Morrowind Scripting For Dummies 9

Morrowind Scripting for
Dummies
(9th Edition)
A manual for the TES Construction Set Scripting Language by

GhanBuriGhan
Updated by Yacoby and melian
With help and information from the community
1
Table of Contents
Foreword to the ninth edition ............................................................................................. 9
Foreword to eighth edition ............................................................................................... 10
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 11
Using this guide................................................................................................................... 11
What is a script?................................................................................................................. 11
What can scripts do?.......................................................................................................... 12
What scripts can't do: ........................................................................................................ 12
Scripting tutorial...................................................................................................................... 13
Let's get going!.................................................................................................................... 13
The scripting window......................................................................................................... 13
What do we want? .............................................................................................................. 14
Writing a script................................................................................................................... 14
Naming a script: Begin and End ...................................................................................... 14
Detecting an action by the player..................................................................................... 15
Writing text and obtaining decisions from the player ...................................................... 15
How local scripts are executed......................................................................................... 16
Your first bug ................................................................................................................... 19
Putting a spell on the player ............................................................................................. 19
How to learn more................................................................................................................... 22
General Information: Scripts, Commands and Syntax ......................................................... 23
Types of scripts ................................................................................................................... 23
Local scripts ..................................................................................................................... 23
Global scripts.................................................................................................................... 23
Syntax .................................................................................................................................. 25
Beginning and ending scripts ........................................................................................... 25
General syntax for functions: ........................................................................................... 25
General syntax: Commas, parentheses and spaces........................................................... 26
Comments......................................................................................................................... 26
Indentation / using tabstops.............................................................................................. 26
Variables ............................................................................................................................. 27
Types of variables ............................................................................................................ 27
Local variables ................................................................................................................. 28
Global variables................................................................................................................ 29
Referencing variables on other objects and scripts .......................................................... 29
Using variables in functions............................................................................................. 30
Operators / mathematical calculations ............................................................................. 30
Testing conditions............................................................................................................... 31
Use of if… elseif conditions............................................................................................. 31
While conditions .............................................................................................................. 33
Constructing Boolean operations in TES Script .............................................................. 34
2
List of TES-script functions .................................................................................................... 35
Explanation of the format................................................................................................. 35
Working with objects ............................................................................................................... 36
Working with inventory items .......................................................................................... 36
Adding and removing items from the inventory .............................................................. 36
Dropping items to the floor .............................................................................................. 38
Monitoring inventory activities: Adding, dropping items and using soul gems .............. 39
Force-equipping an Item .................................................................................................. 40
Detecting if an item has been equipped ........................................................................... 41
Disabling ability to equip an item .................................................................................... 42
Checking for presence of items in inventory ................................................................... 43
Repairing objects.............................................................................................................. 43
Worn / equipped object information ................................................................................ 43
UsedOnMe function ......................................................................................................... 46
Moving and placing objects............................................................................................... 46
Moving along an objects axis........................................................................................... 46
Moving along the world axis............................................................................................ 47
CellUpdate........................................................................................................................ 48
Setting position (the other way to do movement) ............................................................ 48
Positioning an object in the world or in an interior cell ................................................... 50
Resetting an object to its original position ....................................................................... 51
Placing an item near the PC ............................................................................................. 51
Place items near an object ................................................................................................ 52
Creating new object-references with PlaceItem............................................................... 52
Rotation and angles............................................................................................................ 54
Making an object spin ...................................................................................................... 54
Setting Angles .................................................................................................................. 54
Scale Functions ................................................................................................................... 56
Determining location, relative position and movement .................................................. 58
Detecting if player is indoors or outdoors........................................................................ 58
Determining the players cell ............................................................................................ 58
Distance of one object to another..................................................................................... 59
Determining an objects position and facing..................................................................... 59
Line of Sight..................................................................................................................... 60
Determine whether an Actor is detected by another Actor............................................ 62
Determining when the PC leaves a cell............................................................................ 62
Detect player traveling ..................................................................................................... 63
Triggers for Actors standing on an object........................................................................ 64
Hurting an Actor standing on an object ........................................................................... 65
Object Collision Functions............................................................................................... 65
Checking activation of an item and activating it............................................................. 66
Locking and Unlocking doors or chests ........................................................................... 69
Animating objects............................................................................................................... 69
Enabling and disabling objects ......................................................................................... 71
Deleting a reference completely....................................................................................... 72
Don’t save changes to an object ........................................................................................ 74
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Scripting NPC's: AI and Movement ....................................................................................... 75
Make an NPC walk to a new location............................................................................... 75
Checking whether an NPC has performed his movement................................................ 75
Make an Actor turn or face a certain direction............................................................... 77
Define random Actor movement....................................................................................... 77
Making Actors activate objects......................................................................................... 79
Following and Escorting .................................................................................................... 80
Checking which AI package is currently executed ......................................................... 81
Forcing sneak movement ................................................................................................... 83
Forcing running and jumping: Tribunal NPC Movement Functions........................... 85
Detecting players action: running, jumping, sneaking? ................................................. 86
Detect combat readiness .................................................................................................... 87
Making someone fall .......................................................................................................... 87
Equipment sharing and other companion functions....................................................... 88
Race, Faction and Rank.......................................................................................................... 90
Determining Race............................................................................................................... 90
Determining the PC's Faction status:............................................................................... 90
Modifying faction standing and reaction ......................................................................... 91
Determining and changing reputation and disposition..................................................... 93
Werewolf-specific functions .............................................................................................. 94
Set the werewolf attributes............................................................................................... 94
Change the color of Secunda............................................................................................ 94
Determine how many kills a werewolf has ...................................................................... 94
Check to see if the creature is in werewolf form.............................................................. 95
Change to a werewolf....................................................................................................... 95
Special werewolf global variables.................................................................................... 96
Text and Dialogue ................................................................................................................... 97
Brief dialogue how-to ......................................................................................................... 97
The concept of MW dialogue........................................................................................... 97
How dialogue works......................................................................................................... 98
A few golden rules ......................................................................................................... 101
Dialogue 101 .................................................................................................................. 101
Dialogue-related functions............................................................................................... 103
Displaying messages ...................................................................................................... 103
Displaying variables and text defines in a message box ................................................ 105
Adding a dialogue topic ................................................................................................. 106
Initiating and ending dialogue........................................................................................ 107
Allowing forced Dialogue with Werewolf player (Bloodmoon) ................................... 108
Multiple choice – asking questions ................................................................................ 109
Adding to the journal and testing journal entries ........................................................... 110
Special dialogue-only functions ..................................................................................... 111
Changing the Hello setting............................................................................................. 112
Useful dialogue variables ............................................................................................... 112
4
Changing and testing Skills, Attributes, and other Stats ..................................................... 113
Get, Set, and Modify stats - general remarks ................................................................ 113
Determining and changing Actor and player stats: ...................................................... 114
Determining and changing Attributes: ........................................................................... 114
Determining and changing Health, Magicka, Fatigue: .................................................. 114
Determining and changing Skills: .................................................................................. 115
Determining and changing Level ................................................................................... 115
GetStat, ModStat and SetStat: A concerned modder’s guide. - Galsiah ........................ 116
Combat ................................................................................................................................... 120
Initiating and ending combat .......................................................................................... 120
Detecting Attack ............................................................................................................... 120
Combat related Get/Mod/Set AI functions: Fight, Flee, Alarm .................................. 122
Keeping track of kills and knockouts ............................................................................. 123
Resurrecting a dead Actor............................................................................................... 125
Crime...................................................................................................................................... 126
Determining and changing Crime Level ........................................................................ 126
Jailing the PC.................................................................................................................... 126
Clearing the PC of crime ................................................................................................. 126
Detecting crime................................................................................................................. 126
Useful global variables ..................................................................................................... 128
Magic ..................................................................................................................................... 129
Limiting the use of teleport ............................................................................................. 129
Limiting the use of levitation........................................................................................... 130
Checking and managing souls and soulgems................................................................. 131
Adding and removing spells and cursing ....................................................................... 133
Casting spells .................................................................................................................... 134
Managing and testing for spells ..................................................................................... 135
Managing and testing spell effects ................................................................................. 136
Testing disease ............................................................................................................... 137
Explosion ........................................................................................................................... 138
Magic Get/Mod/Set effects functions: ............................................................................ 138
Sound ..................................................................................................................................... 140
Make Actors speak an audio file..................................................................................... 140
Playing music .................................................................................................................... 140
Playing sounds .................................................................................................................. 141
Controlling sound........................................................................................................... 141
Sound file formats .......................................................................................................... 142
Keeping track of time ............................................................................................................ 143
Timer ................................................................................................................................. 143
5
Morrowind's time related global variables.................................................................... 143
Keeping track of days passed ......................................................................................... 144
Moon phases................................................................................................................... 144
Weather.................................................................................................................................. 146
Changing weather ............................................................................................................ 146
Changing weather settings for a region.......................................................................... 146
Determining current weather.......................................................................................... 147
Detecting wind speed........................................................................................................ 147
Player sleeping .................................................................................................................. 148
Enabling and disabling player control and interface.................................................... 149
Disable player control functions .................................................................................... 149
Enable player control functions...................................................................................... 149
Check player control status ............................................................................................ 150
Force first or third person view ...................................................................................... 150
Functions for character generation menus ..................................................................... 150
Determining if player has menus open........................................................................... 151
Using MenuTest to open and close menus ..................................................................... 152
Miscellaneous functions and variables ................................................................................ 153
Breaking of script processing .......................................................................................... 153
Controlling global scripts ................................................................................................ 153
Fading the screen in and out ........................................................................................... 154
Adding a location to the map .......................................................................................... 154
Assigning random values to variables ............................................................................ 154
Playing videos ................................................................................................................... 155
Levelled List functions ..................................................................................................... 156
Square root........................................................................................................................ 157
Water Level Functions..................................................................................................... 157
Tips and tricks ....................................................................................................................... 160
Little helpers: Text search, copy, paste .......................................................................... 160
Alternative scripting editors............................................................................................ 160
Script Extenders ............................................................................................................... 161
Script with style for safer scripting ................................................................................ 162
Cleaning up your mod...................................................................................................... 163
On References Persist ...................................................................................................... 165
The "72-Hours Bug": A Brief Explanation ................................................................... 165
Limits of the Script Editor............................................................................................... 166
Pitfalls................................................................................................................................ 167
Saving CPU time............................................................................................................... 168
6
Targeted scripts: running "global" scripts tied to an object ....................................... 170
Detecting when the player does a load from saved game: ............................................ 171
Uses of the CharGenState variable - Disabling saving and menus.............................. 173
Detecting use of scrolls or books ..................................................................................... 174
Making Actors switch between weapons........................................................................ 176
Making NPCs switch between spell "sets" .................................................................... 177
Making Actors lie down................................................................................................... 177
Scripted teleporting.......................................................................................................... 181
Interaction between mods................................................................................................ 183
Safely starting global scripts- avoiding the main script................................................ 184
Use sound to detect events ............................................................................................... 185
Large battles ..................................................................................................................... 185
A guide to making ridable objects .................................................................................. 186
Selecting objects............................................................................................................. 186
Creating/Deleting objects............................................................................................... 186
Falling off from objects.................................................................................................. 187
Collision detection.......................................................................................................... 188
Savegame issue .............................................................................................................. 188
Trigonometry script - fast sine and cosine ..................................................................... 189
Mannequins....................................................................................................................... 198
Is she looking at me? ........................................................................................................ 201
Cinematic sequence .......................................................................................................... 203
Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................... 204
General hints..................................................................................................................... 204
The Console....................................................................................................................... 204
Using the Console to check variables: ........................................................................... 204
Using the Console to quickly test scripts: ...................................................................... 204
Error messages, malfunctions and common causes ...................................................... 205
In the editor .................................................................................................................... 205
In game error messages:................................................................................................. 205
Appendix ................................................................................................................................ 208
New functions that come with TRIBUNAL ................................................................... 208
Changes / fixes to Morrowind scripting:........................................................................ 208
Index of new Tribunal Script Functions:........................................................................ 208
New functions that come with BLOODMOON............................................................. 209
Index of new Bloodmoon Script Functions and variables: ............................................ 209
Previously undocumented functions............................................................................... 210
Variable-type functions: .................................................................................................. 211
Local variables that get set by the game: ....................................................................... 211
Local variables that you can set as a flag:...................................................................... 211
7
Special Globals............................................................................................................... 211
Game units:....................................................................................................................... 213
Derived attribute calculations:........................................................................................ 213
Magic Effect List .............................................................................................................. 215
List of console commands ................................................................................................ 216
Game Settings ................................................................................................................... 219
Index ...................................................................................................................................... 226
8
Foreword to the ninth edition
Another update, this time by more than one person, now you can get really confused when it
mentions that “I” did something or found something *grins*. Although this update was
intended as a bugfix, a huge amount of new information has been added - since much of it
concerns the bugs and pitfalls of the scripting language that have been discovered since
version 8, you will find changes and additions scattered throughout.
I have also added a couple more functions that were missing from the last version, and there is
a small section on script extenders to give a brief overview of what can be done with each
which should hopefully prove informative to anyone wanting to know more about what they
do. Galsiah proveded a large section on the failings of get/mod/set stat; there is a lot more info
on dialog and how it works, which should be very useful; a short explanation of float values
and how they work has been added; some sections have been rearranged for clarity; and I
think I've removed all the en dashes and typographer's quotes from code blocks, so it should
be safe to copy-paste most of the example scripts now.
Special thanks go to GhanBuriGhan, who gave me permission to update his indispensable

guide. Also thanks to Dave Humphrey for his permission to use the information on UESP
wiki, and everyone who contributed to that wiki. I would like to thank exclusiveor77,
DinkumThinkum, Björn, abot, Galsiah, Casey Tucker, cyran0 and JOG for the huge amount
of information they gave me on the forums.
However without the help of the rest of community, everyone who collected all the
information, posted their experiences, this guide would have never happened.
Yacoby and melian
9
Foreword to eighth edition
Oh no, MSFD updates again! Quite a few changes this time. I have continued to reorder
functions to achieve a more consistent classification. In the course of this restructuring of the
text, Tribunal and Bloodmoon functions are now also sorted among the rest of the functions
(but clearly marked), and the same applies for Get/Set/ModStat type functions - the ones that
affect magic are now in the Magic section, the ones that affect combat are in the combat
chapter, and so on. I reformatted all the function entries for better visibility. There are also a
good number of corrections and additions: check out the corrected list of idles in AIWander,
more detailed info on functions such as OnDeath, OnActivate, or the revelation that some
functions, like PositionCell use a different unit for the angle setting (minutes instead of
degrees). There is a lot of interesting new detail on the intricacies of RemoveItem,
OnPCEquip, and SkipEquip. Throughout, I have added a couple more sample scripts. I have
assembled a tips list on Dialogue from the information from a once-pinned thread on the
official forums. To make your mod-testing easier, I now have a much more complete list of
console commands, and you may find that some of these may actually be useful script
functions as well. A nice collection of new tips and tricks have also been added, e.g. on how
to detect savegame loading, alternative script editors, a fast sine and cosine calculator and
more.
I would like to mention something here, that has become more and more evident in recent
discussions. Apparently the different versions of the game (Morrowind, the expansions,
various updates, European/American versions), have quite a number of functional differences
with respect to scripting. This may explain a lot of the conflicting information I get about
some functions. Some functions actually seem to have lost functionality in later versions of
the game, some regained functionality, etc. In the absence of a full change log by Bethesda it
is unfortunately impossible to really give a final verdict in many of these cases.
Again I can only stress that this guide would never have become what it is without the help
and support of the modding community. This time, I would like to say special thanks to
Nigedo, DinkumThinkum, ManaUser, ThePal, Erstam, JDGBOLT, Klinn, and MentalElf, for
their tireless help in finding and solving many errors or inconsistencies in the last edition, or
sharing scripts and information with me. Thanks also to Emma, for all the info she put into
that dialogue thread on the forums.
GhanBuriGhan
Disclaimer & Copyright Statment: The Elder Scrolls, Morrowind, Daggerfall, Arena, Tribunal, Bloodmoon the TES
Construction Set etc. are property of Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company. The authors and editors of this manual
make no claims to these names and trademarks. In all other respects I (GhanBuriGhan) maintain the copyright for this
document. This guide is fully unofficial and in no way am I, any other authors or editors, or Bethesda responsible for any
damages or loss of data, patience, hair, or sanity inflicted through the use of this manual. You can freely distribute this
document as long as you keep it intact and unmodified.
If you find older versions of this document on the web for download, please inform the
webmaster about the new version.
10
Introduction
Using this guide.
If you are new to scripting, you should probably start by reading this introduction and
especially do the tutorial. It is my best attempt at explaining scripts, what they do, and how to
program one, in simple terms.
Secondly this is a manual, a reference, a handbook. The bulk of this document is a

documentation of the available functions. This part is not written for the beginner, you are
expected to know the basics of scripting already. I have however tried to provide a lot more
info, explanations and sample scripts than the original helpfile, to make it easier to use these
functions correctly in your scripts. Use the index at the end of the document to find info on a
specific function, or the table of contents to find functions related to a general area of interest.
If you run into errors, the Troubleshooting section may help you a bit. In the Appendix you
find lists that may also come in handy as a reference.
Thirdly, as an advanced scripter you may find the Tips and Tricks section interesting that
covers both basic advice and advanced scripting techniques.
Finally a word of advice: don't take what's written here as gospel. The info in this guide
represents the best of my knowledge and forum wisdom, but that doesn't mean that there
aren’t mistakes and oversights, etc. E.g. if I write that a function doesn't take variables as
arguments it probably doesn't – but if it is important for your mod, by all means try anyway. It
may have changed with a patch or maybe simply nobody checked before. So run a test, and if
you find something new, let me know, and I will add the info in a possible future update.
What is a script?
Scripts are basically pieces of code written in a special scripting language (I will call it TES
script from here on). These little "programs" will run during the game and can perform certain
things in the game, lots of things actually: Trigger events, control time and place, make things
and creatures vanish, appear or move, give messages to the player, change stats, even change
the weather – the possibilities are great.
TES Script is a unique scripting language, it is not used outside the TES Construction Set. As
a scripting language it has certain limitations compared to a "real" programming language,
like, e.g. C++:
1. The scope of TES Script is limited– don’t expect to be able to program anything that is
not already in the game in one way or another – which is not to say you can not
achieve new and unusual things with scripting! But you can’t use TES script to, say,
program a word processor.
2. TES Script is also not an SDK (software development kit) that lets you actually work
with and change (parts of) the games source code. That’s why you can’t use TES
script to, for example, add new weather-effects. Those are hardcoded and you would
need to change the actual game .exe to do that.
3. It’s an interpreted language not a compiled one – the code needs a separate program
(in this case Morrowind) to run – unlike compiled code that could be run by itself, like
an .exe application.
11
What can scripts do?
Scripts for Morrowind are a way to have the game dynamically react to what the player does
in the game world. You can use scripts to manage complex quests. You can use scripts to
create custom items that perform actions beyond what regular enchantments could. You can
use scripts to create traps. You can use scripts to change NPC or creature behavior.
Remember the character creation in Morrowind? It’s basically controlled by a number of
scripts. Seen Fargoth sneak around to his stash in Seyda Neen? That’s a script directing his
moves. Freed any slaves? That also is handled by a script. So the short answer to the question
is: a lot.
What scripts can't do:

The TES script language is limited in its capabilities – there are only so many functions that
you can use and sometimes the possible uses are not all that you may wish them to be. In fact
some functions are buggy or plain broken. In many cases smart scripters can find
workarounds for apparent limitations, but don't expect miracles. Many things are hardcoded
and can not or only indirectly be influenced by scripts.
12
Scripting tutorial
If you are completely new to scripting and programming in general, the thought of using TES
script might be a little daunting – I have therefore written an extended tutorial that will walk
you through making your first script. I will also explain the main elements of the scripting
language as we go. There will be other explanations on the way, but the key instructions will
be in bold print.
Let's get going!

We start by opening the script editor: Start up the TES Construction Set, open the
Morrowind.esm file and then select Edit Scripts from the Gameplay menu to open the
scripting window.
The scripting window

You enter the script editor either by selecting Gameplay – Edit Scripts from the menu, by
clicking the edit script button (the pencil) in the taskbar or by accessing it from an Object or
NPC dialogue, by clicking the button with the ellipses […] next to the script field. The editor
window is pretty basic:
13
Let's have a look at the buttons in the taskbar, from left to right: Open lets you select a script
to edit. Save error checks the current script and compiles it or gives out error messages – note,
however, that the plugin and thus the script is not really saved to disk at this time. When
programming large scripts frequently use the save command in the main TESCS window after
you have saved the script here, just in case the TESCS crashes.
Note that if you edit the script and suddenly hit "save plugin" to backup in the middle of the
work, your updated script will NOT be saved with it. You must save it manually first. Also, if
you just close script window, it doesn’t mean that script will be saved. You must take care of
it yourself (Thanks to Kir for this tip).
Forward and Backward arrows jump to the next or previous script, respectively (alphabetical
order). If you give your scripts a common tag, that will make it easier to jump between the
different scripts of your project, e.g. start every script name with AA_Scriptname this will put
them right at the beginning of the list and keep them neatly together. Compile all recompiles
all scripts (what's this good for? I don't really know). Finally, the delete button deletes a script
and the last "arrow down" button closes the script window.
The help menu gives quick access to the function and command pages of the helpfile (of
moderate utility, hence the creation of this manual!)
You can cut, copy, and paste from and into the editor window by using the Windows
standards ctrl-c for copy, ctrl-x for cut and ctrl-v for paste.
What do we want?
Before we really start writing our tutorial script we should decide what we want it to do. For
this tutorial I decided we are going to make a Riddle Chest: The chest will ask a riddle and
only the right answer will open the chest. If the player provides the wrong answer, a
trap will go off, hurting the player, and the chest can't be opened.
That’s a fairly complex undertaking, but we will take it step by step.
Writing a script
Ok, once you've got the Edit Script window open, click into the main part of the window.
That is where you will write your script.
Naming a script: Begin and End

First of all we must give our script a name – every script must start with the declaration of this
name. So please type:
Begin my_first_script
into the editor window. Note the underscores: Your name should be one word. Also note
that the script language is not case sensitive, so Begin could also be written without the capital
letter: begin. This name is the handle by which the script will be known in the TESCS. Try
hitting the save button now: you will get an error message about "you need to end your script
with end scriptname.
So, for the editor to recognize the script we also need to indicate an end: next, write
End
in a new line below the above. As you see we can omit putting the name of the script in this
line again, just end will do. When you hit safe now, you will see the name appear in the title
bar of the script editor, indicating that the script has been accepted. This is the shortest script
possible - and of course it doesn’t do anything at all.
14
Detecting an action by the player
Next, we need a way to determine whether the player tries to open the chest. In TES Script we
distinguish between Objects, Functions and Commands –
Objects are all the things in the game world, be they visible objects, creatures, NPCs or just
sounds.
Functions are the all the "words" of TES Script that let us either manipulate these objects or
let us gather information about them.
Commands are those "words" that structure the scripting language, but do not operate on any
Game objects – an example is the word "Begin" we used to tell the script editor about the
name of our script.
To tell the game which object it is supposed to perform a given function on we can use the
"arrow", or "fix" : -> (really just a hyphen and a greater-than sign). You specify the object for
the function on the left (we also call this the calling object) and the function to be performed
on the right:
Object_ID->function, [parameters]
A function may or may not have parameters. Parameters could be other object ID's, numbers
and in some cases, variables.
What we need for our riddle chest is the OnActivate function: this is an informative function
that tells us whether the player has "activated" an object in the game world or not. This
function returns a value of 1 (which means "true" in programming terms) if the object has
been activated, that means the player targets it and presses the "use" button (space, by
default). So what we need to do is check if OnActivate becomes "true" anytime in the game.
So edit your script to look like this:
If ( OnActivate == 1 )
; here we will enter what happens when the chest is opened
endif
End
A couple more things need to be explained here: The "if" command is there to check a
condition – whenever the expression in the parentheses is "true" the following lines of code
will be executed until the "endif" command is encountered. The "==" checks if an expression
(in our case the "OnActivate" function) on the left of it is equal to the expression on the right
of it (in our case to 1). If you forget the endif command after an if command, the editor will
complain with an error message. The ";" semicolon denotes a comment – whatever you write
behind the semicolon will be ignored when the script is run. If you ever write larger scripts
you should learn to love this possibility.
Writing text and obtaining decisions from the player

Now we want our trapped chest to ask the player a riddle. For this we use the MessageBox
function that allows us to display some text on the screen and also to display choices that the
player can select from. Unfortunately Morrowind has no option to have the player type in the
answer to our riddle, so we will have to give multiple choices. The line for that could read:
MessageBox "Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters. What is
it?", "Bat", "Old woman", "Wind", "Wraith"
15
The first text is the text actually displayed in the box, the other texts, separated by commas
tell the game to make "buttons", with the text given displayed.
But how do we ensure that the riddle is asked only the first time we try to open the chest and
not every time? We now come to a very central point: the use of do-once conditions and state
variables. Most of the problems that beginners encounter with scripting for Morrowind have
their roots in misunderstanding how the scripts are actually executed and how scripts should
accordingly be structured. So let's have a look at this.
How local scripts are executed

Every script that is attached to an Object or an NPC (local script) is executed every frame the
game displays on screen while the cell with the object is active (indoors only the cell the NPC
is currently in is active, outdoors the PC’s cell and all adjacent cells are active). So the
complete script (not just one line of it) is executed 10-60 times a second or however fast your
computer runs the game! It is best to imagine every local script wrapped in a big “while-
loop”:
while (Object is in active Cell)
[Your script code]
endwhile
This is the reason why the following script spits out a continuous stream of messages (if
attached to an Object or NPC in the same cell as the player). Try it, if you want:
Begin Message_script
MessageBox "Thousands of useless Messages"
End Message_script
This example is relatively harmless, but imagine what happens if you would use a line of code
that adds an item to the players inventory, or places a monster next to him, etc.!
For this reason, “Do Once” constructions are very essential and something you will probably
use a lot while scripting for Morrowind. So, let's go on with our tutorial script: we need to
declare a variable and use it to make sure the message is only displayed once. Change the
script to the following:
Short controlvar
If ( controlvar == 0)
MessageBox "Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless
mutters. What is it?", "Bat", "Old woman", "Wind", "Wraith"
Set controlvar to 1
endif
endif
End
(Please note that the MessageBox command should be in one line in the editor!)
"Short controlvar" declares a new variable I called "controlvar", of type short. For the
moment it's enough to know that this is variable that will contain integers (whole positive or
negative numbers). A variable is a "placeholder" that can take on different values. The if
command we already know, the set command is new, but simple enough – it sets our variable
that had the value 0 before (all variables start out at zero when declared) to 1. This, in
16
connection with the if ( controlvar == 0 ) command provides a do-once condition – the next
frame the script is executed after the variable was set to 1 the if condition will be false and the
message box will not be displayed again.
Now our script is already capable of being run, so lets test it:
• Save the script and close the script editor window.
• Go to the TES construction set, Object window, select the container tab and open
"chest_small_01".
• Change the ID of the chest to "tutorial_chest"
• In the script dropdown field, select my_first_script
• Save the object as a new object, save the mod, and quit the construction set. Start
Morrowind and load a savegame.
• Now bring down the console (usually the ~ key, or whatever you have to the left
of the "1" on the main keyboard) and in the console window, type:
PlaceAtPC tutorial_chest 1,1,1
and hit return.
Take a step back (err, let your player character step back, that is!); you should now have a
little chest sitting on the floor right in front of you. Clicking on it should bring up our
message, which should look like this:
Clicking on those buttons will just close the messagebox for the moment, and clicking on the
chest again, nothing should happen either – which is good, it means our do-once condition
works.
Ok, leave Morrowind and go back to the editor, and load your plugin again.
We now need to figure out which answer the player selects, and script appropriate reactions
for right and wrong answers. The function to test the selected answer is
"GetButtonPressed". This function returns a number depending on which of the buttons of a
message box has been clicked on with the mouse. It will return "0" for the first button ("bat"
in our example) and 1, 2, 3 etc. for the following buttons, in the order you listed them in the
messagebox function. While no answer has been selected, the function will return –1, so we
have to take care of that, too.
The "Activate" function will make our chest open, in fact activate will simply trigger the
standard action that would usually be performed when you "use" the selected object – e.g.
doors would swing open, NPCs would initiate dialogue etc.
The following update to our script also demonstrates how you can use a control variable to
force MW to process functions one after the other, although the complete script is processed
every frame of the game: simply increment the control variable and test it in a series of if –
elseif statements. This is a very safe way of scripting for MW – it may not always be
necessary, but it's safe.
17
Please edit the script to the following:
Short controlvar
Short button
MessageBox "Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters.
What is it?", "Bat", "Old woman", "Wind", "Wraith"
Set controlvar to 1
elseif controlvar > 1
activate
endif
endif
if (controlvar == 1)
set button to GetButtonPressed
if ( button == -1 )
return
elseif ( button == 2)
MessageBox "The answer was correct"
Activate
set controlvar to 2
else
MessageBox "The answer was wrong"
set controlvar to -1
endif
endif
End
Take a look at the part that starts with "if (controlvar == 1)". We have set controlvar to 1 as
soon as the chest got activated. Now we test for which button is being pressed. We do this by
assigning the new variable "button" a value returned by GetButtonPressed. Since the script is
still running, even while the game seemingly pauses to await your decision, we first test if no
button has been selected yet – return tells the game engine to stop processing the script for
this frame.
Our correct answer was "wind" which corresponds to button number two – if button number
two gets pressed, we will tell the player that he gave the right answer, and "activate" will open
the chests inventory in the usual way.
All other values of button mean that the player has selected a wrong answer, so we can use the
"else" command here. In this case we tell the player what a fool he was and the chest is not
activated.
Now look at the little addition at the top of the script:
Set controlvar to 1
activate
endif
endif
This means that, whenever the chest is activated in the future, it will only open if controlvar is
greater than 1. Check above: when the player provides the wrong answer in the riddle,
controlvar is set to –1, so he will never be able to open the chest. But if he knew the right
answer, controlvar is set to 2, and from now on the player can open the chest as often as he
likes. Save and run your plugin, and test as described above.
18
Your first bug
Now, you will probably have noticed that the script does almost – but not quite – what we
wanted. After clicking the correct answer, the chests inventory doesn’t open as intended.
Now, the logic above seemed fine, so what is wrong? Let's try the following (change the
corresponding part of your script according to the fragment below):
if ( button == -1 )
return
elseif ( button == 2 )
set controlvar to 2
else
endif
elseif ( controlvar == 2 )
Activate
endif
See how I moved the activate command to the section that tests for controlvar == 2? This
provides a cleaner sequence of events, and as I mentioned above, this can be very important
when scripting for Morrowind – always try to avoid doing too many things at once! Well, run
and test it.
Great, now the inventory opens as we wanted, but what is this? The cursor is real slow, and
we can't close the inventory! Look above – controlvar was set to two, and remains there, we
do not change it again – therefore the game now gets continuous "Activate" commands each
time the script is processed (every frame)! That’s why we can't close the inventory – it gets
reopened immediately. So change the following part of the script:
Activate
Set controlvar to 3
endif
Test again: now everything works the way we wanted. I hope I have not confused you with
the above excursion into the process of debugging, but it is a very important thing to know
about – you will constantly have to rethink your scripts and try different ways of doing it to be
successful.
What is still missing? The trap effect of course!
Putting a spell on the player

Our chest will put a curse on the player if he fails to answer the riddle.
First go to the spellmaking tab in the editor, right click and select "new". Give the spell
the ID "Frost_Curse", name it "Frost Curse" and make it type "curse" then give it a
magnitude of e.g. 1-5. It should look like in the picture below.
19
Now, we need to put this curse on the player. For this we use the AddSpell function. After
some time we will remove the curse again using the RemoveSpell function, for this we need to
make a timer. Edit your script again:
Short controlvar
Short button
Float timer
Set controlvar to 1
activate
endif
endif
if ( button == -1 )
return
elseif ( button == 2)
Activate
set controlvar to 2
else
Player->AddSpell, "Frost_Curse"
Endif
Activate
Set controlvar to 3
elseif ( controlvar == -1 )
20
Set timer to ( timer + GetSecondsPassed )
if timer > 10
Player->RemoveSpell, "Frost_Curse"
endif
endif
End
Let's go over this. Player->AddSpell, "Frost_Curse" puts the curse we created earlier on the player.
Note how we need to use "Player->" to make sure the effect really targets the player.
Otherwise we would curse the chest (which is the default object, because the script is attached
to it), which wouldn’t make a lot of sense…
This bit:
Float timer
if timer > 10
…that is how you make a timer in Morrowind. GetSecondsPassed is a function that returns
the time in seconds that has passed since the last frame. Since this is usually a fraction of a
second (as the script gets called every frame), it is only natural that we need a float variable
for this purpose – a variable that can store numbers with decimals. So when the timer has
been running for 10 seconds we remove the curse again, and make sure we do this only once:
Ok, save and test your mod. Works fine now, doesn’t it? Well, almost. Try the following: let
yourself be cursed, and then open your inventory. Wait. See how the curse terminates after
some time, without hurting you? Of course: the script is still running, but spell effects are only
calculated while in game, not while you are in the menu. We don’t want the player to get off
the hook so easily, so we need to put something in our script that stops it from processing
when we are in menu mode. Luckily there is the MenuMode function, which returns 1 when
you enter the menu. So we can put this at the start of our script:
If ( MenuMode == 1 )
Return
Endif
Remember, return tells the game to stop processing the script for this frame.
Ok, now we have our final working script. Congratulations! If you want, experiment a little
more with this script: Put the chest into a location in the game and lock it. Then try unlocking
it (Unlock function) with the script in addition to activating it. Try adding a sound, when the
riddle is successfully solved (e.g. PlaySound3D, "skillraise"). Try using the "Cast"
function instead of "AddSpell". Previous users of the Tutorial have spotted a potential bug in
it: what happens if the player leaves the area with the scripted chest before the curse is
removed again? How would you fix this?
21
This is the final script:
Short controlvar
Short button
Float timer
Return
Endif
If ( controlvar == 0 )
Set controlvar to 1
elseif ( controlvar > 1 )
activate
endif
endif
if ( controlvar == 1 )
if ( button == -1 )
return
Activate
set controlvar to 2
else
Player->AddSpell, "Frost_Curse"
Endif
Activate
Set controlvar to 3
elseif ( controlvar == -1 )
if timer > 10
endif
endif
End
How to learn more

After this tutorial you may ask yourself how to continue with learning how to script. A good
way is to look at the example scripts in this guide or at scripts that are already in the game
(either form Bethesda or from mods). Try to find a script that is similar to what you want to
do and then copy the script and change it to fit your needs. Read the general information
below and the descriptions of the functions you may need to do what you have planned. The
ordering of the functions into thematic groups should help you to find the right ones.
Finally, the official forums are a great place to find information (use the search function) or to
get help on a specific problem. The rest is practicing, practicing, practicing
22
General Information: Scripts, Commands and Syntax
Types of scripts
Local scripts
Any script that is running on an object or Actor in the game (assigned in the script-dropdown
field of the object or Actors object window) is a local script. Local scripts are only active if
the cell is loaded – this is the current interior cell, or the current and all directly neighboring
exterior cells. When the object is outside of this range the script is not running, but the local
variables are saved. You cannot stop a local script using Stopscript.
Global scripts
Any script that is not attached to any object is a global script, and is by default not executed
until you call it (see below). Note that there is no default object for a global script to work on,
so objects must always be specified: while the following will work in a local script attached to
an NPC:
AITravel 1150, 8899, 1110
You will have to specify the NPC in a global script:

"NPC_ID"->AITravel 1150, 8899, 1110 ;NPC_ID is the ID, the unique identifier for
;each object in the editor
Global scripts are active all the time once they have been activated and until they are
specifically terminated. Thus, once activated, they will be processed every frame as described
for locals scripts above. That is why they should be used with caution, as too many, or too
complicated global scripts can easily slow the game down a lot.
The command to start a non-active script is:
StartScript, "Script ID"
With Tribunal and Bloodmoon you also have the option to make a script start automatically
with the game. In the TESCS under the menu Gameplay/Edit starting Scripts/ you can add
any script to the list of automatically started scripts.
The function to terminate a global script is:

StopScript, "Script ID"
Variables local to a global script will be saved temporarily when the script is stopped and
restarted. In order to ensure that variables are always saved, the script must be run at least
once every load session. If you need to be sure the variables are reset, you should reset them
yourself: don't rely on it happening automatically.
A simple way to ensure variables are saved is to use a startscript (only available with
expansions); so for example the startscript might look something like this:
begin KeepVarsScript
if ( ScriptRunning, MyScript == 0 )
set MyScript.KeepVars to 1
StartScript MyScript
endif
23
StopScript KeepVarsScript
end
…and the script "MyScript" might look like this:

begin MyScript
short KeepVars
if ( KeepVars == 1 )
set KeepVars to 0
StopScript MyScript
return
endif
;main body of script goes here
end
It is possible to use the StartScript function to run global scripts that are tied to an object or
Actor. These are called "targeted scripts".
"Object_ID"->StartScript "Script_ ID"
These scripts resemble both local scripts (in that the functions called always default to the
object or Actor the script targets) and global scripts (in that they are always running and can
be terminated with StopScript).
Note: read more on the special case of "targeted scripts" in the Tips and Tricks section.
24
Syntax
There are some unique features in TES script that should be explained before we go into more
detail.
Beginning and ending scripts

Begin Script_ID
End
End Script_ID
Every script must have the Begin and End tags. The specified name will also be the ID you
will reference the script by (be it from other scripts or inside the TES CS object windows). A
script may start out with comments, but the first line of real code must be "Begin xxxxxxxxx".
As with other objects, it is recommended that you give your scripts a unique tag. I usually use
GBG_Scriptname. This ensures that your scripts are easily identified, they all are neatly listed
in one block in the scripts list, and there is little danger of conflicts with other mods using the
same name. Using leading underscores e.g. _Scriptname is not recommended.
If you want your scripts to appear at the top of the list of scripts, put a 1 in front, for example,
1YAC_ScriptName
General syntax for functions:

Functions are not case sensitive, but using the case sensitive form as suggested by Bethesda
(e.g. GetSpellEffects instead of getspelleffects) makes scripts easier to read, so it’s
recommended to keep it that way.
"Object_ID"->Function, [parameters]
This is the format for all functions that act on or refer to a specifiable object in the game
world. The "arrow" or "fix" designates which object a function will be performed on. The
"object_ID" is the unique ID that is given to each object in the editor (usually the first field in
any object window). You need this ID, not the Name! If you call a function without a
designated Object-ID, the function will be performed on the default object, which is the object
the script is attached to.
This is not to say that there might not be another object referenced as a parameter:
"Object_ID1"->Function, "Object_ID2"
Notes:
Functions with a "fix" will only compile if the object has already been placed into the game
world in the editor (with at least one reference), otherwise the script will not compile. If you
compile the script and then delete all references, the game will give errors on load and CTD.
More than one function may be used in a set expression, but the functions always apply to the
same reference. For example:
set SomeVar to ( player->GetStrength ) + ( player->GetEndurance )
and
set SomeVar to ( player->GetStrength ) + ( GetEndurance )
will both have the same effect, and specifying different references will not work.
Referencing non-unique items with the "fix" will usually perform the function only on the
first reference of the object! So using this in a global script:
"cliff racer"->ModCurrentHealth -1000
25
will not have the desired effect, it will only kill one of the annoying bastards. However
attaching a script to the creature with just
ModCurrentHealth -1000
Would do the trick, because every reference of the cliff racer will have the script running, and
apply the function to itself. Note that this does not apply to all functions (e.g. SetHealth in the
above example would affect all references the player has not yet encountered).
A number of functions refer only to the player or not to an object at all, and are therefore
using the fix is meaningless or may produce errors. E.g.:
If ( GetPCRank == 0 )
If ( CellChanged == 0 )
FadeOut, 2
General syntax: Commas, parentheses and spaces

TES Script is not too picky about syntax. Case mostly doesn’t matter, commas can be left out,
and spaces are mostly ignored. Nevertheless I would advise adhering to the following
principles:
• Either avoid commas, or always use commas: inconsistent usage can cause problems.
• If the ID contains a space or begins with an underscore, you must use quotation marks:
"Object ID" or "_Object_ID". Better to avoid spaces altogether: Object_ID
• Get used to always leaving spaces around parentheses and operators, sometimes it
seems to cause problems if you don't: if ( variable == 1 ), not: if (variable==1).
While this doesn’t matter most of the time it generates weird and almost untraceable
errors sometimes, so you are much better off always leaving a space.
• The fix (->) is a little more complicated. If IDs are contained in quotes, you should not
leave spaces around the fix:
"Sirollus Saccus"->GetItemCount netch_leather_greaves
The above will work, but spaces around the fix would cause problems. (Thanks to
Simpleton and DinkumThinkum for this info.) However, since it has also been
reported that a lack of quotation marks can cause problems in combination with spaces
round the fix, I'm going to recommend that you don't leave spaces round the fix at all
(should be fine in all cases).
Comments
Comments are marked by a semicolon ;. Comments can be added in their own lines or behind
lines with code
; enter sneak mode
Fargoth->ForceSneak
Fargoth->AiTravel -11468.595,-71511.531,173.728 ;goes to tree
Indentation / using tabstops

For your own sake, use proper indentation (tabstops) for if-elseif constructs – makes it much
easier to keep track of them, so you don’t forget an endif at the end. In the tips and tricks
section you will find a link to an external EMACS editor mode for TES script that will do
automatic indentation.
If ( variable1 )
If ( variable2 )
[do something]
endif
endif
is better than
26
If ( variable1 )
If ( variable2 )
[do something]
endif
endif
Variables
Types of variables
There are three types of variables in the TES script language: short, long and float. According
to the manual these cover the following data ranges:
Short -32,768 to 32,767 (signed integer)

Long -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 ( long signed integer)
Float 3.4E +/- 38 (float, 7 digits)
Apparently the boundaries for Long given here are only partly correct, in the TES-CS you can
assign a maximum value of 2147483520 (Forum info / Argent).
Theoretically there should be string variables too, but to my knowledge these are not
implemented. Unfortunately there are also no data types to store Object_Id's, which limits the
power of the scripting language to a certain extent.
Variables can be grouped into local variables (valid only in the script that declares them) and
global variables (valid in every script).
Note: A long global is effectively a float! In a script, local to that script a long will have a full
32 bits of precision. But used as a global, the number of bits of precision drops to 24, as when
it exists globally a long is a float. Mental Elf discovered this when attempting to use "bit
packing" to get 32 flags into a global long (forum info / mental elf).
A Note about Floats:

Floating point numbers in a computer are stored in a format similar to that used for scientific
or engineering notation. The number is rounded off to a fixed number of significant digits,
any leading or trailing zeros are dropped, and an exponent is added to indicate the correct
location of the decimal or binary point.
The number 2385901045 would be stored similar to this:

2.385901x109
In fitting the number into a fixed number of bytes, we have lost the end 3 digits, so the
number is no longer quite what you set it to.
If you set a float to a small number, like 5.5, it would still be stored as 5.5, because as it
doesn’t take up much room, no numbers need to be cut off.
The advantage of this format is that a wide range of values can be expressed using a relatively
small number of digits or bytes. The disadvantage is that the rounding off means floating
point numbers don't have the precision of an integer, so they shouldn't be used when you need
to make exact comparisons or keep track of exact counts.
For example, a floating point variable is fine if you just need to check if a distance is greater
or less than a certain value. But if you need to check if the player has specific number of some
item in their inventory, then you want to use a long or short integer variable for the count.
(Forum info / DinkumThinkum)
27
An example by BungaDunga shows that when doing math with floats, the answer isn’t always
what you expect:
Float num1
Float num2
Float num3
Set num1 to ( 1 / 3 )
;num1 is now 0.3333333
Set num2 to 3
;num2 is now 3
set num3 to num1 * num2

