within the law. Because I am discreet, I prefer short blades for swift, close-and personal work, while the marksman weapons like throwing stars and throwing knives are more suitable for stealth and surprise. I charge fair prices to train apprentices in the assassin's skills."

Barbarian - "I'm a barbarian, and proud of it. I like the wilderness, and know how to live comfortably off the land. I know the various creatures of the wild, how to hunt them, what bits are good to eat, and what bits the city-folk will pay for. I know weapons and armor, and how to stay healthy, so I can play soldier for pay. But I hate taking orders, so I rather live by hunting."

Caravaner - "I'm a caravaner. I can transport you by silt strider to various destinations for a modest fee."

Commoner - "I am a commoner. I do whatever needs doing -- cooking, cleaning, building, baking, making, breaking. And, by your accent, I can tell YOU are an outlander. Since you're new to these parts, perhaps you'd like me to share a little local lore."

Crusader - "I'm what they call a crusader. Crusaders used to be warriors in service to a cult, but now any heavily armed warrior with a good cause calls himself a crusader. My good cause is hunting down necromancers and witches and bandits and other malefactors. And I do well by doing good -- salvage on arms, armor, and goods taken by from malefactors earns me a good living. I'm tough and strong, so I wear heavy armor and use blunt weapons. And I won't fight with worn weapons or worn armor, so I'm my own armorer."

Enchanter - "I am an enchanter. I enchant things, and sell them. I have scrolls, which are cheap, but only work once, and enchanted items, which work over and over again, but which are NOT cheap. I also make my enchanter's lab available to those that want to enchant items, but who can't afford the expense of building and maintaining a lab. I charge for the service, of course, but you must provide the items, soul gems, and magic effects. I also buy and sell enchanted weapons, enchanted armor and enchanted clothing."

Farmer - "I am a farmer. I grow crops, and raise animals for food, and gather animal products and vegetable products from the land for my own use or for sale at the markets."

Guild Guide - "I'm a guild guide. I can teleport you to various destinations for a modest fee."

Herder - "I am a netch herder. That is, when I'm working. Right now, I'm not working. And that's fine with me."

Mage - "I am a mage. My study is the destruction and alteration of the visible and invisible world. I study magic for its pure and intellectual challenge and rewards, but I am paid in gold for the practical applications of my knowledge. I defend myself with spells of the College of Destruction, and leap, swim, and levitate with the spells of the College of Alteration. I sell spells, and I am a spellmaker who creates spells to your specifications. I can also teach you my skills, for a fee."

Monk - "I am a monk. In mind and spirit, I am a student of the hidden mysteries, of the unseen world that lies behind the objects and ideas of everyday life. In body, I am a student of the ancient martial arts, patterned on the Rain-of-Sand fighting styles of Elsweyr. I pursue hand-to-hand and unarmored self-defense, because what you don't have, you cannot lose. I also train with the blunt weapons called staves, because even the poorest peasant can own a staff. To earn my keep, I train others in my skills."

Nightblade - "I am a nightblade. Blending the disciplines of the agent and wizard, I move unseen and undetected, foil locks and traps, and teleport to safety when threatened, or strike like a viper from ambush. The College of Illusion hides me and fuddles or pacifies my opponents. The college of mysticism detects my object, reflects and dispels enemy spells, and makes good my escape. I sell spells, and I am a spellmaker who creates spells to your specifications. I can also teach you my skills, for a fee."

Pauper - "I am a pauper, one of the humble smallfolk. I make my way in the world as best I can, laboring in the fields, kitchens, and factories of lords and merchants. When times are good, I live well enough by my own work. When times are hard, I must hope for the charity of the nobles and wealthy merchants."

Priest (Imperial Cult) - "I am a priest of the Imperial cult. My role is advocate to the gods on behalf of our cult members. The Imperial cult provides certain benefits for its members at our shrines."

Priest (Temple) - "I am a priest of the Tribunal Temple, an intercessor between Almsivi and their worshippers, caretaker of the temple and shrines, and councilor and educator for the faithful and layman. I can tell you about the Temple, the Daedra, the saints, and the ancestors. I can explain about pilgrimages, and why we hate necromancy. I can also tell you something about other cults."

Publican - "I am a publican. I have food, to buy, or beds for lodgers. I also know the neighborhood, and can share the local lore, or, if you prefer, I can give you a little Morrowind lore. I also am likely to have heard the latest rumors, and am happy to share them with you in the spirit of fellowship."

Rogue - "I'm a lovable rogue, a silver-tounged devil with a taste for the better things in life. But lovable as I am, some people get upset with me, and so I must fight -- purely in self defense, you understand. I like light armor and short blades for self-defense; heavy armor and heavy weapons just tire you out. But I train with various different weapons types and armor types, so I can improvise when the situation demands it."

Savant - "I am a savant. I am a man/woman of wide learning and cosmopolitan tastes, a well-traveled man/woman, educated, refined in manner, able to converse on various topics with authority, and a man/woman ever ready to defend his/her honor, and the honor of my companions. In short, you see before you a gentleman/gentlewoman. I can discourse upon history, speechcraft, language and customs. And for a fee, I offer training that will permit you to share a few of my many virtues."

