Race Change In Game

[MasterCobalt]

So, I'm semi-new to modding, and I'm trying something that I haven't seen before.  I want to make a potion/quest/food/something that will change the race of a character permanently.  I'm not sure how best to do it.  I currently want it to be set as going from Khajiit to a custom race (Ohmes-Raht, for those that are curious), but if I could do it "from any race to any race" then that could work too, and would be better as a mod that other people might want.  I want it to be able to work on NPCs as well as the player character, but NPCs are the highest priority.  I want it to work on a specific individual, rather than just changing every one in the game.

 

I feel like it should be possible, based on what I see with vampires and werewolves, but I'm not sure how to do it.  I'm almost sure I'd have to create a new papyrus script for it, which is fine, I just don't know my way around it enough.  (I'm going through multiple tutorials, and am specifically trying to find the script that actually changes a character into a vampire)  I'm going to keep an eye out for any further things I see that can help, but any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Using the SetRace command in console (after clicking on the NPC) I was able to change the race, so I know that it's possible to change the race of an NPC.  One downside, when I closed the game, then reopened and loaded the save game, she didn't have a head anymore.  XD  Glad I saved beforehand.  Another downside, when I use the SetRace command, she is stuck with the default head.  While the default head isn't bad, I have a specific one in mind, and if anyone else uses this mod (it if ever gets to that point), I'm sure they'd appreciate a bit more "customizability".

 

I have a few ideas, one of which is to create a brand new actor with the same name, same factions, same everything, and then just make the potion replace the old actor with the new actor.  However, since we're married, unless I can figure out a way to be married to the new actor as soon as she exists, it would take away from the immersion (which is the reason I don't just create a new actor and place her in game and kill off the one I have now.) and I'd have to take her in and get married again.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

 

[MasterCobalt]

Update:  So I've not been able to find any way to do what I had wanted to do most, so I think I'm going to go with the actor replacement method.  It's allowing me to use a custom head for the NPC, as well as not making her headless when I go back into the game.  The Paradise Halls mod has a way of killing, cloning, and replacing an actor, and I'm going to do some research on it.  However, if anyone has any information on how to do this, it would be greatly appreciated.  At this point, I only need the potion to kill and make one actor disappear, then replace that actor with another.  Please help with this if you can, I've been working on this for over a month now and haven't really gotten any outside assistance.

[DDproductions83]

Uhh you can just do a script on the potion

Not sure exactly never dealth with the potions but there should be a event onsomethingoranotherdrinkme

akactionref.setrace(yourrace)  

 

 

presto?

 

[MasterCobalt]

Right, thank you.  I've been working on doing a script on the potion, I'm just not sure what that script would be, as I'm still brand new to Papyrus.  I can try the akactionref.setrace, and I'll see if that works.  If not, though, I'll need to figure out a way to just do the actor replacement, which will do fine in a pinch.

[DDproductions83]

Lol the actor replacement is like way worse than the racechange as far as scripting

I mean youll need to be all

Actornew.enable()

Xmarker.moveto(actortoreplace)

Actortoreplace.disable()

Actornew.moveto(xmarker)

 

As well as duplicating the actor and placing them in a new cell or something to placehold etc etc etc.. you are opting for more work over less realistically

[MasterCobalt]

Oof, that sounds a lot worse than I thought.  In that case, I'm in a bit of a pickle.  I really want a non-standard head on her, but when I change her race, it gives her the standard head.  And then when I close down the game and restart it, her head is gone.  Do you or anyone else have any idea how to resolve these problems?

[DDproductions83]

Oh ya with a custom race you are correct, ya you are in a pickle, lol

Got nothing for ya there, I learn things as I go and havent had to have that issue yet

[MasterCobalt]

Hm, all right.  I'll have to do a bit more research on this to see what I can do and which route is going to be easiest.  If you come up with any thoughts, or if anyone else has any ideas, please let me know, it'll be much appreciated.  I'll keep everyone updated as I find out more.

[DDproductions83]

Ok once again what are you trying to change, just one persons race but you want it on a trigger right? and a particular reason for the trigger?

Because making a duplicate is actually easy you duplicate them then change race and make them how you want and just init disable them and call on them to enable as you do the effect and disable the original

And they should have any changes you made to the original stay in effect besides armor items on them etc

Just helps if I have a understanding of why and how this should take effect I guess

[MasterCobalt]

Right, totally.  So the reason for it is basically head-canon.  My character is married to an NPC, and I want to have her race change with an in-game/in-world explanation for it.  And since potions exist that can change one's physical appearance (ethereal, primarily), I see no reason that there can't be one that actively changes a character's race.  I have debated running a quest line for it, but first priority is to actually make the NPC change/replace them.  I have a duplicate built (I ended up building it from scratch) and so it's not perfect (for example, I will have to re-marry her, since she's not set as my spouse) but it's something.

[DDproductions83]

Easiest way is a spell honestly, least with my scripting knowledge. And you should have just duplicated whatever NPC it is THEN change the race/appearance, then put them in game, set them as initially disabled. Then poof fire spell, spell script places marker at old one disables old on as it instantly enables new one and places her at the marker.

Easy peasy

 

[ratrace]

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/20394/?

[DDproductions83]

Hes looking to change a NPC not himself

[MasterCobalt]

Awesome, this is great information!  So how would I set the actor as disabled?  Is that something I would have to do for the actor in the Creation Kit, or would it need to be done in game?

[DDproductions83]

Lol you have no idea how the scripting int he game works do you?

You just make a actor property and select the actor you want to disable and for the script line its

actorproperty.disable() 

Which isnt gonna help you if you have no idea how to script in the first place

[MasterCobalt]

Yeah, like I said, I'm brand new to Papyrus.  I'm going through some of the tutorials, but I've got a long way to go.  :\

[DDproductions83]

You could basically make a new spell, or just copy like oakflesh, (I do it all the time you have to copy the effect and spell and redirect the spell to the new effect, make duration only 1 sec or something and add the script to the effect

 

----------------

Event OnEffectStart(Actor akTarget, Actor akCaster)

xmarker1.moveto(actortodisable)

actortodisable.disable()

actortoenable.enable()

actortoenable.moveto(xmarker1)

game.getplayer().removespell(thisspell)

endevent

 

actor property actortodisable auto

actor property actortoenable auto

objectreference property xmarker1 auto

Spell property thisspell auto

 

---------------

 

That will pop those propertys up and you just have to fill the propertys correctly and you can even choose from the obj window with a targeter icon. Fill the thisspell with the spell you are using and pop one shot spell that moves your new actor exactly on top of where the old one is and removes the spell etc. 

 

Easiest way IMO, it's actually how I do most of my spells, I just copy Oakflesh cause I'm lazy, change duration to 1 and then script in whatever I need.