;num3 is now 0.9999999, rather than what you would expect, 1.
if ( num3 == 1 )
; Never happens.
endif
A lot of functions return float values (e.g. GetDistance, GetScale, GetSecondsPassed…): the
same thing applies. Test a range, not an exact value! E.g.:
if ( ( GetPos x ) == 500 )
;will be false if it's 499.9999, or 500.0001, etc
endif
but this will work:
if ( ( GetPos x ) > 499.5 )
if ( ( GetPos x ) < 500.5 )
;it's close enough for me
endif
endif
Another common mistake is to check if the GameHour is an exact number. As the Gamehour
variable is increased every frame, and every frame is a slightly diffrent length, the Gamehour
variable soon ends up with a value like this, 10.12853. So never test if the gamehour is exatly
equal to a value, as it is very unlikley to happen, test if it is greater than or equal to a value.
Local variables
Local variables these have to be declared in the script:
Float floatvarname
Short shortvarname
Long longvarname
Local variables are unique to a specific instance of a local script. This means that the local
variables in multiple objects with the same script do not influence each other. The names you
use for variables are pretty much up to you as long as they start with a letter, but you have to
avoid using function names (this will result in errors during runtime) and reserved characters
(e.g. - + / * = " )( etc.) which will result in compiler errors. E.g. "variable-1" will not work
as a variable name. Underscores as in "my_variable" are ok, but avoid leading underscores. A
dot has a reserved meaning as well (see "Referencing variables in other local scripts" below).
28
Global variables
To declare a global variable go to the Gameplay menu and select Globals. Right click for
"new", name it, and set the type and starting value for the new global variable, if one is
needed. By default it will be 0. Global variables are very useful for involved quests when you
need to keep track of things over an extended time and space. They are also a simple way to
share information between different scripts
Note: if you declare a local variable with the same name as a global variable, the global
variable will become invisible for this script. Do NOT declare a global variable as a local!
Referencing variables on other objects and scripts

Set … to
If a unique object has a local script running on it you can change variables from outside the
script in the following way:
Set MyObject.variable to 100
or
Set MyObject.variable to local_variable
This method changes a local variable in the object’s script. The object must have a script on it
for this to be valid. The object does not have to be in an active cell when setting the variable,
but it will only work if the cell containing the target object/(script) has previously loaded -
(Cyran0). Note: The scripting system looks at the first object in the database, thus you should
only reference objects that are unique (exist only once).
Note that the reverse does not work:
Set local_variable to MyObject.variable ;this doesn't work!
Use a global variable to transfer information in this way, or set local_variable from the other
script using the syntax above.
if ( anotherobject.x > 0 )
apparently works.
Furthermore I realized only recently that this syntax also works for global scripts:
set Global_script_name.variable to 1
This is useful to avoid using more global variables then necessary or also as a console
command to debug global scripts.
Note: If your object or global script starts with a number, you need to put quotes around it.
"11NPC01".RemoteVar ;---Good
"11NPC01.RemoteVar" ;---BAD
11NPC01.RemoteVar ;---BAD
A caution when setting variables from outside the script (DinkumThinkum):

If you recompile the target script (i.e., the local script on 'MyObject'), it's a good idea to also
recompile any scripts that reference variables in that script. Reason: if the target 'variable'
winds up in a different position in the target script's list of variables, then any scripts trying to
set that variable will break if they're not recompiled.
29
I.e., if 'variable' is the 14th variable declared in the local script on 'MyObject', and you add a
new variable ahead of it so that 'variable' is now the 15th variable declared, other scripts will
need to be recompiled in order to find 'variable' in its new position, otherwise the script will
end up changing the wrong variable, leading to very strange bugs.
One way to reduce the chances of this tripping you up is declare variables referenced by
other scripts first, before other variables that aren't referenced externally. Then just be
careful to only add or remove variables after the block of externally referenced variables.
However (to be safe), it's still a good idea to recompile scripts that reference variables in
other scripts any time you've added or removed variables in the other scripts.
Using variables in functions

Unfortunately it is one of the limitations of TES script that only certain functions accept
variables as parameters, which poses some definite limits. The type of arguments functions
accept is indicated in the list of functions below.
Note: For some functions where both a Get-Function and a Set-Function exist, a workaround
can be constructed by using the while function (see below).
Operators / mathematical calculations

You can use the standard operators to do calculations in scripts:
Addition: +
Subtraction: -
Multiplication: *
Division: /
The syntax is as follows:
Set result_var to (var_a + var_b)
Instead of variables, literal values are also allowed. I assume that standard operator
precedence applies ( * and / are calculated before +/- ). Since it has not been properly tested I
usually always use parentheses to be on the safe side. You can use parentheses according to
standard mathematical rules:
set ln to ( ln + ( k10 * math_ln10 ) + ( k2 * math_ln2 ) )
A warning: There are different opinions on the forums on the use of several operators in one
line. Some people report a lot of problems with this, I myself have successfully used at least
four operators and variables in a single line. There appears to be an issue with very long
additions (e.g. adding up more than 20 variables in one line of code) that causes a mod to
crash the game upon loading. If this happens, split the calculations to several lines.
Notes by DinkumThinkum:
Eleven variables in a single set statement will cause the following error when loading the
game, followed by a crash to desktop:
"Need more room for zero pointers in Script::ReplaceGlobalsInData"
as soon as you click the button to acknowledge the error, CTD. (That script name wasn't any
script of mine; it's something internal to the game.)
30
Six variables in a Set statement work fine. Don't know the maximum number, but it's obviously
at least six and definitely less than eleven.
There isn't much in the way of dedicated mathematical functions in TES script. There is the
'Random' function and Tribunal added the 'GetSquareRoot' function (see below). If you need
more complex functions, I suggest downloading Soralis' Math Mod (available from Planet
Elder Scrolls). It’s a collection of scripts that allow you to do complex calculations. Here is a
short excerpt from the readme to give you an idea:
"This mod adds the ability to use various math functions within Morrowind's scripts.
Specifically, these are the scripts that are added:"
Name Check/Done Inputs Outputs Accuracy
MathScripts N/A N/A N/A N/A
MathConstants N/A N/A N/A N/A
SquareRoot 1 math_sqrt math_result, math_imag 7
SineScript 2 math_angle math_sin, math_cos, math_tan 7
ArcsineScript 3 math_arc math_sin, math_cos 6-7
NaturalLog 4 math_log math_result, math_imag 4-5
LogScript 5 math_log, math_base math_result, math_imag 3-4
intPower 6 math_value, math_power math_result 7
intRoot 7 math_value, math_root math_result, math_imag 6-7
Modulus 8 math_value, math_mod math_result 6-7
Antiln 9 math_log math_result 4-5
Antilog 10 math_log, math_base math_result 2-3
AbsoluteValue 11* math_abs math_abs 7
PowerScript 12 math_value, math_power math_result, math_imag 2-3
Unfortunately many of these functions are rather slow, and not suited for real time
calculations. For sine and cosine in particular, check out JDGBOLT's script in the tips and
tricks section, which uses pre-calculated values for a very rapid calculation. You can also find
more information on UESP Wiki.
MWSE (Morrowind Script Extender) also adds trig functions to Morrowind.
Testing conditions
Use of if… elseif conditions

If (condition)
Elseif (condition)
Else
Endif
Much of TES scripting relies on the use of if… elseif conditions and variations thereof. It is
very important to fully understand these, and the conditions that can be used in them to test
conditions of the game world to trigger events.
In general a condition is "true" when it has the value of 1 (or simply "not 0" (e.g. -1 is "true"
in TES Script too) and "false" when the value is 0. There are thus certain functions in the
game that return "true" under certain conditions. For example see the GetAIPackageDone
function further down. It returns "true" (= 1) for one frame when an AIPackage has finished.
All lines of code between the if-statement and endif (which concludes a so-called "if block")
will be executed only when the condition is true.
31
Thus:
If ( GetAIPackageDone )
;[do something here]
endif
will be only executed when the GetAIPackageDone function currently returns the value 1.
In addition to just a value, a condition can also be a more explicit test of conditions. The
conditions, such as "A equals B" or "A is greater than B" will be evaluated, and the whole
expression will be true (equals 1) when the condition is fulfilled. E.g.:
if ( GetAIPackageDone == 1 )
endif
Is equivalent to the example above. This second syntax tests a condition and returns "true" if
the condition is met. You can check for the following conditions:
Verbose Conditional operator

"Equal to": ==
"not equal to" !=
"Greater than" >
"Smaller than" <
"Greater than or equal to" >=
"Smaller than or equal to" <=
If you have several independent if blocks each will be evaluated separately. If, e.g. the
following if blocks are in your script:
if ( timer >= 2 )
;[Block A,do something here]
endif
if ( timer <= 3 )
;[Block B, do something else here]
endif
Both will be true and the code in the blocks will be executed when timer is between 2 and 3.
You can nest if-blocks if you want to make sure that two conditions are fulfilled
simultaneously:
if ( timer >= 2 )
if ( controlvar == 0
endif
endif
The code in the inner if block will only be executed when both conditions (timer >= 2 and
controlvar == 0 ) are fulfilled at the same time.
For more elaborate constructions you can use Else and Elseif. Elseif tests for a separate
condition if the preceding condition has failed (but not if the previous condition was fulfilled)
if ( timer >= 2 )
elseif ( timer <= 3 )
; [Block B, do something else here]
endif
unlike the example above, both blocks can not be true at the same time now. Either timer is
>= 2, then block A gets executed, or timer is not >= 2 but <= 3, meaning effectively timer is <
32
2, then block B gets executed. In all other cases, neither block will be executed. You can have
several elseifs behind each other:
if ( counter == 1 )
elseif ( counter == 2 )
; [Block B, do something else here]
elseif ( counter == 3 )
; [Block C, do something else here]
endif
An else creates a "default condition". The code following else will be executed if all
previously tested conditions are false:
If ( foo_var == 1 )
[Block A: do something]
elseif ( foo_var == 2 )
[Block B: do something else]
else
[Block C: do something completely different]
endif
In this example Block C will be executed it foo_var is neither 1 nor 2.
Notes and cautions:

In my experience it is safest to use elseif instead of multiple separate if statements if you test
different states of one variable.
Be careful using a function in a conditional ('If' statement); simple functions seem to be OK,
but ones with numeric parameters don't seem to be reliable.
For example:
"If ( NewType != OldType )" worked correctly, but "If ( ( Player->GetArmorType 0 ) !=
OldType )" always registered as 'Not equal', even if the variable 'OldType' had the same value
as the armor type that should have been returned by 'Get ArmorType 0' function.
So use "Set NewType to ( Player->GetArmorType 0 )", followed by a separate 'If' statement
to compare 'NewType' to 'OldType'. -(DinkumThinkum)
While conditions
While ( condition )
; things to do
EndWhile
The while command differs from the if command in that it is repeated within one frame until
the condition is fulfilled. This is best explained with an example:
Short desiredAmnt
SetStrength 0
while( GetStrength < desiredAmnt ) ; non-literal value to match
modStrength 1
endwhile
This will set strength to the value in variable desiredAmnt after one frame. The following
script however would need an undetermined amount of frames to do this, because the if
condition is only called once each frame:
if(getStrength < desiredAmnt) ; non-literal value to match

modStrength 1
endif
33
On the other hand the first example can potentially cause "freezing" (if the value would be
very high) while the second won't.
Note that this is a workaround for some functions to the problem of functions not
accepting non-literal values (variables) as arguments.
Constructing Boolean operations in TES Script

Unfortunately there are no Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT, XOR, …) in the scripting
language. Thus you need to construct these yourself using if… elseif structures.
Instead of AND:
if ( variable1 AND variable2 ); does not exist
[do something]
endif
you have to use:

If ( variable1 )
If ( variable2 )
[do something]
endif
endif
For OR constructs:
if ( variable1 OR variable2 )
[do this]
endif
you can use elseif constructions:

If ( variable1 )
[do this]
elseif ( variable2 )
[do this]
endif
34
List of TES-script functions
Explanation of the format
First I will list the function and the arguments it takes:
[no fix] Code "string", arg_enum, arg_float, [optional] (returns short)
[no fix] Indicates this function can never be used with a "fix" meaning it can not be called by
a specified actor. Functions without this tag can be called by an actor, an object, or both.
Code: Name of the function
Arguments of the function: "string" indicates a literal string, such as an object ID. arg_enum
indicates a literal value (no variables taken) var_float indicates a variable of the specified type
(in this case float). Brackets [] indicate optional parameters. (returns short) or (returns float)
indicate that the function returns a value and of what type the value is. I will use the
designation (returns Boolean/short) to indicate a function that returns either 1 or 0 (a Boolean
variable although the game strictly speaking still uses a float)
Examples of usage follow in italics and are indented:

Code "ID", var_enum, var_float
Example scripts are set in frames:
Begin script
[Script functions]
End script
From the 8th edition onward the functions added with Tribunal and Bloodmoon have been
moved into the suitable sections of the reference section. They are now marked with:
for Tribunal functions and
for Bloodmoon functions.
To use these functions the respective expansion must be installed (but not necessarily active).
Bloodmoon (and GOTY edition) incorporates all functions from Tribunal as well.
35
Working with objects
Working with inventory items
Adding and removing items from the inventory

AddItem, "ObjectID", count_enum
RemoveItem, "ObjectID", count_enum
Actor->AddItem, "item_ID", 1
Container->RemoveItem, "itme_ID", 5
These functions are simple enough, adding or removing items from the player’s or any other
inventory, including containers. A RemoveItem call will remove the item from the inventory,
it will "vanish".
Notes on AddItem (by DinkumThinkum):

If you add items to an NPC's inventory when the inventory screen is already open, the display
won't be updated with the new items, unless the player manually adds or removes displayed
items (which forces the game to refresh the inventory display).
The early versions of my Potion Saver coded used 'If MenuMode == 1' to trigger putting
potions back into the companion's inventory. This worked fine when the companion was alive
and conscious, since the script would add the potions while in the dialogue window, before
the companion share inventory window was opened.
However, if the companion was dead or unconscious, clicking on the companion would open
the inventory window immediately, and the potions would be added after the window was
already open. End result, the potions wouldn't show up in the inventory window.
To avoid the problem, add items to an NPC's inventory as soon as they die, as soon as they
fall unconscious, or when the game goes into Menu Mode (check Menu Mode after checking
death and unconsciousness). That way, the items will be added before the inventory window
opens.
Here's the code I used for this in the Potion Saver:

If ( GetHealth < 1 )
Set DTNPS_HandlePotions to 0
ElseIf ( GetFatigue < 1 )
ElseIf ( MenuMode == 1 )
Else
EndIf
Usage with containers:

If a container has been emptied by the player (in game), AddItem will no longer work. One
workaround is to replace the container with a new one each time it's accessed by the player,
but this may not be practical as there's no way to detect when the container is empty. Aragon
suggested a solution:
The workaround is to attach a script to the container that always adds and removes a dummy
item in the same frame that the player activated it. So, my ingredients chest has a script that
looks like:
36
; Open the chest
Activate
; Always add and remove a dummy (this hack keeps the "AddItem" calls working)
AddItem, "misc_de_cloth10", 1
RemoveItem, "misc_de_cloth10", 1
Furthermore, we make the chest with "references persist". Now we can reference it from an
ingredients sorter using code like:
set count to ( player->GetItemCount, "ingred_dreugh_wax_01" )
while ( count > 0 )
set count to ( count - 1 )
player->RemoveItem, "ingred_dreugh_wax_01", 1
"_tm_ingredients_chest"->AddItem, "ingred_dreugh_wax_01", 1
endwhile
Another (probably better) workaround suggested by Enmesharra: Add a non-carryable light

with no world or inventory art associated with it to the container. It won't show in inventory
and thus the container can't be emptied (not tested).
Notes on RemoveItem:
Removing items that are not present in the inventory does not crash the game, but the
'RemoveItem' function will subtract the removed item's weight from the character's
encumbrance, EVEN IF the item is NOT in the character's inventory. So if a script uses
'RemoveItem' to remove a 4 lb. item that the character doesn't have, the character's
encumbrance will wind up 4 lbs. lower than it should be. The workaround for this bug is to
always check for the presence of an item before using 'RemoveItem' to delete it (Thanks
DinkumThinkum for this info).
Don't remove an item that is executing a script, from the item's own script: that will crash the
game. See the example script.
A workaround for this is to use a separate global or local script to remove the item. However,
if the player has two or more copies of an object with an attached script in their inventory,
using RemoveItem on that Object ID will frequently corrupt data for one of the remaining
copies (you may e.g. see corrupted health or count data). Equipping or using that corrupt
object may cause the game to crash (Forum info / DinkumThinkum).
To avoid the two known RemoveItem bugs:

1. If the object is not scripted, use GetItemCount to be sure the player has at least 1.
2. If the object is scripted, use GetItemCount to be sure the player has exactly 1, or make sure
the object is unique.
The drop function does not have this bug. It does, however, cause doubling, if used with
OnPCEquip / SkipEquip, which can be fixed by adding and removing any item as described
for these functions.
Notes on using Additem / Removeitem in dialogue:

These functions can accept global variables, but only in dialogue results, and only if you
don’t set the global variable in the same dialog result (Forum info / Argent; According to
Argent, the maximum amount he has been able to add using AddItem, var was 65534 (using a
long var=2147483520)). In addition to Argent's info about AddItem/RemoveItem accepting
variables in dialog action boxes: make sure that the variable in question doesn't change in the
same box. Say, var_a equals 3 at the moment when the line is selected in dialogue. If the
result field looks like this:
37
set var_a to var_a + 10 ;
AddItem gold_001, var_a
three drakes will be added to NPC's inventory, and not thirteen. If such need arises, put all
calculating operators into one dialogue response's result box, add "choice" operator, and
process the AddItem function in the following response. Also, even with long variables, I
couldn't correctly add values above 32767 (2^15). (tested on pure Morrowind without
expansions) (Forum info / Kir).
Example script:
The following script was discussed on the forums (sorry don’t remember who first made it). It
was supposed to ask the player if he wanted to recycle an item when it was equipped, and then
replace that item with the "recycled" version.
Begin scr_thing
short button
short OnPcEquip
short state
if ( MenuMode == 1 )
return
endif
if ( OnPCEquip == 1 ) ; when the item is equipped

set state to 1
set OnPCEquip to 0 ; do this once per equip event…
endif
if ( state ==1 )
MessageBox "recycle?" , "yes", "no"
set state to 2
elseif ( state == 2 )
if ( button == 0 )
PlaySound "mysticism cast"
player->RemoveItem "item_a", 1 ;this line crashes the game!!!
player->AddItem "item_b", 1
set state to 0
set state to 0 ; once done, reset everything
endif
endif
end
It worked nice enough without the RemoveItem function in it, but with that line it would
crash. The reason was that this script was attached to item_a, and thus the running script
would be removed with it, which apparently crashes the game. So the above idea had to be
handled via a global script.
Dropping items to the floor

Drop, "ObjectID", count_enum
"Actor_ID"->Drop, "ITEM_ID", 1
This function is supposed to drop the item from the inventory "to the calling Actor's feet".
This seems to work correctly only for the player character, dropping the item to his feet.
When used on NPC's, the items are removed correctly from the NPC, but still dropped at the
player's feet.
38
An interesting note on this is that if they really have that item, they will drop it, with charges
and condition intact. If they don't really have that item, a new instance will be created. If the
player drops an item he doesn't have, his weight will still be reduced by the weight of that
item - same as the encumbrance bug for RemoveItem (Forum info / DinkumThinkum).
Note that Drop will only work in active cells: if it is used on an NPC in an inactive cell,
nothing will happen. -(DinkumThinkum)
Examples of use are found in Bethesda's SlaveScript.
Monitoring inventory activities: Adding, dropping items and using soul

gems
[no fix] OnPCAdd (is local short variable)
Short OnPCAdd
If ( OnPCAdd == 1 )
This variable is set to 1 when the PC added the object to inventory. Must be reset manually
for multiple use (set OnPCAdd to 0 ).
Example: This is an excerpt from the script attached to Fargoth's ring, that gives you the
magic menu during character creation:
if ( OnPCAdd == 1 ); Player has added the item to the inventory
if ( State == 0 )
EnableMagicMenu
MessageBox "You now have a Magic Menu, where you can see all your powers,
spells, and magic items." "Ok"
set state to 10
return
endif
endif
[no fix] OnPCDrop (is local short variable)

Short OnPCDrop
If ( OnPCDrop == 1 )
This variable gets set to one when the PC drops the object. Must be reset manually for
multiple use (set OnPCDrop to 0 ).
[no fix] OnPCSoulGemUse (is local short variable)

Short OnPCSoulGemUse
If (OnPCSoulGemUse == 1 )
This gets set to one if the calling Object is a soulgem and it has been used in either recharging
or item making. Must be reset manually for multiple use (set OnPCSoulGemUse to 0 ).
Example: this is how Azura's star becomes an inexhaustible soulgem:
begin AzurasStarScript
;this is for Azura's Star. A never ending soulgem item. Mucho good. Kids love it.
short OnPCSoulGemUse
;they use it, so give them a new one

if ( OnPCSoulGemUse == 1 )
Player->additem, "Misc_soulgem_Azura" 1
endif
end
39
Force-equipping an Item
Equip, "Object_ID" [count_enum]
"Actor_ID"->Equip, "iron dagger"
(Also see OnPCEquip function below)
Pre-Tribunal: Partly Broken. This could have been an immensely useful function.
Unfortunately, most of the potential uses do not work: You can NOT autoequip anything on
the Player. You can NOT force the Actors to equip weapons or armor with this (this is
completely governed by their skills with armor or weapons). You can NOT make "non-
removable" items, like cursed armor, etc. You CAN make Actors swallow potions, or so I
heard.
This Function was fixed in Tribunal. You can now force Actors to equip armor, weapons
and clothing. So you now CAN do all of the above ☺. Praise to Bethesda.
Note:
The Equip function can make someone equip an item they aren't carrying, and it will add it to
their inventory. However, if you do that then any scripts on the items won't be run. So you
need to use AddItem first, then Equip, even though Equip does seem to add them. The script
will start if you take the item off the person or out of your inventory and drop. But while it is
in inventories the script doesn't start (Forum info, ThePal).
In addition, it appears that Equip will only work on the player after at least one AddItem has
been used. -(DinkumThinkum)
The count is optional; if it's omitted then one item will be equipped. You can't use this to
force equip more than one item if it's not possible to have more than one equipped at a time
(e.g. a cuirass) - it doesn't cause problems but it will still equip only one.
On using equip with variables: it didn't throw any errors, but I got some strange results. It
certainly didn't reliably equip the given number.
Note:
If you equip a potion on a NPC, the NPC will not drink it. You could get around this by
making a spell with the same effects as the potion, then removing the potion and adding the
spell.
Sample Script: This script (Tribunal required) curses an item (a Chitin Club) so that it can't
be unequipped anymore. Not even using quick-keys. Bugger! Now you have to fight with a
chitin club to the end of your days, which will probably come soon ☺ The player can still use
magic however.
Begin cursed_item
short state
short OnPCEquip
if ( OnPCEquip == 0 ) ; item is not equipped

if ( state == 0 ); if club has never been equipped, don't do anything yet.
return
else
Player->Equip, "cursed_club" ; reequip the item!
MessageBox "The item is cursed, it doesn't leave your hand" ;taunt the player
endif
40
else
if ( state == 0 ) ;first time equipped. The trap snaps shut
set state to 1
endif
endif
End
Detecting if an item has been equipped

[no fix] OnPCEquip (is local short variable)
Short OnPCEquip
If ( OnPCEquip == 1 )
The PC has the object equipped (remains true while object is equipped)
This game variable (needs to be declared!) gets set to 1 if the player is equipping the calling
object. It will remain "true" while the item is still equipped, but gets reset to 0 if the item is
unequipped. So, in some cases you might want to manually reset it:

[do something]
endif
The next time the item is unequipped and equipped again, the functions in [do something] will
be performed again. You can also use a status variable to control when an effect will be
executed. Note that this can also be processed while in Menu mode:
[do something]
endif
endif
This script will execute while you are in the menu, as soon as the item is equipped, while the
following will be executed only after you leave the menu:
Return
Endif

[do something]
endif
An additional Sample Script can be found above with the Equip function.
Notes: OnPCEquip was successfully tested with the following item types:
Clothing
Armor
Weapons
Books/Scrolls (see tips and tricks for correct use, though)
Miscellaneous items
Usable lights
Probes
Potions and Ingredients will only register with OnPCEquip when you use SkipEquip at the
same time, otherwise the item is apparently "destroyed" before the function registers! Repair
objects suffer from this too, and weirder still, apparatus (or alembics anyway) work the
reverse way. They only seem to trigger OnPCEquip when PCSkipEquip is NOT set (Forum
info / ManaUser).
41
Apparently books (and maybe some of the other item types that behave strangely?) set
SkipEquip to 1 instead of OnPcEquip! See the tips and tricks section on this issue.
Disabling ability to equip an item

[no fix] PCSkipEquip (is short variable)
Short PCSkipEquip
Set PcSkipEquip to 1
Set this to 1 to skip equipping object. Good for popping up messages for breaking seals on
books and such. For an extended example look at the SealedTreasuryReport script in the
editor. Its also great for using e.g. clothing objects as script triggers in connection with the
OnPCEquip function (see my climbing mod for an example, the climbing gear is actually a
belt, but of course cannot be equipped).
Note: Apparently equipping a book in inventory sets this to one (instead of setting
OnPCEquip to one, as it should). See tips and tricks section.
There is a bug associated with using this, that leads to duplication of the item that has the
SkipEquip function. I have seen this happen both with QuickKey usage and when normally
equipping items from the inventory when OnPCEquip is also called. To bypass this, reset the
inventory by adding and removing a dummy item (from within the section of the script that
checks the OnPCEquip function). Do not remove the item with the script itself, as this causes
a crash (see RemoveItem function). If you have a lot of SkipEquip items, make the item call a
global script (StartScript) that adds and removes the item, e.g.:
Begin doubling_fix
Player->Additem "Item ID", 1

Player->RemoveItem "Item ID", 1
StopScript doubling_fix
End
Sample Script: Here is a short script I made for a werewolf mod, it makes an item non-
equippable under certain conditions:
Begin non_equippable
; keeps lycantrophic PC's from equipping werewolf hunter items for balancing reasons
; if the PC equips these before becoming a werwolf, he can wear them until he takes them off
; but then can't reequip them. So after the first transform he can't equip them again
short PCSkipEquip
short OnPCEquip
if ( PCWerewolf != 1 ); if player is not a ww, he can use the armor

set PCSkipEquip to 0
return
else
endif
if ( OnPCEquip == 1 )
MessageBox "This item is enchanted with werewolf bane-spells. You can not wear it!"
set OnPCEquip to 0
endif
End
42
Checking for presence of items in inventory
GetItemCount, "ObjectID" (returns short)
Short objectcount
Set objectcount to ( "Mob_ID"->GetItemCount, "Object_ID" )
If ( GetItemCount, "Object_ID" >= 1 )
This function checks the inventory of the calling object and returns the number of objects of
type "Object_ID" it owns.
Repairing objects
[no fix] OnPCRepair (is short variable)
Short OnPCRepair
If ( OnPCRepair == 1 )
A game variable that gets set to 1 when the PC repairs the object with the script. Requires
manual reset.
RepairedOnMe, "Object ID" (returns Boolean/short)

if ( "daedric_mace"->RepairedOnMe, "repair_journeyman_01" == 1 )
This function returns 1 if the calling item is repaired by an item of type "Object ID". Object
ID has to be of type "Repair Item" and the calling object must be either weapon or Armor.
OnRepair
The similar function OnRepair is apparently broken. It should get set to 1 when any repair is
attempted at the object: "returns true if calling object is repaired at all".
Worn / equipped object information
GetWeaponType (returns short)

If ( Player->GetWeaponType == 0 )
;Player uses a short blade
GetArmorType, armorPart_enum (returns short, -1 to 2)
If ( Player->GetArmorType, 0 == 2 )
;Player wears a heavy helmet
These functions are called on an Actor to gather information regarding what the Actor has
equipped. GetWeaponType returns the weapon type (see Table 1.1) of the Actor’s current
weapon. GetArmorType returns the armor weight (see Table 1.3) of the Actor’s currently
equipped armor part. The armor parts are coded by the numbers listed below (see Table 1.2).
HasItemEquipped returns 1 if the Actor has the given item currently equipped and 0 if it does
not.
Note: If an NPC has a bow but no arrows and fights using hand-to-hand (no other weapons),
GetWeaponType 9 will still return true and HasItemEquipped will return true for the bow.
43
Weapon types (Table 1.1):
Weapon Type Name Type Number
Unarmed -1
Short blade, 1 hand 0
Long blade, 1 hand 1
Long blade, 2 hand close 2
Blunt, 1 hand 3
Blunt, 2 hand close 4
Blunt, 2 hand wide 5
Spear, 2 hand wide 6
Axe, 1 hand 7
Axe, 2 close 8
Bow 9
Crossbow 10
Thrown weapon 11
Arrow<?> 12
Bolt<?> 13
Armor parts (Table 1.2):

Armor Part Name Part Number
Helmet 0
Cuirass 1
Left Pauldron 2
Right Pauldron 3
Greaves 4
Boots 5
Left Gauntlet 6
Right Gauntlet 7
Shield 8
Left Bracer 9
Right Bracer 10
Armor types / weight (Table 1.3):

Armor Type Name Type Number
Unarmored -1
Light Armor 0
Medium Armor 1
Heavy Armor 2
44
HasItemEquipped "item_ID" (returns short)
If ( Player->HasItemEquipped "chitin club" == 1 )

;you poor dolt!
Sample Script:
When this script is placed on an object, Activating a reference to that object does “damage” to
it based on the PC’s current weapon and strength. If the weapon is the specific weapon “Rock
Splitter” the object is fully damaged in one hit. When the object is fully damaged, it explodes
sending shards into the PC’s face unless he has a shield or a helmet equipped.
Begin breakme
float hitsleft
float hitpercent
short damage
short tempdamage
short weapon
short doOnce
short shieldType
short hasHammer
short hitRock
if ( doOnce == 0 )
set hitsleft to 10000
set doOnce to 1
endif
if ( OnActivate )
set hasHammer to ( player->HasItemEquipped "RockSplitter" )
if ( hasHammer == 1 )
MessageBox "Rock Splitter unleashes its mighty force..."
set hitsLeft to 0
else
MessageBox "You hit the rock with your current weapon..."
set weapon to ( player->GetWeaponType )
set damage to ( player->getstrength )
set tempdamage to 5
if ( weapon == -1 )
set tempdamage to 1
endif
if ( weapon >= 9 )
set tempdamage to 2
endif
if ( weapon == 4 )
set tempdamage to 10
endif
if ( weapon == 8 )
set tempdamage to 8
endif
set damage to damage * tempdamage
set hitsleft to hitsleft - damage

endif
if ( hitsleft <= 0 )
disable
set shieldType to ( player->GetArmorType 8 )
if ( shieldType == -1 )
set shieldType to ( player->GetArmorType 0 )
if ( shieldType == -1 )
MessageBox "...and the rock shatters sending jagged shards into your eyes."
Player->ModHealth -50
else
MessageBox "...and the rock shatters, deadly shards glancing off your helmet."
Endif
else
MessageBox "...and the rock shatters, deadly shards glancing off your shield."
Endif
else
set hitpercent to hitsleft / 100
set hitpercent to 100 - hitpercent
45
MessageBox "...and the rock is %.2f percent damaged but remains intact.", hitpercent
endif
endif
UsedOnMe function
UsedOnMe, “Object ID” (returns Boolean/short)
if ( UsedOnMe, Misc_pot_redware_01 )
According to helpfile:
"Returns true if the “Object ID” has been used on the calling object. This is used for scripts
that make objects do certain things of the player uses an object on it."
According to current knowledge this function is broken.
Moving and placing objects

The following functions do not work on the player, NPCs or monsters. They do work on static
objects, activators, containers, miscellaneous objects etc. Note: Actors, including the PC tend
to fall through moving objects after a while. This can be avoided by quickly disabling and
enabling a moving object every frame – doing this apparently updates the collision
information. Actors can also be equipped with a levitate or slowfall ability to further decrease
the chance of falling through objects (for more details see the tips and tricks section on ridable
objects by MadMax).
Moving along an objects axis

Move axis(x/y/z), units/sec_enum
Move x, 100
Object_ID->Move Z, 30
Moves the object along the selected axis (x, y, or z) at the speed selected. This speed is in
units per second (21.3 units per foot). Thus, the distance moved per frame will depend on
your frames per second, while the distance moved in a unit time will not. This movement is
based on the object’s local coordinate system. Thus, a positive y movement will always move
the object along its local forward vector:
Note: Move will not work on Actors, including the player. However, it will work on dead
actors (Forum info / Argent). As with all functions using a "fix", move requires that the object
is placed into the game world in the editor, before you can use it in a script:
PlaceAtPC "My_Object", 1,1,1
My_Object->Move x, 10
will not work if "My Object" has not already been placed, but you can have a local script
running on "MyObject" that just uses
Move x, 10
46
Moving along the world axis
MoveWorld axis(x/y/z), units/sec_enum
MoveWorld z, 100
Object_ID->MoveWorld Z, 30
Moves the object along the selected world axis (x, y, or z) at the speed selected. This speed is
in units per second (21.3 units per foot). This movement is based on the world axis, thus a
positive z movement will always move the object up, regardless of its local rotation: In world
coordinates Z is always up / down (increasing upwards), X is east / west (increasing to east)
and Y is north / south (increasing to north).
Note: MoveWorld will not work on Actors, including the player. Use SetPos for actors.
This is an example after a script I once picked up on the forums that makes a platform slowly
move out and back once the player stands on it:
Begin platform_script
Short PlatformMoving
Short ActivateMe
Float Timer
If ( GetStandingPC == 1 )
Set ActivateMe to 1
Endif
If ( ActivateMe == 1 )
If ( PlatformMoving == 0 )
Set Timer to Timer + GetSecondsPassed
If ( Timer <= 15 )
"floating_platform_01"->MoveWorld X 10
Else
Set Timer to 0
Set PlatformMoving to -1
Endif
Endif
If ( PlatformMoving == -1 )
Set Timer to Timer + GetSecondsPassed
If ( Timer <= 15 )
"floating_platform_01"->MoveWorld X -10
Else
Set Timer to 0
Set PlatformMoving to 0
Set ActivateMe to -1
Endif
Endif
Else
"floating_platform_01"->SetAtStart
Endif
End platform_script
47
CellUpdate
CellUpdate
Broken! According to Bethesda: Updates the current object's cell position. This should be
called when moving objects over large distances. The game keeps tracks of objects based on
what cell they are in, and if an object moves a cell over from its starting position, it may not
get processed correctly when running its script.
The part about not processing correctly is certainly right. Objects can disappear or "warp" if
moved too far from the place they were created in. Unfortunately my attempts to use this
function always resulted in a runtime error: "need to add function code for function
CellUpdate".
Note: a way around this problem (requires Tribunal) is to disable and delete (SetDelete) the
object on a regular basis (for ridable objects upon entering a new cell) and immediately
placing a new version (PlaceItem) at the very same position using a global script (seen in
MadMax boat script from the Fishing Academy Mod). See the Tips and Tricks section for an
in-depth explanation by MadMax himself. This works like a charm, because this way the
object never really leaves the cell it was created in.
Setting position (the other way to do movement)

SetPos, axis, float_enum_pos (float_var with Tribunal/Bloodmoon)
SetPos, z, 477
Object_ID->SetPos X, 466
This function (unlike the move and moveworld functions) also works with Actors, including
the player. Axis is x, y, or z. The float value sets the position of the calling object to that
value. This always refers to the local coordinate system the object is currently in.
Note: With Tribunal, this function accepts local float variables, but only within the currently
active cells. This is relevant for exteriors, you can not move objects an arbitrary distance, the
target location must be within the active cells (current cell of player plus surrounding cells).
(Forum info / reposted by Srikandi). Also note that while objects can be SetPos to any
position (without collision being detected), Actors will still check for collision, and may not
move as expected in case of collision (which can be used to good effect for collision
detection).
SampleScript: This script is made for floating crates in the Mournhold sewer (Tribunal). It
demonstrates how SetPos and SetAngle can be used instead of MoveWorld and Rotate to
produce fluid movements:
begin floatAboveStartHeight
float timer
float swingTime
float startAngle
float startHeight
float currangle
float xvalue
float zvalue
float zoffset
float tmpoffset
float weightoffset
float waterlevel
short reset
short initialized
if ( initialized == 0 ); this section stores the starting height and facing of the object
set startAngle to GetAngle, X
48
set startHeight to GetPos, Z
set swingTime to 1
set initialized to 1
endif
set waterlevel to GetWaterLevel
if ( waterlevel > startHeight )
if ( timer == 0 )
if ( reset == 0 )
set timer to Random 100
set timer to timer / 4
endif
endif
set timer to ( timer + GetSecondsPassed )

set currangle to GetAngle X
;These set the amount to move or rotate depending on framerate:
set xvalue to 10 * GetSecondsPassed
set zvalue to 5 * GetSecondsPassed
; the crate sways around its x axis:
;rotate up
if ( timer < swingTime )
set currangle to currangle + xvalue
SetAngle X currangle
set zoffset to zoffset + zvalue
;rotate down
elseif ( timer < (swingTime * 3) )
set currangle to currangle - xvalue
set zoffset to zoffset - zvalue
;up again
elseif (timer < (swingTime * 4 ) )
;reset timer to zero
else
set timer to 0
set reset to 1
set zoffset to 0
SetAngle, x, startangle
endif
set tmpoffset to waterlevel

set tmpoffset to tmpoffset + zoffset
; The crate bobs up and down
SetPos Z tmpoffset
Else ; Waterlevel is normal
SetAngle, X, startAngle
SetPos Z startHeight
endif
endif
end
49
Positioning an object in the world or in an interior cell
Position, float_enum_x, float_enum_y, float_enum_z, float_enum_zRot
(for outdoors)(floats accepted with expansions)
PositionCell, float_enum_x, float_enum_y, float_enum_z, float_enum_zRot,

“cellID”
(for interior / exterior cells) (floats accepted with expansions)
position -23515, -15355, 3355, 90

Player->position -23515, -15355, 3355, 90
"Actor_ID"->PositionCell, -254, 475, -376, 360, "Balmora, Council Club"
The classic application for this function is the teleport ring, transporting the player to certain
locations. However, it can also be used to warp NPCs or objects to a new location. Note that
in original Morrowind this function only accepted literal values as arguments. (This probably
changed with Tribunal: not sure if in all versions or only with the expansions, but:
Position/PositionCell can take float variables, but they must be LOCAL variables! (info by
Indigo Rage).
Z_Rot is not set in degrees (0-360°) but in minutes (1° = 60 min): So, if you want the
person to face east, use 5400. South, 10800. West 16200.
However, for some reason degrees are used for the player (thanks to Axel for pointing
this out).
Notes:
Using PositionCell in dialog results isn’t reliable, and may cause crashes: some users have no
problems with it, but for others it will crash the game, and for some users it may simply fail
unpredictably (this doesn't seem to be version-dependent, not sure what causes it). The way
Bethesda does this correctly is to use StartScript to start a script that does the teleporting.
(Forum Info/Emma).
You should not use this function on items that are in the players inventory, this causes MW to
crash (Forum info/Nigedo).
If you are repositioning the player immediately on detecting PC cell or CellChanged (e.g.
preventing teleport to a forbidden destination), you may need to introduce a delay of one or
two frames before using PositionCell to move the player back out of the cell, otherwise the
player may not end up at the correct coordinates. (Forum info / Monica21)
Sample Script: A simple teleport ring could look like this:

Begin TeleportScript
;Attached e.g. to a ring
short status
short button
short OnPCEquip
return
endif
Set Status to 10
Set OnPCEquip to 0
Endif
If ( status == 10 ); Display menu

MessageBox "Teleport me to", "Balmora", "Vivec", "Cancel"
Set Status to 20
50
Elseif ( status == 20 ); wait for response
Set button to GetButtonPressed
If ( button == -1 ) ; no answer yet
Return
Elseif ( button == 0 ); selected Balmora
Player->PositionCell -21278, -17613, 534, 0, "Balmora (-3, -3)"
Elseif ( button == 1 ); Selected Vivec
Player->Position 29872, -82108, 578, 180
Elseif ( button >= 2 ) ; selected cancel
Set status to 0
Endif
Endif
End
Note that both targets are outdoor cells and the different formats used. If you try to teleport to
an unsafe place (clipping with an object or out in the void), you will instead be placed at the
next safe location.
Sometimes the PositionCell format given above won't work (even though it should): If there
are no errors but nothing happens, try replacing, e.g.
Player->PositionCell -21278, -17613, 534, 0, "Balmora (-3, -3)"
with
Player->PositionCell -21278, -17613, 534, 0, "Balmora"
I've found that sometimes one method works and sometimes the other.
Resetting an object to its original position

SetAtStart
SetAtStart
Object_ID->SetAtStart
This resets the object to the original position it was given in the editor, before any movement
or rotation occurred. For an example, see the moving platform script example under the topic
"moving along the world axis". See the Move function for a sample script.
Placing an item near the PC

[no fix] PlaceAtPC, "Object_ID", count_enum, distance_enum, direction_enum
PlaceAtPC, "Secret Message", 0, 30, 1

PlaceAtPC, "ancestor_ghost", 1, 256, 1
This function places a new reference of "Object_ID" near the player. The function lets you
define a direction relative to the player where the object is going to appear and a distance (in
units). If that location is not safe (in the air, in a wall, etc), the object will be placed at one of
the other axis or at the player’s exact location (feet). (Erratum: Thanks to Isildur and Esteban
for pointing out that number_enum and distance_enum were switched around in previous
versions.)
Direction is:
0 = front
1 = back
2 = left
3 = right
51
Note (DinkumThinkum):
According to Bethesda, on the PC version an overflow loot bag will be created if there are
more than 1024 objects in a single cell.
However, if you try to put a large number of objects into a cell using 'PlaceAtPC', the game
will lockup completely. Don't know the minimum number that will cause the crash, but
'PlaceAtPC p_restore_health_e 2000 0 0' will definitely do it.☺
In other words: the game engine won't create an overflow loot bag for excess items that are
added to a cell by a script; instead, it just crashes when the maximum number of items per
cell is exceeded. I ran into this with 'PlaceAtPC', but I would guess that any script function
that adds items to a cell would have the same problem. I would also guess that the crash
occurs as soon as the number of items in the cell reaches the number that would normally
trigger the creation of an overflow loot bag.
Place items near an object
PlaceAtMe "Item_ID" count_enum, distance_enum, direction_enum

Object->PlaceAtMe ‘Item_ID’ count_enum distance_enum direction_enum
The PlaceAtMe function works the same as PlaceAtPC without it being centered on the PC.
Bloodmoon uses this to place attackers in different places depending on the player’s distance
at the time. This allows the script to make it appear as though there is a large number of
opponents that just keep coming, among other things.
;THIS POPS IN A HUNTER AT APPROPRIATE SPOT, INCREMENTS HUNTERCOUNT, AND RESETS TIMER
if ( popA == 1 )
"active_BM_hunter1"->PlaceAtMe skaal_hunter 1 1 1
set huntercount to ( huntercount + 1 )
set timer to 0
elseif ( popB == 1 )
set timer to 0
elseif ( popC == 1 )
set timer to 0
endif
Creating new object-references with PlaceItem
[no fix] PlaceItem "object ID", float_var_X, float_Y, float_Z, float_Zrot
[no fix] PlaceItemCell "object ID", "cellID", X, Y, Z, Zrot
These functions are used to create new references to objects. PlaceItem will create a reference
to object "Object ID" at coordinate (X, Y, Z) with Z rotation Zrot in the current cell. Z_Rot is
not set in degrees (0-360°) but in minutes (1° = 60 min): So, if you want the person to
face east, use 5400. South, 10800. West 16200.
52
The function accepts (local) float variables. PlaceItemCell does the same thing as PlaceItem
except it allows you to specify a cell other than the current one in which the object should be
created. With either function, if the target cell for the reference is an exterior cell and the
given coordinate is outside of that cell, then the reference will be added to the cell containing
the coordinate. This is a nice addition that allows you to add things to the world without
previously placing them in the editor.
JOG posted the following interesting info on PlaceItemCell:
Well, When I first tried PlaceitemCell, I thought it's a great function to place items instead of
having a "storage-cell" where the objects lie around until the game needs them. I soon
realized that you can't refer to those objects by script. (To disable them for example.) The
script won't compile until at least one of the objects is in use, and then the disable command
would refer to that object, so you still need PositionCell.
(Note by GBG: you can circumvent this for many applications by having a script on the
placed item, so that you can omit the "fix" and have functions such as disable reference to it
by default.)
DinkumThinkum adds:
PlaceItemCell would have been perfect for what I wanted to do, until I discovered that the
placed NPC disappeared if I saved and reloaded before going to the cell they were placed in.
(Note by GBG: This can be avoided in most cases by making the placing of the NPC
conditional on the player entering the cell. I still think PlaceItem is a very useful function.)
Sample Script:
Putting this script on an object causes it, on activation, to ask the user for an object type and
then to create a reference to the specified object at 100 units above the activated reference
with 45 degree Z rotation. If the key is selected, it is created at that same coordinate and
rotation in the cell “key room” rather than the current cell.
Begin makethingsimple
short questionAsked
short button
float myX
float myY
float myZ
if ( MenuMode )
return
endif
if ( OnActivate == 1 )
if ( questionAsked == 0 )
MessageBox, "Create new..." "...Pot" "...Key"
set questionAsked to 1
set myX to GetPos X
set myY to GetPos Y
set myZ to GetPos Z + 100
endif
endif
if ( questionAsked != 0 )
if ( button == -1 )
else
if ( button == 0 )
PlaceItem "Misc_pot_redware_01" myX myY myZ 45
PlaceItemCell "misc key" "key room" myX myY myZ 45
endif
set button to -1
53
endif
endif
endif
end
Rotation and angles

Bethesda uses both degrees and minutes (1° degree = 60 minutes) as units in scripting
functions:
GetAngle [°] (-180 to 180 °)
Setangle [°]
Position [ min ]
PositionCell [min] except for the player [°]
PlaceItem [min]
PlaceItemCell [min]
Rotate [ ° / second ]
RotateWorld [ ° / second ]
Making an object spin

Similar to the movements described above, you can also rotate objects, around either their
local or the world axis and determine the current angle:
Rotate , axis, angle/sec_enum
RotateWorld, axis, angle/sec_enum
Rotate, z, -30; rotate counterclockwise, 30° per second, around objects z axis
Object_ID->Rotate, Y, 100
Axis can be x, y, or z. Notice that like the move functions the value you are giving Rotate or
RotateWorld is a speed setting (not an angle), if you want to turn an object by 90% either use
set angle (for an instantaneous change) or use Rotate together with GetAngle to check how far
the object has already been turned. These functions can not be used with Actors.
RotateWorld does NOT update an item's position.