Scout - "I'm a scout. I know places, people, plants, paths, wind, and weather. I serve as guide for travelers and traders, or work as advance guard and pathfinder for expeditions. I know the geography of Vvardenfell, and the various geographic regions. My best defense is stealth, sneaking past trouble, but I can fight bow or blade, in various armor styles, when the job requires it."

Slave - "I am a slave, sera. I serve my owner and master as commanded. I clean, prepare food, and fetch and carry, do the shopping and marketing, and do other tasks too tiresome or menial for my master."

Smith - "I am a smith. I make, sell and repair weapons and armor. I can tell you about the basic armor styles and weapon types. I can also tell you how to take care of worn weapons and worn armor, and sell you the armorer tools you need. I also repair weapons and armor, for a fee.

Sorcerer - "I am a sorcerer. Through my mastery of special disciplines of the College of Conjuration, and my private studies of the Outer Realms and their Powers and Principalities, I have learned to summon and command their denizens to do my bidding. I do these things for coin, or to suit my own interests. I also am an enchanter, enchanting items for my own use and for the use of others. My skill with enchantments also makes me more efficient in using enchanted items that I collect on my research expeditions."

Witchhunter - "I am a witchhunter. I dedicate body and soul to the destruction of profane magics. Most foul are necromancers, who defile the body and spirits of the sacred dead. Equally abominable are the evil Daedra worshippers. The Daedra Lords delight in the torment and corruption of mortals, and they reward followers with terrible powers always used for evil purposes. In employing the tools of the enemy -- the spells of the College of Conjuration -- I risk contamination, but fire must be fought with fire."

References (screenshots on Steam)

Vellup (talk) 09:46, 9 August 2014 (GMT)

I think this should be put here. I just don't see where it could really go without just looking "tacked on". ~ Ad intellige ^(talk) 13:25, 9 August 2014 (GMT)

It doesn't look as messy if the descriptions are added separately to each class. I'm thinking it could look something like this:

===Alchemist===

• These characters sell potions and alchemy equipment.
• Specialization: Magic
• Attributes: Intelligence, Luck
• Trade Description: I'm an alchemist. Alchemy is the process of refining and preserving the magical properties hidden in natural and supernatural ingredients. I sell potions. I also sell the various kinds of apparatuses alchemists need to make potions, and buy and sell ingredients.

• Major Skills:

 Alchemy

 Alteration

 Conjuration

 Enchant

 Mysticism

I just think more of them need to be recorded before the class pages are updated to keep the pages consistent. Note that "Trade Descriptions" can be changed to something else. I just used that label as an example here. Or if that's still too messy, they could actually just replace the wiki descriptions ("These characters sell potions and alchemy equipment"), since those were just added by the wiki editors (as opposed to being found in the game).

Vellup (talk) 17:40, 9 August 2014 (GMT)

[Moved out of edits to original post.] – Robin Hood ^(talk)

"Acrobat" - "I'm an acrobat. As an entertainer, my job is to amaze and amuse my patrons. But in my more discrete vocation as a second-story man and connoisseur of treasures and secrets, my job is to come and go without attracting notice, and to effectively discourage pursuit when I am noticed. Running, swinming, or leaping, my art is to leave my less-agile, less-swift pursuit behind.

"Archer" - "I'm an archer. I'm the kind of fighter who hates getting hurt, so I ambush with my marksman weapons from a distance, then run like crazy when I can, and fight with long blades or spears when I must. I prefer spears because they're longer, and I keep farther from things trying to hurt me. If that sounds cowardly to you, you better stick with tin suits and fat axes.

"Mabrigash" - We are the Ashlander witch-warriors, women who defy the man's rules of behavior for women, mastering the man's weapons of war and the sorcerer's powerful magics. Craven men whine that we steal their vital essences to feed our dark purposes. But men are fools and cowards. Only women can understand the secrets of the ghost snake and its hidden mysteries that make men tremble like maidens. — Unsigned comment by 151.47.30.241 (talk) at 15:24 on 18 January 2021

Trader and Trader Service

The article (understandably) doesn't make distinction between Class and Class Service classes, such as Priest/Priest Service, Thief/Thief Service. I agree with this because 99% of the time there is no difference. I have noticed, though, that the Trader and Trader Service classes are ever so slightly different. Traders have Light Armor as a minor skill, and this is what the article lists. Trader Service, however, has Acrobatics in its place. Do you think it's worth noting this in the article? Maybe not as an entire entry, maybe just as a note or something in the Trader entry. It's such a minor thing, but this means many Trader Service NPCs have no armor skill beyond Unarmored. A person might mistakenly think Clagius Clanler or Arrille or any NPC whose class links to Trader has skill in Light Armor. But maybe this is such a minor thing that it doesn't matter.--Croup shrunk (talk) 18:08, 31 March 2019 (UTC)