If you use RotateWorld in a script, and then call GetAngle, it will always return the same
value, regardless of what the angle actually is. Just using rotate does not cause this problem.
(Forum info / HeyYou)
Setting Angles
SetAngle, axis, float_enum_angle
SetAngle, z, 30
Object_ID->Setangle, z, 25
This function sets the object to a specific world angle. Axis is x, y, or z. The float value sets
the angle (in degrees) of the calling object to that value. This always refers to the local
coordinate system the object is currently in.
Note: According to console test, this does not affect Actors. With Tribunal, this function
accepts local float variables, but only within the currently active cells. This is relevant for
exteriors, you can not move objects an arbitrary distance, the target location must be within
the active cells (current cell of player plus surrounding cells). (Forum info / reposted by
Srikandi). For actors, see the "Face, x, y" function.
54
Notes (by Simpleton):
SetAngle doesn't work how sfd says it does. My guess is nobody ever noticed before because
nobody ever uses it with the X or Y axis, which is where it gets funky. I wasn't going to explain
how it worked because it's long and complicated and nobody but me cares, but I've got time to
kill and there's always a chance somebody will run across this problem and need help.
Probably the oddest thing about SetAngle, X/Y is that neither have anything to do with the X
or Y axis'. Luckily they do have a system to them that, with a bit of imagination, isn't too hard
to understand. The way I found easiest to understand was to imagine a protractor with an
arm being held up at a bit of an angle, so that flat side is on the table and the curved part is
about 45 degrees off the table. The angle between the table and the protractor is y, and the
angle of the arm on the protractor is x.
There are a couple differences, one being that if you set y to 0 the "protractor" is pointing
straight up, and a positive x actually goes down instead of up (i.e. the "arm" would go down
into the table). So if you set all the angles to 0 and then add 1 to x each frame the object
would spin in a vertical circle that is moving down while it's pointing at you. But, if y is 90
(protractor is lying flat on the table) then adding 1 to x each frame would spin the object
around the z axis.
Interestingly in the last example if you were to add 1 to *z* each frame you would get the
same results. That's because while what changing x does depends on the angle in y and vise
versa, changing z always does the same thing: spin the object around the z axis.
So, there ya go, and even if you don't understand what I said, you have to give me credit for
pulling that picture of a protractor out of my a**.
(ManaUser:)
I'm afraid I don't understand the protractor analogy but the worst thing about SetAngle is that
it doesn't always save right. Particularly when an object has been rotated on more than one
axis, I've noticed it facing some wonky direction after reloading.
Example script: See SetPos function
55
Scale Functions
GetScale (float)
SetScale newScale_float
ModScale scaleChange_float
If ( doonce == 0 )
Object_ID->SetScale 0.1
Set doonce to 1
endif
These functions are used to determine or modify the scale of a reference. Any scale you can
set must be within (exclusively) 0 and 10 (so you can set it beyond 0.5 and 2, contrary to what
was written in the original description by Bethesda) (info by Mode Locrian). The above
sample script can thus be used to set scale beyond the limits of what the TES CS itself allows.
Notes: You shouldn't call "setscale" in every frame, at least not in exteriors or other FPS-
critical situations.
The scale will be reset to a value within the 0.5 - 2.0 frame when you reload. So don't use a
done-flag to call it only once. Either call it regularly (about all 10 frames) or test for
"getscale" and reset the scale when it doesn't fit:
if ( GetScale != 5 )
SetScale, 5
endif
Another way is to set it in a Tribunal or Bloodmoon start script. This can be done once, and
will make sure the scale is set each time you load a game. (Forum info / JOG).
Sample script:
A more complex sample script by Bethesda shows how to grow and shrink an object.
When this script is placed on a reference, activating that reference gives the user the ability to
change that reference’s scale.
Begin scalescript
short questionAsked
short button
float direction
float currscale
float tempscale
if ( MenuMode )
return
endif
MessageBox, "Make this object..." "...Grow" "...Shrink"
endif
endif
if ( button == -1 )
else
if ( button == 0 )
set direction to 1
set direction to -1
endif
56
set button to 0
endif
endif
if ( direction != 0 )
set tempscale to .3 * GetSecondsPassed
set tempscale to tempscale * direction
ModScale tempscale
set currscale to GetScale
if ( direction == -1 )
if ( currscale <= .5 )
set direction to 0
endif
else
if ( currscale >= 2 )
set direction to 0
endif
endif
endif
end scalescript
57
Determining location, relative position and movement
Detecting if player is indoors or outdoors

[no fix] GetInterior (returns Boolean/short)
If ( GetInterior == 1 )
Undocumented function! (Thanks XP-Cagey and Killgore)

This function will return 1 if the current cell is an interior cell and 0 if it is an exterior cell. It
will also return 1 if the player is in an interior acting like exterior (GetWindSpeed can be used
to detect a fake exterior).
The following is a global sample script by Killgore. If you want to try it out start it by typing
"StartScript Outside_Check" in the console.
Begin Outside_Check
short doonce
if (MenuMode == 1)
Return
EndIf
if (doOnce == 0) ;if you’re in some brand new cell

;or it just started
if ( GetInterior == 1 )
MessageBox "1: inside"
elseif ( GetInterior == 0 )
MessageBox "0: outside"
else
MessageBox "mystery else"
endif
set doOnce to 1
Return
endif
if (doOnce == 1)
if (CellChanged == 0) Return
else ;if the player changes cells that frame..
set doOnce to 2 ;it waits an extra frame
endif
Return
endif
if (doOnce == 2) ;then starts over and prints

set doOnce to 0
Return
endif
End Outside_Check
Determining the players cell

[no fix] GetPCCell, "Cell_ID" (returns Boolean/short)
if ( GetPCCell "Balmora" == 1 )
Set dream to 1
endif
The GetPCCell function tests for the player’s presence in the specified cell. It returns 1 if the
player is in the specified cell, 0 if not. Partial matches are supported, e.g. GetPCCell, "Vivec"
will return true for the cells "Vivec", "Vivec, foreign quarter waistworks" and "Vivec,
temple", etc.
58
Sample Script:
This small Bethesda script checks for the PC leaving a certain area until removing a certain
item from an NPC:
Begin DrothPost
if ( GetJournalIndex "MS_EstateSale" >= 70 )

if ( GetPCCell "Mournhold, Geon Auline's House" == 0 )
"Geon Auline"->RemoveItem "silver dagger_droth_unique" 1
Journal MS_EstateSale 80
StopScript DrothPost
endif
endif
End DrothPost
Distance of one object to another

GetDistance, "ObjectID" (returns float)
"ObjectID1"->GetDistance, "ObjectID2"
This function returns the distance (in units) of one object to another. In syntax one, that is the
distance between the calling object (to which script is attached to) and the named object. This
can be used to trigger attacks or other events, or simply to roughly determine the player's
whereabouts for use in a script.
Here is a snippet from an original Morrowind script:
; From a script attached to an NPC Ashamanu:

; Ashamanu will give journal entry 60 when player is near
if ( GetDisabled != 1 )
if ( GetDistance Player <= 256 )
if ( GetDistance "guar_white_unique" <= 256 )
if ( GetJournalIndex "MS_WhiteGuar" <= 50 )
Journal "MS_WhiteGuar" 60
endif
endif
endif
endif
Limitations:
• GetDistance requires that the object given as parameter is placed in the gameworld (in
the editor) and has references persist checked (or is naturally persistent such as an
NPC).
• Note that you should use this function only with unique ID's or in environments where
you exactly know that there is only one instance of the ID – otherwise the Game
engine will just grab the first instance of the ID it finds and report that distance – most
likely not the distance to the object you want. Thus, a script that warns the player of
the presence of a slaughterfish that is closer than 800 units would have to be attached
to the ID of the slaughterfish, and check the distance to "player" (which is unique), not
vice versa.
• If you determine distance to an object you are moving with Move or MoveWorld,
GetDistance will still report the distance to the original location of the object (the
one you set in the editor). Use GetPos and good ol' Pythagoras (c2 = a2 + b2) to
determine distances in these instances.
• GetDistance won't work on disabled objects.
Determining an objects position and facing

GetPos, axis(x/y/z)
59
Object_ID->GetPos, z
When you are moving objects with the Move/MoveWorld functions described above, you
might want to obtain information on its current whereabouts. This functions work on Actors
and objects. In the following sample script I used this function to control the movement of a
light source (a fire) to make a fire pit where the flames actually start slowly and die down in
the evening on a daily schedule – the fire objects original Z position is 511:
Begin _HB_Scheduled fire
short control_fire
; The script is attached to an NPC that guards the fire.

;******* this controls the fires schedule:
if ( GetDistance, "HB_Furn_De_Firepit_camp" < 600 )
If ( GameHour < 17 )
if ( HB_Light_Fire_camp->GetPos Z >= 400 )
HB_Light_Fire_camp->MoveWorld z, -0.1 ; Move fire down
else
HB_Light_Fire_camp->disable
endif
elseif ( GameHour >= 17)
HB_Light_Fire_camp->enable
if ( HB_Light_Fire_camp->GetPos Z < 511 )
HB_Light_Fire_camp->MoveWorld z, 0.1 ; move fire up
else
HB_Light_Fire_camp->enable
endif
endif
endif
end
GetAngle , axis(x/y/z) (returns float)

If ( Object_Id->GetAngle, z == 180 )
The GetAngle function returns the world angle, not the local angle. World angles are from 0
to 180 and 0 to -180 (see figure for z axis).
Note: This works on actors and objects, however for the player (and I assume other actors)
only the z axis is relevant - GetAngle, x or y always return 0.
N
0
-90 90
180 / -180
Line of Sight
GetLOS, ObjectID (returns Boolean/short)
Actor_ID->GetLOS, Player
60
Undocumented:
GetLineOfSight (returns Boolean/short)
These functions determines whether the calling object has line-of-sight to the referenced
object. It does not seem to work for non-Actor type objects, as far as I could determine. It
does not take facing into account, so don't take the "sight" part too literally. (See "Is she
looking at me?" in the Tips and Tricks section.)
Note: GetLOS is a very slow function, don't let the script call it every frame.
Sample Script:
Begin balynScript
float timer
short doOnce
[…]; references to journal settings
if ( timer < 5 ); A timer to avoid testing to often (avoids performance problems)
Return
endif
Set timer to 0
if ( doOnce == 0 )
if ( player->GetDistance "hlaalu_loaddoor_ 02_balyn" <= 256 )
if ( GetLOS Player == 1 )
ForceGreeting
Journal DA_Mephala 55
set doOnce to -1
endif
endif
endif
endif
End
Note:
getLOS and getLineOfSight suffer from the same problem with generic NPCs as getDetected
(see below)
61
Determine whether an Actor is detected by another Actor
[no fix] GetDetected, "Actor ID" (returns Boolean/short)
If ( GetDetected, Player == 1 )
Returns true if any calling Actor can detect "Actor ID" (thanks for the correction, ThePal!).
This function will return 0 if the Actor is hidden in some form, e.g. is sneaking successfully,
or has an invisibility or chameleon spell active. According to the helpfile this is a slow
function, do not call it a lot (e.g. make a counter to only call it every 3 seconds).
Sample script: The player must approach an object undetected – if not he is "caught"
Begin jeanneScript
float timer
short nolore
if ( GetJournalIndex "EB_Bone" < 20 )

Return
endif
if ( GetJournalIndex EB_Bone >= 40 )

Return
endif
if ( timer < 5 ) ;this makes sure GetDetected is only called every 5 seconds
Return
endif
Set timer to 0

if ( player->GetDistance "com_chest_02 " <=128 )
if ( GetDetected Player == 1 )
ForceGreeting ;The player has been caught and will be punished
Journal EB_Bone 50
endif
endif
endif
End jeanneScript
GetDetected calling an NPC's ID if there's more than one reference in the game will return
nothing. For example:
getDetected, "fargoth"
will return 1, but:

GetDetected "Imperial Guard"
Returns nothing. (Not 0, it doesn’t return a value). However if you reference an exact NPC:
GetDetected "Imperial Guard00000002"
A value is returned.
(Forum info / Fliggerty )
Determining when the PC leaves a cell

[no fix] CellChanged
If ( CellChanged == 1 )
62
CellChanged returns 1 for one frame when player changes cells. It doesn’t return 1 for
scripted teleporting or magic teleporting. CellChanged returns true almost immediately after
the player changes cells. This means a local script running in an interior cell won't fire when
the user leaves a cell, but rather when the player enters the cell.
Scripted teleporting may trigger CellChanged if the script is global or targeted (local scripts
will not trigger it). (Forum info / Zennorious, Tamandra)
Note:
CellChanged doesn't always trigger, even if the player enters the cell via a normal teleport
door. Possibly scripts running in the cell can have some effect on this, somehow.
ForceGreeting seems to muck it up in particular (and no there wasn't a menumode return in
that script).
Sample Script: In the SlaveScript, which governs freeing slaves in the game, CellChanged is
the trigger to disable the slave – the slave has left for a better future:
Begin SlaveScript
[…]
if ( slaveStatus == 3 )
if ( GetCurrentAIPackage == 3 )
AIWander 512 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
endif
if ( GetItemCount Slave_Bracer_Left > 0 )
Drop Slave_Bracer_Left 1
endif
if ( GetItemCount Slave_Bracer_Right > 0 )
Drop Slave_Bracer_Right 1
endif
if ( CellChanged == 1 )
Disable
endif
endif
end slaveScript
another nice example is the Gateway Haunt's script. This spectre always comes back just
when you are not watching:
Begin ResurrectHaunt
;town_Sadrith quest
;gateway_haunt resurrects until journal town_Sadrith >= 35
if ( gateway_haunt->GetHealth < 1 )
gateway_haunt->Resurrect
endif
endif
end ResurrectHaunt
Detect player traveling
[no fix] GetPCTraveling (returns boolean)
if ( GetPCTraveling == 1 )
63
Bloodmoon adds a functions to check whether the PC is traveling (i.e. on a Silt Strider). Will
return 1 if traveling/in jail, zero otherwise. This is used in the werewolf change script to stop
the PC from changing if either of these are true:
if ( PCWerewolf != 1 ) ; DON’ RUN IF PLAYER ISN’T WEREWOLF

return
endif
if ( GetPCinJail == 1 )
return
endif
return
endif
Triggers for Actors standing on an object

GetStandingPC (returns Boolean/short)
returns 1 if PC is standing on it.
GetStandingActor (returns Boolean/short)
returns 1 if ANY Actor (including PC) is standing on it.
If ( Object_Id->GetStandingPC == 1)
[… trigger horrible trap]
endif
These are great functions to trigger events, especially for interior cells. It is also an excellent
function to build traps. You can make an "activator" object using the nif files of any static
object (hallway, carpets etc.), and trigger certain events once the player (or another Actor)
steps on that object.
My sample script is used to light fires in a hall on as soon as the player steps on a particular
piece of floor:
Begin HBHallLighting
if ( GetStandingPC == 1 )
set HB_hallfire to 1
endif
end
HB_hallfire is a global variable, used to turn on the fire. This is the script for the fire:
Begin HBHallfireon
if ( HB_hallfire == 1 )
if ( GetPos, z, < -736 )

MoveWorld, z, 3 ; fire rises, until its reached full height
if ( GetPos, z, > -780 )
enable
endif
endif
else
disable
endif
end
64
Hurting an Actor standing on an object
HurtStandingActor, float_HP/s
HurtStandingActor -3
Object_ID->HurtStandingActor 1
Float hurt_variable
HurtStandingActor, hurt_variable
This function affects the health of an Actor (including the PC) that stands on the object.
Positive values will reduce health, negative values heal (hitpoints per second). Using negative
values will modify your health even beyond your normal maximum health, so be careful to
test this if you want to use this function this way. This function accepts float variables.
Sample script: The effect is probably best known from the lava fields:
begin lava
if ( menumode == 1 )
return
endif
if ( GetSoundPlaying "lava layer" == 0 )
PlayLoopSound3DVP "lava layer", 1.0, 1.0
endif
endif
HurtStandingActor, 20.0 ;20 pts of damage a sec
end lava
Object Collision Functions
GetCollidingPC (returns Boolean/short)

GetCollidingActor (returns Boolean/short)
if ( GetCollidingPC == 1 )
HurtCollidingActor, damage_enum
HurtCollidingActor, 100
Object_ID->HurtCollidingActor, 100
These functions go on an object to allow it to interact with Actors colliding with it.
GetCollidingPC returns 1 if the PC is currently colliding with the object and 0 otherwise.
GetCollidingActor works the same as the PC version of the function but will return 1 if any
Actor (other than the PC) is colliding with the object. HurtCollidingActor lowers the colliding
Actor’s health Damage points every second.
Note: An object has to have collision to trigger these functions, so if you can walk through
the object, none of these functions will trigger.
Sample script:
When this script is placed on an object, any Actor touching that object will take damage. A
different message is given depending on whether the Actor is the PC or someone else.
Begin hurtActor
if ( GetCollidingPC == 1 )
MessageBox "You scream in pain as you touch the rock."
Elseif ( GetCollidingActor == 1 )
65
MessageBox "Nearby someone screams in pain."
Endif
HurtCollidingActor 100
End
Checking activation of an item and activating it

An item is usually activated when you press the spacebar to "use" it. Most items have a
standard action that is performed when they are activated: Doors open, chests display their
content, Actors initiate dialogue etc. The OnActivate function allows you to intercept the
standard action and do something else or check a condition first:
OnActivate
This get set to one for one frame when the object is activated. OnActivate resets itself as soon
as the function is called, so only one script can report OnActivate successfully, and you
should only have one OnActivate call in your script at each moment. OnActivate short-
circuits the normal behavior of the object -to perform the standard action of the object once
OnActivate has been called, you have to use the activate command:
Activate
activate (if script is on the object to activate)
Activate can be used to trigger the standard action of an object, after OnActivate has been
called.
Standard actions called by Activate are:

Doors -> Open (Possibly broken in Original MW, with v1.6.1820 it definitely works).
LoadDoors -> Open (If used with OnActivate)
Containers -> Open (show contents)
Books/scrolls -> Display text to read.
Activators -> Nothing
Actors -> Dialogue
Weapon -> Pick up
Armor -> Pick up
Miscellaneous -> Pick up
Not tested, but I assume:

Equip. Lights -> Pick up
Other Lights -> Nothing
Probes -> Pick up
Apparatus -> Pick up
Example script:
66
The following script demonstrates the use of OnActivate nicely. It is attached to a container
object, a chest that does NOT advertise its trap like the normal in-game ones do:
Begin Trap_script
short done
if ( done == 1 ) ;do-once condition
Activate
return
else
Cast, "flame", Player ;damage to player
set done to 1
Activate ; Call standard action: the chest opens
endif
endif
End trap_script
Notes: According to my testing, the activate function can not be used by itself, without
OnActivate in the same script. The OnActivate and Activate functions can be in different
parts of the script, though. However, Activate will not work before OnActivate has not at least
been called once. There have been reports that the object also must have been manually
activated at least once within the last 72 hours, so apparently the game eventually forgets that
OnActivate has been called previously. Containers require manual activation each load
session (forum info / Phaedrus). Play around with this testscript (I had it attached to a door) to
see for yourself:
Begin GBG_closing_door
Short done
MessageBox "Thank you for activating"
endif
if ( done == 0 )
If ( GetDistance, Player < 100 )
set done to 1
MessageBox "Player close"
endif
endif
if ( done == 1 )
If ( GetDistance, Player > 200 )
MessageBox "Sesame"
Activate
set done to 0
endif
endIf
End
There have also been various reports about difficulties with on OnActivate in general, in my
experience, avoiding to use more than one OnActivate in a script is the safest way to go. Also
be aware that for items in your inventory, OnPCEquip may be the function to use instead of
OnActivate, as OnActivate does not get called by moving the item over the Player icon.
Info from the UESP: There is an undocumented feature in the Activate function by specifying
the player after the function, for example:
begin RemoteContainer
short OnPCEquip
67
set OnPCEquip to 0
"dh_remote_chest_01"->Activate, player
endif
end
If the container is persistent (references persist) this script should open the container wherever
the player is. This is a great way to create 'carryable' containers by attaching a script similar to
the above to a ring or similar item.
68
Locking and Unlocking doors or chests
Lock, short_enum_locklevel
Unlock
My_Door->Lock, 50
GetLocked (returns Boolean/short)

If ( GetLocked == 1 )
Unlock
Endif
(only Door and container objects)

These functions are used to lock and unlock doors or containers. The GetLocked function
returns 1 when the calling object is locked. Lock locks the object with the lock level specified
(0-100). Lock 0 has an odd effect though. The door/container will be neither openable nor
pickable. Unlock removes any lock, regardless of lock level.
Example script:
Here is a sample script by qwert, which makes a chest function as a security skill-training
device by constantly relocking it:
Begin PC_Security_Skill_Trainer
float timer
return
endif
set timer to timer + GetSecondsPassed

if ( timer > 10 )
set timer to 0
endif
if ( timer == 0 ) ;using a timer to relock after 10 seconds pass

"Storm_Chest_Trainer"->Lock 50
endif
End
Animating objects
There is a group of functions that allows you to play specific animations that are defined in a
model (.nif file). You can find out about the animation group names by loading a model into
the preview window and then skipping through the different animation groups or by looking
at "base animation" windows in the "Character" menu. An excellent summary of Actor
animation groups can be found here:
http://www.preik.net/morrowind/animationgroups.html
but only the ones listed in the base animation window can be called by this function.
Additional animations can be loaded to a model via the animation button in the object
window. See the Dancing girls in "Suran, Desele's house of earthly delights" for an example.
Not all models have animation groups, but the different banners (under activators) are good
examples to see what is meant (see example below). Examples for GroupName are: idle,
idle2, idle3, walk, etc.
These functions do not work on the player character.
PlayGroup, GroupName, [Flags]
PlayGroup, walk, 1
69
Plays the animation group defined by GroupName. Optional flags can be used to start the
group in different ways (see below).
LoopGroup, GroupName, Number_enum, [Flags]
Plays the animation group defined by GroupName. The animation will be looped the number
of times specified, and then return to the Idle animation. Optional flags can be used to start the
group in different ways (see below).
Flags:
0 = Normal
The current animation will finish its full cycle, and the new animation will start from its
beginning.
1 = Immediate Start
The current animation will stop regardless of the frame it is on, and the new animation will
start from its beginning.
2 = Immediate Loop
The current animation will stop regardless of the frame it is on, and the new animation will
start at the beginning of its loop cycle.
Note: With Bloodmoon installed (not necessarily Bloodmoon.esm selected) some of NPC
animations are crosswired. When called from console, they may look correct, but if you insert
NPC->PlayGroup, group, 1 into the script, you may be unpleasantly surprised to see a
different animation than you expected (Forum info / Kir). You may have to experiment to find
the correct animation (Check out the info in the section on AIWander for a list of NPC idle
movements, or download the NPC Animation Explorer mod to see all possible animations
ingame: http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/mad_weather/animexp.htm).
Note: NPCs may play a different animation on the upper body while the lower body does the
scripted animation. This may also be version-dependent(?), but in any case these functions
appear to be unreliable when used with NPCs.
Example Script:
This original script is attached to all the outside banners and makes them move differently
depending on the weather:
begin OutsideBanner
;this script is for a banner object outside that

;animates in the wind.
;Idle is still, Idle2 is a little breeze, and Idle3 is a large breeze
short ran
set ran to random 100
if ( ran < 30 ) ;30% chance the flag does something new
if (GetCurrentWeather >= 5 ) ;thunder, ash, or blight
LoopGroup, Idle3, 5
endif
;the last anim called in this script is the one it will play
if ( ran <= 10 )
PlayGroup, Idle
elseif ( GetCurrentWeather < 5 )
PlayGroup, Idle2
endif
endif
endif
end OutsideBanner
70
SkipAnim
Causes the current animation to not be played for this frame.
Enabling and disabling objects

Enable
Disable
"ObjectID"->enable
GetDisabled (returns Boolean/short)

If ( GetDisabled == 1 )
Return
Endif
The Disable function makes an object completely vanish from the game world, meaning it's
neither rendered nor processed (attached scripts are still active, however). The Enable
function makes a disabled object visible and processed again. GetDisabled (returns 1 if object
is disabled) can be used to obtain the current status of an Object. These functions are very
powerful and could e.g. be used to swap different models of statics (normal house replaced by
house burnt to the ground, etc). It is e.g. used for the stronghold building process.
Note that disable should not be called every frame, as this will cause a drop in framerate.
Instead, use GetDisabled or some other condition to ensure the object is disabled only when
necessary.
Example script:
An example from the game is the SlaveScript that makes freed slaves vanish once the player
leaves the cell:
begin slaveScript
short slaveStatus
short doOnce
short NoLore
[other slaves status checks – check original script!]
if ( slaveStatus == 3 )
if ( GetCurrentAIPackage == 3 )
AIWander 512 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
endif
if ( GetItemCount Slave_Bracer_Left > 0 )
Drop Slave_Bracer_Left 1
endif
if ( GetItemCount Slave_Bracer_Right > 0 )
Drop Slave_Bracer_Right 1
endif
Disable ;****** Make slaves vanish once freed and player leaves
endif
endif
end slaveScript
Caution: disabling lights

There seems to be a game engine issue with disabled lights – Actors and some other types of
objects still seem to be illuminated, while the world around is not. I have not thoroughly
tested if this can be avoided, but a suitable workaround is to physically remove the light to a
remote location (e.g. a few meters below the floor) instead of disabling it. Another trick
comes from Indigo: If you enable a light that is set to "negative" (which means its generating
71
darkness instead of light) after you disable the normal light, the illumination problem goes
away.
Note:
When you are in an exterior cell (haven't checked with interiors, but presumably it applies in
interiors as well) any object you disable in the loaded cells while you are in that cell will
retain its collision properties in the game world until the next time that exterior cell is loaded -
i.e. you disable a fence piece through a script where that fence piece is in the same exterior
cell as your PC. You still can't walk through the area where the fence piece is disabled until
you exit and reenter that exterior cell. Similarly, you subsequently reenable that fence piece
that was disabled when your PC entered that exterior cell. You can walk right through that
fence piece until the next time that exterior cell is reloaded by the game.
To fix this use the "FixMe" command in your script after you disable or enable a game object
that exhibits collision. You should check that you are in the same exterior cell as the game
object before you execute the FixMe command - if you aren't you don't need FixMe. This is
useful in global scripts that enable or disable objects with references persist so you could be in
any cell when the object is enabled or disabled. Using FixMe will cause your PC to also move
128 game units (hardly noticeable in most cases other than as a "stutter") when it executes but
since there is no other script command that reloads a cell that is something you will have to
live with. Using FixMe will cause the collision to be reset for the cell FixMe reloads so is a
way to immediately fix collision on script enabled/disabled objects. (Forum info / Rougetet)
Deleting a reference completely
[no fix?] SetDelete flag_enum
SetDelete 1
The SetDelete function can be used in combination with Disable to remove an object more
completely. SetDelete 1 marks a reference for deletion and SetDelete 0 clears that flag. This
can be useful in optimization. Certain objects have scripts on them which simulate picking
them up by disabling the activated reference and adding a new object to your inventory. This
leaves an ever-present, but disabled, reference at that location (which eats up memory and
processor time since the script on the disabled reference is still run every frame). If the
reference is marked for deletion then it is essentially gone. If the reference came from the
master file, it is still there but knows it shouldn’t be so has no art and no scripting. If was
created in game, it will actually be deleted.
Notes and cautions:

SetDelete will crash Morrowind if there is any other function operating on the object in the
same frame. It will also crash if the object emits sounds (or plays animations with linked
sounds) and is disabled and deleted in the same frame (forum info / JOG).
This Script will crash:
Begin _spell_effect
float timer
rotate y 120 ; crash caused by this
72
if ( timer < 3 )
else
disable
setdelete 1
endIf
A solution is to use first disabling the object and then using GetDisabled and Return to safely
delete the object:
Begin _spell_effect
DontSaveObject
float timer
if ( GetDisabled == 1 )
setdelete 1
return
endIf
rotate y 120
if ( timer < 3 )
else
disable
endIf
Another solution was proposed by Soralis, using a local variable "deletobj" as a flag:
if ( deleteobj = 1 ) ;Local variable, set when you want to delete
if ( deletetimer == 0 )
Disable
endif
if ( deletetimer < 10 )
set deletetimer to ( deletetimer + 1 )
endif
if ( deletetimer == 10 )
SetDelete, 1
endif
Return
endif
Always call SetDelete from a local script assigned to the object you want to remove. Never
use Object->SetDelete 1 as this usually causes crashes when Morrowind is running. However,
starting a targeted script on the object and then using SetDelete in that script works fine.
Don't delete items in inventory: this results in incorrect encumbrance. If necessary, Drop can
be used to remove the item from inventory before deletion.
It has been reported that magic effects can cause problems with SetDelete (forum info /
Dan_Wheeler). I (melian) am not sure exactly what this refers to, but I do know that if an
NPC is deleted too quickly after another NPC casts a spell on it (scripted cast), the game will
crash. If this causes you problems, use a timer to wait before deleting the object (you may
need to wait a few seconds).
73
Don’t save changes to an object
DontSaveObject
Call this function if changes to the object are not to be saved to the savegame.
Use DontSaveObject on objects that:
1. Can be enabled/disabled during the game, such as the stages of building a stronghold.
2. Objects that might be moved, such as rideable objects.
By using DontSaveObject you will avoid that annoying "save game data has changed" error
message that will occur when load a saved game and the object's state has changed, ie: it has
moved, or has been disabled/enabled. This is due to the fact that object data is stored in the
save game data, such as if the object is enabled or disabled, or if it has been moved (like a
rideable object) (Forum info / IndigoRage).
In the original game, it's used in the SignRotate script and the following one:
Sample Script:
Begin diseaseAscended
DontSaveObject
;ascended sleeper has all the blight diseases for some reason...
return
endif
AddSpell "ash woe blight"
AddSpell "black-heart blight"
AddSpell "chanthrax blight"
AddSpell "ash-chancre"
End
74
Scripting NPCs: AI and Movement
Make an NPC walk to a new location
AiTravel, float_enum_x, float_enum_y, float_enum_z, [reset]
Actor->AITravel, 1359, 2700, 1045
To make an NPC walk between different defined places in the game world you use the
AITravel function.
The variables x, y, z are world coordinates. You can determine these by moving your camera
to the desired endpoint of the movement or by selecting a path grid point or an object nearby
coordinates are displayed below the object window. The usage of the optional reset flag is
unknown.
When using this function in scripts it is important to provide conditions where the AI package
is called only once. Consider the following NPC bound script
Begin Travel
AiTravel, 1359, 2700, 1045
End Travel
The previous script will not work, as the script “fires” continuously, and the effect is that the
NPC freezes and never performs the desired movement.
Begin Travel
Short do_once
If ( do_once == 0 )
AiTravel, 1359, 2700, 1045
Set do_once to 1
endif
End Travel
This should work; the NPC will wander to the designated coordinates as soon as his script
becomes active, meaning as soon as his cell is loaded.
Checking whether an NPC has performed his movement

GetAIPackageDone (returns Boolean/short)
if ( GetAIPackageDone == 1 )
[do something]
endif
To check whether an NPC has arrived at his location you can use the GetAIPackageDone
function. This function returns 1 for one frame when the current AI package has finished.
Use this to perform a check whether a movement has been finished. The following script is an
example of how to link several AITravel commands within one script, using a state variable
and an if-elseif structure:
Begin TravelLoop
short state
75
float timer
if ( menumode == 1 ) ; if menu is open don't process

return
endif
;start walking
if ( state == 0 )
if ( player->GetDistance HB_adros_darani < 5000 )
set state to 5
endif
;******************* He begins his trip

SetHello 0
AITravel -8144, -19409, 728 ;new co-ords point 1
set state to 10
if ( GetAIPackageDone == 1 ) ;he's reached point 1

set state to 40
endif
elseif ( State == 40 )
AITravel -9147, -19459, 720 ; new co-ords point 2

set State to 50
if ( GetAIPackageDone == 1 ) ;he's reached the point 2

set state to 60
endif
set state to 70

set state to 80
endif
set state to 90
set state to 0
endif
endif
End TravelLoop
Good examples of scripting using AITravel are also found in the “lookoutscript” (Fargoth
hiding his treasure) and the CharGenWalkNPC script (The guard that walks you through the
ship at the beginning of the game). Or look at my "Traveling Merchants" plugin for true
AITravel madness ☺ !
If you plan on using this function extensively you should be aware of the following problems:
When you leave a cell with an Actor that is just performing its AITravel command, or if you
rest, the script will never detect the GetAIPackageDone signal, meaning your NPC gets stuck
on its path once you return or finish sleeping. The following simple code can be used to get
the script going again (this is for the above script)
76
; *************** Stalled Script rescue - recovers script after leaving a cell or resting
If ( Player->GetDistance, HB_adros_darani < 5000 )
if ( GetCurrentAIPackage == -1 ) ; check for idleness
set timeout to ( timeout + GetSecondsPassed )
if ( timeout >= 3 ) ; wait some time.
; Short instances of idleness always occur
set state to ( state - 10 ) ; stall will occur at
; AIPAckageDone - jump to "wander" again.
set timeout to 0
endif
else
set timeout to 0
endif
endif
Make an Actor turn or face a certain direction

Face x_enum, y_enum
"ActorID"->Face, -1334, 334
To my knowledge this function does not accept variables (at least under version 1.6.1820),
but there have been reports that it did - possibly this is version dependent. This function
Makes an NPC face towards a specified x/y coordinate. Apparently interrupts current
animations. Using this on wandering NPCs makes them stop, face wherever, then continue on
wherever they were wandering to, as soon as the facing movement is over. (Forum info / JOG,
Dan_Wheeler).
Define random Actor movement

AiWander, range_enum, duration_enum, time_enum, [idle1], [idle2], [idle3],
…[idle9], [reset]
"Actor_ID"->AIWander, 512, 5, 0, 0, 20, 0, 0, 10, 30, 0, 0, 0
This is the random movement algorithm that most of the NPCs in the game are using. The
NPC travels along the path grid, changes direction randomly, and performs idle movements in
between.
• Range: determines the distance the Actor or creature will roam from his origin.
• Duration: probably the time (in hours) the mob will perform the package (before it is
reset, which seems to happen if you leave or sleep, not sure?)
• time: presumably determines the start time for the package if it has a duration
• [idle1], …[idle9]: chances of idle movements.
The Idles are (as tested in game):
• Human male:
Idle1: Stand still
Idle2: Shifting weight from one leg to the other
Idle3: Looking behind
Idle4: Scratching head, shake head
Idle5: Shifting clothing or armor on shoulder
Idle6: Yawning and stretching
Idle7: Looking at fingers and looking around furtively
Idle8: Putting hand to chest, as if having heartburn
Idle9: Reaching for weapon, then touching head
• Human female - as above but:
Idle5: Hand on hip
77
• Khajiit female - as Human male but
Idle9: Scratching head, shaking head
To let an Actor stand in one spot you can use: AIWander, 0, 0, 0

Note: The number of idles and some of the descriptions were listed wrongly in previous
versions (corrected with 8th edition - credits go to Whoopa).
Here is an example script that displays all idles in series (this my be useful to check out
which ones you want your NPC to use):
Begin Animtest
float timer
short count
if ( timer > 10 )
set timer to 0
set count to ( count + 1 )
if ( count >= 18 )
set count to 0
endif
endif
if ( count == 1 )
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
MessageBox "Idle 1 , 100"
elseif ( count == 3 )
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0
AIWander 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100
set timer to 0
endif
End
78
Making Actors activate objects
AiActivate "Object ID"
AiActivate ObjectID [reset]
Actor->AIActivate "Object"
In the words of Bethesda: "This package tells the Actor to activate the specified ObjectID. A
powerful and admittedly underutilized and undertested package."
In standard Morrowind this function appeared to be mostly broken, except for making an
NPC quaff a potion. With Tribunal it seems to have been fixed, at least to some extent. I
could successfully use it to get an NPC to pick up a weapon, open a normal door and go
through a load door. LoadDoors only work if the door marker it teleports to is in the same
interior cell, or within the loaded (PC's current and surrounding) cells in exterior cells –
otherwise the game crashes. I also tested it successfully with an activator (switch to open
Ghostgate).
The usual precautions with AI functions apply (make sure the Actor is not too far away, have
a good AI grid in place, make sure nothing can get in the way, etc.). Although not thoroughly
tested, I didn't seem to get an AIPackageDone signal, but other conditions can be constructed
(see examples below) to set the NPC to a different AIPackage again.
Object Type Activation

NPC Activating NPC will approach and circle the target NPC
Container Opens
Door Opens
Load door Opens/teleports (same cell only)
Weapon, armor, Picks up
misc., etc
Book/Scroll Reads <meaning what to an NPC?>
Activators Execute as defined by script. If the activator doesn't have an
OnActivate block (or doesn't have a script), the Actor will try to
activate it anyway, in much the same way as 'activating' NPCs
(approach and circle).
Note:
If you place the object to be activate too high, the NPC will still approach and circle
underneath it.
Sample Script: these are just a few testing scripts I made. They show how you can set
conditions to determine when the NPC has finished his action.
Begin TT_opendoor
short doonce
short AIState
if ( doonce == 0 )
if ( GetDistance, Player < 400 )
AIActivate TT_door
set doonce to 1
endif
elseif ( doonce == 1 )
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set AIState to GetCurrentAIPackage
MessageBox "Package = %g", AIState
if ( TT_door->GetAngle, z != 180 ); As soon as door starts rotating
MessageBox "Done"
AIWander 30, 5, 0, 0, 20, 0, 0, 10, 30, 0, 0
set doonce to 2
endif
endif
end
Begin TT_pickmace
short doonce
short AIState
if ( doonce == 0 )
AIActivate TT_daedric_mace
set doonce to 1
endif
if ( GetItemCount, TT_daedric_mace >= 1 ); when NPC has the mace in his inventory
MessageBox "Done"
AIWander 512, 5, 0, 0, 20, 0, 0, 10, 30, 0, 0
set doonce to 2
endif
endif
end
Begin TT_openloaddoor
short doonce
short AIState
if ( doonce == 0 )
AIActivate TT_door
set doonce to 1
endif
if ( GetPos, y > 2000 ); position has changed. Loaddor target is in same cell
MessageBox "Done"
AIWander 30, 5, 0, 0, 20, 0, 0, 10, 30, 0, 0
set doonce to 2
endif
endif
end
Following and Escorting

AiFollow, "Actor ID", duration_f_enum, x_f_enum, y_f_enum, z_f_enum,
[reset]
AiFollowCell, "Actor ID", "Cell ID", duration_f_enum, x_f_enum, y_f_enum,

z_f_enum, [reset]
Actor->AIFollow, "Mob2ID", 0, 0, 0, 0
The "Follow" AI-package makes an Actor closely follow another. You can use this to make
an NPC or creature follow the player, but you can also use it to make NPCs and creatures
form a caravan. The following excerpt from one of my own scripts shows the unconditional
use of the function:
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HB_guar_pack_adros_->AIFollow, HB_adros_darani, 0, 0, 0, 0
AITravel -8144, -19409, 728 ;new coords point 1
set state to 30
Since there is no duration or destination location given, the guar will follow the NPC until
another command is given. As with other AI-commands, make sure you set conditions so that
each AIFollow command is issued only once, not every frame.
The duration, CellID and x, y, z destination coordinates set conditions that once fulfilled will
terminate the AIPackage (which you can test with the GetAIPackageDone function as
describe for AITravel above). The AiFollowCell function allows you to set an interior cell as
the destination.
The meaning of the optional reset option is currently unknown.
AIEscort, "Actor ID", duration, x, y, z, [reset]

AIEscortCell, "Actor ID", "Cell ID", duration, x, y, z, [reset]
This function makes an Actor lead another actor or the player to a certain point. The Actor
will wait for the follower if the distance becomes too great, and will resume its path when the
follower approaches again (Thanks to Kir for this info). You see an example of this in
character generation: the guard who escorts you up from the ship's hold to the ramp on the
second level. (Thanks to MisterSmileyFaceDude). The meaning or use of [reset] is unknown.
Checking which AI package is currently executed

For complex Actor scripting it might be valuable to know which AI mode is currently active
and make script actions dependant on it.
GetCurrentAIPackage (returns short)
If ( GetCurrentAIPackage == 2 )
[do something]
endif
The returned values are:

None -1
Wander 0
Travel 1
Escort 2
Follow 3
Activate 4
Pursue 5
Casey Tucker wrote a few interesting notes about Morrowind's AI system:

These are a few notes on Morrowind's AI system, as much for myself as for anyone wishing to
look them over. The most I noticed the AI is incredibly stubborn. There are quite a few
unpredictable script functions that deal with AI. I find that the AIFollow is actually the most
stable of them.
When working on "The Triumvirate" quest/war mod, if the player went to Dragonhold Castle
to join the Legion, I had to have the player's Imperial Centurion, Sensius Tanarii, show the
player where his barracks room is.
Initially I had Sensius follow the player until you wandered around long enough to find your
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barracks room. Sensius would confirm the location and disappear, once Proximus Taiatius,
(your legionary roommate) noticed you.
(GetTarget Player == 1 Usually works - For the desired effect, GetDistance is more
accurate.)
So, that was sort of the opposite of I wanted. I wanted Sensius to take the player to their room.
When I first actually thought of this, I tried thinking of several ways to get an NPC to
"AiEscort" through several cells to the given coordinates. Let me tell you of my findings on
AIEscort. It's either broken, works only in exterior cells, or I was doing something wrong.
Regardless, I noticed that the NPC did not budge at all from their location, though they
WERE set to guard the player. Upon further research, I saw that during the CharGen
process, when the prison ship guard appears to be escorting you to the door, Bethesda
actually used AIWander, making checks to see if the player was following or not.
From this I drew the conclusion that AITravel would be so much more convenient and stable.
I only use AIEscort to get a stationary actor to guard the player if they came under attack.
Useful for battle scenes when you want it to appear that two forces are fighting each other,
without having an entire side follow the player. About mass battles... I will lead into that
later.
First, I must explain how to get an NPC to escort a player, from point A: an interior cell,
through several interior and exterior cells, to point B: also an interior cell. First things first..
we don't want the NPC to get stuck. You'll need some pathgrids. A few notes about pathgrids:
the NPC doesn't seem to care about the gridpoints' Z coordinate [This doesn’t appear to be
correct. See notes below]. That's a very good thing. Pathgrids are like magnetic roads. The
NPC is seemingly "magnetically attracted" to that pathgrid, and their AIWandering,
AITraveling, and AIFollowing will follow along those grids. To see how these grids work, go
in-game, to Ebonheart or another semi-crowded city, and type in the console: 'TPG'. That will
show the pathgrids - you'll see the NPC's walking between the two yellow "rails" that are
drawn out, as if they were trains. An NPC will reluctantly pull away from a pathgrid if led so
by the player, need to walk around something blocking their way, chasing someone/thing, and
such scenarios.
Now that I got pathgridding done, I noticed another thing. AITravel is not "unstable" per se,
but not very reliable. Two factors come into play here, that dictate if the NPC will blatantly
ignore it's orders or do as told. The first, I noticed, was the AI distance setting, changeable by
FPS optimizer or in-game menu. Makes sense. However, the next one is rather annoying. The
NPC cannot get distracted or their travel will stop. This means you'll have to set their "Hello"
distance to 0 during their little stroll, otherwise they will stop and greet the player instead.
Now we come to the point where the NPC reaches a load door through cells. The game will
CTD if the NPC activates it. Here is a snippet of an "escort" script I wrote, that gets the NPC
through a load door.
Begin Sensius_Escort_Script
Short EscortOnce
Float Timer
;In my theory, a load door is simply a PositionCell function referencing to the PlayerSaveGame
once the door is
;activated. (By the player.) For an NPC to activate a load door would, as this "door script"
seems hard-coded
;strictly to the player, would call an error that would cause a CTD. This script creates an
artificial load door, by
;replacing the "Player" function references to the NPC in question. As this is concerning a
REAL load door, I cannot
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;have the NPC activate it. Rather, the NPC teleports when they are close enough to the door
for activation, and
;a certain variable is set, accompanied by a 3D sound to finalize the effect. NPC load doors
are possible. The only
;problem is that the NPC disappears rather than shows an animation of entering the door - but
it's not much worse
;than in Oblivion, when the NPC just fades.
Return
Endif
If ( EscortOnce == 0 )
"Sensius Tanarii"->AiTravel 4990.000 5200.000 15456.000
Set EscortOnce to 1
Endif
If ( EscortOnce == 1 )
If ( "Sensius Tanarii"->GetPos, X <= 5060 ) ;I am "boxing in" the coordinates. When he stands
in this area, the door is activated.
If ( "Sensius Tanarii"->GetPos, X >= 4930 )
If ( "Sensius Tanarii"->GetPos, Y <= 5360 )
If ( "Sensius Tanarii"->GetPos, Y >= 5177 )
"Sensius Tanarii"->PlaySound3D "Door Latched Two Open" ;
"Sensius Tanarii"->PositionCell 3186 5191 15050 0 "Dragonhold Keep - Main Entry Hall"
Set EscortOnce to 2
Endif
Endif
Endif
Endif
Endif
…
That should explain how it would work. Coordinates are often more reliable than a
"GetAIPackageDone" function, mainly because that function is easily broken by several
factors.
Some notes on the notes (!)

• It's been reported by others (and I've found myself) that the z-pos of pathgrid nodes
does matter (at least in interiors): if a node isn't well above the floor the actor can get
"stuck" at that point and refuse to move past it.
• AIEscort has been used successfully by a number of modders (and in Bethesda's
scripts, e.g. CharGenWalkNPC). That's not to say it's without problems, but it is
certainly useable. However, since AIEscort may not be viable in some circumstances,
the above notes may help you develop an alternative approach should one be
necessary.
Forcing sneak movement

ForceSneak
ClearForceSneak
"Actor_ID"->ForceSneak
GetForceSneak ( returns Boolean/short)

If ( "actor_ID"->GetForceSneak == 1 )
The ForceSneak command puts the Actor in sneak mode, all movement will be performed in
sneaking. ClearForceSneak terminates ForceSneak mode. Unfortunately there does not seem
to be a corresponding command to force running (added with Tribunal). GetForceSneak
returns one if ForceSneak mode is active on the calling Actor. Check the LookoutScript
script for an example. Here's a snippet:
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elseif ( walkstate == 2 )
Fargoth->ForceSneak ; enter sneak mode
Fargoth->AiTravel -11468.595,-71511.531,173.728 ;goes to tree
set walkstate to 3
if ( Fargoth->GetAiPackageDone == 1 )
;Fargoth->Equip "torch_infinite_time_unique"
set walkstate to 4
;MessageBox "SHOULD BE AT TREE"
endif
Fargoth->ClearForceSneak ; terminate sneak mode

Fargoth->AiWander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
if ( timer > 3 )
Fargoth->ForceSneak ; reenter sneak mode
Fargoth->AiTravel -11410.590,-72057.188,133.644 ;goes to wall
set walkstate to 5
endif
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Forcing running and jumping: Tribunal NPC Movement Functions
ForceRun
ClearForceRun
GetForceRun (short)
ForceJump
ClearForceJump
GetForceJump (short)
ForceMoveJump
ClearForceMoveJump
GetForceMoveJump (short)
These functions all control the specified NPC’s movement. The ForceRun function makes the
NPC always run when they move, the ForceJump function makes the NPC constantly jump,
and the ForceMoveJump makes the NPC always jump when they are moving. The Get
versions of the functions return one if the specified NPC currently is forced into the given
action and zero otherwise. The Clear functions are used to turn forced movement modes off.
An NPC can only be forced to do one movement at a time. The priority for forced movement
is Sneak > Running > Jump > MoveJump.
Sample Script:
This script lets an object control the movement type of Athlete, an NPC set to Travel
endlessly in a four-point square.
Begin AthleteControl
short questionAsked
short button
short isrunning
short isjumping
if ( MenuMode )
return
endif
set isrunning to ( Athlete->GetForceRun )
set isjumping to ( Athlete->GetForceMoveJump )
if ( isrunning )
MessageBox, "Make Athelete stop running? " "Yes" "No"
else
MessageBox, "Make Athelete run? " "Yes" "No"
endif
endif
endif
if ( button == -1 )
else
if ( isrunning == 0 )
if ( button == 0 )
Athlete->ClearForceMoveJump
Athlete->ForceRun
endif
else
if ( button == 0 )
Athlete->ClearForceRun
endif
endif
if ( isjumping )
85
MessageBox, "Make Athelete stop jumping? " "Yes" "No"
else
MessageBox, "Make Athelete jump? " "Yes" "No"
endif
set button to -1
endif
endif
if ( button == -1 )
else
if ( isjumping == 0 )
if ( button == 0 )
Athlete->ClearForceRun
Athlete->ForceMoveJump
endif
else
if ( button == 0 )
Athlete->ClearForceMoveJump
endif
endif
set button to -1
endif
endif
end
Detecting players action: running, jumping, sneaking?
[no fix] GetPCSneaking (short)

[no fix] GetPCRunning (short)
[no fix] GetPCJumping (short)
if ( GetPCRunning )
These functions returns 1 if the PC is performing the appropriate action and 0 if he is not.
Since Morrowind doesn't have functions to directly test for keyboard input, these functions
provide an alternative to check if the player has a certain button pressed. They have
accordingly been used extensively for control purposes, e.g. for movable ships, ridable
creatures, or in my climbing mod.
Sample script:
When this script is placed on an NPC, and the player has an item equipped called “scissors”,
MessageBox warnings will be given based on the player’s current actions.
Begin momscript
short warn
if ( player->HasItemEquipped "scissors" )
if ( warn != 1 )
if ( GetPCRunning )
MessageBox "Don’t run with scissors!"
set warn to 1
endif
endif
if ( warn != 2 )
if ( GetPCJumping )
MessageBox "Don't jump with those scissors! You'll put your eye out!"
set warn to 2
endif
endif
if ( warn != 3 )
if ( GetPCSneaking )
MessageBox "You can't hide those scissors from me!"
set warn to 3
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endif
endif
else
set warn to 0
endif
end
Detect combat readiness
GetWeaponDrawn (short)
GetSpellReadied (short)
if ( player->GetWeaponDrawn )
These functions can be used to determine whether or not an Actor has their weapon out or
whether or not they have a spell readied for casting.
Sample Script: This global script gives notification messages based on the player’s weapon
and spell states.
Begin player_notifications
short weapstate
short spelstate
if ( player->GetWeaponDrawn )
if ( weapstate != 1 )
set weapstate to 1
MessageBox "The player's weapon is drawn."
Endif
else
if ( weapstate != 0 )
set weapstate to 0
MessageBox "The player's weapon is sheathed."
Endif
endif
if ( player->GetSpellReadied )
if ( spelstate != 1 )
set spelstate to 1
MessageBox "The player's spell is readied."
Endif
else
if ( spelstate != 0 )
set spelstate to 0
MessageBox "The player's spell is put away."
Endif
endif
end
Note: GetWeaponDrawn will return 0 at some unusual times; when a lock pick or probe is
removed through scripting or when it is broken, GetWeaponDrawn will return 0 for a few
frames before you switch to Hand-to-Hand. When fighting Hand to Hand, when you equip or
remove a piece of armor or clothing, GetWeaponDrawn will return 0 briefly.
Thanks to Björn and DinkumThinkum respectively for pointing this out.
Making someone fall

Fall
87
Actor->Fall
Seems to give an NPC the extra nudge they may need even after you yank the floor out from
under them. It also brings down flying creatures. Used by the Icarian Flight guy. When I tried
to use this on the player in my climbing mod, it seemed to sometimes "warp" the player
directly to the ground below.
Equipment sharing and other companion functions
[no fix] companion (is local short)

short companion
Set companion to 1
Tribunal introduced the option to "share" equipment with NPC's or creatures. To enable this
option, you must define a local short variable named "companion" and set it to 1 or higher.
Setting it to 0 or a negative value will disable sharing. This method is used both for
mercenaries and for pack animals.
[no fix] minimumprofit (is local float)

Float minimumprofit
If ( minimumprofit < 0 )
Seems to be another variable set by the game, it is probably the difference between current
value of all goods and gold minus starting value. If this gets negative, the mercenary can be
scripted to quit.
Sample Script: here is the relevant part from Calvus' script (the mercenary in Mournhold).
This section handles changes in state when Calvus leaves a contract, either because the
contract expires, or because the player has taken Calvus' stuff. The sharing is initiated from
dialogue (setting companion to 1), not in the script itself
if ( GetJournalIndex Merc_Calvus_Quit < 1 ) ;if Calvus has already quit, don't do this
if ( Contract_Calvus == 1 ) ;if Calvus doesn't have a contract, don't do this
if ( minimumProfit < 0 ) ;Calvus is quitting because player took his stuff
AiWander 128 6 0 40 30 20 0 0 0 0 0 0
Set Companion to 0; stop sharing
StopScript Contract_Calvus
Set Contract_Calvus to 0
ForceGreeting
return
else
if ( Contract_Calvus == 0 ) ;handles Calvus after a contract expires
AiWander 128 6 0 40 30 20 0 0 0 0 0 0
Set Companion to 0; stop sharing
if ( GetJournalIndex Merc_Calvus < 10 )
Journal Merc_Calvus 10 ;first contract expired
else
Journal Merc_Calvus 20 ; most recent contract expired
endif
endif
endif
endif
endif
[no fix] StayOutside (is local short)

short StayOutside
set StayOutside to 1
88
A useful variable for companions. When used in a script, it causes whoever it's assigned to to
automatically remain (and wait) outside of any interior the player may enter (automatically
rejoins upon return). (Forum info / Grumpy)
89
Race, Faction and Rank
Determining Race
GetRace, “RaceID” (returns Boolean/short)
Player->GetRace "Dark Elf"
Returns 1 if the object is of the race indicated by RaceID.
Sample Script: This is a global script Bethesda uses to set a variable that can be used to
determine the PCs race in dialogue:
begin RaceCheck
;global script that gets run once to check the PC's race, so it can be used in dialogue
if ( Player->GetRace "Argonian" == 1 )
set PCRace to 1
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Breton" == 1 )
set PCRace to 2
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Dark Elf" == 1 )
set PCRace to 3
elseif ( Player->GetRace "High Elf" == 1 )
set PCRace to 4
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Imperial" == 1 )
set PCRace to 5
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Khajiit" == 1 )
set PCRace to 6
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Nord" == 1 )
set PCRace to 7
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Orc" == 1 )
set PCRace to 8
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Redguard" == 1 )
set PCRace to 9
elseif ( Player->GetRace "Wood Elf" == 1 )
set PCRace to 10
endif
StopScript RaceCheck
end
Determining the PC's Faction status:

[no fix] GetPCRank, FactionID_enum (returns short)
if ( GetPCRank "Telvanni" == 9 )
Returns PC’s rank in faction. This will default to the Actor’s faction if FactionID is not
defined. Returns 0-9 and -1 if not a member.
Sample Script: An Actor/object with the following script is only enabled if the PC is not a
member of House Redoran:
Begin bandenIndarysScript
Return
endif
if ( GetPCRank "Redoran" == -1 )
Enable
else
Disable
endif
End
90
[no fix?] GetPCFacRep, [FactionID] (returns short?)
This doesn't work in script (causes errors and/or crashes when used).
SameFaction (returns Boolean/short)
Returns 1 if PC is in the faction of the calling object (NPC).
PCExpelled ["factionID"] (returns Boolean/short)
Returns 1 if PC has been expelled once from calling object's (NPC) Faction, or a faction can
be defined to get a specific one. For an example script look below, PCClearExpelled function.
Modifying faction standing and reaction

[no fix] PCJoinFaction ["FactionID"]
Makes the PC a member of the specified faction. FactionID is optional if it is not added it will
use the faction of the NPC who called the function
LowerRank, ["FactionID"]
RaiseRank, ["FactionID"]
Raises or lowers the object’s rank in its current faction. This function doesn’t work in global
scripts, but works in targeted and local scripts. It also works in dialogue. You can use the fix
to raise a different NPC's rank (NPC_ID->RaiseRank) in dialogue results only - in scripts this
function will only work on the actor the script is attached to.
The faction ID argument is totally ignored by the game engine, so is not required, and even if
you have the faction ID as something totally irrelevant (for example “eel pie”), the script still
compiles and runs fine.
You cannot use RaiseRank to have an NPC join a faction (unlike the PC version) - if the NPC
doesn't already belong to a faction RaiseRank has no effect.
[no fix] PCLowerRank, ["FactionID"]

[no fix] PCRaiseRank, ["FactionID"]
Raises or lowers the PC 1 rank in the NPCs faction. If PC is not part of the faction, it will set
the rank to 1.
Example Script:
Begin treboniusScript
;if you're both in the Arena
;and if the guildmaster quest is active...
;sets a journal and raises the player's rank
;when trebonius dies.
short doOnce
short nolore
if ( doOnce == 1 )
Return
endif
if ( GetJournalIndex MG_Guildmaster < 50 )
Return
endif
if ( GetPCCell "Vivec, Arena" == 0 )
91
Return
endif
if ( duelActive == 0 )
Return
endif
if ( OnDeath == 1 )
Set DuelActive to 0
Set doOnce to 1
PCRaiseRank "Mages Guild"
PCRaiseRank "Mages Guild"
Journal MG_Guildmaster 100
endif
End
[no fix] PCExpell ["FactionID"]
Expels PC from NPCs faction.

[no fix] PCClearExpelled ["FactionID"]
Clears "currently expelled" flag on the player.
Example script:
A script by Bethesda, which clears the Players expelled status after some time:
Begin expelledMG
;this is just a model

;it is supposed to be on an item in each of the Mages Guilds.
short myDay
short temp
if ( PCExpelled "Mages Guild" == 0 )

return
endif
if ( ExpMagesGuild == 0 )
Set ExpMagesGuild to 1
endif
if ( myDay == 0 )
Set myDay to Day
endif
if ( myDay == Day )
return
endif
if ( Day > myDay )

Set temp to ( Day - myDay )
else
Set temp to ( myDay - Day )
endif
Set myDay to Day
Set temp to ( temp + 2 )
Set ExpMagesGuild to ( ExpMagesGuild + temp )
if ( ExpMagesGuild > 30 )
Set ExpMagesGuild to 0
PCClearExpelled "Mages Guild"
return
endif
End
92
[no fix] ModPCFacRep, var_enum, ["FactionID"]
[no fix] SetPCFacRep, var_enum, ["FactionID"]
ModPCFacRep, 5, "Imperial Legion"
ModPCFacRep, 5, "Temple"
Modifies or defines the reaction modifier for members of the specified faction (towards the
PC).
ModFactionReaction, "factionID1", "factionID2", var_enum
SetFactionReaction, "factionID1", "factionID2", var_enum
Modifies or defines the reaction of one faction towards members of another faction.
Example: This is part of the MoonAndStar script. This part first makes the PC part of the
faction "Nerevarine" and then sets two factions to react particularly to this change:
;faction reaction and journal stuff
Journal "A2_6_Incarnate" 50
player->modReputation 5
PCJoinFaction, Nerevarine
if ( GetPCRank, Redoran >= 0 )

modFactionReaction, "Redoran", "Nerevarine", 4
endif
if ( GetPCRank, Temple >= 0 )

modFactionReaction, "Temple", "Nerevarine", 4
endif
Determining and changing reputation and disposition

Get/Mod/SetReputation
Get/Mod/SetDisposition
SetDisposition refers to base disposition (as set in the TES CS, unaltered by any modifiers).
To set the disposition value used in game, use a combination of GetDisposition (returns
current value) and ModDisposition; for example, to completely control an NPC's disposition
from a global "myRealDisp" (can be a short, it doesn't need to be a float unless you want to
change disposition by float values), the NPC's local script could include something like this:
if ( myRealDisp > 100 )
set myRealDisp to 100
elseif ( myRealDisp < 0 )
set myRealDisp to 0
endif
set localFloatVar to ( GetDisposition )
set localFloatVar to ( myRealDisp - localFloatVar )
ModDisposition localFloatVar
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Werewolf-specific functions
Set the werewolf attributes
SetWerewolfAcrobatics
Actor->SetWerewolfAcrobatics
This function set the attributes of the object to those of a werewolf. This sets the targets skills
and attributes to match the fWerewolfxxxx gameplay settings. In most cases, this means a
high strength, agility, acrobatics etc, and 0 in most other things.
Player->AddSpell "werewolf vision"

Player->AddSpell "werewolf regeneration"
Player->SetWereWolfAcrobatics
Change the color of Secunda
[no fix] TurnMoonWhite

[no fix] TurnMoonRed
These two functions are very simple – they change the color of Secunda (The small, white
moon) from white to red and back again. This doesn’t have any real effect to gameplay, but it
does make the sky look different. It is used during the Bloodmoon main quest – hence the
expansion title.
if ( doOnce == 0 )
TurnMoonRed
set doOnce to 1
endif
Determine how many kills a werewolf has
[no fix] GetWerewolfKills (returns short ?)
This keeps count of how many NPC’s killed by the player when in werewolf form. Each time
an NPC is killed while the PC is a werewolf, one is added to this count. It is reset
automatically when the PC changes back into human form.
if ( GetWerewolfKills > 0 )
; Do code to stop the PC from being affected by the hunger.
endif
94
Check to see if the creature is in werewolf form
IsWerewolf
If ( Actor->IsWerewolf )
This function allows to determines if the target is a werewolf or not. It can be used on the PC
or other creatures.
if ( Player->IsWerewolf != 1 ) ;DON'T RUN IF PLAYER ISN'T WEREWOLF

return
endif
Change to a werewolf
BecomeWerewolf
UndoWerewolf
Actor->BecomeWerewolf
Actor->UndoWerewolf
These functions change the target object to a Werewolf or change them back to their original
form. IMPORTANT: Using Becomewerewolf and Undowerewolf CAN break your game.
Some quests and variables depend solely on use of these, so if you use one to toy around....
you may be asking for it. (This message brought to you by your friendly dev WormGod).
Note:
When the player is a werewolf, the only thing you can detect them activating (Using
OnActivate) is doors.
If you want to detect the player activating an object, or even another werewolf, one method is
to use an invisible door and place it over the object you want to detect the activation of.
Player->BecomeWereWolf
Set OnPCEquip to 0
Endif
If ( timer > 10 )
Player->UndoWereWolf
Endif
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Special werewolf global variables
[no fix] PCknownWerewolf (is short global)
A global variable that indicates whether the PC is a known werewolf
[no fix] PCWerewolf (is short global)
Set to 1 when player is werewolf. Used in controlling numerous werewolf scripts.

It works in the same way as PCVampire:
-1 = Player has been cured of lycanthropy and cannot become a werewolf again
0 = Player is not a werewolf
1 = Player is a werewolf
[no fix] WerewolfClawMult (is float global)
A multiplier for claw damage. Exact formula unclear, see werewolf scripts for reference.
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Text and Dialogue
Brief dialogue how-to
Dialogue is an art in itself that can not be fully covered here. However, when creating quests
you will often mesh dialogue and scripting to control your quest and achieve certain effects.
Therefore, I will give a brief introduction.
The concept of MW dialogue

In Morrowind, dialogue is organized in a database. This database is structured in the
following way:
Top level:
The different "divisions" of dialogue are:
Topic: The actual topic words and responses for the dialogue window in the game.
Greetings: The text strings you are greeted with when you initiate dialogue with an Actor.
Persuasion: The answers you get for successful or failed persuasion attempts.
Journal: The entries for your journal.
Voice: The .mp3 sound files (and subtitles) that players "say" when you come near, are hit,
are fleeing, etc.
Find these divisions on the tabs on the top left of the dialogue window (use the arrows to get
to the hidden tabs).
Sub-level 1:
Each of these top level divisions has sublevels I call topics – for the Topics division, these are
the actual "keywords" (topics) that Actors will have something to say about. These are the
words that will be highlighted ("hyperlinked") in in-game text and listed in the right hand
panel of the dialogue window. For Journal these are the different journals (usually one per
quest). For Voices the different categories of sound responses that are "triggered" by the
appropriate in-game conditions etc. For Greetings these are just general categories of
greetings (diseased, quest offers, standard and so on). This is the way Bethesda has used them
(forum info / Emma):
• Greetings 0: Npc is alarmed
• Greetings 1: Quests (actually quests where it doesn't matter if the Player is a vampire,
is nude, is a criminal, is diseased).
• Greetings 2: Player is a vampire/player is nude
• Greetings 3: Traitors to Morag Tong
• Greetings 4: Crime and disease
• Greetings 5: Quests
• Greetings 6: Factions
• Greetings 7: Classes, Endgame, Slaves
• Greetings 8: Clothes (general greetings concerning how player is dressed)
• Greetings 9: Locations.
For Persuasion these are things like service refusals or bribe success/fail messages.
Sub-level 2:
For each topic there can be one or several sub-entries ("Info/Response") – these are the actual
responses. For Topic and Greetings these are the actual answers of Actors to the topic phrase.
For Journal these are the different entries describing the progress of a quest.
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These entries represent a linked list, meaning that each entry contains (invisible) info on
which is the next response in line and which is the previous. (This leads to a common error
message when dialogue gets deleted or scrambled, e.g. by cleaning a mod with TESAME, or
by loading several mods that change the same topic. The game doesn't know for sure any
more which entry comes after which. This sometimes doesn’t matter, but it can also mean that
certain responses are cut off, because the order isn’t right any more – this depends on the
conditions). To check and/or change the next/previous ID strings, you can export the dialogue
and re-import it if necessary (solution suggested by Kateri).
Dialogue entries come with conditions that you can set in the dialogue editor window. In the
topic window you will find a list of general conditions on the left – here you can define which
Actor (Actor ID) or group of Actors (Race, Class, Disposition, etc.) potentially know this
response. There are also two conditions for the PC (PC faction and rank). To the right you can
set a maximum of 6 "free" conditions that can refer to the Actor, the PC or other things like
the state of global variables – lots of options here, you will have to see for yourself. Check for
journal entries, player stats, local or global variables, items in inventory, and many other
functions, some equivalent to script functions, some unique to dialogue (see below).
An important and initially confusing feature of the dialogue editor is the filter option (lower
left-hand corner). When you select an Actor ID here, you only see the topics that this Actor
can possibly know (as described above). Remember that when you create a new topic (maybe
specifically for that NPC) it contains no responses. Thus the Actor cannot "know" it and thus
the freshly created topic does not appear! Select the empty slot on the very top to see all
topics again, make a response for the new topic that your Actor can "know" – then you can
turn the filter on again, if you wish.
How dialogue works

To decide whether a dialogue topic is available during dialogue with an NPC, the game
checks:
1. Whether the NPC "knows" the topic – this is determined by the conditions set in the
"speaker conditions" field – if the NPC can fulfill the conditions for just one of the
responses for that topic, he "knows" it.
2. Whether the Player knows it. The PC knows a topic if it (the topic word) either
appeared previously in a response from an NPC or if it was specifically added with the
AddTopic function. Note that the addition of a topic to the list of topics the PC knows
only happens if the keyword becomes available in the same NPC's dialog that says the
topic keyword. An example: let's say you try to trade with a weapon merchant and he
denies you service because you have skooma in inventory. The word "skooma" is used
in the dialogue, and there is a topic "skooma", but it is not familiar to weapon
merchants. After that, you talk to a savant who is familiar with the topic... but you are
still not. The topic will appear in your list only when he (or someone else familiar with
it) will mention skooma in one of responses (Forum info / Kir).
3. If both the PC and the Actor "know" the topic it shows up in the topic list and gets
highlighted in the text – it can now be selected by the player and an appropriate
response will be given.
When the game has to select the correct response from the list of responses for that topic, it
does the following:
• It starts checking from the top of the list, whether the conditions for that response are
met, which means all conditions that have been defined for that response return "true".
• If not -> Game moves on to the next item in the list and checks again.
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• If yes -> this entry is used and printed to the dialogue window.
Special rule for greetings: if none of the items in the list are met, move on to the next level 1
item (e.g. if no greeting in "Greeting 0" returns true, start checking "Greeting 1".
Special rule for Journal: there is only one condition here, the index (called by Journal
function). It must be exactly met.
Once a response has been selected, the game will

• Output the text string to the dialogue window (or play the mp3 for Voice responses)
• Execute any Script commands in the Results field (at the very bottom). You can use
all scripting functions here. Conditions (if command) can also be used (Thanks to Kir
and Manauser for this info). Nested ifs are possible with Bloodmoon, not sure about
earlier versions.
Be aware that the result field allows you to exchange information with scripts (e.g. by setting
variables or adding journal entries) and that scripts can vice versa influence dialogue as well,
by setting conditions that can be tested (e.g. you can check for local or global variables in the
speaker conditions of dialogue). The simplest script that influences dialogue is the nolore
script, which is just used as a flag to keep Actors from using standard dialogue.
Note: Result field scripts are not compiled by CS. You may write any rubbish there and MW
will not complain until the line is told by an NPC and its script is compiled on-the-fly. If the
script is complex enough to worry about possible syntax errors, it is recommended to
copy/paste its text into a regular dummy script and try to save it. That is more reliable than
using the "Error Test Results" button, as it can change preset values of global variables. On
the other hand, the fact that resultbox scripts are compiled at runtime may allow some
interesting effects, like addressing contents of another mod without duplicating it in the
current mod, which can't be done with conventional scripts (Forum info / Kir).
Creating clean dialogue

(Thanks to JOG and Cyran0 for this information)
When you are adding dialogue to an existing topic (including Greetings, Voices, etc):
• Be very careful in using a copy/edit based method. Never change an original line: only
edit the copy (top line of the two). Editing the copy is safe, but the two may be easily
confused.
• It is preferable to "clean" the original dialogue lines (infos) on either side of the
inserted dialogue. This can be done in "Details" view by toggling the "ignore" flag
for the changes, or by using a third-party tool, as outlined in the 'Cleaning up your
mod' section.
• It is strongly recommended that you use only one insertion point wherever possible
(you can usually achieve this by duplicating the text of original lines in new locations
if need be).
• If you are removing all entries you have added to a topic, or cleaning original dialogue
of changes: use the details view, TESAME or a similar utility that will remove your
changes.
• If you are removing one or more lines you have added (but not all lines in a block), do
not simply clean the changes. In order to ensure the info-IDs are updated correctly,
you should delete the line(s) in the dialogue editor itself (right-click and delete, or
'delete' key when line is selected). The editor will update the IDs automatically. (If for
some reason you cannot do this, you can move the dialogue line to be deleted as far
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away from all other new dialogue as is possible, then use ignore: moving the info will
also update IDs automatically, and the original dialogue modified by the move may be
cleaned as above. Alternatively, you can export the dialogue, edit as necessary and re-
import it.)
Some explanation:
Dialogue is a linked list: each info contains its own ID-string, and the IDs of the previous and
next lines. You can see this more easily by exporting the dialogue and viewing it in a text
editor: the long numbers are the IDs, and the pattern should be obvious.
When you change an original line, the ID-string stays the same: this has a similar effect to the
one modders are familiar with in different mods changing the same thing, or adding objects
with identical IDs… The last mod to load wins. The text and conditions of the last mod to
load will overwrite the text and conditions in other mods, dialogue from mods that load earlier
and contain that line may lose its place, and some entries may be shifted to new (and usually
highly problematic) positions in the list. (New entries themselves are highly unlikely to be
subject to the same problem, as 'copy' or 'new' creates a new, randomly-generated ID for the
new dialogue line: note that 'copy' does not copy the ID, it generates a new one. However, if
you were to copy an .esp with dialogue, e.g. in order to reuse the dialogue for a different NPC,
the dialogue would still have the same info-IDs as in the original mod and the two mods
would be incompatible. This still applies if you change the topic IDs: you need to change the
info-IDs as well!)
When you add dialogue to an existing topic, this in itself modifies the original dialogue
around it as the CS updates the next/previous info-IDs to point to the new line. That changed
original line can overwrite (or be overwritten by) the same line - including its links to the
next/previous lines - in other mods when the game loads, causing dialogue lines to lose their
place and be moved.
The way to avoid this (as much as is possible) is to clean the changes from the original
dialogue. This will give errors when the mod is loaded in the CS ("previous/next string is
different than expected for ID…" kind of errors)… but since the new dialogue lines still have
the correct previous/next IDs the dialogue will (if all mods are clean) be correctly placed
when loaded in either the CS or the game, and since the original dialogue is not changed it
will not overwrite original lines for other mods. Problems can still arise in some
circumstances, most particularly if an "unclean" mod loads later, but most modders will
already be familiar with this problem in other areas (object property editing, for example, can
be similar).
One problem which can arise with this method is that if your dialogue uses more than one
insertion point, so that an original line has new dialogue both directly above and directly
below, cleaning it will cause problems. The safer method is to simply copy the original line
and use the copy, leaving the original below all your dialogue (and therefore unused by the
game) - thus keeping a single insertion point.
Further notes:
Another point which I think fits the spirit if not quite the letter of 'creating clean dialogue' is
this: It is not advisable (or, perhaps, not polite) to put your more generic dialogue higher in
the chain than it needs to be, nor to filter any of your dialogue more broadly than necessary.
This just leads to a game of one-upmanship as modders try to get their dialogue higher to
prevent other mods breaking it.
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If possible, avoid adding dialogue that will be used by existing NPCs (those not added by
your mod) - and be especially careful of this in Greetings. It is often suggested that you use
filters unique to your mod when creating new dialogue that is not filtered for actor ID, e.g.
new factions, classes, or cells. While this is good advice in general, be aware that unless you
prevent it, many players are likely to bring companions into your new cells - and those
companions will have any dialogue that is filtered solely for that cell (usually not a desirable
outcome). If possible, you may want add a nolore filter to prevent this (preferable to using the
companion variable as some still use Morrowind-only companions, and almost all
companions and other followers are nolore'd - but "not local companion >= 0" will still rule
out the vast majority of companions). You can also filter dialogue for an otherwise-unrelated
selection of NPCs from your own mod by using a uniquely-named local variable as a filter
(but all those NPCs will need to have local scripts for this to work).
A few golden rules

• The most specific responses should be on top of the list, the "catch all" answers
should be lowest! Remember the first one that returns true is the one that gets picked.
So you can't have a response for everyone in Vivec above one for a specific NPC in
Vivec.
• If you want an NPC to be able to talk with the PC about something special, you
must introduce the topic word, e.g. in a greeting or in a "latest rumors" response.
Alternatively, you can use a script with the AddTopic function.
• Don’t use normal words as journal topics. Topic, Greeting, Journal are actually all
in the same database – that’s why journal topics use a format like A1_dreams. If it
were just "dreams" than the journal entry to "dreams" could come up as a dialogue
response to the word "dreams".
• Never delete a topic that belongs to the original Bethesda master files. This is very
hard to repair and will cause severe errors in peoples save games. (Emma). You
should also avoid deleting responses from the original game: the best way to remove a
response is simply to add your custom dialogue above the original response, so it still
exists unchanged but is never "said"; if this is not possible, you can change the
filtering for the response (e.g. filter for ID "dialog placeholder" will remove the
response from all NPCs in the game world) - but changes to an original response will
be overwritten by any later-loading mod that also changes that response.
• If you are using the greetings section 1, don't put your greetings at the very top of
it. The top greeting belongs to a certain quest, and must be left at the very top in order
to always show up. You can put your greetings below these instead. (Emma)
• If at all possible, avoid putting your new responses as the very first or very last entry
in an existing topic (this includes greetings). For example, if you want your greeting to
be above the first greeting in Greeting 2, put it in Greeting 1. If you want it below the
last greeting in Greeting 1 as well, then copy that greeting and put the copy above your
new greeting: this will achieve the same effect, as the original line will never be
"said".
Dialogue 101
The following summarizes some of the most frequent problems with dialogue. This list was
assembled from a forum discussion with contributions by Klinn, Emma and GarryB.
Tip 1) My new topics disappear! Go to the Filter box at the bottom of the list of topics. Clear
the filter by choosing the top empty line in the drop-down list. Recommend using the button
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on main toolbar to bring up the dialogue editor rather than from the NPC's properties (if you
open the dialogue window from an NPC's property box, it will be filtered for that NPC by
default; but if you open the window from the main toolbar or menu, it will be unfiltered by
default).
Tip 2) My NPC keeps asking me a question over and over! Be sure to put the replies above
the original question. Sounds backwards, but it works.
Tip 3) My NPC talks about everything! To keep an NPC from having the standard topics
about Morrowind lore, attach the script "NoLore" to him or her. If you already have a script
on the NPC, add the declaration Short NoLore near the top.
Tip 4) My NPC still has extra topics! Some other general topics may appear depending on
an NPC's faction or class. For example, members of the Imperial Legion will always
automatically have topics about that faction, the Empire, and more. There are some lore topics
that are not well-filtered and will appear in certain circumstances regardless (especially with
Bloodmoon: many BM NPCs are NoLored to avoid Morrowind lore topics, and most
Bloodmoon lore topics are filtered only for cell). If this is a real problem, and your mod
design allows for it, you can use a creature instead of an NPC: creatures can only have
dialogue filtered for specific ID.
Tip 5) How do I add topics for just my NPC? After creating the topic and it's
Info/Responses, in the Speaker Conditions area, set the ID to your NPC.
Tip 6) I added topics but my NPC doesn't have them! Two possibilities: the PC must have
already heard (read) that topic word or phrase before he can ask about it. Usually this is done
by having the an NPC's greeting include the topic. Second possibility: there may be Speaker
Conditions that prevent the topic from appearing. Even if it appears when you filter the
dialogue for an NPC, some topics depend on the player having reached a certain point in the
game, having a specific journal entry, and so on. Note that since the resultbox scripts are
executed after the display has updated, a topic made available by a resultbox script may not
appear immediately. Another little trap is that topics won't be added and hyperlinked in
dialogue if they don't begin with a letter, so topics like "-follow" won't be hyperlinked in a
greeting even if the conditions are met: you will need to use AddTopic.
Tip 7) How do I change the order of my Responses? Use the left-arrow and right-arrow
keys to move an Info/Response up or down in the list. Note that every original entry that is
"touched" by your moved dialogue will be marked as changed: you can remove your changes
using the details view.
Tip 8) How do I create dialogue for creatures? Any creature can have its specific dialog.
You do this exactly as you create the dialog for an npc, with one difference.
You have to have the dialog UNFILTERED when making the dialog (i.e. the slot below the
topics must be empty). Once you have created the dialog lines, you can filter them for your
creature. Note: This is because creatures can only have dialogue that is filtered for specific
ID, and when you create a new response it isn't filtered at all - so the creature can't "know" it.
Tip 9) What are typical uses for the dialogue result box? Emma lists these useful and
frequently used commands for the result box:
• Player->AddItem "my item" 1 (a specific item is added to players inventory)
• Player->RemoveItem "my item" 1 (a specific item is removed from players inventory)
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• ModDisposition 5 (npc will like player 5 points better)
• cast "my_new_spell" player (the npc will cast a certain spell)
• AiFollow Player 0 0 0 0 (npc will start follow player)
• AiWander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (npc will quit following the player)
• SetFight 100 (npc will start attacking the player)
• StartCombat player (npc will start attacking the player)
• StopCombat (yep, you've guessed it. Stop combat)
• StartScript "my_global_script" (start a certain script)
• Set companion to 1 (if you have added a "short companion" command to your script,
this will make the npc share with you; requires Tribunal or Bloodmoon)
• SetHealth 100 (will set the npc's health to 100 - same command can be used for setting
other skills and attributes as well, i.e. SetMagicka, SetLongBlade etc.)
• disable (will make the npc instantly disappear)
• goodbye (will force the player to end the conversation. Can be useful for instance in
order to avoid further small talk with a npc that has already been disabled )
Tip 10) I have created so much dialogue, how can I possibly spell-check it? Checking
spelling and grammar can be streamlined by using the export and import functions in the
Construction Set. Export "new" dialogue to a file, use your favorite editor for automatic
spellchecking and corrections and import the corrected dialogue . Much easier on the brain
than jumping around in a myriad of topics, greetings and journal entries. (Forum info /
GarryB)
Dialogue-related functions
Many of the following functions are not only used in scripts, but also in the result field of the
dialogue editor window.
Displaying messages
[no fix] MessageBox, “Message”, [var1], [var2], [“button1”], [“button2”]
The MessageBox command lets you give out information to the player. Normally these appear
as a small box with the text on the bottom of the screen that stays there for a few seconds or
until the player has clicked a button if the message box has buttons. There is a limit of 9
buttons per message box. If a dialogue window is open, MessageBox will output to the
dialogue window! This will be in a different color so it's a good way to show that text isn't
part of dialog. For example, "Okay I'll take the curse off. He takes the curse off." MessageBox
has several different modes of operation. The simplest one is just giving out an onscreen
message that appears on the bottom of the screen for a few seconds, as in the following script
that gives out a message when the item it’s attached to is equipped:
Begin informplayer
Short OnPCEquip
return
endif
if (OnPCEquip ==1 )
MessageBox, "The sword vibrates in your hand"
Set OnPCEquip to 0
Endif
End informplayer
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The second mode of operation makes the message stay on the screen until the player presses a
button:
MessageBox, "Ulyah lifts her hands and speaks the formula. You will now be transported to
Sheogorad", "ok"
In the third mode of operation you can use the messagebox to demand a decision from the
player via a message box with buttons and the GetButtonPressed function.
Warning: The use of more than one messagebox in a frame can cause a CTD. This also
includes the “Your journal has been updated” messagebox.
Multiple MessageBox commands in the same frame can cause a crash. The problem doesn't
seem to appear if you do 2 MessageBox commands in a row, but stick any other commands
between them and you'll have problems. Using 3 simple messages in a row can work, but
usually crashes if there are variable substitutions involved.
I'm guessing it's partially an interaction with the voice subtitle boxes. There may be some
overall limit to the number of messages per frame. -(CDCooley)
Notes by DinkumThinkum:
1. My impression is that any type of text messages have the potential for triggering a crash if
they're generated in the same frame.
2. The bug doesn't trigger a CTD every single time you generate two text messages in the
same frame: it appears to be a random chance of it happening. But, from what I saw when I
tested this: if you keep generating two or more text messages in the same frame (with some
other code in between them), sooner or later you will crash. Sometimes my test script would
cause a CTD within a few seconds, sometimes it would take five, ten, or more minutes, but it
would invariably crash if I waited long enough.
3. For a start-up script I was working on when I ran into this, adding a one frame delay
between popping up a Message Box message and updating the player's Journal eliminated
intermittent start-up CTDs I had been getting.
There also appears to be a problem if you call too many message boxes from the same script,
even if you set up a frame counter. I'm not sure the limit, but I discovered it when testing
NecroRise a while ago... Apparently, 50 is too much. (Forum info / Cid88)
Note: If you use a Tribunal start script to give out a message box with a button as soon as the
game is loaded, you should delay the MessageBox, otherwise the mouse pointer will not be
displayed.
A one frame delay isn't enough if you have a massive start-up script that runs as soon as the
game is loaded. So you might want to delay Message Boxes (that have buttons) for a second
or so after the game is loaded, just to be on the safe side. (Forum info / DinkumThinkum).
If there is already a messagebox with choices on the screen, opening another choice
messagebox will cause the first choice messagebox to vanish. However, when the player picks
on of the choices, the messagebox vanishes and the crosshair appears but the player can’t
move.
Using menutest, 0 will allow the player to move again.
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You can enter carriage returns to message boxes, but it requires hex-editing the .esp. Put some
unusual characters like ||, then save the esp. Then hex edit the || characters and make them
0D0A (hex for carriage return). (Forum info / qarl)
[no fix] GetButtonPressed (returns short)
Pressed button if a message box with buttons is used, starting at 0. Will return –1 until button
is pressed.
Sample Script:
Begin choices
Short button
Short status
Short OnPCEquip ;declare as variable – otherwise there will be errors
if ( OnPCEquip ==1 )
MessageBox, "The sword vibrates in your hand. Do you want to equip it?", "yes", "no"
Set OnPCEquip to 0 ;display the Message Box only once
Set status to 1
Endif
If ( status == 1); wait for player decision
Set button to GetButtonPressed
If ( button == -1 ); no button selected yet: do nothing
return
Elseif ( button == 0 ); continue normally
Set status to 0 ; reset for next time
Elseif ( button == 1 )
Player->drop, "power_sword" ; makes the player drop the item
Set status to 0
Endif
Endif
End
Displaying variables and text defines in a message box

To display variables in a message box you need to use a syntax describing the format of the
number to be displayed. ATTENTION – there is a lot of wrong info in the original helpfile on
this!
MessageBox "You have %.0f days left", days_left
The % symbol indicates the variable. The number after the dot determines the number of
digits displayed. "f" signifies a float variable. The helpfile lists several types (f for float, D for
short or long and S for string variables), of these I could only get f to work. However %g and
%G work fine for short and long variables (thanks Niyt Owl). You can use things like %.3g,
but the digit designation will simply be ignored. The designators are not really specific to the
variable type, %.3f will also display a short or long variable. There is a limit of 9 variables
that can be displayed in the same messagebox (though for some reason the error message for
exceeding this limit is "Max variables of 10 exceeded on line XXX").
String variables are mentioned in the helpfile but are to my knowledge not implemented, you
can however use dialogue text defines in message boxes but do NOT use %: for text defines –
In scripts it's ^instead (thanks Ragnar_GD):
Text defines:
^PCName The player's name.
^PCClass The player's class.
^PCRace The player's race.
^PCRank The player's rank in the speaker's faction.
^NextPCRank The player's next rank in the speaker's faction.
^Cell The cell the player is currently in.
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^Global Any global variable value. Floats display as 1.1, such as
^Gamehour
Note: you can also display a Global variable normally, using the above syntax such as %.1f,
which would yield the same result. If you use the ^Global text define in a book, Morrowind
will usually crash if you access or change the global variable while the book is open. This
should be avoided at all costs! (Forum Info/Chris_K)
^Name The speaker's name.

^Race The speaker's race.
^Class The speaker's class.
^Faction The speaker's faction. If they have no faction, it will be
blank.
^Rank The speaker's rank.
Note: These last listed ones will not work quite as they do in dialogue, as the defines default
to the PC's values by default, not to the calling Actor. So ^Name and ^PCName will both
display the PC's name, even if the MessageBox is called from dialogue results.
Example Script: Stupid sample script demonstrating all possible syntax:

Begin test1
short var_1
long var_2
float var_3
; GameHour is a global float variable
set var_1 to 1
set var_2 to 2
set var_3 to 3
MessageBox "^PCName, you have %g head, %G hands, and %.5f gold. One could say the hour is
getting late in ^cell. It's the ^GameHour hour or more exactly the %.2f hour!", var_1, var_2,
var_3, GameHour
End
Adding a dialogue topic

[no fix] AddTopic, "Topic"
AddTopic, "Topic"
Once you have set up a dialogue topic in the TESCS, you may find that you still can’t talk
about it with the NPC you have given the dialogue to, because for the game you don't know
that particular topic yet. There are two ways to change that condition: either you introduce the
topic in another conversation topic (e.g. a custom greeting) or you give it to the player via
script, which makes sense when it’s an obvious topic the player would ask about without
being brought to it by conversation (e.g. if you see and NPC standing under a waterfall, you
might want to ask him about "aren't you getting wet?" even if the NPC doesn’t bring up the
topic.
To do that, just attach a small script to the NPC:
Begin AddSpecialDialogue
;add possibility to ask about travel

AddTopic, "aren't you getting wet?"
End AddSpecialDialogue
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Note: You must already have the topic with this topic ID set up before you make this script,
otherwise the script compiler will complain.
Even if a topic is introduced through dialogue, it may also be useful to use AddTopic in the
resultbox of the line that introduces the topic. If another mod adds a topic with the same ID or
an ID of which your topic's ID is a subset, your topic may not be hyperlinked, but AddTopic
will ensure that it appears in the speaker's topics list anyway.
AddTopic adds the topic to the player's "known topics" list. So using
"Actor_ID"->AddTopic "blabla" is wrong: an NPC's known topics are entirely predefined by
speaker conditions.
You can not remove a topic via script; you can however set a speaker condition in the
Dialogue editor which can be set from script (e.g. a variable or journal entry), which can be
used to achieve the same effect.
Initiating and ending dialogue

ForceGreeting
ForceGreeting can be used to make Actors initiate dialogue. When ForceGreeting is called
the dialogue window will open, and the Actor will use a greeting according to his dialogue
settings. Therefore, if you want a special greeting by the Actor, you have to provide it via the
dialogue window in the TES CS. It does not matter where the NPC is, this function will
always work, so its usually best used in connection with a GetDistance or GetPCCell
condition.
Note that ForceGreeting will not work remotely if the player has not encountered the NPC in
the last 72 game hours, unless the NPC has "corpses persist" checked (in which case it will
work as long as the player has encountered the NPC at some point during the game). This also
applies to the "Talked to PC" flag. -(Forum info/Neko)
An alternative workaround: If you use PositionCell on the NPC once per day (even without
changing their location), the 72 hour time limit no longer applies (Forum info /Time limit info
from Cortex, thanks to Srikandi for bringing it to my attention). This trick to get around
Actors breaking their connection to you after 72 hours seems to require the cell you send them
to to not be the cell where you initially met them (Forum info / Cortex). This either implies it
must not be their editor starting cell or that it must be a cell that you have not visited. In my
fix I have an interior I send them to for this purpose so either explanation could be why it
works. So basically after you have met them they get sent there each day even though they are
already there after the first sending.
See the "72-hours bug" section under "Tips and Tricks" for more information.
Using ForceGreeting in dialogue results for a greeting can be a useful trick in some
circumstances, usually to have a resultbox script executed without providing extra, unique
text for it (you can just use a dot "." as the text). The NPC will then give whatever greeting
would normally be given, with just an easily-ignored dot above as evidence that your
resultbox script was executed. Note that you must change the tested conditions in the
resultbox script - otherwise it will loop continuously and crash the game!
Note also that if an NPC's "Talked to PC" flag is set by your "fake" greeting, any normal
greetings that rely on it won't be given. If this is an issue, you could filter your fake greeting
for "Talked to PC != 0" to avoid this (the player will then have to talk to the NPC a second
time before your script runs).
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Example Script: this script shows a nice set of condition being checked before initiating the
ForceGreeting command
Begin balynScript
float timer
short doOnce
if ( GetJournalIndex "DA_Mephala" < 40 )

Return
endif
if ( GetJournalIndex DA_Mephala >= 60 )
Return
endif
if ( timer < 5 )
Return
endif
Set timer to 0
if ( doOnce == 0 )
if ( player->GetDistance "hlaalu_loaddoor_ 02_balyn" <= 256 )
if ( GetLOS Player == 1 )
ForceGreeting
Journal DA_Mephala 55
set doOnce to -1
endif
endif
endif
endif
End
Note: If you use ForceGreeting from within an if block, the script will continue to execute the
remaining elseif/else tests instead of skipping over them (as it should). To avoid this, add a
return after the ForceGreeting.
This script will print the messagebox:

if ( ( Actor_ID->GetDisposition ) >= 80 )
Actor_ID->ForceGreeting
else
MessageBox "I'm not talking to you!"
endif
Here is the corrected version:

if ( ( Actor_ID->GetDisposition ) >= 80 )
Actor_ID->ForceGreeting
return
else
MessageBox "I'm not talking to you!"
endif
Goodbye
Goodbye forces the end of dialogue: after calling this function the PC can only choose the
goodbye option and thus close the dialogue window. Usually this function is used in the result
section of a dialogue topic, not in scripts; however, it can be used in scripts if the dialogue
window is open.
Allowing forced Dialogue with Werewolf player (Bloodmoon)
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[no fix] AllowWereWolfForceGreeting (is short variable)
Short AllowWereWolfForceGreeting
This variable allows to use ForceGreeting on a werewolf character. Used on cariushuntscript,

dulkscript, heartfanghuntscript. The variable simply has to be declared, not set to a specific
value.
Example:
Begin dulkScript
short doOnce
short playerwolf
short AllowWerewolfForceGreeting
if ( GetJournalIndex BM_FrostGiant2 == 10 )
if ( doOnce == 0 )
if ( Player->IsWerewolf == 1 )
ForceGreeting
set doOnce to 1
endif
endif
endif
elseif ( GetJournalIndex BM_FrostGiant2 == 70 )
if ( doOnce == 1 )
;if ( Player->IsWerewolf == 1 )
ForceGreeting
set doOnce to 2
;endif
endif
endif
endif
End dulkScript
Multiple choice – asking questions

[no fix] Choice, “choice 1”, choice1_enum ["choice 2", choice2_enum, …]
Choice "yes", 1, "No, certainly not!", 2
This is used in dialogue result fields to ask a decision of the player or can be called just to
"continue" a longer speech. After the PC makes his choice, the same topic will be checked
again, and you can provide the correct response by using function / choice / = / choice_enum
in the speaker conditions of the dialogue window. Choice can be used in script, if the dialogue
window is open. If the same resultbox/script contains more than one choice call, the choices
are presented to the player as a single list (unlike MessageBoxes).
The limit of choices per result or per call may well be version dependent. It has been reported
that there is a limit of 5 choices per call, but I'm not sure which version this was tested with.
Under version 1.6.1820, I don't think there's a limit on the number of choice calls in a single
result, but only 20 choices can be displayed on screen at one time: if more are displayed, the
game will freeze when the player clicks one (this applies to scripts as well as dialogue
results). More than 20 possible choices won't cause problems as long as no more than 20 are
actually displayed (i.e. using conditional statements to select 20 or less from a larger number
of choices is OK).
On using Choice in script: I don't advise using it in a script that also contains a StartScript
command, as this can also freeze the game sometimes. If you need to use both, you might try
delaying the StartScript part until out of menumode if possible or using some condition to
ensure that the choices can't be given more than once (not tested).
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Adding to the journal and testing journal entries
[no fix] Journal, "Journal_ID", Index_enum
Journal, MG_BCShroomsCombat, 10
This adds a journal entry to your in-game journal. The journal entry must have previously
been set up in the dialogue editor. Index references which part of a journal topic is added.
Beware of using simple names for journal topics, adhere to Bethsoft’s two letter standard (see
above example) – otherwise the journal entry might show up as a regular conversation
response, just like any other, if the topic title shows up in a conversation!
[no fix] SetJournalIndex "Journal_ID" index_enum

SetJournalIndex "MG_BCShroomsCombat" 99
SetJournalIndex will set the index to the specified value, whether or not an entry exists for
that index. This can be used to restart quests or repeat sections (by setting the index
backwards), or for temporary storage of simple flags that don't need an own journal entry.
However, it should not be used to finish quests, as the quest will not be removed from the
active quests list (Journal does not have this problem, so it is to be preferred for finishing
quests).
Note: If the index set does not have a valid journal entry (i.e. that index isn't defined in the
"info" section of the dialogue window), the value will be lost when a savegame is reloaded
(the index will revert to the last valid entry given). Therefore this can also be used to detect if
the player has reloaded the game:
if ( ( getjournalindex "dummy" ) != 100 )
Messagebox "You just reloaded, Cheater!!!"
setjournalindex "dummy" 100
endif
Where "dummy" is any journal topic that has no text for index 100.
The best thing is that it's most easy to use this in dialogue: Send the player to the "test of
courage", and set the journal index in dialogue-result. When the player comes back, and the
index differs, then the player has failed the test. (Info on this function provided by JOG).
[no fix] ClearInfoActor
This is a function that is used in the results section of a dialogue response – using this
function will stop the response from appearing in the PC's journal (under "Topics"). Useful to
avoid cluttering the topic with useless information. Note however that if all responses for a
topic use ClearInfoActor, the topic will still appear in the topics list in the journal, but
clicking it will take the player to a blank page.
[no fix] GetJournalIndex, "JournalID" (returns short)

If ( GetJournalIndex, MG_BCShroomsCombat == 10 )
This function returns the index of the current journal entry for that journal topic (meaning the
last index given, or the last index given for which an entry exists in the case of
SetJournalIndex and a reloaded savegame). This is very convenient for keeping track of quest
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advancement, and to have a script react according to what parts of the quest have already been
performed.
Sample Script: Here is a short script demonstrating the use of both functions from the game:
Begin attack_slave
short nolore
If ( GetDeadCount "Vorar Helas" > 0 )

return
endif
if ( GetJournalIndex "MV_SlaveMule" < 102 ); if PC has not yet reached a certain point
If ( GetDistance, "Rabinna" < 512 )
Rabinna->AiWander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
StartCombat, "Rabinna"
Journal "MV_SlaveMule", 102 ; add journal entry
endif
endif
End
Special dialogue-only functions

Among the functions available for defining dialogue conditions in the dialogue editor there
are a few that do not have a direct equivalent in scripting functions. By using dialogue (e.g.
using ForceGreeting, voice-dialogue or strategically placed quest NPCs) and the dialogue
result field, you can still make use of these functions for scripting purposes, e.g. by setting a
global variable in the result field. Examples of such functions are:
PC Sex (dialog)
This is 0 if the player is male and 1 if the player is female.
Note: This is the only known way to determine the player's sex. You could use this to set a
global variable that contains the Player's gender - the most inconspicuous way would be to do
this via voice dialogue, e.g. one could put a silent hello greeting for all NPC's on top of the list
that sets a global variable "PC_sex" to 1 when the player is female, 2 when the player is male.
The topic should be filtered to only be active when PC_sex equals 0.
Talked to PC (dialog)
This is 1 if the speaker has talked to the player and 0 otherwise. You can use this to have
someone say something the first time you speak with them – or for our scripting purposes to
mark this person as "known" by the player.
Note: The Talked to PC flag is subject to the "72-hours bug", i.e. it will by default be reset if
the NPC's cell has not been active for 72 game hours or longer. See ForceGreeting for
specific workarounds, and the "72-hours bug" section under "Tips and Tricks" for more
general information.
Rank Requirement (dialog)

Rank Requirement checks to see if you "qualify" for the next rank in the speaker's faction.
• Returns 0 if you do not have enough Faction Reputation and do not meet the skill
requirements.
• Returns 1 if you meet the skill requirements, but do not have the Faction Reputation.
• Returns 2 if you have the Faction Reputation, but do not meet the skill requirements.
• Returns 3 if you qualify.
PC Clothing Modifier (dialog)

This is the total value of all the clothing and armor the player is wearing. The value of your
equipment changes the disposition of people in the game.
111
Friend Hit (dialogue)
Used in dialogue for when you attack a member of your group (like a follower)
The return values are:
0 = never been hit
1 = hit by pc 1st time
2 = hit by pc 2nd time
3 = hit by pc 3rd time
4 = hit by pc 4th time and the npc/creature is not in combat with the PC
Friend hit will reset if the player hits a different actor. It also appears to reset if the actor starts
combat, even if there are no hits (I tried "ActorID->StartCombat ActorID" - i.e. "start combat
with yourself" - in dialogue results, and this seemed to reset friend hit).
Changing the Hello setting

Get/Mod/SetHello
Changing this changes it for ALL references of the Actor. Some info from the helpfile: Hello
equates to the distance at which the Actor will stop, face the PC and say hello. The setting
(which defaults to 30) is multiplied by the game setting, iGreetDistanceMultiplier, which
defaults to 7. Thus, a setting of 30 yields a hello distance of 210 (just under 10 feet).
Useful dialogue variables

A number of short variables are used by Bethesda to block certain dialogue. These must
simply be declared in a script on the actor, no value is required.
They are checked for using the Not Local filter as described in the helpfile:
Nolore Blocks most non-specific dialogue
NoIdle Blocks Idle voice, used for vampires

NoFlee Blocks flee voice, used for vampires
NoHello Blocks Hello voice, used for vampires
This is true if the speaker does not have this local variable. Unlike most "Not" functions, this
one does care what you set the variable to. Both the dialogue and the variable itself should be
set to 0. This can be confusing. Here is a table of how this works:
Not Local Variable Exists Value Pass?

(in dialogue) (y/n) (in the script) (speaker will say
this)
=0 No NA Yes
=0 Yes 0 No
=0 Yes 5 Yes
=1 No NA Yes
= -3 Yes -3 No
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Changing and testing Skills, Attributes, and other Stats
Get, Set, and Modify stats - general remarks
GetStat (returns float)
SetStat, var_float
ModStat, var_float
Set floatvar to ( Player->GetHealth )
Player->SetWillpower, 20
Player->ModHealth, floatvar
This is really a whole family of functions that can alter player and Actor stats, AI settings and
more. Replace Stat with any of the game stats, attributes, AI-settings, resistances, reputation,
etc. (list see Appendix). Positive values are added to current stat, negative values subtracted.
GetStat returns a float value with the current value of Stat (Not the maximum or base
"natural" value of that stat for the player, but what is currently used by the game, e.g. it could
be boosted by magic or reduced by disease).
SetStat sets the stat's base and current value to the given value.
ModStat adds (positive values are added to current stat, negative values subtracted) the given
value to both the base and current value of Stat. ModStat can not set an attribute beyond its
natural limit (100) while SetStat can. Presumably the behavior is equivalent for other Stat's.
Note: This is not true of some of the more unusual stats like resistances, which can be
negative (weakness) and aren't limited to 100 either.
There are so many things you can do with this set of functions that it is not very useful to
provide a sample script. Take a look at the Marksman Toggle script in the Tips and Tricks
section for a good example. The script given under "Resurrecting a dead Actor" below also
uses ModHealth, as do many others.
These commands have a wealth of applications. They could be used for special items, curses,
blessings, to gain information on the player’s strengths and weaknesses, and to change AI
settings (making an Actor more aggressive after player has insulted him, making an NPC
uncommunicative at night etc.). Another popular use is to change weapon stats to make NPC's
switch their equipment.
In the 8th edition of this guide many of these functions have been sorted into the
appropriate chapters (e.g. magic, combat, etc. )
113
Determining and changing Actor and player stats:
Determining and changing Attributes:

Get/Mod/SetStrength
Get/Mod/SetIntelligence
Get/Mod/SetWillpower
Get/Mod/SetAgility
Get/Mod/SetSpeed
Get/Mod/SetEndurance
Get/Mod/SetPersonality
Get/Mod/SetLuck
Determining and changing Health, Magicka, Fatigue:

Get/Mod/SetHealth
Get/Mod/SetMagicka
Get/Mod/SetFatigue
These return, change or set the vital functions of the PC. For NPC and the player the Get
functions will report the current health/magicka/fatigue. GetHealth also works on weapons /
armor, but only returns the maximum health. No function is known that reports current item
health (Forum info/Mana User).
Special use with ModStat only:

ModCurrentHealth, var_float
ModCurrentMagicka, var_float
ModCurrentFatigue, var_float
While ModHealth changes both the maximum and the current health of an Actor for the same
amount (e.g. even a healthy Actor would be affected), ModCurrentHealth affects only the
current health and can not set health above the original maximum health value for that Actor
(so doing ModCurrentHealth, 10000 to an Actor with 70 Health and a current health of 35 would
set Health to 70 – Doing ModHealth, 10000 would set him to 10035 health).
Changing Health:
SetHealth affects the object, not just a reference. If you use SetHealth from a global script on
a non-unique ID, it will apply to all instances of the object that the player has not encountered
yet (but if the player has already encountered that reference, it won't be affected). If SetHealth
is used from a targeted script on a non-unique ID, it will have much the same effect as a
global script but will also affect the script's target, even if the player has encountered it
already. ModCurrentHealth is the reverse: it affects the reference rather than the object.
SetHealth in the console window with a reference selected will also affect only that reference.
Note that the same does not apply to other derived attributes: If you place a new reference,
Fatigue will be at editor level, and Magicka will be auto-calculated from Intelligence
(regardless of editor level).
GetHealthGetRatio (returns float)
This function returns the health ratio of the Actor as a float value from 0 to 1, e.g. 1 means
100% health, 0.9 means 90% health and 0 means, well, dead I guess. This replaces the
erroneously listed function GetHealthRatio listed in the original helpfile.
If you want to know an Actors maximum health (Remember, GetHealth returns your current
health points) you can use this:
114
Float MaxHealth
Float CurrentHealthRatio
Set CurrentHealthRatio to ( "Actor ID"->GetHealthGetRatio )

if ( CurrentHealthRatio > 0 )
Set MaxHealth to ( ("Actor ID"->GetHealth ) / CurrentHealthRatio )
else
Set MaxHealth to 0
endif
Determining and changing Skills:

Changing weapon skills can be used to change what weapon the NPC uses by default. This
doesn’t appear to work correctly for armor – the NPC will only wear armor based on the skills
set in the TES CS. If you know the item ID, and have either Tribunal or Bloodmoon, you can
use the Equip function to force the NPC to use it (forum Info/Vorwoda_the_Black). See the
tips and tricks section for an example.
What's not obvious is the range of acceptable values for a skill: its not just 0-100 as you might
expect. In fact skills appear to be stored as a float so you can set some large numbers in there,
but there are some checks: you can't set negative values, and decimal points are discarded
when saving/loading (Thanks FreshFish).
Get/Mod/SetBlock
Get/Mod/SetArmorer
Get/Mod/SetMediumArmor
Get/Mod/SetHeavyArmor
Get/Mod/SetBluntWeapon
Get/Mod/SetLongBlade
Get/Mod/SetAxe
Get/Mod/SetSpear
Get/Mod/SetAthletics
Get/Mod/SetEnchant
Get/Mod/SetDestruction
Get/Mod/SetAlteration
Get/Mod/SetIllusion
Get/Mod/SetConjuration
Get/Mod/SetMysticism
Get/Mod/SetRestoration
Get/Mod/SetAlchemy
Get/Mod/SetUnarmored
Get/Mod/SetSecurity
Get/Mod/SetSneak
Get/Mod/SetAcrobatics
Get/Mod/SetLightArmor
Get/Mod/SetShortBlade
Get/Mod/SetMarksman
Get/Mod/SetMercantile
Get/Mod/SetSpeechcraft
Get/Mod/SetHandToHand
Determining and changing Level

Get/Mod/SetLevel (only works with Set and Get)
Sets the Actors level, and only that. Skills and stats are not automatically increased, nor does
the levelling menu come up when you call this for the player.
Note that SetLevel does not accept variables (using variables will not generate an error, but
the actor's level will be set to 0).
115
GetStat, ModStat and SetStat: A concerned modder’s guide. - Galsiah
Throughout the term “base stat” means the value of the stat when yellow – i.e. unmodified
by any in game bonus / penalty apart from fortification abilities.
GetStat:
Always returns the current stat – including any bonus / penalty. No nasty side effects as far as
I’m aware, so GetStating should always be safe. There is (sadly) no GetBaseStat function.
MWSE has these, but they don't include e.g. racial fortification abilities in the base, and
usually you'd want them included.
Most of the problems of ModStat and SetStat explained below are only really important for
the player (and possibly companions). These functions won’t do anything worse than
screwing up the stats they operate on, so for normal NPCs, there’s not much point worrying
about all this.
As with pretty much anything in Morrowind modding, if you have a choice to use scripting or
something else, then use something else. For ModStat / SetStat, the “something else” will
usually be fortify/drain stat spell effects or curses. For most purposes, standard effects will
work as well as ModStat and SetStat, and will be much less buggy.
ModStat:
Usually increases (or decreases) the stat concerned by the amount given Both the current stat
and the base stat are affected. Usually preserves the amount of fortification or damage on the
stat.
E.g. for a player with strength 50(base) + 10(fortification) = 60(current)

Player->ModStrength 10 will give 60(b.) + 10(f.) = 70(c.), just as you’d expect.
Limitations: ModStat can never decrease a stat below zero. It also cannot increase a base stat
to a value over 100. Trying to Modstat below zero or above 100 can cause trouble in the
following ways:
Strength = 30(b.) + 0(f.) = 30(c.)
ModStrength, -50 gives
Strength = 0(b.) + 0(f.) = 0(c.)
ModStrength 50 [hoping to undo the first modstrength]
Strength = 50(b.) + 0(f.) = 50(c.) – and the player has a permanent bonus.
You can try to avoid this by instead checking that you don’t reduce the stat by more than the
current value, but that won’t always work. For example:
Strength = 40(b.) + 10(f.) = 50(c.)
ModStrength -50
Strength = 0(b.) + 0(f.) = 0(c.)
ModStrength 50
Strength = 50(b.) + 0(f.) = 50(c.) – and the player’s base strength is increased.
If he then removes the fortification, his strength will show up as damaged. Restoring and
replacing the fortification will leave him with:
Strength = 50(b.) + 10(f.) = 60(c.)
It’s never safe to ModStat down by more than the player’s base stat. Given that there’s no
failsafe method to determine the player’s base stat, this is annoying [the only ways I know to
determine the player’s base stat are the method which I use in GCD – complicated, and
doesn’t work correctly when the player’s stat is damaged -, using MWSE, which I think
doesn’t include permanent abilities in the base (for most purposes you’d want permanent
116
abilities to count towards the base). Even systematically removing every conceivable bonus /
penalty – which is a drag anyway – won’t always work with other scripted mods].
Going over 100 has similar problems. The following is fine:

Strength = 70(b.) + 20(f.) = 90(c.)
ModStrength, 20 gives
Strength = 90(b.) + 20(f.) = 110(c.)
ModStrength -20 gives
Strength = 70(b.) + 20(f.) = 90(c.) – all fine.
However, this also happens for some reason:

Strength = 70(b.) + 20(f.) = 90(c.)
Strength = 100(b.) + 40(f.) = 140(c.) – already screwed up.
ModStrength -50 gives
Strength = 50(b.) + 40(f.) = 90(c.) – further screwed up.
This problem arises because if a stat is fortified or damaged, and the base is not 100, ModStat
always increases the current stat by the value you give it, even if the base stops at 100. If the
base is 100, ModStating won't have any effect. If the stat is equal to its base value, ModStat
will behave normally.
So this is fine (so long as you don’t ModStat -50 afterwards):

Strength = 70(b.) + 0(f.) = 70(c.)
Strength = 100(b.) + 0(f.) = 100(c.)
And this is fine:

Strength = 100(b.) + 20(f.) = 120(c.)
Strength = 100(b.) + 20(f.) = 120(c.)
But this isn’t:

Strength = 99(b.) + 20(f.) = 119(c.)
Strength = 100(b.) + 69(f.) = 169(c.) – oh dear.
Of course as a modder you won’t know in general what the Base + Fortification is before you
use the ModStat function, so you have no way to compensate for errors even once you know
what can go wrong. Joy!
Ok, so as long as you never try to ModStat the current stat over 100, everything should be
fine, right?
Sadly not:
Strength = 95(b.) - 10(damage) = 85(c.)
Strength = 100(b.) + 0(f.) = 100(c.) – OK so far
ModStrength, -15 gives
Strength = 85(b.) + 0(f.) = 85(c.) – Permanent strength damage.
So under what circumstances will ModStating up or down give reliably predictable results?
117
Only when you know the base value of the stat.
Can you reliably work out the base value of the stat?
No – only in some situations is it possible (the process is explained below, and implemented
in my Gals_Sk_Acrobatics script in GCD). Even then it’s not easy. (it’s worth checking script
extenders for updates though)
SetStat:
Sets both the base and the current value to the value you give it (also accepts local variables).
Can set base and current to values over 100. Accepts negative values, which can be useful in
conjunction with ModStat (see below).
This will pretty much always cause problems if the player’s current stat is not equal to their
base stat. If their stat is fortified, and you SetStat it, it’ll turn yellow at the value you give it.
Removing the fortification, then restoring will give the player a permanent bonus.
If their stat is damaged, SetStating it will again turn it yellow, but this time at a lower value
than you (probably) intended. They will instantly have their base knocked down to the value
you set.
Using SetStat is therefore never even slightly safe unless you know the player’s base stat, and
compensate accordingly. While you can’t guarantee that ModStat won’t cause trouble, you
can almost guarantee that SetStat will.
Using SetStat is therefore almost always a bad decision – if you’re ever not sure whether it’s a
bad decision, then it is.
Then are these functions useless!?

Not always. You can use them on NPCs without worrying too much. Using them on
companions could occasionally not have the effect you want, but it’s unlikely the player
would notice.
Using ModStat on the player can be safe, so long as you’re careful – e.g. to increase strength
by (up to) 10 points temporarily, you could:
Give the player a very strong restore strength curse for a frame or two. (you can then be sure
his strength isn’t damaged)
ModStrength by MIN{ 10, 100-current }
…
ModStrength down by the same amount when you want the effect to finish.
You can never be sure that giving a temporary penalty won’t cause trouble, but if you only
reduce the stat by at most 30, then it’ll usually be fine since most players start with all stats
that high. Restoring the stat after you’ve reduced it like this could cause trouble if the player
has since gained base stat points, and his stat started close to 100.
Some "cunning" tricks with SetStat / ModStat:

Warning: using the following tricks might cause even more trouble than using the functions
normally. Use with care. Conflicts are likely.
Finding the base of a stat:

You can find the base of a stat using the (mis)behaviour of ModStat, as follows:
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(1)Make sure that the player’s stat isn’t damaged [You have been tracking increases in the
natural values of the stat since the beginning of the game, haven’t you? If you haven’t, then
you have no way of knowing if it’s damaged – you could check the base value on installation
of your mod, so long as you ask the player to install when stats aren’t damaged / fortified].
(2)If it is damaged, give up. (you might want to check script extenders)
(3)If it isn’t:
(4)Store the current value of the stat.
(5)Mod the stat up to 100 if it isn’t already 100 or more.
(6)ModStat, 1 as many times as you can while the stat still increases.
(7)The fortified part of the stat is the value it reached minus 100.
(8)The base part of the stat is the current value minus the fortified part.
(9)Return the stat to its current value (DON’T use SetStat, use ModStat).
Armed with the base value, you can now use ModStat and SetStat wisely and safely, so long
as you’re very careful.
Damaging a stat:
To set a stat to e.g. 50 damaged from 70, you can do the following:
Player->SetStat, -20 [Base and current are now both -20]
Player->ModStat, 0 [Necessary: sets the base to 0]
Player->ModStat, 70 [Base = 70, current = 50 (red)]
This level of precision is not possible in general using e.g. damage stat curse effects, but it’s
not usually necessary either. The above can also be done within one frame, whereas a curse
effect might take a second to kick in. Again, the speed can be useful, but is usually
unnecessary.
Fortifying a stat:
To set a stat to e.g. 120 fortified from 90, you can do the following:
Player->SetStat 130 [Base and current are now both 130]
Player->ModStat, 0 [Necessary: sets the base to 100]
Player->ModStat, -10 [Base = 90, current = 120 (white)]
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Combat
Initiating and ending combat
StartCombat, "ActorID"
StopCombat
"Actor_ID1"->StartCombat, "ActorID2"
"Actor_ID1"->StopCombat
StartCombat and StopCombat are used to set an Actor into combat mode or back into normal
mode. Start combat will make the calling Actor attack the Actor supplied as the argument.
While StopCombat seems to be "safe" to use "every frame", you should supply a do once
condition of some sort when issuing the StartCombat command, otherwise the Actor might
not do anything. Nevertheless continuous StopCombat is very dangerous to use, because it
makes the NPC completely helpless: it will not retaliate when attacked (which however
allows you to create a real pacifist…). Another caution regarding StopCombat is that it stops
combat for all actors involved, other than the player.
Once in combat mode the AI settings of the Actor apply normally, e.g. if the Actor has a high
flee setting, he will flee despite the StartCombat command. For this reason, you will often see
that the Fight rating is also changed when initiating combat in many scripts:
If ( GetDeadCount, "My Friend" > 0 )

StartCombat, Player
SetFight, 100
endif
The same applies to StopCombat: if the actor has a high Fight rating he will go briefly into an
idle stance (sheathe weapon or un-ready spell), then quickly enter combat with the player
again; to stop combat completely, set the actor's Fight rating to a low value as well.
Detecting Attack
[no fix] OnPCHitMe (is local short variable)
Short OnPCHitMe
If ( OnPCHitme == 1 )
A local game variable (not a function, you must declare it as a variable as shown above) that
gets set to 1 when the player hits the calling Actor. Must be manually reset. It seems the use
of the variable "short-circuits" normal NPC behavior in that an NPC with a script that uses
this variable will not attack on its own accord. If you don’t want the Actor to remain passive
you have to manually StartCombat (see example below). Once the Actor is in combat mode,
OnPCHitMe does not report any further hits by the PC. Except, according to information on
the forum, OnPCHitMe gets reset (to 0) if another Actor hits the calling Actor after the PC
did, then the variable gets reset to 1 if the player hits again.
Note: According to info provided by Nigedo, OnPCHitMe also registers if the PC commits a
crime, and the Actor has a sufficiently high alarm setting.
Example Script: An example from my traveling merchants mod, to make a guar handler
defend his charge while not in AIFollow mode, I attached this to the guar:
Begin _HB_Adros_GuarDefend
float timer
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short attackstate
short OnPCHitMe
if ( OnPCHitMe == 1 )
set attackstate to 1
set OnPCHitMe to 0
endif
if (attackstate == 1)
StartCombat, player
set timer to ( timer + GetSecondsPassed)
if ( timer >= 1 )
set timer to 0
if ( GetLOS, HB_adros_darani == 1)
HB_adros_darani->StartCombat, Player
set attackstate to 0
endif
endif
endif
End
GetAttacked (returns Boolean/short)

If ( Actor->GetAttacked == 1 )
Returns 0 if the Actor has never been attacked and 1 if he has ever been attacked.
Example script: Uupse protects Yagrum Bagarn:

Begin uupse_Bagrum
short doOnce
if ( doOnce == 0 )
if ( "yagrum bagarn"->GetAttacked == 1 )
StartCombat player
SetFight 90
SetDisposition 0
set doOnce to 1
endif
endif
end uupse_Bagrum
GetTarget, "Actor ID" (returns Boolean/short)

If ( Actor->GetTarget, Player == 1 )
GetTarget tests to see if the target is in focus. For the player, it's the test to see if the target is
currently in the crosshair and can be activated. Of course NPCs don't have a crosshair like the
player, but they get the same logic. (Thanks to cdcooley for the explanation)
If you want to use GetTarget to see if one actor is fighting another, you would have to
combine it with GetWeaponDrawn and GetSpellReadied.
short temp
set temp to GetWeaponDrawn
set temp to ( temp + GetSpellReadied )
if ( temp > 0 )
if ( GetTarget, Player == 1 )
; In combat with the player here
endif
endif
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HitOnMe, "Weapon ID" (returns Boolean/short)
HitAttemptOnMe, "Weapon ID" (returns Boolean/short)
These functions return true (1) for 1 frame if the calling Actor is successfully hit or if it was
attempted to hit it with a specified weapon. HitOnMe is used only in the LorkhanHeart script
(only look at that if you have finished the game or don't mind severe spoilers). I guess it could
be a nice function to script any kind of fight of the "you need this special weapon to kill this
particular monster" type.
Combat related Get/Mod/Set AI functions: Fight, Flee, Alarm

Get/Mod/SetFight
Some info from the helpfile:

An Actor's fight setting determines how prone the Actor is to attacking the PC. Mod/Set Fight
appear to also affect all new references of the actor you may add after calling this function
(i.e. it affects the object, not just a reference). When an Actor’s fight setting hits 100, they will
attack the PC.
Player actions will increase (or decrease) an Actor’s fight setting. These are:
PC Action Default Value Game Setting Formula

PC Distance 20 - (Char Distance * 0.005) iFightDistanceBase - (Char Distance *
fFightDistMult)
Attack Actor 100 iFightAttack
Disposition ( 50 - Disposition )*1 (50 - Disposition) * fFightDispMult
Stealing 5 * Item Value fAlarmStealing * Item Value
Pick Pocketing 25 iAlarmPickPocket
Trespassing 25 iAlarmTresspass
Taunting From Persuasion Formula
Intimidation From Persuasion Formula
Bribery From Persuasion Formula
The following table gives you the resulting general behavior:

100 Always Attacks
95 Will Attack as PC gets close (3000 units)
90 Will Attack as PC gets close (2000 units)
80 Will Attack as PC gets close or if he dislikes you (1000 units, 40 Disp)
70 Will Attack if close and strong dislike (1000 units, 35 disp)
60 Will Attack if he dislikes you and you get close (Disp below 30)
50 Will Attack if he hates you (Disp at 0)
40 Will attack if he dislikes you, and you get close. (500 Units, Disp 10)
30 Will Attack if hates you and you commit crime.
20 Will Attack if dislikes you and multiple crimes.
10 Will attack if he hates you and you do multiple crimes on him.
0 Will ONLY attack if attacked first.
Get/Mod/SetFlee
Changing this changes it for ALL references of the Actor (see note).
Setting this to a higher value will make the Actor more likely to flee, but this may not always
be the result, as the Actor will also use other factors like how much damage they can give out,
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or other strategies they may use such as magic and ranged combat. The behavior is strongly
influenced by a number of GameSettings that are listed below, and a number of mods (e.g. by
wakim and maxpublic) have tweaked these values to allow for more realistic fleeing behavior.
Get/Mod/SetAlarm
Changing this changes it for ALL references of the Actor (see note).
Some info from the helpfile: When a crime is committed, and it is detected by an NPC, they
will shout something at the player, this also notifies other NPCs in the area.
When the NPCs hear this, they adjust their settings based on their alarm setting. The higher
the alarm setting, the angrier they will get.
If an NPC has an alarm of 100, he will put gold on the PC’s head if they hear of a crime.
If the NPC with alarm 100 is also of class “Guard”, they will have extra behavior:
Intercept the PC, by running up and arresting the PC.
If the PC’s CrimeLevel is over 10000, they will attack on sight, instead of initiating dialogue.
Guards will also attack any creatures they can see that are attacking people (including the
PC). If the player has followers (companions or other NPCs in AIFollow mode), the presence
of a guard-class NPC in the party may also cause the non-guard followers to attack hostile
creatures before blows have been exchanged (normally a non-guard follower would do
nothing until a hit has occurred). -(Forum info/Neko)
Note: When you use these functions to alter the settings for an actor, it alters the current
reference of the actor AND the definition of the actor. What this means is if you encounter a
new actor of that id that you haven't yet met, he will have the new alarm/Fight setting. Also, if
you leave the cell where an actor still has the old value, rest for 3 days (to disconnect them
from memory) then re-enter the cell, he will take his value from the definition of the actor i.e.
the new alarm setting (Forum info / Cortex).
Keeping track of kills and knockouts

OnDeath (returns Boolean/short)
If ( Actor->OnDeath == 1 )
Returns 1 for 1 frame when the Actor is killed. OnDeath seems to reset itself once it is used.
This also means that only one script can reliably detect death this way: if you have both a
global and a local script using this function, only the global script will detect OnDeath. An
alternative would be to use the GetHealth function. In the following script only the first
message box will be displayed (forum info / Argent, ThePal):
begin personScript
if ( OnDeath )
messagebox "1"
endif
if ( OnDeath )
messagebox "2"
endif
end
OnMurder (returns Boolean/short)

If ( Actor->OnMurder == 1 )
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Returns 1 for 1 frame when the Actor is murdered. The conditions for OnMurder are not
entirely clear to me – from the context of its use in the game however, it seems that
OnMurder gets set when you are reported as a murderer to the law ("your crime has been
reported"). So a murder only happens when you kill someone illegally AND are seen.
Sample Script: this sets a variable that is used in the "Redoran Hortator" dialogue topic to
determine if the player has killed a councilor:
begin RedoranCouncilor
;no lore...
short noLore
;for HT_Monopoly
short mageMonopolyVote
;for Hortator dialogue...

if ( OnDeath == 1 )
if ( OnMurder == 1 )
Set RedoranMurdered to 2
else
Set RedoranMurdered to 1
endif
endif
End
OnKnockout (returns Boolean/short)

If ( Actor->OnKnockout == 1 )
Returns true for one frame when the Actor is knocked unconscious (e.g. in hand-to-hand
combat)
[no fix] GetDeadCount, "Actor ID" (returns short)

If ( GetDeadCount "divayth fyr" > 0)
The function returns the number of references (individuals) of type "Actor ID" that have been
killed. A useful function for quest scripting to keep track of which NPCs are still alive. Note
that there is an equivalent function for dialogue as well. Other uses are imaginable, e.g.
building a reputation with certain monsters that might flee you instead of fighting after you
killed more than 100 of them, etc.
Sample Script:
GetDeadCount is often used to check if a certain NPC is dead. It is advisable to use "> 0" in
such cases, as you never know if another mod might add another instance of that ID, so it's
better to play it safe.
Begin araraUvulasScript
short noLore
return
endif
if ( GetDeadCount "Neloth" > 0 )

Disable
endif
End
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Resurrecting a dead Actor
Resurrect
gateway_haunt->Resurrect
This function brings an Actor back to life. His stats and inventory will be reset, basically he
"respawns". There is a bug when you use this function on the player – it will stop the PC (and
all Actors) from casting magic. After saving and reloading this side effect goes away.
Note: The Puzzle Canal Script shows an alternative: it simply uses GetHealth <10 to
determine when player is "nearly" dead and then "resurrects" him by giving him his health
back – so the player actually never really dies.
Sample Script: some people are just tougher than others…

Begin dandrasScript
short deathbed
float dandrasHealth
if ( deathbed == -1 )
return
endif
set dandrasHealth to GetHealth
if ( dandrasHealth <= 50 )
if ( dandrasHealth < 1 )
Resurrect
ModHealth 100
endif
set deathbed to 1
endif
if ( deathbed == 1 )
ForceGreeting
endif
End dandrasScript
125
Crime
Determining and changing Crime Level
Get/Mod/SetPCCrimeLevel (PC Only)
PCCrimeLevel governs the gold you have to pay to be cleaned of crimes, influences NPC
disposition and how guards react to you. See also the PayFine function.
Jailing the PC
[no fix?] GotoJail
Sends the PC to the (closest available) prison, more exactly speaking to a PrisonMarker (Door
object) and applies the usual prison penalties.
SampleScript:
Here is a cool little scripted item by B from the Modern Adventurer mod. The cursed Holiday
Pants that send you to prison:
Begin Holiday_script
Short OnPCEquip
Short message
if ( MenuMode==1 )
return
else
Set message to Random 2
if ( message==0 )
MessageBox "The holiday pants contain a mighty enchantment of happiness.
Lots of happiness. When the guards found you doing the Can-Can on top of the nearest silt
strider port, they were not very amused.", "ok"
elseif ( message==1 )
MessageBox "The holiday pants make you scream and shout with joy as you
relive the happiest days of your childhood. The guard that brings you back to your senses is
in stark contrast to this experience", "ok"
endif
Player->GoToJail
endif
Set OnPCEquip to 0
endif
End holiday_script
Clearing the PC of crime

[no fix] PayFine
The PayFine function removes the stolen items from the PCs inventory; it does not remove
any gold. Call after paying a crime fee to clean AI. Also puts the PCs hands down (that is not
ready to cast or fight).
[no fix] PayFineThief
Like PayFine function but does not remove stolen items from the PCs inventory. Call to
"clean AI". May have incorrectly removed stolen items before one of the patches.
For examples check below, under "Useful global variables"
Detecting crime
126
[no fix] GetPCCrimeLevel (returns short)
Reports the current crime level of the PC. Can be used to detect whether a crime the PC has
committed has been seen. See the "Bill_MT_writxxxxx" scripts for examples of its use.
An alternative was reported by Nigedo:
OnPCHitMe
If you declare OnPCHitMe in an NPC's script, any crime that they are aware of causes this
function/variable to return True. The crime does not actually have to be committed against
that NPC, they just have to have a high enough Alarm setting to care about a crime being
committed within range, and the crime will count as a melee hit on them of zero damage.
Although this makes OnPCHitMe less reliable for detecting just attacks on the NPC it is
declared on (I had to use a different method for the script I was actually working on), it is
potentially useful for detecting crimes taking place.
It is possible to use this to detect all crime events in one script, without needing an NPC to
"report" them, i.e. increase Player's bounty, or needing to check or adjust PCCrimeLevel.
I found that the following alarm settings will (usually) cause OnPCHitMe to return True for
the these events:-
Event Minimum Alarm

Any theft 10
Assault of an NPC 90
Murder of an NPC 10
[no fix] GetPCInJail (returns Boolean/short)
Bloodmoon adds a function that can be checked to see if the PC is in Jail. The function will
return 1 if traveling/in jail, zero otherwise. This is used in the werewolf change script to stop
the PC from changing if either of these states are the case.
Sample script:
if ( PCWerewolf != 1 ) ; DON’ RUN IF PLAYER ISN’T WEREWOLF

return
endif
if ( GetPCinJail == 1 )
return
endif
return
endif
127
Useful global variables
CrimeGoldDiscount (is global short)
Contains the amount of gold needed to pay the reduced fine at the thieves guild.
CrimeGoldTurnIn (is global short)

Contains the reduced fee you have to pay when you turn yourself in.
PCHasCrimeGold (is global short)
Used in dialogue conditions. Gets set to 1 if player has enough gold to pay for his crimes.
PCHasGoldDiscount (is global short)

Used in dialogue conditions. Gets set to 1 if player has enough gold to pay thieves guild
discount on the "price on your head".
PCHasGoldTurnIn (is global short)

Used in dialogue conditions. Gets set to 1 if player has enough gold to the reduced crime fee
that is charged when turning yourself in.
Example: A dialogue result field for the topic "price on your head", for paying a fine at the
thieves guild:
Player->RemoveItem Gold_001 CrimeGoldDiscount
SetPCCrimeLevel 0
PayFineThief
For comparison, this is the result fields that guards use when you have a price on your head
and turn yourself in (you find this under Greeting 0):
Player->RemoveItem Gold_001 CrimeGoldTurnIn
SetPCCrimeLevel 0
PayFine
Or if you get caught and have to pay the normal "fines and compensation":
Player->RemoveItem Gold_001 GetPCCrimeLevel
SetPCCrimeLevel 0
PayFine
128
Magic
Limiting the use of teleport
[no fix] DisableTeleporting
[no fix] EnableTeleporting
Rather self explanatory, these functions turn the ability to use teleporting magic on or off.
Nice to keep those magic user types from wimping out of your dungeon ☺. In the original
game it's only used when the player encounters Dagoth Ur.
I won't show the whole script as it would be quite a spoiler, but here is the part that uses the
function:
short teleportDisabled
if ( teleportDisabled == 0 )
DisableTeleporting
Set teleportDisabled to 1
endif
This is later reset in the EndGame script.
Note: when the original Tribunal is installed this function is effectively broken: One of the
start-up scripts in Tribunal overrides all other teleport commands and forces teleporting on
except within one specific area in Mournhold (thanks to Slink and Riiak for the info). Here is
the culprit:
Begin TribunalMain
;check for teleporting

if ( GetPCCell "Sotha Sil," == 1 )
DisableTeleporting
else
EnableTeleporting
endif
;check levitate
DisableLevitation
elseif ( GetPCCell "Mournhold" == 1 )
DisableLevitation
else
EnableLevitation ; This is why teleporting was always on outside Mournhold
endif
end
With one of the updates this problem was fixed. The latest version of the script looks like this:
129
Begin TribunalMain
short disablestate
short newstate
;by default, enable teleport and levitate

set newstate to 0
;only need to check cells in interiors

if ( GetInterior )
;disable teleport and levitate here
set newstate to 1
elseif ( GetPCCell "Mournhold" == 1 )
;disable levitate only here
set newstate to 2
endif
endif
;if state should change

if ( disablestate != newstate )
if ( newstate == 1 )
DisableTeleporting
DisableLevitation
elseif ( newstate == 2 )
DisableLevitation
elseif ( newstate == 0 )
EnableTeleporting
EnableLevitation
endif
set disablestate to newstate
endif
end
Note: DisableTeleporting does not disable scripted amulets etc. for teleporting.
DinkumThinkum suggested the following workaround which uses GetPCCell to check the
player's current location. As long as they're in one of the mod cells, nothing happens. If
they're not where they're supposed to be, then the script teleports them back into the correct
area: back to the initial entry point for the mod, for example. This wouldn't be exactly the
same as blocking the teleports, but it should make the area totally inescapable until you've
fulfilled the modder's conditions for getting out legitimately.
Begin DT_Test_BalmoraTrap
If ( GetPCCell, "Balmora" == 1 )
Return
Endif
MessageBox "Off to Balmora with you!"

Player->PositionCell, -21278, -17613, 534, 0, "Balmora (-3, -3)"
End DT_Test_BalmoraTrap
Limiting the use of levitation
[no fix] EnableLevitation

[no fix] DisableLevitation
These functions are used to allow and block Levitation magic effects. When
DisableLevitation is called, all existing Levitation effects are canceled. When the player tries
to cast a spell with a Levitate effect while Levitation is disabled, a notify message is displayed
with the text in the GameSetting sLevitateDisabled. Currently this text reads “Levitation
magic does not work here.”
130
Sample scripts:
This script is on an object in the room with levitation disabled.
Begin clampstone
short turnedoff
short gavemessage
if ( turnedoff == 0 )
DisableLevitation
if ( gavemessage == 0 )
set gavemessage to 1
MessageBox "A strange stone in the roof of this room prevents levitation here."
Endif
else
EnableLevitation
if ( gavemessage == 1 )
set gavemessage to 0
MessageBox "The stone has been disabled. You can now levitate in this room."
Endif
endif
if ( turnedoff == 0 )
set turnedoff to 1
else
set turnedoff to 0
endif
endif
end
This script is on a door leaving the room.
Begin enable_lev_on_exit
MessageBox "You leave the presence of the stone..."
EnableLevitation
Activate
endif
end
Checking and managing souls and soulgems

HasSoulgem, "CreatureID"
If ( Actor->HasSoulGem, "golden saint" )
This function checks if the player has a soul gem containing the specified soul in his
inventory. A little used function that could allow some fun quests and new uses for soulgems.
Sample: This is part of the StrongSoulCheck script:

if ( Player->HasSoulGem "atronach_storm" > 1 )
Set counter to ( counter + 2 )
elseif ( Player->HasSoulGem "atronach_storm" > 0 )
Set counter to ( counter + 1 )
endif
RemoveSoulgem, "CreatureID", number_enum

Actor->RemoveSoulGem, "golden saint", 1
Removes a soulgem with the specified soul from the players inventory.
Sample: this is the complementary part from RemoveStrongSoul script to the example above:
131
if ( counter > 0 )
if ( Player->HasSoulGem "atronach_storm" > 0 )
Player->RemoveSoulGem "atronach_storm" 1
Set counter to ( counter - 1 )
endif
endif
Note, the player will not be happy if they get Azura's Star taken away by this. Here's a sample
solution:
short StarCount ;They could have more than one I guess.
if ( OnActivate )
if ( Player->HasSoulGem "Golden Saint" > 0 )
set StarCount to ( Player->GetItemCount "Misc_Soulgem_Azura" )
Player->RemoveSoulGem "Golden Saint" 1
if ( ( Player->GetItemCount "Misc_Soulgem_Azura" ) < StarCount )
Player->AddItem "Misc_Soulgem_Azura" 1
endif
Player->AddItem Gold_001, 10000
MessageBox "Thank You, Come Again."
else
MessageBox "You have no Golden Saint souls."
endif
endif
AddSoulGem "creature ID", "soulgem ID"

AddSoulGem "atronach_storm", Misc_Soulgem_Grand
AddSoulGem adds a soulgem of the specified type and with the specified soul to the players
inventory. You can't add more than one at a time with this (giving it a count won't cause any
problems, it's just ignored).
DropSoulgem, "Creature ID"

DropSoulGem "atronach_storm"
As far as I can tell, this function is broken (crashes the game).
[no fix] OnPCSoulGemUse (is short variable)

The Object is a soulgem and it has been used in either recharging or item making
The soul gems in the game have the following ID's:

Soul Gem ID's:
Misc_SoulGem_Azura
Misc_SoulGem_Grand
Misc_SoulGem_Greater
Misc_SoulGem_Common
Misc_SoulGem_Lesser
Misc_SoulGem_Petty
This function was not used in the original game.
132
Adding and removing spells and cursing
AddSpell, "SpellID"
RemoveSpell, "SpellID"
"Actor_ID"->AddSpell "Absorb Speed"
The AddSpell function will add the spell to the calling object. This can mean two things:
normal spells are added to the actor's spell list. Curses, diseases etc, however will affect the
calling object. The same is true for the RemoveSpell function: Normal spells are removed
from the list, curses or diseases are removed as effects.
Note:
When you add a spell to a generic NPC, it is added to all NPCs of that ID - unlike items,
which are just added to the one NPC.
Some general notes:

You can not remove racial abilities with the RemoveSpell function (forum info). You can
remove birthsign abilities, but if the ability was added by the player's birthsign (i.e. during
character generation, not later by script), the ability cannot be re-added afterwards (forum info
/ Rocket).
(Mainly relevant for companions:) Any type of constant magical effect (e.g. abilities, CE
enchanted items, etc) on an NPC is reapplied when the NPC changes cells, and when it gets
high enough it "wraps around" and usually starts working in reverse. Much of the time this is
not noticeable, but if necessary the problem can be avoided by removing and re-adding the
effect on CellChanged. In the case of some effects, e.g. water breathing, the game may
remove the effect too many times: in this case SetWaterBreathing can be used (note that it
must be reset after 72 game hours). (Forum info / CdCooley).
Abilities may sometimes not work as expected. If an ability is removed by script, it may
sometimes reappear after reloading a save, or later in the game. Effects on the character's stats
may also reappear or not be removed properly on occasion (forum info / exclusiveor77). The
other problem with abilities is that damage abilities do permanent damage (i.e. a damage
health ability damages maximum health: curses do not have this problem). This does not seem
to be true of drain or fortify effects, where it would make a lot more sense. (Forum info /
ManaUser)
Curses do, however, have the problem that they can be removed by "Remove Curse" spells.
On the Remove Curse effect, in my tests it worked but somewhat strangely. It's percentile
(like dispel rather than cure paralysis) but the percent seemed to be cumulative or something.
For example a 1% remove curse spell never worked (as many times as I tested it) unless I first
cast something like a 100% remove curse spell. -(ManaUser)
133
Casting spells
Cast, SpellID, "TargetID"
Object_ID->Cast, "flame", Player
The Cast function makes the calling object cast the spell "SpellID" on the target "TargetID",
and Target will suffer or benefit from the effects normally. The calling object does not need to
have the spell in inventory: it will be cast regardless.
The spell's target must be specified, even if the spell is "on self". In this case you can specify
the caster or the player as the target: if the spell is "on self" it won't make any difference. If
you intend to place the target during the game, you will still need to place a reference in the
editor. Cast will prefer a reference in the current cell if there is one available, so there's no
need to move a reference from a storage cell: you can just place a new one.
Notes:
• It was believed that Cast would only work on the PC. At least with Tribunal (not sure
about earlier versions) you can use cast to cast a spell from an activator, or any other
object, on an Actor. However, make sure the object you are casting the spell from is not in
the inventory of another actor/object, as that will result in a CTD.
• You cannot force an actor to cast a spell on an activator, but you can have them cast on
themselves, other actors, or the player.
• You can get non actor objects to cast spells on themselves. Just use the player (or some
other object) as a target, but cast an “On Self” spell.
• NPCs will not automatically lose magicka from a scripted cast. If you want the NPC to
use up magicka in casting, this also needs to be scripted. -(Forum info/Kateri)
• If the spell's target is not in the current cell, the NPC will cast anyway (this doesn't cause
any errors, but it does look a little odd - particularly targeted spells). They will also cast
'through' objects, other NPCs, walls… anything that's in the way.
• It is entirely possible for a targeted spell to miss its target. If this could cause problems,
it's possible to use a touch spell instead: it will be cast like a targeted spell (from wherever
the NPC is standing at the time) and will always succeed, but it will have the same visual
effects as a normal touch spell. The downside of this is that if you want an NPC to cast a
touch spell normally (from close up) you need to get them into position some other way.
Sample Script: The cast function can be used for traps, as in the following example attached
to a Container. Note that there is a do once condition here, so that the effect is not cast
continuously on the player.
Begin Trap_script
short done
if ( done == 1 ) ;do-once condition
Activate
return
else
Cast, "flame", Player ;damage to player
set done to 1
Activate
endif
endif
End trap_script
134
The next example script uses the AddSpell function:
begin Item_Cast
short OnPCEquip
short CurseAdded
float Timer
if ( CurseAdded )
set Timer to ( Timer + GetSecondsPassed )
if ( Timer >= 25 ) ; after 25 s remove the spell. 25 damage done.
set Timer to 0
Player->RemoveSpell "ItemFlame"
set CurseAdded to 0
endif
endif
if ( OnPCEquip );when item is equipped

if ( MenuMode )
return
elseif ( CurseAdded == 0 )
Player->AddSpell "ItemFlame" ; a spell of type curse!
;custom spell one point of fire damage / s
set Timer to 0
set CurseAdded to 1
elseif ( CurseAdded ) ; Add the spell only once
Player->RemoveSpell "ItemFlame"
set CurseAdded to 0
endif
end Item_Cast
(script by Patrin, edited)
The added spell is a custom-made curse spell doing one point per second flame damage. Note
that there is again a do once condition implicit in this script. Failure to have a do once
condition can crash the game! Also, it appears that creatures killed with curse spell
effects on them cause all other creatures of that type to have the same curse on them.
This can be avoided by using ‘RemoveSpell’ in an ‘OnDeath’ section of the script.
(Forum Info / Argent)
Managing and testing for spells

GetSpell, "Spell_ID" (returns Boolean/short)
If ( Player->GetSpell, "heal companion" == 1 )
Returns true if object has Spell_ID in inventory. However, this does not work for abilities or
powers associated with race or birthsign. Sample script see below.
GetSpellEffects, "Spell_ID" (returns Boolean/short)
if ( Player->GetSpellEffects, "flame" == 1 )
Returns true if Spell_ID is affecting calling object. The following could be added to the
"trap_script" discussed under "casting spells" above:
MessageBox "You have been flamed"
endif
135
This is the favorite possibility of adding new "spell effects". A dummy spell is created that
does some minimal effect, e.g. raising luck by 1 point for 1 second. The GetSpellEffects
function is used to detect if that spell has been cast on the player, and the script handles
everything else. Sample script see below.
GetSpellEffects does work for race or birthsign abilities and powers (with of course the
proviso that the power is currently affecting the calling object).
RemoveSpellEffects, "Spell_ID"
Player->RemoveSpellEffects, "flame"
Removes the effects of Spell_ID from the player. This makes it even more useful for scripted
spells.
player->RemoveSpellEffects, "flame"
;do what you want here
endif
Managing and testing spell effects

GetEffect, Effect_ID (returns short)
If ( GetEffect, sEffectRestoreHealth == 1 )
This function returns TRUE if the calling Actor is being affected by the effect. Important:
Effects are not spells, but the elements spells are made of. In the Appendix you can find a list
of all spell effects.
Don't count on GetEffect being triggered immediately when a spell is added/cast: it will return
1 when the spell has begun to affect the actor, not when the spell is cast on or added to the
actor (i.e. there's a short delay - might only be 1 frame but I didn't check).
Note: sEffectRestoreFatigue can't be detected using GetEffect. -(Phaedrus). This may also be
true of other fatigue-related effects -(CaveRat).
sEffectWaterBreathing can’t be detected from scripts, although it works in the console.

Luckly there is a workarround in the form of the GetWaterBreathing function.
RemoveEffects, Effect_ID#_enum
Player->RemoveEffects, 75
Removes all spells on the Actor that include the Effect. For this function you need the
number of the effect-ID unlike the GetEffect function where you need the effect ID itself
(Bravo, Bethesda!). Both can be found in the appendix.
Important: Effects are not spells, but the elements spells are made of. In the Appendix
you can find a list of all spell effects and their number.
136
Sample script: This is a demonstration script that lets you check if a spell is in inventory, if
it's active on the player, if the effect it causes is on the player and then removes the effect.
Start it in the console using "StartScript Magictest" to try it out.
Begin Magictest
short var_1
short var_2
short var_3
if ( Player->GetSpell, "hearth heal" )

set var_1 to 1
else
set var_1 to 0
endif
if ( Player->GetSpellEffects, "hearth heal" )

set var_2 to 1
else
set var_2 to 0
endif
if ( Player->GetEffect, sEffectRestoreHealth )
Player->RemoveEffects, 75 ;delete this line to see what happens normally
set var_3 to 1
else
set var_3 to 0
endif
MessageBox "GetSpell: %.0f GetSpellEffects, %.0f GetEffect: %.0f ", var_1, var_2, var_3
End
Testing disease
GetBlightDisease (returns Boolean/short)
GetCommonDisease (returns Boolean/short)
If ( Actor->GetBlightDisease == 1 )
Both functions return 1 if the calling Actor has the appropriate type of disease, otherwise 0.
These are used in the disease scripts that give diseased or blighted creatures their disease:
Sample Script:
Begin diseaseBlackHeart
DontSaveObject
return
endif
if ( GetBlightDisease == 0 )
AddSpell "black-heart blight"
endif
End
Testing player blight disease (forum info / Rocket):

Any time the current weather is blight, the player will have blight diseases added to them
without any effects evident. They cannot be removed with cure blight spells and
getBlightDisease will continue to return 1 for ever after unless they're removed by
removeSpell. Next time you see blight weather though, they will be back. The engine picks
random blight diseases, including any added by mods, with the exception of those that contain
the corprus spell effect. You end up with them all very quickly.
137
As a guess, I would say it's a feature (according to lore, you can catch blight disease from
exposure to blight storms) that is bugged and was subsequently disabled, without the code
being removed. So we have this side effect. It actually breaks Bethesda's own game elements
in that the Tribunal Shrines no longer give the message that you are not infected by blight
when they should. The reason I suggest it is bugged is that the chance to catch blight disease
from blight storms is 0.10 and yet you get them very quickly. Way too quickly. It would get
annoying, even if the chance was reduced further. You catch it often enough just from the
creatures as it is.
To disable this you need to modify the ini file. In the section [Weather Blight] you will find
Disease Chance=.10 Set this to zero. If you then load a game where the player is currently in
Red Mountain region, it appears that you will need to wait for a weather change to occur
before the new setting takes hold (from blight to blight). Until then, you will continue to have
them added by the engine.
Further notes:
Auto-added blight diseases that aren't showing effects make the player effectively immune to
those diseases, since the spell cannot be re-added without first removing it (use
RemoveSpell).
The dialogue function PC Blight Disease is still a reliable test, as it only returns 1 if disease
effects are present. I don't know of any reliable way of testing player blight disease by script
without modifying the ini file, but GetSpellEffects can be used for individual diseases (there
are only four besides Corprus in the unmodded game) if necessary.
Explosion
ExplodeSpell “spellName”
ExplodeSpell "proj_trap_spell"
The ExplodeSpell function makes a reference cast the given touch range spell at itself. If an
area effect touch range spell is used, this can make the reference “explode”. See the
TrapProjScript, shown in the tips and trick section on the Arrow trap.
Magic Get/Mod/Set effects functions:

Most of these seem to refer to certain boni you normally get only from spells. With these
functions you can apparently make them permanent or alter them. Most of these will normally
use values between -100 to 100 (%) but will accept any number, but others are flags (0 or 1).
Thus, you could make a creature that removes e.g. your ResistBlight bonus – wouldn’t that be
a nice surprise for our Nerevarine?
Get/Mod/SetResistMagicka
Get/Mod/SetResistFire
Get/Mod/SetResistFrost
Get/Mod/SetResistShock
Get/Mod/SetResistDisease
Get/Mod/SetResistBlight
Get/Mod/SetResistCorprus
Get/Mod/SetResistPoison
Get/Mod/SetResistParalysis)
Get/Mod/SetResistNormalWeapons
Get/Mod/SetWaterBreathing
138
Setting this to 1 enables water breathing
Get/Mod/SetChameleon
Corresponds to the Chameleon spell. This doesn’t change the way the player looks (as a spell
cast would), but has the same effect otherwise, i.e. NPCs may not detect the player and so on.
Get/Mod/SetWaterWalking
Setting this to 1 enables water walking
Get/Mod/SetSwimSpeed
Get/Mod/SetSuperJump
These correspond to the Swift Swim and Jump spell effects, so they normally range from 0 to
100, but work with negative or higher values as well.
Get/Mod/SetFlying
I found the following info on the UESP: This sets the player's flying mode. To get this cheat
to work, enter the console command and then cast a Levitate Spell. The effect should now last
until you disable the flying with the console (thanks Dave Humphrey).
Get/Mod/SetArmorBonus
corresponds to shield effect
Get/Mod/SetCastPenalty
corresponds to "Sound" effect? (<0 makes casting harder, >0, easier)
Get/Mod/SetSilence
Get/Mod/SetBlindness
Get/Mod/SetParalysis
What it does is each paralysis effect you apply to the actor increments the number by one.
Each effect you remove decrements it by 1. You can also alter these using the set and the mod
functions. Whenever its zero the actor can move. Try clicking on someone in the console and
typing setparalysis 1. What's good about it is if you have multiple actors of the same ID, this
allows you to paralyse an individual much like targeting them with a spell would.
This is different from using a paralysis ability which would paralyse all of that ID if you left
the cell then went in again. Paralysing them using SetParalysis lasts until you set it to zero or
have gone out of their cell for 3 days even if they are not autocalc npc's. (Forum info / Cortex)
Get/Mod/SetInvisibile
(Original MW: sic! Not invisible!)
Get/Mod/SetInvisible
(Later versions of MW, apparently spelling was fixed at some point (Forum info / Cortex))
Get/Mod/SetAttackBonus
corresponds to fortify attack effect
Get/Mod/SetDefendBonus
corresponds to sanctuary effect
139
Sound
Make Actors speak an audio file
Say, “file name”, “text”
Actor->say, "vo\Misc\CharGenBoat1.wav", "This is where they want you."
Make subject "say" the sound file, only works on animating objects. The .mp3 voice sound
files can be found in "Data files\Sound\Vo\" folder and are ordered in subfolders by race and
gender. You can browse through most of them in the dialogue/voice window as well. Text is
what is displayed as a subtitle as the file is played.
SayDone
Returns true if the calling object is not saying anything.
Sample Script: from character generation:
begin CharGenBoatNPC
;this is the guard on boat who says to move along
short state
float timer
if ( menumode == 1)
return
endif
return
endif
return
endif

if ( SayDone == 1)
;first greeting
if ( state == 0 )
if ( timer == 0 ) ;using a timer so he doesn't talk ALL the time
say, "vo\Misc\CharGenBoat1.wav", "This is where they want you.
Head down to the dock and he'll show you to the Census Office."
set state to 10
endif
;all other times after first
else
if ( timer > 6 )
set timer to 0
say, "vo\Misc\CharGenBoat2.wav", "Let's go. Move it along."
endif
endif
endif
endif
end CharGenBoatNPC
Playing music
[no fix] StreamMusic, “filename.ext”
Plays the sound file "filename.ext", usually an mp3 file, as the current music file. The music
file should by default be located in the data files/music/ folder. Stream music can also play
MIDI files (JOG).
140
Note: Slightly bugged: Calling StreamMusic automatically sets the music volume to 100, and
leaves it there even after the music has finished playing. Since there is no function to set the
volume, the user has to reset to his desired volume manually through the options menu.
Playing sounds
[no fix] PlaySound, “sound ID”
[no fix] PlaySoundVP, “sound ID”, volume_enum, pitch_enum
PlaySound3D, “sound ID”
PlaySound3DVP, “sound ID”, volume_enum, pitch_enum

"ex_gg_portcullis_02"->Playsound3DVP "Dwemer Door Open" 1.0 1.0
The PlaySound function plays a sound without any modification. It does not matter to which
object the script using the function is attached, the sound will always play at full volume,
directly in the player's ear, so to speak.
The PlaySound3D function plays a directional sound source. The sound will seem to be
emitted by the object to which the script with this function is attached.
The "VP" variants of each of these commands allow setting volume and pitch for the sound
that is played. Bethesda has not made much use of this, it seems and it’s only ever used with
1.0 set for both, which appears to be the standard anyway. My own experiments showed the
sound not playing when I set volume to a variable, but this is no final verdict.
The "sound ID" is the ID listed in the sound window accessed via Gameplay – sounds menu.
You can add sounds there (place the .wav file somewhere in Data files/sounds). A good
source for sounds on the web is http://www.findsounds.com/. Sounds should be in a certain
format (see below) so you might have to change the format in a suitable program if you don't
hear a sound in game.
Controlling sound
StopSound, "Sound ID"
Object_ID->StopSound "Lava Layer"
stops the sound "SoundID" if it is currently playing in the calling object.
GetSoundPlaying, "sound ID" (returns Boolean/short)

Returns 1 when the specified sound is currently playing on the calling object. The sound ID's
can be found in the Gameplay menu /sounds and /sound gen, where you can also set up your
own (see below for formats). This function can be used to control sounds, but also to gain
information, because certain sounds are tied to certain events in game, e.g. the "Critical
Damage" sound or the "Disarm trap" sound.
Sample Script: This simple script ensures that lava always has its rumble sound playing:
begin lava
return
141
endif
PlayLoopSound3DVP "lava layer", 1.0, 1.0
endif
endif
end lava
Sound file formats

Note: Not all sound files seem to play correctly in the game (although all play in the editor).
To be safe, use the formats used by Bethesda (thanks to random name) :
"Cr" and the "Fx" folder

Windows PCM (.wav)
22050 kHz, 16-bit, Mono
Lower qualities work as well, e.g. 8,000 kHz; 8 Bit; Mono. Used e.g. in my "The Regulars"
mod for Tavern music.
"Vo" folder format

MPEG Layer-3, 64 Kbps
44100 kHz, 16-bit, Mono
142
Keeping track of time
There are a number of possibilities to follow the passage of time in scripts, including some
that are not, or only poorly documented in the help file.
Timer
[no fix] GetSecondsPassed (returns float)
A simple timer can be scripted with the GetSecondsPassed function. It returns the seconds
passed since the last frame as a float value. To use this for a timer use something like the
following example:
Begin TimerScript
Float timer
Short state
Set timer to (timer + GetSecondsPassed)
If (timer > 10)

MessageBox "Displayed every 10 seconds"
Set timer to 0
Endif
End TimerScript
[no fix] GetCurrentTime (returns float)

This returns the ingame time (24 hour) to two decimal places. This is exactly the same as
using the global GameHour variable, but slightly less accurate.
Morrowind's time related global variables

GameHour (is float global variable)
Day (is short global variable)
Month (is short global variable)
Year (is short global variable)
These globals get set by the game and contain the current date and time.
The MW calendar is a little bugged (thanks to samois for the info): MW starts on Day 16,
Month 7, Year 427. (16 Last seed)
The months are as follows, with the days in each month.
(Morning Star ???)
Suns Dawn 31
First Seed 28
Rain's Hand 31
Second Seed 30
Mid Year 31
Sun's Height 30
Last Seed 31
Heart Fire 31
Frost Fall 30
Suns Dusk 31
Evening Star 30
143
So there are 334 days in a MW year!?! Basically it seems that Bethesda screwed up their code
and lost a month, Morning Star / January… It seems the mistake was simply making it "wrap"
to the wrong month from Evening Star. If you manually set month to 0 it will correctly
display Morning Star in the rest menu. So this could be scripted around.
Sample Script: Checking the time of day with the GameHour function:
Begin AfternoonTea
If ( GameHour >= 17 )
If ( GameHour <= 19 )
"Cup of Tea"->Enable
endif
elseif ( GameHour < 17 )
if ( GameHour > 19 )
"Cup of Tea"->Disable
endif
endif
End AfternoonTea
Keeping track of days passed

Day (is short global variable)
Use the global “Day” variable. It contains the current "day of the month" – so on "17, last
seed" it is 17. This can be used to keep track of the number of days passed:
Short localdaysPassed
Short currentDay
if ( currentDay != Day ) ;whenever Day changes (presumably increasing)…

set currentDay to Day
set localdaysPassed to localdaysPassed + 1 ;add one to the counter
endif
This would usually be used for time-limited quests in a global script, to make sure the passage
of time is correctly measured. Innovative scripting might also make use of it to trigger events
after an item has been in the player’s possession for some time, etc.
DaysPassed (is short global variable)

Contains the number of days since the game started. In order to work, DaysPassed has to be
declared as a global short variable. This declaration is present in Tribunal.esm, but not in
Bloodmoon.esm. Thus, in mods that make use of it, and that do not depend on Tribunal.esm,
DaysPassed MUST be declared explicitly. This may be one of the reasons that some people
reported it to be broken with Bloodmoon, but for others it worked fine - it depends on whether
they had Tribunal.esm checked or not (Forum info / Erstam).
Moon phases
Indispensable for any potential werewolf mod.
[no fix] GetMasserPhase (returns short)
[no fix] GetSecundaPhase (returns short)
If (GetMasserPhase == 4)
[enable werewolf monster]
endif
144
Note: The helpfile lists GetSecundusPhase, the above syntax GetSecundaPhase is the correct
one. Also note that GetMasserPhase and GetSecundaPhase return the value of the moon
phases for the last exterior cell you visited (Forum Info / Elim).
I only made a quick test with these, but they seem to work.
Both functions return short with these values:
0 = MOON_PHASE_NEW (this is the default)
1 = MOON_PHASE_WAXING_CRESCENT or MOON_PHASE_WANING_CRESCENT:
2 = MOON_PHASE_WAXING_HALF or MOON_PHASE_WANING_HALF:
3 = MOON_PHASE_WAXING_GIBBOUS or MOON_PHASE_WANING_GIBBOUS:
4 = MOON_PHASE_FULL
145
Weather
Changing weather
[no fix] ChangeWeather, "RegionID", short_Type_Enum
ChangeWeather, "West Gash Region", 4
This function changes the weather in the indicated region to the weather type specified by
TypeEnum, and will change again to according to the region settings after the time set by the
game (I assume that is set in the Morrowind.ini file in the Weather section. In mine the entry
reads:
Hours Between Weather Changes=20
The weather TypeEnum values are:

0 Clear
1 Cloudy
2 Foggy
3 Overcast
4 Rain
5 Thunder
6 Ash
7 Blight
Changing weather settings for a region

[no fix] ModRegion, "RegionID", clear_enum, [cloudy_enum], [foggy_enum],
[overcast_enum], [rain_enum], [thunder_enum], [ash_enum], [blight_enum],
[snow_enum], [blizzard_enum]
ModRegion, "West Gash Region", 10, 20, 10, 5, 5, 40, 10, 0, 0, 0
Changes the weather chances for the RegionID. Used to get rid of, or add weathers to an area
permanently. The values must add up to 100 or you will get odd results.
At least with Bloodmoon, all arguments except the first seem to be optional. I am not sure if
this remains true with Morrowind and Tribunal.
If you want to maintain compatibility with a Morrowind only install, it would be best to use
only 8 arguments.
146
Determining current weather
[no fix] GetCurrentWeather (returns short)
If ( GetCurrentWeather == 1 )
;[Do something if it is cloudy]
endif
This returns the weather TypeEnum listed above.

Sample script: Bethesda used this to make the banners move in the wind according to
weather type:
begin OutsideBanner
;this script is for a banner object outside that

;animates in the wind.
;Idle is still, Idle2 is a little breeze, and Idle3 is a large breeze
short ran
set ran to random 100
if ( ran < 30 ) ;30% chance the flag does something new
;this will check the weather in the future
if ( GetCurrentWeather >= 5 ) ;thunder, ash, or blight
LoopGroup, Idle3, 5
endif
;the last anim called in this script is the one it will play
if ( ran <= 10 )
PlayGroup, Idle
elseif ( GetCurrentWeather < 5 )

PlayGroup, Idle2
endif
endif
endif
Detecting wind speed

Undocumented:
[no fix] GetWindSpeed (returns float)
I have only very briefly tested this function and it returns values, 0 indoors and floats
outdoors (varying quickly, in overcast weather the values seemed to oscillate around 2).
(Thanks to XPCagey for finding this)
GetWindSpeed will return a value greater than 0 in interiors acting like exteriors, which can
be very useful if you need to detect an interior acting like an exterior.
Sample Script: This script detects if the players current cell is interior, exterior or interior
acting like exterior.
if ( getInterior == 0 )
;outside
elseif ( getWindSpeed > 0.01 )
;Interior acting like exterior
else
;Interior
Endif
147
Player sleeping
[no fix] ShowRestMenu
Brings up rest menu, and allows the player to sleep. This is used e.g. for beds in cells where it
is otherwise illegal to sleep.
Sample Script: This is the standard script for beds:

begin Bed_Standard
;used for standard beds the player can activate and sleep in
ShowRestMenu
endif
endif
end
[no fix] GetPCSleep (returns Boolean/short)

if ( GetPCSleep == 0 )
Returns true (1) if pc is sleeping. Note: The sleep selector and counter you see while sleeping
counts as a menu. So be aware of that, if you want to use this function, and the MenuMode
function in the same script!
The example script seems to come from a fairly useless item, but it demonstrates the use…
Begin pillowScript
short comfy
if ( PCVampire == 1 )
return
endif
if ( comfy == -1 )
if ( player->GetItemCount "misc_uni_pillow_unique" > 0 )
set comfy to 0
return
endif
endif
endif
if ( comfy == 0 )
if ( player->GetItemCount "misc_uni_pillow_unique" > 0 )
MessageBox "Your sleep is very restful on your Extra-Comfy Pillow"
set comfy to -1
return
endif
endif
endif
End pillowScript
[no fix] WakeUpPC
Makes the PC wake up before the selected sleeping time is over. Sometimes creates a monster
if the player was sleeping outside. This always happens if they try to sleep for only one hour,
with longer times it may or may not happen (Thanks to Manauser for this info). WakeUpPC
interrupts the rest only when you actually *sleep*. It does not affect loitering in places where
resting is forbidden (Forum info / Kir).
148
Sample script: This is an edited excerpt from the lengthy "sleepers" script by Bethesda. It is
responsible for giving you the dreams about Dagoth Ur that plague the player during the main
quest. It shows how GetPCSleep and WakeUpPC can be used:
return
endif
Set dream to 0
if ( GetPCCell "Balmora" == 1 )
Set dream to 1
endif
if ( GetPCCell "Ald-ruhn" == 1 )
Set dream to 2
endif
[…]
if ( dream == 0 )
Set doOnce to 0
;this makes sure you have to leave the city and come back for another attack to occur
return
endif
AddTopic "Disturbing Dreams"

;add this topic, doesn't matter if you do it over and over
;THE FIRST DREAM...
if ( GetJournalIndex A1_2_AntabolisInformant >= 10 )

if ( GetJournalIndex A1_Dreams < 1 )
WakeUpPC
MessageBox "You had a disturbing dream. Bla bla bla", "Ok"
Journal A1_Dreams 1
return
endif
endif
Enabling and disabling player control and interface
Disable player control functions

All of these functions disable some part of the user interface, thus restricting the players
actions.
[no fix] DisablePlayerControls

Player can only look around with mouse or use options menu, nothing else and menus
disappear.
[no fix] DisablePlayerFighting
[no fix] DisablePlayerMagic
These two functions seem to be unreliable according to forum information: If the player holds
a weapon or has a spell readied he can continue to use it and quick-keys for weapons and spell
likewise still seem to work. I currently don't know of a reliable solution for this problem.
[no fix] DisablePlayerJumping
[no fix] DisablePlayerLooking
[no fix] DisablePlayerViewSwitch
[no fix] DisableVanityMode
Enable player control functions

Once a disable function has been used, the corresponding enable function can be used to
restore control.
[no fix] EnableLevelUpMenu
149
[no fix] EnablePlayerControls (Enables the controls and menus.)
[no fix] EnablePlayerJumping
[no fix] EnablePlayerFighting
[no fix] EnablePlayerLooking
[no fix] EnablePlayerMagic
[no fix] EnablePlayerViewSwitch
[no fix] EnableRest
[no fix] EnableVanityMode
Check player control status

All of these functions return 1 if the corresponding "Disable" function has been called and is
active, 0 if control is with the player.
[no fix] GetPlayerControlsDisabled

[no fix] GetPlayerFightingDisabled
[no fix] GetPlayerJumpingDisabled
[no fix] GetPlayerMagicDisabled
[no fix] GetPlayerLookingDisabled
GetPlayerViewSwitch
(Broken, function does not work. Instead use: )
[no fix] GetVanityModeDisabled
Force first or third person view

[no fix] PCGet3rdPerson (returns Boolean/short)
returns 1 if in 3rd person mode
[no fix] PCForce3rdPerson
queue the change to 3rd person mode (this may have to wait for the animation to finish)
[no fix] PCForce1stPerson
same as above but 1st person mode
(See also the console command "ToggleVanityMode" (TVM).
Functions for character generation menus

These undocumented functions are used for character creation. They enable all the menus that
are used during the character creation process and enable certain basic features like the
inventory, magic menu, stats window and the map:
Show character generation menus:

[no fix] EnableBirthMenu
[no fix] EnableClassMenu
[no fix] EnableRaceMenu
[no fix] EnableNameMenu
There is no disable command for these. They are disabled by selecting ok in the menu.
Enabling in-game menus:
[no fix] EnableMagicMenu
[no fix] EnableMapMenu
[no fix] EnableInventoryMenu
[no fix] EnableStatsMenu
Also no disable commands here unfortunately. These would have been useful.
150
The names of the functions should be self-explanatory. One use for these functions is as a
cheat if you want to change your appearance or other things during a running game (although
there might be problems associated with doing that). They can (and have been) used to create
different ways of character generation. Be careful, sometimes these reset your level to 1.
Sample Script: This is one of many CharGen scripts that guide the player through character
generation. This one is basically a safety feature for a player who just runs out the door,
without triggering any or all of the little tutorials.
Begin CharGenDoorExit
;this is the door that exits the first part of the census building
;safety check for all menus on
short done
if (done == 1)
return
endif
enablestatsmenu
enableinventorymenu
enablemagicmenu
enablemapmenu
enableplayerfighting
enableplayermagic
set done to 1
Activate
endif
End
Determining if player has menus open

[no fix] MenuMode
MenuMode returns one if the player has menus open, and 0 otherwise. This doesn't only
apply to the inventory and dialogue menus.
A good explanation is given by DinkumThinkum:

It looks to me as though the game considers 'MenuMode' to be anytime the mouse pointer is
on the screen instead of the crosshairs. I.e., any time you can move the mouse pointer around
on the screen to select things, rather than the whole display moving and you can only select
items at the center of the screen.
For example, hitting Escape for the in-game Options menu, displaying a message box with an
"OK" button (or any other clickable buttons), hitting '`' for the console window: all those
count as menu mode, in addition to the more obvious ones such as the dialogue window, the
character data/map/inventory screen, the container window, etc.
It is common practice to put the following lines at the beginning of almost any script, to
prevent unnecessary or problematic functions being processed in MenuMode:
Return
Endif
151
Using MenuTest to open and close menus
Undocumented:
[no fix] MenuTest, short_enum
MenuTest doesn’t return anything, however, when it is called, it closes certain types of
inventory menus, including Player, NPC and containers. It doesn’t work for dialogue,
enchanting, alchemy, spell or armorer menus. (Forum Info / JOG, Jilin).
menutest or menutest 0 for closing menu

menutest 3 open stats menu or focus on it
menutest 4 open inventory menu or focus on it
menutest 5 open spell menu or focus on it
menutest 6 open map menu or focus on it
for menutest 3,4,5,6, it's like clicking on the upper right button of the menu
Example Script:
set OnPCEquip to 0
coc Balmora
MenuTest
endif
152
Miscellaneous functions and variables
Breaking of script processing
[no fix] Return
Return tells the game engine to finish processing the script for this frame. All code below this
line will be ignored for this frame. In the next frame the script is executed again from the top.
Return
Endif
Careful: Anything below a return function will not be processed, even if there are "true" if
statements there! So use this with caution.
Controlling global scripts

These function are used to control global scripts. Global scripts have to be started with the
StartScript function (either from another local or global script or from a dialogue result field)
and a running script can be terminated with the StopScript function.
Tribunal "Start Scripts" in a plug-in start executing each time the game is loaded. If a Tribunal
Start Script is terminated with a 'StopScript', it will start up again the next time the game is
loaded - see the Tip and Tricks section on "Detecting when a player does a load from
savegame". (Forum info / DinkumThinkum).
To my knowledge these functions do not work with local scripts attached to objects, you can
however start and stop "targeted scripts" by using an object "fix": "ObjectID->StartScript"
(for more info see the Tips and Tricks section on targeted scripts).
StartScript, "ScriptName"
This starts the specified script.
Warning: When you use startscript, all the scripts that have been run before you called
startscript will be re-run, so scripts could be run more than once in the same frame.
[no fix?] ScriptRunning, "ScriptName" (returns Boolean/short)

The ScriptRunning function returns 1 if a script is running, 0 if it's not running:
if ( ScriptRunning, CharGen == 0 )
StartScript CharGen
Endif
StopScript, "ScriptName"
Stops the specified script
Note: If you use 'StopScript' from inside the global script you're terminating, it doesn't
actually terminate the script immediately. Instead, the script continues executing to the 'End'
statement, and then terminates. So you still need to use "Return" if you don't want the rest of
the script to be processed.
153
StopScript can also be used to construct do-once conditions for global scripts in a very clean
way by self-terminating the script:
Begin do-once_script
[…]; do stuff here
StopScript do-once_script
End
Fading the screen in and out

[no fix] FadeIn time_float_enum
[no fix] FadeOut time_float_enum
[no fix] FadeTo alpha_enum time_float_enum
FadeTo 50 2.0 ;(Fades screen to 50% in 2 seconds)
FadeIn and Fadeout fades the screen (not an object) to blackness in the time specified (in
seconds). Time is > 0 and <= 10.0. FadeTo fades only to a certain percentage: 0 is full
transparency. 100 is black.
Adding a location to the map

[no fix] ShowMap "cell ID"
ShowMap "Gnisis"
This function will highlight the indicated cells. Cell ID can be full or partial, i.e. all cells that
begin with the given string will be highlighted on the world map (e.g. ShowMap "Vivec" will
highlight all the cantons).
Sample Script: reading this book will indicate all these places on the world map:
Begin bookPilgrimsPath
if ( GetJournalIndex TT_PilgrimsPath >= 100 )

Return
endif
Journal TT_PilgrimsPath 100
ShowMap "Gnisis"
ShowMap "Vivec"
ShowMap "Ghostgate"
ShowMap "Koal Cave Entrance"
ShowMap "Fields of Kummu"
Activate
endif
End
Also see "FillMap" console command.
Assigning random values to variables

[no fix] Random, value_enum
Set my_variable to Random, 50
Introducing some unpredictability into the effects of a script is a nice option, and it can be
done with the Random function. Random returns values between 0 and the set value –1. So in
the example above, my_variable will be set to a value in the range from 0 to 49.
Note that the global short variable Random100 gets set each frame by the game's Main script
to a random value between 0 and 100 (inclusive), so you can make use of that one, too.
154
Note that if you are using random100 in dialogue, you may want to add:
set random100 to random, 101
in the resultbox so that random100 is reset for the next topic chosen. Main does not set
random100 in menumode.
Note: For any call to Random with a range over 100, the randomosity of the return value gets
very poor indeed... right up to Random, 255 where you only get 0 or 1... and any multiple of
256 also gets you a CTD. (Morrowind and Tribunal). In Bloodmoon, they seem to have fixed
the randomosity of the return value... you seem to get numbers that are more evenly
distributed, even with a range above 100. But the CTD's at 256 and 512, etc, still happen (Info
by Neko). It was furthermore discovered that sometimes the Random cap is set much higher
than the number given. Setting any variable to a Random with the cap value of one of the
following numbers produces some strange result, setting the higher cap actually to something
around 1100: 65, 66, 68, 70, 71, 76, 77, 79, 82, 83, 84
TunaandCheese suggests that a method to work arround the poor randomosity in Morrowind
and Tribunal is to merge Random results, as is demonstrated in this script:
begin randomnumber
;this script works out a random number between 0 and 10000
short spare
short number
;works out how many thousands there are

set number to random, 10
set number to ( number * 1000 )
;how many hundrerds

set spare to random, 10
set spare to ( spare * 100 )
set number to ( number + spare )
;and how many tens

set spare to ( spare * 10 )
;this has to be random, 11, rather than random, 10 as if it was random 10,
;it would only be 0 - 9999
;the variable number now contains a random number between 0 and 10,000 that you can use
end
Playing videos
[no fix] PlayBink “filename” flag_enum
Pauses game and plays video. Set Flag to true if player can escape movie.
The video needs to be in Bink format and placed into the Datafiles/Videos directory.
To convert a video to Bink format you need to use The RAD Video Tools.
155
Levelled List functions
[no fix] AddToLevCreature “levcreaname” “creature_ID” level_enum

[no fix] AddToLevItem “levitemname” “item_Id” level_enum
[no fix] RemoveFromLevCreature “levcreaname” “creature_ID” level_enum
[no fix] RemoveFromLevItem “levitemname” “item_ID” level_enum
These functions are used to manipulate Leveled Item and Leveled Creature lists at run-
time. Leveled lists are comprised of object/level pairs where the level is the level the PC has
to be to encounter the object. The AddTo functions will add the given object/level pair to the
specified leveled list as long as the list does not already contain a matching pair. The
RemoveFrom functions will remove all occurrences of the object/pair from the leveled list.
Additionally, if a RemoveFrom function is given an object pair with a level of –1, all
object pairs containing the specified object are removed.
Note: The RemoveFrom functions will not remove existing objects from the world. If a
Leveled Creature reference has already calculated to be a certain creature, removing that
creature from the Leveled Creature’s list will not get rid of the existing creature in the world.
However it will prevent that Leveled Creature reference from calculating to be that creature
again.
Note: The ability of creature leveled lists to call other leveled lists is only in Bloodmoon.
Those wishing to "nest" creature leveled lists in their plugins must have that Bloodmoon
dependency, even if they use no objects from Bloodmoon. (forum info / blockhead)
Warning: It is not recommended that you use these functions as it will break any other mod
that uses leveled lists.
DarkDragon writes on the Official forums:

The problem lies in the way Morrowind loads items. First it loads ESMs, then ESPs, which
can modify the leveled lists. If you have a list merger, you can merge those lists and keep the
changes from all of them (where as before, the last loaded mod would take precedence). Then
it loads ESS, or save files.
The problem is, if a script adds something to a Leveled List, it modifies the ESS (save game)
and the save game then has a reference to that Leveled list. This is loaded last and it
overwrites ANY changes done by other mods.
Sample Script:
When this script is placed on an object, activating it will toggle the existence of rats in the
world by removing them from a Leveled Creature and removing rat meat from a Leveled
Item.
Begin norats
short norats
if ( norats == 0 )
set norats to 1
RemoveFromLevCreature "rat_scamp_crab" "rat" -1
RemoveFromLevCreature "rat_scamp_crab" "rat-fast" -1
RemoveFromLevItem "lev_meat" "rat_meat" -1
156
MessageBox "No more rats."
Else
set norats to 0
AddToLevCreature "rat_scamp_crab" "rat" 1
AddToLevCreature "rat_scamp_crab" "rat-fast" 1
AddToLevItem "lev_meat" "rat_meat" 1
MessageBox "The rats return."
Endif
endif
end
Square root
[no fix] GetSquareRoot, number (float)
set var_1 to GetSquareRoot var_2
The GetSquareRoot function returns the square root of the given number. This can be useful
for vector or distance calculations (remember Pythagoras?).
It is possible to get the square root of a number without using this function, however it is
significantly slower. See Soralis’s Math mod for an example script. MWSE also has a square
root function.
Water Level Functions
[no fix] GetWaterLevel (float)

[no fix] SetWaterLevel newWaterLevel_float
[no fix] ModWaterLevel waterLevelChange_float
A great opportunity for cruel traps… These functions are used to determine and modify the
Water Level of the current interior cell. When an Actor suddenly finds itself underwater, it
will wait until it is halfway out of breath and then begin to make its way to the surface in a
straight line up. Floating corpses are moved with the water without regard for collision.
Note: If you use GetWaterLevel in a interior cell with no water, GetWaterLevel will still
return a result other than 0.
Note: Set/ModWaterLevel doesn’t work in exteriors.
Sample scripts:
This script goes on a crank to make it raise or lower the water level in the room.
Begin crank
short changelevel
float direction
float waterlift
short crankturn
short currcrank
float newwaterlevel
if ( MenuMode )
return
endif
if ( changelevel == 0 )
157
if ( direction == 1 )
set direction to -1
else
set direction to 1
endif
set changelevel to 1
endif
endif
if ( changelevel == 0 )
return
endif
set crankturn to 360 * GetSecondsPassed

set crankturn to crankturn * direction
set currcrank to GetAngle X
set crankturn to currcrank + crankturn
SetAngle X crankturn
set waterlift to 120 * GetSecondsPassed

set waterlift to waterlift * direction
ModWaterLevel waterlift
set newwaterlevel to GetWaterLevel

if ( direction == 1 )
if ( newwaterlevel >= 600 )
SetWaterLevel 600
endif
else
if ( newwaterlevel <= 0 )
SetWaterLevel 0
endif
endif
end crank
This modified “Float” script is placed on any object with a centered pivot point to make it
float on the water’s surface regardless of water level. It also will make the object stop bobbing
if the PC is standing on it.
Begin NewFloat
float timer
float swingTime
float startAngle
float currangle
short reset
float xvalue
float zvalue
float zoffset
float tmpoffset
float weightoffset
set startAngle to GetStartingAngle, x
if ( timer == 0 )
if ( reset == 0 )
set timer to Random 100
set timer to timer / 4
endif
endif
set swingTime to 1

set currangle to GetAngle X
set xvalue to 10 * GetSecondsPassed
set zvalue to 5 * GetSecondsPassed
if ( GetStandingPC )
set zoffset to -30
158
SetAngle X 0
else
;rotate up
if ( timer < swingTime )

;rotate down
elseif ( timer < (swingTime * 3) )
set currangle to currangle - xvalue

set zoffset to zoffset - zvalue
;up again
elseif (timer < (swingTime * 4 ) )

;reset timer to zero

else
set timer to 0
set reset to 1
set zoffset to 0
SetAngle, x, startangle
endif
endif
set tmpoffset to GetWaterLevel

set tmpoffset to tmpoffset + zoffset
SetPos Z tmpoffset
endif
end NewFloat
159
Tips and tricks
Little helpers: Text search, copy, paste
A good function to use for the beginning scripter is the search text function in the main
TESCS edit menu. You can use it to search scripts, e.g. for a specific function you would like
to use and want to find sample scripts for.
You can also use any text-editor, or the alternative scripting editors listed below for editing
your scripts and copy / paste the script to and from the TES CS editor using ctrl-c / ctrl-v.
To make a copy of a script you want to change, don't just change the name, this will just
overwrite the old script. Instead copy the original script (ctrl-a, ctrl-c) start a new script and
paste the old one in (ctrl-v) now rename the script and change what you need.
Alternative scripting editors

1) MentalElf created an Elder Scrolls Scripting mode for the venerable EMACS coding
editor, including automatic tabulation of if-blocks, and color coding of script code.:
http://www.mentalelfz.com/
EMACS is available for free under the gnu license (link is on MetalElf's page).
2) UESP's Dave Humphrey created MWEdit, an alternative construction set with improved
scripting support (This is a beta version. I have only tested it briefly, but it looks very good,
and seemed quite stable): http://mwedit.sourceforge.net/
Regarding scripting, Dave lists the following features:

- Color coding of script code. Use a default white or blue color scheme or use any custom
colors to identify the various word types. Can also be disabled. (see the trigonometry script
below for an example of the color coding)
- Select the font used in the script window.
- New script compiler reports many more errors and possible errors.
- Three levels of warning/error messages (weak, default, and strong) allowing you to set how
many compiler messages are recorded.
- Compiler adds spaces to the script output where they might be required or expected (such as
in if statements).
- Object types used in functions are checked more rigorously. If the function expects an NPC
ID, you'll receive an error/warning if you use another type.
- Compiles script on save automatically (no warning/errors displayed).
- Export and import scripts to/from text files.
- View detailed help on all script functions.
- All compiler errors/warnings are displayed in a splitter pane at the bottom of the script
window. Double-click a message to jump to the location of the message.
- View detailed information on compiler messages and display the function help if the
message is related to a specific function.
- Compiler does not permit the use of reserved words as local variables (such as end, X, Y,
etc...).
- Functions that are known to be broken will result in a compiler message.
- Simple function tooltips can be displayed for faster scripting.
160
Script Extenders
Script extenders are programs that need to be run at the same time as Morrowind to work,
they add new functions to the Morrowind scripting language.
This is by no means a guide to 3rd party programs; it is intended to give a brief overview. To
find out more, it is recommended that you download the programs/dev kits.
A list of mods made using script extenders that should give an overview of what is possible:
http://www.mwmythicmods.com/MWE.htm
Morrowind Enhanced (MWE):

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Utilities.Detail&id=8
Adds many new functions, including getting references and using them with the vanilla
Morrowind functions. It also adds better sound detection, skill leveling functions and
functions to manipulate spells.
Scripts are written in the TESCS, with functions using unused commands like
ToggleLoadFade. The esp then has to be processed by another compiler.
Unfortunately it is no longer being developed.
Morrowind Script Extender (MWSE):

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mwse/
MWSE is fairly similar to MWE in some respects, as it can get references, and then use those
references with other default functions. It adds more functions than MWE, and is still being
developed. It is slightly harder to code with, in that the MWSE functions cannot be used
within normal if blocks, only within new ifx blocks, which have some drawbacks. However,
the script readability is improved as it uses words for functions rather than cryptic unused
commands and variable settings.
To compile MWSE scripts, you need to use MWEdit.
Morrowind Graphics Extender (MGE):

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5535
MGE mainly allows manipulation of the rendering to the screen, so if you want to draw a
texture to the screen, it is the program you want. It also allows you to apply shaders to the
screen, press keys, manipulate the mouse, use bumpmaps and other graphics related features.
It requires MWSE (Included in MGE), and scripts are compiled using MWEdit
161
Script with style for safer scripting
This is bound to be a bit controversial as it is as much about personal style as it is about fact.
And it's bound to sound snobbish ☺. Nevertheless, I think this might be of some use for the
newcomer, so here are a few comments about my personal views on good style and safer
scripting:
• Use annotations. In a really short script they might seem useless, but even there you
might want to state which mod/quest/item they belong to or what their general purpose
is, etc. For long scripts this becomes indispensable, for yourself, if you stop working
for a few days as well as for others that might want to learn from your script. Explain
your variables, put headers on the main part of your script, comment on important
lines of code, etc.
• Use state variables with style. Basically, due to the "executed once a frame" nature of
the scripts this is your principal way of structuring your script for sequential events.
There are several things to this.
A) Limit yourself to the minimal amount you need for the script.
B) use elseifs to chain different states of one state variable together, not separate if-
blocks – this should be the main structural element of your script (it's not always
possible nor necessary, but if it is, its going to save you a lot of trouble).
C) Check the elseifs are arranged from lowest to highest and in a logical order of
events – will help you to keep everything organized, and thus avoids bugs. Jumping
around wildly with state variables is the equivalent to careless use of GOTO in good
old BASIC.
D) Use them extensively, do small steps. I can't tell you how many times bugged
scripts started working simply because I moved some functions to a separate "state-
block". Sometimes this doesn’t seem to be logical at all – but if you can safely enter
another step, do it.
• Decide for one style. TES Script is relatively forgiving regarding syntax. You can
write functions small letters or capitalized as in this document, or all caps. You can
use if ( SomeFunction == 1 ) of if (somefunction). But whatever you choose, try to be
consistent in your usage.
• Use verbose variable names. A name that reflects the function of this variable makes a
script much more readable. If you use global variables give them a unique name, e.g.
put your initials in front or whatever – just try to minimize the chance that another
mod will come up with the same name for a global – because that would screw things
up royally.
• Keep track of your Return function uses. The Return function is inherently dangerous
– remember that it will stop anything in that script below that line from being
executed. Use it, but use it sparingly. If you have the feeling you have to use it a lot in
one script, you should probably introduce a state variable instead.
162
Cleaning up your mod
When you work on your mod, you will probably want to look up other things as reference or
simply to cut and copy things for your own purposes. The problem is that the TESCS will
remember you looked at the things if you moved them the slightest bit in the game world, or
if you ever hit an “OK” button, even if you did not change anything. Before you release your
mod you should check it for such unwanted references and remove them.
In the File Menu select Data Files. Then select your mod like you normally would and hit the
Details button. Look at the list of features here: this is a list of everything your mod changed
or added. Look for things that you did not want to change, and select them.
Select a single item with Left Click.
You can select multiple items using Ctrl + Left Mouse Button.
If you click on an item and then use Shift + Left Click on another item, everything in between
will be selected.
You don’t have to select everything you want to remove at once, you can do it in multiple
deletes.
To remove items, hit [del] on your keyboard. This marks the feature as ignored. Loading and
resaving the mod will remove these ignored features from the mod.
An alternative, and much easier to use is the utility TESAME (TES advanced mod editor),
available from various sites, e.g.:
http://theseventhrealm.com/portal/tools.html
A more recent tool that has become indispensable to me is the Morrowind Enchanted Editor,
available at:
http://tfo.rh.rit.edu/esforum/secretmasters/EnchantedSetup0.91c.exe.
It's not very well documented, but offers a much nicer user interface than TESAME and is
immensely powerful.
For scripts, try to remove any unused global variables or whole scripts you may have made in
the course of developing your script. It bloats your .esp filesize, it probably wastes memory,
or at the very least it looks bad.
This is a list of the change indicators found in the details tab of TESAME:
DIAL – A new or changed topic
INFO – A dialogue response, or journal entry
REFR – a reference of an object that was put into the game world, while MISC, CONT etc.
describe the actual Object (even if there is no instance of it placed in the world)
SOUN – A Sound
NPC_ - A new type of NPC, or a changed NPC
CREA – A new creature or a change to a creature
LIGH – A new or changed Light
LTEX – An application of a landscape texture
PGRD – A change to the AI grid
CELL – obvious, signifies a changed cell either indoors or outdoors – in case your mod had
nothing to do with that cell you should get rid of it. This affects all changes in that cell
automatically, I think automatically
SCRPT – A Script – lots of people leave superfluous "test scripts" in their mods – that's bad
style, I think.
MISC – A new or changed miscellaneous object – check names, delete if the change is unrelated
to your plugin
163
ACTI – An activator – see above
CONT – A container – very critical: make sure you only change a new ID (copy of a container),
not the original container – or they will all be changed.
STAT – A static object – see above
164
On References Persist
The object windows in the TESCS have a checkbox named "References persist". Ticking this
checkbox ensures that a reference (an instance of the object in the game world) is always
available to be referenced by script, even if the player is in a different cell, or has not yet
encountered the object.
If a script uses a specific reference to an object such as
RefObject->Enable
Then "RefObject" should have References persist checked.
Indirect referencing such as;
PlaceAtMe my_object 1 1 1
Player->AddItem my_object 1
do not usually require references persist. Some functions may be exceptional in this respect.
For example;
GetDistance, RefObject
requires that RefObject has been placed in the world and references persist checked.
Actors (NPC and Creatures) are always persistent.
(Thanks to Nigedo for additional information)
The "72-Hours Bug": A Brief Explanation

(Thanks to DinkumThinkum, Emma, Iudas, Qarl and others for this information.)
The so-called "72-Hours Bug" is not really a bug at all - nor is it necessarily 72 game hours.
The time is set by fCorpseClearDelay (see "Game Settings"), which defaults to 72, and which
also controls the delay before non-persistent corpses vanish. After the specified time, some
temporary data is cleared to improve game performance.
Examples include:
• Talked to PC flag (dialogue) is reset.
• ForceGreeting: an actor will not be available for a ForceGreeting after the specified
time unless "Corpses persist" is checked in the object info box.
• Actor stats and skills are reset to editor/autocalc levels.
• AI resets: e.g. an actor in combat with the player but with a low fight setting will no
longer attack.
• Targeted scripts on non-persistent objects lose their targeting.
• OnActivate may be reset (see function description for more details).
Specific workarounds are mentioned in the relevant function's description. Alternatively,

other methods can be used to store information. For example:
• A script that runs at least once each load session can be used to keep track of
information, e.g. a companion's stats and skills.
• Journal entries or global variables can be used to store information, e.g. as a substitute
for the Talked to PC flag.
• Token items may be added to an actor's inventory (or a refs persist container).
Of course, other workarounds may be devised. Note that it is usually not advisable to change
the value of fCorpseClearDelay, as GMSTs are not accessible to script and your change may
break mods which rely on time-dependent methods of avoiding the loss of temporary data.
(Changing the setting to a higher value is less likely to break other mods, but more likely to
cause CTDs for those whose system can't cope with the amount of data stored.)
165
Limits of the Script Editor
Character Limit: There is a limit of the maximum number of characters per script. It is
somewhere around 30000 characters ( the true limit is most likely 32767, which is the max
value for a 16-bit signed integer, which is how script length is stored in the .esp – thanks to
Horatio for this info). If this occurs you can no longer type in the editor window. To save
characters try the following:
• Remove characters
• Use shorter variable names
• See if the script can be split and some part maybe handled in a global script or
attached to a separate object as a separate script.
Line Limit: there also is reportedly a maximum line limit. This seems to vary and reports on
the forum range between 900-and 1500 lines of code. It's probably rather a limit of the
compiled script than the actual lines of text, so empty lines and comments don't count. This is
reported by an error message upon saving the script.
If-elseif limit: There is a limit on the maximum number of if-elseif conditions that can be
used per script. I am not sure of the absolute number (I heard both 127 and 256). Also there is
a maximum depth of nested if commands, it's reportedly 10 (thanks Riiak). (Note: Error
message for exceeding the maximum depth of nested if's is "Max nesting of 10 exceeded on
line XXX" - in this case, you'll need to break it up somehow.)
Instruction Limit: An If-block or While-block is limited to 255 compiled commands (per

block, not per script). The limit is not on the number of lines (each line may end up as several
commands when compiled), and blank lines and comments don't count towards this total. -
(Dave Humphrey, thanks to Galsiah for pointing this out)
Script Name Limit: TunaandCheese reported a limit to the length of the scriptname:
Your script's name should never go over 31 characters in length. It if you have 32 characters
in the script name there will be a box on the end of the script and when there is 33 characters
the 33rd character goes funny, the 34th character seemed to be fine.
Character 32 gets replaced by some other character in the title bar and in the Details list
information. From looking at the .esm/.esp/.ess format information on Argent's web site,
apparently only 32 bytes are allocated for the script name, which makes a 31 character limit
reasonable. -(DinkumThinkum)
166
Pitfalls
Inconsistent Commas
The scripting language is fairly forgiving in terms of comma usage or not, but the inconsistent
use of commas can cause difficulties:
This will work:
Player->PositionCell, -1396, 124, 3312, 90, "Cell ID"
and this will work:

Player->PositionCell -1396 124 3312 90 "Cell ID"
but this will sometimes have problems:

Player->PositionCell -1396, 124, 3312, 90 "Cell ID"
Object Names
Don't start object names with an underscore. Otherwise, some script operations will fail.
This will cause runtime error.
_wr_testNPC->forceGreeting
This will work fine

wr_testNPC->forceGreeting ;--Okay.
Fractional Numbers
A constant float specified without digit before the decimal point will cause a runtime error.
Floats in the range: -1 < 0 < 1 should be specified with a leading '0'. Otherwise you'll
experience a runtime error.
This gives you a runtime error
if ( number == .2 )
This runs fine

if ( number == 0.2 )
34th Variable
If you have a script with 34 or more variables of the same type (short, long or float), the 34th
variable of that type can cause errors when used. For that reason, most scripters call it
"DoNotUse" or something like that to remember that they should not use it. The reason for
this problem seems to be that the ASCII character 34 is the double quote character.
Short 32ndVar
Short 33ndVar
Short DoNotUse ;Really the 34th Var
Short 34thVar
Short 35thVar
167
Saving CPU time
If you plan a mod with lots of scripts or long and involved scripts, you may want to give some
thought to not wasting CPU power. There are a number of things you can do here:
If the script does not have to be executed every frame, put a little counter in there:
Begin My_super_long_script
Short framecounter
If ( framecounter < 10 )
set framecounter to ( framecounter + 1 )
Return
Endif
set framecounter to 0
[super long script goes here]

end
This little piece of code, that should be at the very top of your script, will allow your script (or
rather the main, CPU power eating part of it) to be executed only every 10th frame. You could
do the same thing with a timer, and execute the script only every 3 seconds or once every
minute.
Execute script only if the player is suitably near. If you have scripted a fancy magic
bouncing ball, or basically anything that is a visible effect, there is no reason to run the script
if the player cannot see it. So put something like this on top of your script:
If ( GetDistance, player < 5000 )
Return
Endif
However, as getDistance isn’t an amazingly fast function, you wouldn’t want to put this check
above a simple getScale, setScale script.
Shortcut scripts that are no longer needed. If you have local scripts that you may not need
from a certain point onwards, e.g. because of Actor death or because the object was disabled,
reduce their CPU need by putting something like the following at the top of the script:
Return
Endif
If ( GetHealth <= 0 )
Return
Endif
Terminate global scripts. Remember, global scripts are running all the time until you stop
them again with StopScript. You can do do-once global scripts by just putting a StopScript
command at their end
Begin do_once_global_script
[your code here]
StopScript "do_once_global_script"
End
Try to use local scripts instead of global scripts. With local scripts you are sure that they
only run when you are in the vicinity. Think hard before making a script global if it can be
done with a local script instead.
Be careful with while-loops, GetDetected, GetLOS and other "slow" functions. Use
methods as described above (e.g. a counter or a timer) to make sure they are not called too
often.
168
Stop script while in menu mode. Always, unless you have specific reason not to, put the
following at the top, to avoid the mouse lagging in the menu and other unwanted effects.
Return
Endif
In general, reducing the number of scripts running improves efficiency more than
reducing the complexity of individual scripts.
So, for example, if you have two short globals running all the time, it is better to merge them
into one global.
If you've got a few global scripts which only need to run based on some check, it makes sense
to place the checks in one "parent" script, and startscript the others from there when they need
to run (remembering to ensure to run them once per game session if they need to conserve
variable values).
169
Targeted scripts: running "global" scripts tied to an object
"Object_ID"->StartScript "Script_ ID"
(Credit for discovery of this technique and much of the following information goes to
FreshFish. Further information supplied by Riiak, MentalElf, DinkumThinkum, Argent,
Cortex, and others.)
It is possible to use the StartScript function to run global scripts that are tied to an object or
Actor. These scripts resemble both local scripts (in that the functions called always default to
the object or Actor the script targets) and global scripts (in that they are always running).
Objects may have several different targeted scripts running on them at one time, and may also
have a local script.
To start a script as a targeted script:

• Object_ID->StartScript Script_ID (may be used from script, but does not work from
dialogue results).
• Start the script from the intended target's local script or another targeted script on the
object (it will inherit the target).
• Start the script from dialogue results (this will only work to target the actor the player
is in dialogue with: it is not possible to specify a different target in dialogue results).
This method is particularly useful as you don't need access to scripts running on the
actor, nor do you need an ID.
Uses of targeted scripts:

As a general rule: If a function requires a fix in a global script but the fix can be omitted in a
local script, that function may be used without a fix in a targeted script as well. Examples of
popular functions for targeted scripts include:
AddItem, RemoveItem, GetItemCount
AIFollow, AIWander, AIEscort
GetPos, SetPos, PositionCell
Get/Set/ModStat
StartCombat, StopCombat
Targeted scripts can be powerful tools, especially in combination with dialogue: you can
create generic dialogue (e.g. filtered for class only) and start your script from the resultbox.
CDCooley's "Companion Teleportation" is a good example of use with dialogue. Voice
dialogue can also be used this way: for example, many companions have a targeted "pacifist"
script that is started from Attack voice results if the player tells the companion to avoid
combat.
Cautions and limitations:

• Variables defined in a targeted script are not considered local to the object from the point
of view of dialogue and other scripts. For example, they cannot be used as dialogue
conditions. The special variable "companion" also cannot be used, i.e. declaring a short
variable "companion" in a targeted script and setting it to 1 will not enable companion
share on the target actor. I assume this applies to other special locals as well, but I haven't
tested any others.
• You cannot have more than one instance of a targeted script running at one time (same as
global scripts). The obvious workaround is to have several different scripts that all do the
same thing.
170
• If OnActivate is used in a targeted script, the object will not be able to be activated by
normal means after the script is stopped, unless a targeted script with an OnActivate is
again added to the object.
• If an object is deleted while a targeted script is running on it, the game will CTD. If the
target is not necessary but is merely a consequence of the way the script was started, you
can usually target the script on the player instead to avoid this: "player->StartScript
ScriptName". Otherwise, the script must be stopped before deleting the object.
• Scripts will detach from non-persistent targets when the game is saved and reloaded. This
may give errors on load ("Unable to locate reference for global script…"), or may not;
either way it may also give odd effects in some circumstances.
• When a targeted script is started on an object that was not placed into the gameworld in
the editor (i.e. an object that was placed or generated during the game), the script will lose
its targeting when a savegame is reloaded. Note that this applies to the player character as
well.
• Load list changes may also cause targeted scripts to lose their targeting when the game is
reloaded, whether or not the target is persistent and whether or not it was placed in the
editor. This doesn't always happen, but it can (adding several mods higher in the load list
will usually do it).
If a script becomes detached from its target, some functions that manipulate data about the
previously targeted object (e.g. getHealthGetRatio) may cause CTD if used without a fix.
As a workaround to avoid untargeted scripts running, you may be able to use a startscript to
stop the targeted script if it is running, then restart it if necessary. As a safety check for
targeted scripts on actors, GetHealth may be used before any functions that may cause
problems (returns 0 in an untargeted script):
if ( GetHealth <= 0 )
StopScript ScriptName
return
endif
; main body of script goes here
Detecting when the player does a load from saved game:
Some reasons to test for player loading a saved game:

1) To continue custom music (mp3 type music resets on load).
2) To keep a NPC running or sneaking.
3) To reset an object to its proper scale (if outside of range 0.5 to 2.0).
There are a number of ways to do this:
JOG proposed the use of SetJournalIndex:
if ( ( getjournalindex "dummy" ) != 100 )

Messagebox "You just reloaded, Cheater!!!"
setjournalindex "dummy" 100
endif
"Dummy" is any journal-topic that has no text for index 100.
171
Setjournalindex will set the index to the new value, no matter if an entry exists for this value
or not, but when you reload, the index will be reset (see SetJournalIndex for more
information).
MentalElf suggested that GetForceRun, GetForceSneak, GetScale can all be used to detect
when the player has just loaded a save game. This is due to ForceRun and ForceSneak being
cleared during a load from saved game, and scale is set to within the range 0.5 to 2.0. In my
opinion ForceRun is best, as ForceSneak puts the NPC into a crouch posture.
; (NPC object)
if ( GetForceRun == 0 )
; Player just loaded a saved game
; Handle game load here.
ForceRun
Endif
A different option is to use start scripts ( available only with Tribunal and Bloodmoon): Here
are two examples by Dinkum Thinkum:
begin DT_DoOnce_TribStartScript02
;script to demonstrate a 'DoOnce' Tribunal Start Script that runs once

; each time a saved game is loaded with the mod enabled
;by DinkumThinkum
;script executes 'Do Once' code section once

; each time the mod is loaded as part of a game
;start of 'Do Once' code to be run each time a saved game is loaded with this mod enabled.
MessageBox, "You will see this message everytime you load a saved game with this mod
enabled.", "OK"
;end of 'Do Once' code.
StopScript DT_DoOnce_TribStartScript02
end DT_DoOnce_TribStartScript02
begin DT_DoOnce_TribStartScript01
;script to demonstrate a 'DoOnce' Tribunal Start Script

; by DinkumThinkum
;script executes 'Do Once' code section once, when the mod is loaded
; with a saved game that does not include the mod (or with a new game)
;script executes 'Reload' code section once, each time a save game
; made with the mod is reloaded with the mod enabled
;either code section can be omitted, but all the control structures will still be needed
;Note: BOTH 'StopScripts' are necessary. Trust me...
;DT_DoOnce_TSS01 - Global variable, won't be reset by StopScript (initialized to 0)
if ( DT_DoOnce_TSS01 == 1 )
;start of 'Reload' code, to be run once each time mod is reloaded
MessageBox, "You have loaded this mod with a saved game made with the mod enabled.", "OK"
;end of 'Reload' code
Return
endif
172
;start of 'Do Once' code, to be run only when the mod is first loaded.
MessageBox, "You have loaded this mod with a saved game that was made without this mod
enabled.", "OK"
;end of 'Do Once' code.
set DT_DoOnce_TSS01 to 1
end DT_DoOnce_TribStartScript01
Uses of the CharGenState variable - Disabling saving and menus

The availability of the save option in the main menu (and the Quicksave key) depends on the
value of the CharGenState global. Set it to something other than -1 (to 99, for example), and
the player is no longer allowed to save the game. Setting CharGenState back to -1 again turns
everything back to normal.
This has several side effects. First, you won't be able to access the menu screen. This can be
fixed by EnableStatsMenu - it reenables ALL the menus, not only the stats window. However,
the journal, the Quick Keys and the QuickKey menu (F1) are disabled as well, and you can't
loot corpses. I haven't found a way around these limitations.
There is some conflict potential in this, so it would be good to take some precautions that the
player is not currently inside the character generation sequence, and that the value is set back
to its original value after use.
(Forum info / Erstam)
Note:
If you use a command like EnableStatsMenu or EnableInventoryMenu while CharGenState is
other than -1, you will never be able to turn off the menus again with CharGenState. The
EnableInventoryMenu command only seems to have this effect in the CharGen process, while
EnableStatsMenu has this effect all the time. If the menus were supposed to be turned off in a
mod, it won't work. You still can't save or use quick keys. But what really is annoying about
this is that this applies for the whole game session! You actually need to exit the game and
restart it, so you can never rely on that menus will be turned off.
(Forum info / Björn )
173
Detecting use of scrolls or books
This is a surprisingly difficult task, as OnActivate and OnPCEquip are both needed AND
don't work quite as expected. Kir has found a solution as shown in this script for invoking a
letter of credit:
Begin BankLetter10
short button
short messageOn
short invoke
short gone
short goneway
short testdist
short PCSkipEquip
short OnPCEquip
; disable if used (a 1 use item)
if ( gone == 1 )
if ( goneway == 1 ) ; activated as external item
Disable
else ; equipped from inventory
startscript BankLetter10Remove
endif
set gone to 0
return
endif
Set messageOn to 2
set goneway to 1
endif
If ( OnPCEquip == 1)
Set messageOn to 2
Set OnPCEquip to 0
set goneway to 2
endif
if ( messageOn == 0 )
return
endif
MessageBox "Do you want to invoke the Letter of Credit?" "Yes" "No"
Set messageOn to 1
return
endif
if ( button == 0 )
Set invoke to 1
Set messageOn to 0
; return
endif
if ( button == 1 )
Activate
Set messageOn to 0
return
endif
endif
if ( invoke == 1 )
PlaySound "Item Gold Up"
Player->AddItem, Gold_001, 10000
set gone to 1
set invoke to 0
endif
End
174
Erstam posted a script with even better features, that also revealed an interesting glitch with
the scripting variables OnPCEquip / SkipEquip:
"Inspired by the BankLetter script in MSFD 7, I have found a way to run custom script code
on books and scrolls when either "equipped" from the player's inventory or activated from the
game world, while the book/scroll is displayed as normally. Surprisingly, it's the
PCSkipEquip variable that is set to 1 when the book is dropped on the player's portrait, rather
than the OnPCEquip variable. This is the code I used:"
Begin activateBook
short OnPCEquip
short PCSkipEquip
short doOnce
short actionFlag
if ( actionFlag == 1 )
if ( doOnce == 0 )
; insert your custom code here
set doOnce to 1
endif
set actionFlag to 0
endif
; PCSkipEquip is set to 1 every time the book is equipped from your inventory
if ( PCSkipEquip == 1 )
set actionFlag to 1
return
endif
; these lines are important, otherwise the book can't be picked up from the ground
return
endif
; for activating the book when it is placed in the game world

set actionFlag to 1
Activate
endif
End
It should work without the doOnce condition, in case you want the action to take place every
time you equip the book, but I haven't tested it yet.
175
Making Actors switch between weapons
Since the equip function does not work, the only way to do this is to take items away from the
Actor, or to modify his skills at runtime.
Here is an example I used to make a guard switch between bow and sword:
Begin HBCaravanGuardAI
; this script makes the AI guard more dangerous by making him switch from bow to sword when
the player closes in
short currentarrows
short storearrows
short doonce
set currentarrows to GetItemCount "arrow of wasting flame"
if ( doonce == 0 )
set storearrows to currentarrows
endif

set currentarrows to GetItemCount "arrow of wasting flame"
if ( currentarrows > 0 )
RemoveItem "arrow of wasting flame", 1
set doonce to 1
endif
elseif ( GetDistance, Player >= 120 )
if ( currentarrows < storearrows )
AddItem "arrow of wasting flame", 1
else
set doonce to 0
endif
endif
End
The next example is one by Bethesda, which does the same thing, using the skill change
method (admittedly more elegant than mine ☺ ):
begin marksmanToggle
short counter
short myMarksman
return
endif
if ( counter < 20 )
Set counter to counter + 1
Return
endif
if ( myMarksman == 0 )
set myMarksman to GetMarksman
endif
if ( GetMarksman > 0 )
if ( GetDistance Player < 400 )
SetMarksman 0
endif
else
if ( GetDistance Player > 600 )
SetMarksman myMarksman
endif
endif
;for level designers... forces AI to do what it ought to do

;when they are near, they use melee weapons
;when they are far, they use missile weapons
;checks every 20 frames for speed
;Note: does not affect spellcasting AI
End
176
Making NPCs switch between spell "sets"
If you want an NPC to switch between different sets of spells, the skill-setting method will
not work unless the spells are grouped into different schools (which is unlikely to be the
case). Adding and removing spells will only take effect when the NPC is not in combat, but
StopCombat will stop combat for all actors involved (usually not a good idea). However,
other AI commands can be used to stop combat for a single character. This method is more
useful for followers of the player than for hostile NPCs as the character will exit combat,
however briefly: since the enemy will generally attack the player rather than a follower,
temporarily removing a follower from combat is unlikely to cause problems; using AIFollow
to remove the follower from combat ensures that the NPC will immediately re-enter combat at
the first hit by or on the player. AIWander (and probably other AI commands) will also work,
but you may need to restart combat using StartCombat afterwards.
The following example is an abbreviated snippet from the local script of a companion I'm
working on. Most of the time the spell-switching is barely noticeable (just a moment of
hesitation), and the companion quickly re-enters combat.
;CombatStyle is set from dialogue when the player gives combat orders
if ( CombatStyle == 1 ) ;switch between targeted and touch spells
if ( player->GetSpellReadied == 1 )
set CombatMage to 1
elseif ( player->GetWeaponType >= 9 )
set CombatMage to 1
elseif ( player->GetWeaponType <= 8 )
set CombatMage to 2
endif
elseif ( CombatStyle == 2 ) ;switch between targeted spells and weapons
if ( player->GetSpellReadied == 1 )
set CombatMage to 1
elseif ( player->GetWeaponType >= 9 )
set CombatMage to 1
elseif ( player->GetWeaponType <= 8 )
set CombatMage to 3
endif
elseif ( CombatStyle >= 3 ) ;no combat magic
set CombatMage to 3
elseif ( CombatStyle == 0 ) ;AI choose
set CombatMage to 0
endif
if ( CombatMage != MageState ) ;MageState is a doonce for spell switching

if ( MageState != 3 ) ;don't remove spells that aren't there
if ( CombatMage != 0 ) ;don't remove spells just to add them back
;remove unwanted spells here
endif
endif
if ( CombatMage == 0 )
;add all combat spells here
elseif ( CombatMage == 1 )
;add targeted spells here
elseif ( CombatMage == 2 )
;add touch spells here
endif
set MageState to CombatMage
AIFollow player 0 0 0 0 ;this ensures that changes take effect immediately
endif
Making Actors lie down

It's not uncommon for modders to want actors to lie down, e.g. as a scheduled rest at night or
a "corpse" that comes to life to attack the player. Making this happen is not as simple as it
sounds, so I thought I'd present a few ideas here. This is not a complete list of all
information: it's just a place to start.
177
Custom animations:
These can be added to NPCs in the Construction Set (open the NPC's info box, "Add
animation file" button, and select file); to play the animation use AIWander with 100 chance
for the relevant idle and 0 chance for all other idles (assuming the animation is set to replace
an idle, but most are).
Note that custom animations replace at least one standard animation, so you will also need to
ensure that animation isn't played at random when you don't want the actor lying down. You
will also need to prevent the player activating the NPC while the animation is playing (since
the NPC is alive and conscious, activation will give normal dialogue), and prevent the NPC
saying voice entries: this can be achieved by adding an empty entry for each relevant voice
dialogue type and filtering it carefully. You can also add an empty greeting (carefully filtered)
to prevent the player talking to NPCs, or creatures with dialogue.
PlayGroup:
In theory at least, you can use knockdown or death animations to make an actor lie down (for
basic usage, see the function description). Note that some character animation groups may not
work as expected with Bloodmoon, and some are different for different races. Note also that
the NPC's upper body may not play the correct animation; this may be version-dependent (not
tested) so even if it seems to work - be careful! In my experience, under version 1.6.1820,
PlayGroup is too unreliable to be of much use with NPCs.
If you do use PlayGroup, you will also need to stop NPCs using normal voices and prevent
the player activating them for dialogue, as above.
0 Fatigue:
This is usually the easiest method to use, and you won't need to do anything special to prevent
the actor talking to the player while unconscious/dead/asleep. Note however that it will not
work reliably by itself: usually the actor will not fall unless it takes a hit in combat or tries to
move from where it is standing. Also note that if you use ModCurrentFatigue, the actor's
Fatigue may end up set to a negative value: if you want to revive the actor at a particular time,
be sure to mod Fatigue back up completely.
From my own tests, AIActivate is the best and most reliable method of getting the actor to
move (and therefore fall) when at 0 Fatigue. Place the object to be activated far enough away
from the actor so that the actor will try to move, and give a different AI command when
reviving the actor. AIWander with distance (e.g. "AIWander 512 0 0") may also be useful, but
be aware that the actor may stand in place for a while before falling (depends on the random
idle/wander).
Other AI commands (including AIFollow) are not suitable: for example, AIFollow will have
the actor standing up to follow when necessary, then falling down when the follow target
stops moving. AIEscort may work if you can be sure the escort target will never be too far
away: once the target is far enough away that the actor would normally stop and wait, the
actor will "warp" to a standing position and stay there until the escort target comes back
within range.
If you want the NPC to stop breathing, you can wait briefly after the AIActivate to give your
NPC time to collapse, then add a paralysis ability.
178
Arrow- or magical traps
I had originally posted this as an example script for setdelete (as which I received it from
Bethesda), but I think it is better placed here.
When this script is placed on an object, as soon as it is placed in the world (or encountered if
it was placed in the editor) it will calculate where the player is and move towards that location
at a steady rate (determined with GetSquareRoot). When that point is reached, or if the object
is ever within range of the player, it explodes (with ExplodeSpell) and disables. Once it has
detonated, it waits a few frames for the spell system to clear, then deletes itself (with
SetDelete).
Begin trapProjScript
short range
short initialized
short distance
short detonate
short triggered
float targx
float targy
float targz
float shiftx
float shifty
float shiftz
float currshift
float currx
float curry
float currz
float totaldist
float rate
float killtimer
if ( triggered == 1 )
if ( killtimer < 4 )
set killtimer to ( killtimer + GetSecondsPassed )
else
SetDelete 1
endif
return
endif
return
endif
if ( initialized == 0 )
set initialized to 1
set range to 150
set rate to 300
set targx to ( player->GetPos X )
set targy to ( player->GetPos Y )
set targz to ( player->GetPos Z )
set shiftx to ( targx - GetPos X )
set shifty to ( targy - GetPos Y )
set shiftz to ( targz - GetPos Z )
set totaldist to ( ( shiftx * shiftx ) + ( shifty * shifty ) + ( shiftz * shiftz ) )
set totaldist to GetSquareRoot totaldist
if ( totaldist != 0 )
set shiftx to ( shiftx / totaldist )
set shiftx to ( shiftx * rate )
set shifty to ( shifty / totaldist )
set shifty to ( shifty * rate )
set shiftz to ( shiftz / totaldist )
set shiftz to ( shiftz * rate )
else
set triggered to 1
return
endif
endif
179
set distance to GetDistance "player"
if ( distance < range )
set detonate to 1
else
set currx to GetPos X
set curry to GetPos Y
set currz to GetPos Z
set currshift to ( shiftx * GetSecondsPassed )

set currx to ( currx + currshift )
set currshift to ( shifty * GetSecondsPassed )

set curry to ( curry + currshift )
set currshift to ( shiftz * GetSecondsPassed )

set currz to ( currz + currshift )
if ( shiftx < 0 )
if ( currx < targx )
set detonate to 1
set currx to targx
else
set detonate to 0
endif
else
if ( currx > targx )
set detonate to 1
set currx to targx
else
set detonate to 0
endif
endif
if ( shifty < 0 )
if ( curry < targy )
set detonate to 1
set curry to targy
else
set detonate to 0
endif
else
if ( curry > targy )
set detonate to 1
set curry to targy
else
set detonate to 0
endif
endif
if ( shiftz < 0 )
if ( currz < targz )
set detonate to 1
set currz to targz
else
set detonate to 0
endif
else
if ( currz > targz )
set detonate to 1
set currz to targz
else
set detonate to 0
endif
endif
SetPos X currx
SetPos Y curry
SetPos Z currz
endif
if ( detonate == 1 )
ExplodeSpell "proj_trap_spell"
set triggered to 1
disable
endif
end
180
Scripted teleporting
Teleporting to variable positions in interior, and especially exterior locations is not trivial,
there are issues with surrounding cells not loading properly (meaning part of the landscape
may not be rendered) or crashes. One solution was suggested by Aftershock_81:
COE 0 0
Player->SetPos x xpos
Player->SetPos x ypos
Player->SetPos x zpos
FixMe
where FixMe is meant to reload the destination cell to avoid the problem where SetPos does
not force the cell to load correctly.
I only ever managed to get Aftershock's method to work via a local script, when I tried using
a global script, everything worked, but I got an “Function greater than index count” error. A
good example of using setpos and fixme can be found in Dongle's Ranger Tent mod, available
on Planet Elder Scrolls.
If you use FixMe, you may also want to use SetPos again, as fixMe will move the player. It
depends on how accurately you want to place the player.
Example script, by Nigedo (based on the work of Aftershock_81 and JOG)

Note: This script must be a local script. Attach it to an activator or door: It will not work as a
global script!
Begin script_PlacePC
;Global Float Start_PCX
;Global Float Start_PCY
;Global Float Start_PCZ
Float xpos
Float ypos
Float zpos
Float timer
Short step
If ( OnActivate )
Set step to 1
Endif
If ( step == 1 )
FadeOut 0.1
ToggleMenus
Set step to 2
Return
Elseif ( step == 2 )
If ( timer > 0.2 )
Set timer to 0
Set step to 3
Endif
Return
Elseif ( step == 3 )
Set step to 0
Player->COE 0 0
Set xpos to Start_PCX

Set ypos to Start_PCY
Set zpos to Start_PCZ
ToggleMenus
181
MenuTest
MenuTest
Player->SetPos y ypos
Player->SetPos z zpos
FixMe
Player->SetPos y ypos
Player->SetPos z zpos
FadeIn 0.1
Endif
End
If it is not possible to simply attach the script to an activate-able item, one alternative is to
have another script (global or local) place an item in the player's inventory temporarily, with a
teleport script attached to the inventory item (thanks to Kaos_nyrb and Nigedo).
182
Interaction between mods
(Thanks to Emma, TheOtherFelix and Ragnar_GD for much of this information.)
Some cautions
• If you want your mod to include interaction with someone else's mod, the modder in
question should be contacted first, and permissions asked.
• An update to the mod you wish to interact with may destroy compatibility if certain
things are changed (another reason to ask permission first!).
• If the mod you wish to interact with is removed from the load list, this may cause
problems (depending on what you want to do).
• Be very careful! Always test thoroughly to make sure you haven't broken anything.
Global variables
Global variables are not unique to a single mod: if another mod contains a variable of the
same name, the last mod to load will overwrite the other, and both mods can set the global
from script (Note by GBG: – one more reason why people should try to use unique names
wherever possible in their mods – don't name your global "check" at least call it (your
initials)_check, e.g. "YI_check" – that avoids lots of problems and compatibility issues).
This can be used to facilitate interaction between mods: by implementing a global of the same
type with the same default value in your own mod, it is possible to test for the value of that
global in script or dialogue without interfering with the other mod (as long as you never set
the global, and make sure you give it the same default value and type, it will have no effect
on the other mod). When the other mod sets the global to some value other than the default,
this can be detected.
Some modders have used this simply to "declare" a mod to others, by setting a global (usually
from a startscript) so that it can be detected from script or dialogue. In other cases the
interaction is more complex: for example, since a global can be tested from dialogue, and
dialogue resultbox scripts aren't compiled until the line is "said" in game, a global can be used
as a dialogue filter for a line whose resultbox script can only be run while the second mod is
loaded (e.g. starting a script or referencing an ID that doesn't exist in your mod). Another
common use is in "follow globals" for companions, which may be tested in dialogue or script
to detect whether an NPC from a different mod is currently in AIFollow mode.
Local variables
Emma and TheOtherFelix introduced this ingenious idea with "emmasnpcid": this local
variable is declared and set to a unique value for each of Emma's companions, and can then be
tested for those values in dialogue. This makes it possible to identify the companion the
player is currently in dialogue with, thus opening up a great range of possibilities.
A simpler use of local variables in dialogue is to make dialogue from your mod unavailable to
NPCs with that local variable, in cases where other modders might want to prevent their
NPCs being affected by a particular mod.
Journal entries
It is possible to test journal entries from other mods, in much the same way as for globals. To
do this, create a dummy journal topic with the same ID as the original (leave the topic blank).
You can then test the journal index in your own mod. This does not interfere with the journal
entries added by the original mod.
183
Safely starting global scripts- avoiding the main script
With the expansion, this issue is a problem no more – just add the script you want to start
running to the list of "Start Scripts" by selecting Edit Start Scripts from the Gameplay menu.
This script will now be automatically started when a game is loaded, just like the main script.
For those without Tribunal/Bloodmoon:
Many modders like to add a line to the main script (the only script that is started by default
when a new game is started, and always runs) to make sure a global script is started that is
essential to their mod. For example:
StartScript "My_Script"
While this works, it might easily cause conflicts with mods that used the same approach –
because only the changes of the last loaded plugin will be active in the game. There are some
good alternatives to using the main script. Putting an (invisible) activator in the Seyda Neen
census office with the following attached script will make sure the script is started during
character creation (assuming no alternative char gen mods are used alongside your mod):
Begin Script_launcher
If ( ScriptRunning, My_Script == 0 )
StartScript, My_Script
; MessageBox "MyScript was activated" ; tell the player if you like
endif
End
To make sure a global script is started in an already running game you can use a similar
method, and place activators in commonly visited cells. If you have one in Balmora, Vivec,
Sadrith Mora, Dagon Fel, and Caldera and maybe the PC strongholds, I am sure it won't take
long until the script is running. You can also use an object that is required for your mod
anyway to start it. E.g. for Indestructibles excellent Bank mod, I made myself a version that
attaches the above script to the banner of the bank and starts the "interest" script. That makes
sure that that script is running before the PC ever sets foot inside the bank.
184
Use sound to detect events
This to me was a very smart idea (thanks to BalorNG), so it bears mentioning again here,
although it’s also described in the sound section above. You can use the GetSoundPlaying
function to determine certain events in the game that would otherwise not be accessible. Just
take a look at the sounds in the Gameplay/sounds menu, and it may give you some ideas:
determine if someone is falling, determine whether a certain monster is near, determine a hit
with a weapon etc.
Here is some more info on this (thanks Horatio):
GetSoundPlaying is a very powerful command that can be used to detect when the PC ( and
I’m assuming other Actors ) is doing a certain action like casting a spell or swinging a
weapon. I used it in my spellcasting mod to determine when the PC is casting a spell and
what school of magic the spell is in. the format is as follows:
if ( player->GetSoundPlaying, "Sound ID" == 1 )
;do something cool here
endif
Look in the sounds menu in the TESCS to find which Sound ID corresponds to a specific
action. For instance "illusion cast" corresponds to the player casting an illusion based spell.
You'll probably have to experiment a little. Note: for some reason the Sound ID "drink"
causes an error, so no checking if the PC is drinking a potion.
Large battles
(by Horatio)
The easiest way to do a large battle between two groups of NPCs is to use the AI commands.
Let's use an example of a bunch of imperial legionnaires, with whom the PC is aligned, versus
a dark brotherhood gang. First set the 'fight' rating ( in the AI tab) of the DB NPCs to 100 so
that they'll attack the PC on sight. Then, you'll need to set the AI of the legionnaires to:
AIFollow player 0 0 0 0
You can do this either with scripts attached to the legion NPCs or with an external script. The
default behavior of AIFollow is to attack whatever is attacking the person they are following.
So when the DB guys attack the PC, all the legionnaires will freak out and starting attacking
them back. Presto instant giant melee.
I use a variation on this in the GIANTS mod to convince the guards to attack monsters that
are actually NPCs ( vampires, shades, giants, gorgos, etc ).
185
A guide to making ridable objects
(By MadMax_001)
MadMax shares his insights on how to make ridable objects (e.g. boats) here, especially
which problems will arise and what he did to solve them. There is a lot of interesting info here
that goes beyond just this specific application, though. You can look at his scripts in the
"Fishing Academy" and the "Magic Carpet" Mods (but don't use them in your mod without
his consent).
Selecting objects
Practically all objects (statics/activators) can be used. However, selecting the right type of
objects is paramount. It will make your scripting a lot easier later on. Now, what type of
objects are suitable? Preference is given to small and minimum height ( thickness ). The other
important factor is the center point which is also the point where your character will be
standing on. This will also save you a lot of programming work later on. If the object center
point is not what you want, you can fix this by importing the object to 3DS and move the axis
to the point to where you plan your character to stand. I am not going to explain in details
how to do it in 3DS, there should be quite a number of tutorials out there which teach you
how to do it.
Creating/Deleting objects
I am sure a lot of modders know that you can only move an object through the exterior cells
within certain distances. This is because the game will only update and process objects/codes
within a certain
distance. When your character gets out of that parameter, the object will actually be frozen or
to the player, the object has warped/disappeared into thin air. But, if you trace back to the
original cell, the object will re-appear.
Now, to move objects throughout the entire exterior cells, the trick to use here is to create a
new object. Everytime when you move to a new cell, the function "CellChanged" will become
TRUE for one frame. This is the best time to replace the existing object with a new one. There
is one BIG problem that I discovered here. NEVER create an object from an object script. It
doesn't seems to work. So, what you need to do is to use a global script to create one instead.
At the same time, do not forget to Delete the old object or you will have all these objects
spreading in different cells which will cause you major problems later on. Always maintain
one object at one time. Below is a simple example you can use:
;----------------
; Object script
;----------------
if ( player->CellChanged == 1 )
Startscript, "Create_obj_script" ; this is the global script
set obj_count to ( obj_count - 1 ) ; global parameter to count how many object exist
Disable
SetDelete, 1
endif
;----------------
; Global script
;----------------
PlaceAtPC "objectname", 1, 0, 0 ; or you can use PlaceItem
set obj_count to ( obj_count + 1 )
Stopscript "create_obj_script"
186
Ideally, the above script should work like a charm but in reality it is going to cause you major
problems. Deleting an object immediately after changing cell may sometimes cause CTD.
This is especially true when you have a heavy area loading. To fix this problem, delay the
deletion. Introduce a time delay ( I personally find the 1.5seconds to be OK so far ). Here's
how the object script will looks like now.
Startscript, "Create_obj_script" ; this is the global script
Disable
set timer_flag to 1
endif
if ( timer_flag == 1 )
if ( timer > 1.5 )
set obj_count to ( obj_count - 1 )
SetDelete, 1
else
return ; stop all other code processing
endif
endif
That is not all. If you plan to move your object at very high speed. There is a possibility that
the object may encounter another cell change during the 1.5 seconds delay. You must make
sure that the object gets deleted before it gets out of the processing parameter or it will come
back and haunt you later. Now the script looks like this.
SetDelete, 1
return
endif
Startscript, "Create_obj_script"
Disable
set timer_flag to 1
endif
if ( timer > 1.5 )
SetDelete, 1
else
return
endif
endif
Falling off from objects

This is actually very simple. Remove the gravitational effect on the character. This can be
achieved by either introducing a levitation or floating ability to the character (Note by GBG:
SetPOS also works for this purpose). The former being the perfect solution but it will disable
your ability to make use of detecting RUN and SNEAK buttons. The latter allows you to
detect movements but at the expense of possible falloff. You must also be wondering why
your character falls off in the first place. The fact is that everytime when you create an object,
the object collision parameter are not updated. It
will be updated though when you change cell. You will find out that you can actually clip
through the object with your character. The good news is that there is a way to work around
this. By Disable and then Enable the object again will automatically update this. To make sure
that the object is always "SOLID", perform the Disable and Enable at least once in every
frame in the object script.
187
Collision detection
This is biggest headache of all. Objects will not collide with objects. Only
character/NPC/creatures can collide with objects. In this term, objects means statics/activators
and landmass. The only way to detect collision is when your character hit the object. That is
why I mentioned earlier that if you select a big object to ride, you will see clipping until the
moment your character hit something. If you can live with that, that's fine otherwise it looks
pretty awkward. The simplest method to detect collision is to get your player coordinates and
measure against the object coordinates ( the one you are riding on ). Although, this is not fully
proven, using GetSquareRoot function in the object script can sometimes cause CTD. There
are 2 planes that you need to take care of. For eg, the flying carpet uses detection for both
vertical (z axis) and horizontal (x, y axis ) planes. You can refer to my script on how this is
done. If somebody can come up with a better method, please do share it.
Savegame issue
If you have not realised already, when you save your game while in motion, the object
coordinates updated in the your savegame are the ones during the cell changed. In order to
position the object correctly, it is always best to keep a global parameters of the object
coordinates. When you first load the game, do a detection on the object existing coordinates
vs its global coordinates. If there is a big discrepancy, set the object to the global coordinates.
In this way, when you first load the game, the object will be in precisely the same position
when you save it.
188
Trigonometry script - fast sine and cosine
I asked JDGBOLT to share his latest, greatest trigonometry script with the readers of MSFD,
and I am happy to present it here. Although it is very long, I believe this will be an invaluable
resource for anyone doing scripts involving trigonometry, e.g. those involving directional
movement. I have edited and commented the original script to make it easy to use for any
modder. Please give JDGBOLT credit if you use this!
The script calculates the sine and cosine of three angles. These will usually be the angles of
all three axes of an object, obtained with GetAngle. Store these angles in the global variables
float Z_input_variable
float X_input_variable
float _input_variable
You can do this e.g. from another script on the object you are moving. Then run the script:
Startscript jdtrigscript. The script in this version is self-terminating and will place the results
in the following global variables:
Float Z_sin
Float Z_cos
Float X_sin
Float X_cos
Float Y_sin
Float Y_cos
You need to create all of the global variables before you can compile this script. The script is
very fast, and the results very precise. The results will be available after one frame.
(Extra thanks to JDGBOLT for sharing his script! By the way, this is the colored script output
from MWEdit, see the tip on alternative editors.)
begin jdtrigscript
; by JDGBOLT
; edited and commented for MSFD by GhanBuriGhan
; simultaneous calculation of sine and cosine for three angles (e.g. three different axes)
; for intermediate results of sine and cosine

float ax1
float ax2
float ay1
float ay2
; main angle variable

float angle
;temp storage for angle:

float angle_source ;contains angle (loaded from global)
float angle_temp
float angle_temp2
short angleshort ; short variable to take up angle - for tab values

float angledec ; for decimal portion of angle
short anglequad ;quadrant
float axfinal ; for final result sine

float ayfinal ; for final result cosine
float angconvx1 ; for calculating decimal portion of sine and cosine

float angconvy1
float angconvx2
float angconvy2
short objnum ;counter to calculate all three angles
;-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
while ( objnum <= 3 ) ; this script calculates sine and cosine for all three axis in one frame
;exporting results:
if ( objnum == 1 )
set Z_sin to axfinal ; assign to global var. Z_sin to free axfinal for next axis
set Z_cos to ayfinal ; ditto
endif
if ( objnum == 2 )
set X_sin to axfinal ;ditto
189
set X_cos to ayfinal ;ditto
endif
if ( objnum == 3 )
set Y_sin to axfinal ;ditto
set Y_cos to ayfinal ;ditto
;MessageBox "sine of Z: %.3f cosine of Z: %.3f", Z_sin, Z_cos
;MessageBox "sine of X: %.3f cosine of X: %.3f", X_sin, X_cos
;MessageBox "sine of Y: %.3f cosine of Y: %.3f", Y_sin, Y_cos
Set objnum to 0
StopScript jdtrigscript
Return
endif
;-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
set objnum to ( objnum + 1 ) ;count up to do all three angles one by one
;-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
; obtain the angles from global variables.
if ( objnum == 1 )
set angle_source to Z_input_angle
endif
if ( objnum == 2 )
set angle_source to X_input_angle
endif
if ( objnum == 3 )
set angle_source to Y_input_angle
endif
;GetAngle returns values from -180 to +180, so we need to compensate for calculation to get
;values from 0 to 360°C:
if ( angle_source < 0 )
set angle_source to ( 360 + angle_source )
endif
set angle to angle_source
;-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
;determine quadrant. This way we need to calculate sine and cosine only for 0-90°
if ( angle <= 90 )
set angle_temp2 to angle
set anglequad to 1
elseif ( angle <= 180 )
set angle_temp2 to ( 180 - angle )
set anglequad to 2
set angle_temp2 to ( angle - 180 )
set anglequad to 3
set angle_temp2 to ( 360 - angle )
set anglequad to 4
endif
; obtain the decimal part of the angle

set angleshort to angle_temp2
set angledec to ( angle_temp2 - angleshort ) ; the difference between the float and the short
is the decimal part
set angle_temp to angleshort
;-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
; These are pre-calculated values for sine and cosine:
if ( angle_temp <= 10 ) ; angles arranged in chunks of 10 for speed (and if block limits?)
if ( angle_temp == 0 )
set ax1 to 0.000000 ; sine
set ay1 to 1.000000 ;cosine
set ax2 to 0.017452 ; sine of angletemp+1
set ay2 to 0.999847 ;cosine of angletemp+1
elseif ( angle_temp == 1 )
set ax1 to 0.017452
set ay1 to 0.999847
set ax2 to 0.034899
set ay2 to 0.999390
set ax1 to 0.034899
set ay1 to 0.999390
set ax2 to 0.052333
set ay2 to 0.998629
set ax1 to 0.052333
set ay1 to 0.998629
set ax2 to 0.069756
set ay2 to 0.997564
190
set ax1 to 0.069756
set ay1 to 0.997564
set ax2 to 0.087155
set ay2 to 0.996194
set ax1 to 0.087155
set ay1 to 0.996194
set ax2 to 0.104528
set ay2 to 0.994521
set ax1 to 0.104528
set ay1 to 0.994521
set ax2 to 0.121869
set ay2 to 0.992546
set ax1 to 0.121869
set ay1 to 0.992546
set ax2 to 0.139173
set ay2 to 0.990268
set ax1 to 0.139173
set ay1 to 0.990268
set ax2 to 0.156434
set ay2 to 0.987688
set ax1 to 0.156434
set ay1 to 0.987688
set ax2 to 0.173648
set ay2 to 0.984807
set ax1 to 0.173648
set ay1 to 0.984807
set ax2 to 0.190808
set ay2 to 0.981627
endif
elseif ( angle_temp <= 20 ) ; and so on…
if ( angle == 11 )
set ax1 to 0.190808
set ay1 to 0.981627
set ax2 to 0.207911
set ay2 to 0.978147
set ax1 to 0.207911
set ay1 to 0.978147
set ax2 to 0.224951
set ay2 to 0.974370
set ax1 to 0.224951
set ay1 to 0.974370
set ax2 to 0.241921
set ay2 to 0.970295
set ax1 to 0.241921
set ay1 to 0.970295
set ax2 to 0.258819
set ay2 to 0.965925
set ax1 to 0.258819
set ay1 to 0.965925
set ax2 to 0.275637
set ay2 to 0.961261
set ax1 to 0.275637
set ay1 to 0.961261
set ax2 to 0.292371
set ay2 to 0.956304
set ax1 to 0.292371
set ay1 to 0.956304
set ax2 to 0.309016
set ay2 to 0.951056
set ax1 to 0.309016
set ay1 to 0.951056
set ax2 to 0.325568
set ay2 to 0.945518
191
set ax1 to 0.325568
set ay1 to 0.945518
set ax2 to 0.342020
set ay2 to 0.939692
set ax1 to 0.342020
set ay1 to 0.939692
set ax2 to 0.358367
set ay2 to 0.933580
endif
elseif ( angle_temp <= 30 )
set ax1 to 0.358367
set ay1 to 0.933580
set ax2 to 0.374606
set ay2 to 0.927183
set ax1 to 0.374606
set ay1 to 0.927183
set ax2 to 0.390731
set ay2 to 0.920504
set ax1 to 0.390731
set ay1 to 0.920504
set ax2 to 0.406736
set ay2 to 0.913545
set ax1 to 0.406736
set ay1 to 0.913545
set ax2 to 0.422618
set ay2 to 0.906307
set ax1 to 0.422618
set ay1 to 0.906307
set ax2 to 0.438371
set ay2 to 0.898794
set ax1 to 0.438371
set ay1 to 0.898794
set ax2 to 0.453990
set ay2 to 0.891006
set ax1 to 0.453990
set ay1 to 0.891006
set ax2 to 0.469471
set ay2 to 0.882947
set ax1 to 0.469471
set ay1 to 0.882947
set ax2 to 0.484809
set ay2 to 0.874619
set ax1 to 0.484809
set ay1 to 0.874619
set ax2 to 0.500000
set ay2 to 0.866025
set ax1 to 0.500000
set ay1 to 0.866025
set ax2 to 0.515038
set ay2 to 0.857167
endif
set ax1 to 0.515038
set ay1 to 0.857167
set ax2 to 0.529919
set ay2 to 0.848048
set ax1 to 0.529919
set ay1 to 0.848048
set ax2 to 0.544639
set ay2 to 0.838670
set ax1 to 0.544639
set ay1 to 0.838670
set ax2 to 0.559192
set ay2 to 0.829037
192
set ax1 to 0.559192
set ay1 to 0.829037
set ax2 to 0.573576
set ay2 to 0.819152
set ax1 to 0.573576
set ay1 to 0.819152
set ax2 to 0.587785
set ay2 to 0.809016
set ax1 to 0.587785
set ay1 to 0.809016
set ax2 to 0.601815
set ay2 to 0.798635
set ax1 to 0.601815
set ay1 to 0.798635
set ax2 to 0.615661
set ay2 to 0.788010
set ax1 to 0.615661
set ay1 to 0.788010
set ax2 to 0.629320
set ay2 to 0.777145
set ax1 to 0.629320
set ay1 to 0.777145
set ax2 to 0.642787
set ay2 to 0.766044
set ax1 to 0.642787
set ay1 to 0.766044
set ax2 to 0.656059
set ay2 to 0.754709
endif
set ax1 to 0.656059
set ay1 to 0.754709
set ax2 to 0.669130
set ay2 to 0.743144
set ax1 to 0.669130
set ay1 to 0.743144
set ax2 to 0.681998
set ay2 to 0.731353
set ax1 to 0.681998
set ay1 to 0.731353
set ax2 to 0.694658
set ay2 to 0.719339
set ax1 to 0.694658
set ay1 to 0.719339
set ax2 to 0.707106
set ay2 to 0.707106
set ax1 to 0.707106
set ay1 to 0.707106
set ax2 to 0.719339
set ay2 to 0.694658
set ax1 to 0.719339
set ay1 to 0.694658
set ax2 to 0.731353
set ay2 to 0.681998
set ax1 to 0.731353
set ay1 to 0.681998
set ax2 to 0.743144
set ay2 to 0.669130
set ax1 to 0.743144
set ay1 to 0.669130
set ax2 to 0.754709
set ay2 to 0.656059
193
set ax1 to 0.754709
set ay1 to 0.656059
set ax2 to 0.766044
set ay2 to 0.642787
set ax1 to 0.766044
set ay1 to 0.642787
set ax2 to 0.777145
set ay2 to 0.629320
endif
if ( angle == 51 )
set ax1 to 0.777145
set ay1 to 0.629320
set ax2 to 0.788010
set ay2 to 0.615661
set ax1 to 0.788010
set ay1 to 0.615661
set ax2 to 0.798635
set ay2 to 0.601815
set ax1 to 0.798635
set ay1 to 0.601815
set ax2 to 0.809016
set ay2 to 0.587785
set ax1 to 0.809016
set ay1 to 0.587785
set ax2 to 0.819152
set ay2 to 0.573576
set ax1 to 0.819152
set ay1 to 0.573576
set ax2 to 0.829037
set ay2 to 0.559192
set ax1 to 0.829037
set ay1 to 0.559192
set ax2 to 0.838670
set ay2 to 0.544639
set ax1 to 0.838670
set ay1 to 0.544639
set ax2 to 0.848048
set ay2 to 0.529919
set ax1 to 0.848048
set ay1 to 0.529919
set ax2 to 0.857167
set ay2 to 0.515038
set ax1 to 0.857167
set ay1 to 0.515038
set ax2 to 0.866025
set ay2 to 0.500000
set ax1 to 0.866025
set ay1 to 0.500000
set ax2 to 0.874619
set ay2 to 0.484809
endif
set ax1 to 0.874619
set ay1 to 0.484809
set ax2 to 0.882947
set ay2 to 0.469471
set ax1 to 0.882947
set ay1 to 0.469471
set ax2 to 0.891006
set ay2 to 0.453990
set ax1 to 0.891006
set ay1 to 0.453990
set ax2 to 0.898794
set ay2 to 0.438371
194
set ax1 to 0.898794
set ay1 to 0.438371
set ax2 to 0.906307
set ay2 to 0.422618
set ax1 to 0.906307
set ay1 to 0.422618
set ax2 to 0.913545
set ay2 to 0.406736
set ax1 to 0.913545
set ay1 to 0.406736
set ax2 to 0.920504
set ay2 to 0.390731
set ax1 to 0.920504
set ay1 to 0.390731
set ax2 to 0.927183
set ay2 to 0.374606
set ax1 to 0.927183
set ay1 to 0.374606
set ax2 to 0.933580
set ay2 to 0.358367
set ax1 to 0.933580
set ay1 to 0.358367
set ax2 to 0.939692
set ay2 to 0.342020
set ax1 to 0.939692
set ay1 to 0.342020
set ax2 to 0.945518
set ay2 to 0.325568
endif
set ax1 to 0.945518
set ay1 to 0.325568
set ax2 to 0.951056
set ay2 to 0.309016
set ax1 to 0.951056
set ay1 to 0.309016
set ax2 to 0.956304
set ay2 to 0.292371
set ax1 to 0.956304
set ay1 to 0.292371
set ax2 to 0.961261
set ay2 to 0.275637
set ax1 to 0.961261
set ay1 to 0.275637
set ax2 to 0.965925
set ay2 to 0.258819
set ax1 to 0.965925
set ay1 to 0.258819
set ax2 to 0.970295
set ay2 to 0.241921
set ax1 to 0.970295
set ay1 to 0.241921
set ax2 to 0.974370
set ay2 to 0.224951
set ax1 to 0.974370
set ay1 to 0.224951
set ax2 to 0.978147
set ay2 to 0.207911
set ax1 to 0.978147
set ay1 to 0.207911
set ax2 to 0.981627
set ay2 to 0.190808
195
set ax1 to 0.981627
set ay1 to 0.190808
set ax2 to 0.984807
set ay2 to 0.173648
set ax1 to 0.984807
set ay1 to 0.173648
set ax2 to 0.987688
set ay2 to 0.156434
endif
set ax1 to 0.987688
set ay1 to 0.156434
set ax2 to 0.990268
set ay2 to 0.139173
set ax1 to 0.990268
set ay1 to 0.139173
set ax2 to 0.992546
set ay2 to 0.121869
set ax1 to 0.992546
set ay1 to 0.121869
set ax2 to 0.994521
set ay2 to 0.104528
set ax1 to 0.994521
set ay1 to 0.104528
set ax2 to 0.996194
set ay2 to 0.087155
set ax1 to 0.996194
set ay1 to 0.087155
set ax2 to 0.997564
set ay2 to 0.069756
set ax1 to 0.997564
set ay1 to 0.069756
set ax2 to 0.998629
set ay2 to 0.052335
set ax1 to 0.998629
set ay1 to 0.052335
set ax2 to 0.999390
set ay2 to 0.034899
set ax1 to 0.999390
set ay1 to 0.034899
set ax2 to 0.999847
set ay2 to 0.017452
set ax1 to 0.999847
set ay1 to 0.017452
set ax2 to 1.000000
set ay2 to 0.000000
set ax1 to 1.000000
set ay1 to 0.000000
set ax2 to 0.999847
set ay2 to 0.017452
endif
endif
;Use simple linear extrapolation to approximate a decimal value for sine and cosine:
set angconvx1 to ( ax2 - ax1 ) ; calculate distance sin(angle) and sin(angle+1)
set angconvy1 to ( ay2 - ay1 ) ; same for cos
set angconvx2 to ( angconvx1 * angledec ) ;calculate a fraction by the decimal residue
set angconvy2 to ( angconvy1 * angledec ) ; same for cos
set axfinal to ( ax1 + angconvx2 ) ; set final result to result + fraction
set ayfinal to ( ay1 + angconvy2 ) ; set final result to result + fraction
;correct for quadrant:

if ( anglequad == 1 )
set axfinal to ( axfinal * 1 ) ; holds final sine
set ayfinal to ( ayfinal * 1 ) ; holds final cosine
elseif ( anglequad == 2 )
set axfinal to ( axfinal * 1 ) ; holds final sine
196
set ayfinal to ( ayfinal * -1 ) ; holds final cosine
set axfinal to ( axfinal * -1 ) ; holds final sine
set ayfinal to ( ayfinal * -1 ) ; holds final cosine
set axfinal to ( axfinal * -1 ) ; holds final sine
set ayfinal to ( ayfinal * 1 ) ; holds final cosine
endif
endwhile ; loop for all three axis
;-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
end jdtrigscript
197
Mannequins
These are popular with many people as they are a nice way to show off your collected armor –
you find them in many house mods – this shows how it is done (many thanks to Stephen Kent
aka Riiak Shi Nal for sharing the script). This example is a "next generation" one that uses
Tribunal functions for checking weapon/armor to prevent PC from moving mannequin while
weapons (Riiak has not yet figured out how to get mannequins to wield weapons) and/or
armor are present on mannequin. Also split into two separate scripts to support both male
and female versions of the mannequin. These changes do not prevent PC from picking up the
mannequin while there are still misc items on it, those items will be lost.
I have added some extra comments in addition to Riiak's. The Mannequin is in reality a
normal NPC with 0 health or corpse (health set to 0 in TES CS). For this version you simply
activate it to give it items, and it will equip armor you give it.
Begin rsn_mannequin_f_script
short button
short questionState
short nEquipType
short nStillEquipped
float fDeleteTimer
SkipAnim ;GBG: This is essential, it makes the Mannequin, which is an NPC, stand still
return
endif
; if mannequin has been disabled then we need to wait some time then delete this reference
Set fDeleteTimer to ( fDeleteTimer + GetSecondsPassed )
if ( fDeleteTimer > 5 )
SetDelete 1
endif
return
endif
if ( questionState == 0 )
return
endif
endif
MessageBox, "Armor Mannequin", "Move Mannequin", "Add/Remove Armor"
set questionState to 1
endif
if ( button == 0 )
Activate
endif
endif
; This section is split into two groups of nested ifs because of nested if limits of
; the scripting language.
Set nStillEquipped to 0
; Here we check to see if a weapon is equipped (put in mainly for if anyone can figure
; out how to get a mannequin to show a weapon)
Set nEquipType to ( GetWeaponType )
if ( nEquipType == -1 )
; Here we check to see if any armor is equipped (NOTE: there are 10 different possible
; pieces of armor so we need to check each individually)
Set nEquipType to ( GetArmorType 0 )
198
if ( nEquipType != -1 )
Set nStillEquipped to 1 ;GBG: Set to 1 if there is still some armor equipped
endif
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
if ( nStillEquipped != 1 ) ;We only want to process if we haven't found any equipment.

If ( nEquipType == -1 )
;Only show this question if the mannequin doesn't have weapons or armor equipped.
MessageBox "Did you remove all items from the mannequin?", "Yes", "No"
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
else
endif
endif
; Now we need to go to the next stage of processing (either wait for user choice or
immediately activate)
endif
if ( nStillEquipped != 1 )
else
; Mannequin still has weapons or armor equipped so we want activate it and warn
; the user instead of allowing pick-up.
MessageBox "You haven't removed your equipment."
Set button to 1 ;says that there are still items on the Mannequin
endif
if ( button == 0 )
199
; Disable the current mannequin
; and create a new one we wouldn't have to worry about losing items)
; GBG: if Mannequins are transported a lot
; a SetDelete function might be a good idea
Disable
; This is the item that contains the script
; to generate a new mannequin when dropped.
; GBG: for a "female" mannequin this would be a different item
player->addItem, "_rsn_man_f_holder", 1
playSound "Item Misc Up"
; There are still items on the mannequin (either from checks or user response)
Activate
endif
endif
end
The following script goes on the item that’s added to our inventory when we move the
mannequin. When you drop it, a new mannequin is created at your feet, hence the necessary
removal of armor. You will lose it all otherwise:
; Script split into two scripts to handle the two different mannequin genders.
Begin rsn_man_f_holder_script
short OnPCDrop
float fDeleteTimer
; if holder has been disabled then we need to wait some time then delete this reference
Set fDeleteTimer to ( fDeleteTimer + GetSecondsPassed )
if ( fDeleteTimer > 5 )
SetDelete 1
endif
return
endif
if ( OnPCDrop == 1 )
Disable
; This is the NPC with 0 health that is really just a standing corpse.
PlaceAtPC, "_rsn_mannequin_female", 1, 0, 0
Set OnPCDrop to 0
endif
end
200
Is she looking at me?
Here is a beautiful script by Horatio that allows to detect whether an Actor looks towards the
player:
Begin PCLookAtMe
float fPCX
float fPCY
float fPCAngle
float fdx
float fdy
float fRatio
short sPCLookAtMe
set sPCLookAtMe to 1
;you could probably also add a GetLOS check in here

; however i could never get GetLOS to work properly...although i didn't try very hard
;is PC really far away

if ( GetDistance, Player > 8000 )
else
;yay trigonometry
;this basically does a rough calculation of the PCs direction relative
;to the Actor, it only uses 45 degree chunks, though
set fPCX to ( player->GetPos, X )

set fPCY to ( player->GetPos, Y )
set fPCAngle to ( player->GetAngle, Z )
set fdx to GetPos, X

set fdy to GetPos, Y
set fdx to ( fdx - fPCX )

set fdy to ( fdy - fPCY )
set fRatio to ( fdx / fdy )
if ( fdx > 0 )
if ( fdy > 0 )
if ( fRatio > 1 )
if ( fPCAngle < -45 )
endif
else
endif
if ( fPCAngle > 135 )

endif
endif
else
if ( fRatio < -1 )
if ( fPCAngle < 0 )
if ( fPCAngle > -135 )
endif
endif
else
if ( fPCAngle < 45 )
endif
endif
endif
endif
else
201
if ( fdy > 0 )
if ( fRatio < -1 )
endif
else
endif

endif
endif
else
if ( fRatio > 1 )
if ( fPCAngle > 0 )
endif
endif
else
endif
endif
endif
endif
endif
endif
if ( sPCLookAtMe == 0 )
;do something while the PC is not looking
endif
End
202
Cinematic sequence
The following is a very smart approach to do a cinematic sequence by gianluca (Morrowind
Summit forums). It removes player control, places the player on an invisible "CollisionWall"
object and then moves him (and thus the camera) around. You can't have cinematic sequences
involving the PC, but it's still great.
If menumode==1
return
endif
if doOnce==0
"Collision wall2"->disable
set doOnce to 1
endif
if doOnce==1
"Collision wall1"->moveworld X 800
messagebox "moving"
if ( "Player"->getPos Z < 570 )
set doOnce to 2
set playxx to "Player"->getPos X
set playyy to "Player"->getPos Y
set playzz to "Player"->getPos Z
"Collision wall2"->enable
"Player"->position -114679 -4119 590 90
endif
endif
if doOnce==2
messagebox "moving"
"Collision wall3"->enable
°Player°->position -112634 -4119 590 90
set doOnce to 3
endif
endif
if doOnce==3
"Collision wall3"->moveworld Y -800
set doOnce to 4
"Collision Wall4"->enable
°Player"->position -112126 -6150 590 90
endif
endif
if doOnce==4
"Collision wall4"->moveworld Y -450
set doOnce to 5
endif
endif
if doOnce==5
stopscript ELDQ_visualforbattle
endif
end ELDQ_visualforbattle
203
Troubleshooting
General hints
• A good way to debug is to insert MessageBox commands at key points in your script.
• If you produce error messages and can't find the cause, try to remove suspect lines of
codes one by one (using ; to mark them as comments) to pinpoint the error causing
line.
• Pay attention to the error codes that the editor and the game give you, they usually let
you pinpoint the source of the problem to some degree.
• When you make changes to a script, it's a very good idea to save the script twice
afterwards, to make sure the compiler properly checks it for errors.
For example, if you delete a variable declaration but forget to remove the variable
from the script, the compiler may not report an error the first time you save the script.
This also happens when you change the name of a script (in the 'Begin' statement), but
leave the original name in a StopScript statement.
Apparently, the compiler doesn't update its internal list of variables, script names, etc.
until after it compiles the script. End result is that the compiler will use the stored
variable declarations and script names from its previous pass through the script, rather
than the current ones.
This probably explains why you have to save a script at least once before its name
(from the 'Begin' statement) will be recognized in a StopScript statement in the same
script. -(DinkumThinkum)
The Console
Using the Console to check variables:

In the game you can use the console to check on the state of variables. Bring up the console
window (standard key is ~ or whatever key is left of the "1" key if you are using a non-US
keyboard layout) and type "sv" – this lists all the global variables with their values, then all
running global scripts (including targeted scripts) with their variables. Now find an object that
has a script running on it. Bring up the console again, left click on the object – the console
window title will change. Type "sv" again – now the local variables for the script running on
this object will be listed. To check a single variable, use "show var_name", however, if trying
to get a var from a object that doesn’t have a script, it can sometimes crash the game.
Using the Console to quickly test scripts:

The console can help you test your scripts. For objects you don’t need to place them with the
editor and then go there. Just write down the ID for your object, load any savegame and then,
in the console type:
PlaceatPC "My_Object" 1,1,1
This will drop the object directly at your feet.
Player->AddItem "My_Object" 1
This will drop the item into your inventory
To go to a specific location use
coc "cell_name"
for interior cells or
coe -1,-7
for exterior cells (write down the cell coordinates in the editor). coc works for exterior cells
too but since most exterior cells have non-unique names you may not land quite where you
want. It can still be useful though, for example coc balmora will take you somewhere in
Balmora.
204
tcl
Toggles collision – float through walls, visit difficult to reach places easily.
Tgm
Toggle God mode – test without worrying about some monster killing you.
Also, the invaluable console commands to run the game in "debug" mode allow one to view
hard numbers about spell effects, chances to hit, etc (thanks to Wakim). Some of these are:
1) press the "~" key to call up the console.
2) type "tcs" into the console and hit return.
3) click (right or left click, can't recall) anywhere on the screen outside of the console box to
continue game time while leaving the box displayed and active.
That's it. There are other variants on the "tcs" command, such as (but not limited to) "tks" and
"tms" which all stand for "toggle xxxxxx statistics" where xxxxx is: c = combat, m = magic, k
= kill, or what have you.
Error messages, malfunctions and common causes
In the editor
The editor usually indicates the line in which the problem was encountered, so often errors
reported here are relatively easy to fix.
"Mismatched If/else/endif starting on line..."

One or several if statements are not closed. Use tabs to facilitate finding missing endifs. This
also happens when wrong names are used for variables functions or other typing errors.
"Function reference object "Foobject" not found"

This error indicates that the object in question e.g.
Foobject->GetDistance Player
Does not exist. When you write a script and then create a new object to be thus referenced you
will also get this error. Close the editor window and reopen it to register the object with the
compiler.
"Could not find variable or function "Foobject""

Another syntax error, indicating you have used an undefined variable, function or a non-
existent object.
"Script command "foofunc" not found on line 3"

A command / function was not recognized by the compiler. Usually results from typos.
"You need to end a script with script End scriptname"

Indicates that the compiler did not find the End command. This error can also appear when a
previous error disrupts the compilation process.
"Syntax error Line 20. Miss matched parenthesis"

Indicates that you do not close all parentheses you opened or vice versa.
"You need to enter a value on line 20"

You have not supplied all the arguments needed by a specific function.
In game error messages:

"EXPRESSION in script..."
205
Followed by
"RightEval ..."
This error indicates that Variables are not declared. Most often this happens with game
variables that are almost used like functions, e.g. OnPCEquip.
EXPRESSION in general appears mostly when variables have not been declared in the script.
"LeftEval"
This error seems to come up when you have accidentally declared a Function as a variable.
The following lines e.g. would produce this error:
short ScriptRunning
if (ScriptRunning "MyScript" == 1 )
Both of the above can also be caused by not having spaces at the proper places. Always leave
a space between parentheses and function calls, variables etc.
If ( OnActivate == 1 ), not if (OnActivate==1). This only causes errors very rarely, but it
sometimes does, trust me.
"Infix to Postfix" error

Usually indicates bad syntax. Can be caused by bad set commands using the "fix" arrow:
set somevar to ActorID->GetHealth
should be changed to:

set somevar to ( ActorID->GetHealth )
An alternative is again a forgotten variable declaration of variable type functions, e.g. of

OnPCEquip, etc. (Thanks Horatio and Ragnar_GD)
AITravel command does not work

A common cause is coordinates erroneously set too far away (e.g. by omitting a "-" or having
a digit too much in there). I once had a very nasty one of having typed two "-" which looked
like one just slightly longer than usual "-" in the editor.
Doubled Objects
There are two reasons why you may get doubled items in your game
1. You changed your mod load order (or added a mod in the middle of the load order)
and then continued on from a save. This is very easy to do accidentally by just saving
a mod in the CS, which will move the mod in the load order.
2. You altered a object that had information about it stored in the save or Added/removed
a object that is in the same cell as a object with information stored about it in a save.
The best way to prevent doubling when testing work in progress mods is to always test a mod
on a save that doesn’t have the mod loaded or even better a new game.
Wrye has notes on these in much greater detail

http://wrye.ufrealms.net/Wrye%20Matching.html
206
Script fails to start, or stops unexpectedly
This can happen when a variable is not declared but the script was nevertheless successfully
saved, for example if you deleted a variable declaration or changed the variable name after
saving and didn't update it correctly in the script. It can also be caused by the same thing in
another (different) script.
Crash to desktop when executing the script

There are unfortunately a great number of possible causes. Many are connected with not
having "do once" conditions (e.g. calling certain functions every frame). Other known
problems: Removing objects with running scripts from within their own script. Using Equip
on anything but potions (fixed with Tribunal). Casting targeted spells from an activator (fixed
with Tribunal). Using AIActivate on teleport doors that lead outside of the active cell. Trying
to use PlaceItem with the same Object ID the script is running on. Using SetDelete on a non-
disabled object or an object with a targeted script running on it.
Crash to Desktop (CTD) upon loading the plugin

One reported reason is overlong calculations: there appears to be an issue with very long
additions (e.g. adding up more than 20 variables in one line of code) that causes a mod to
CTD upon loading. If this happens, split the calculations to several lines.
207
Appendix
New functions that come with TRIBUNAL
The Tribunal expansion for Morrowind introduced a number of new functions and fixes
and extends several of the old ones. Note that both you and the user of the mod must have
Tribunal (or Bloodmoon, or GOTY edition) installed to make use of these, so make sure you
mark your mod accordingly. The functions are now sorted into the main document, but this
list may serve as an easy reference to see which functions are Tribunal functions.
(Many thanks to Bethsoft's Mike Lipari for sharing the information on these functions with
the community.)
Changes / fixes to Morrowind scripting:

- SetPos now accepts variables (float) as arguments.
- SetAngle now accepts variables (float) as arguments.
- Equip now works as intended and forces NPC to equip (put on) armor and clothing.
- AIActivate was apparently fixed.
Index of new Tribunal Script Functions:

AddToLevCreature ModWaterLevel
AddToLevItem PlaceItem
ClearForceJump RemoveFromLevCreature
ClearForceMoveJump RemoveFromLevItem
ClearForceRun SetDelete
DaysPassed (variable) SetJournalIndex (?)
DisableLevitation SetScale
EnableLevitation SetWaterLevel
ExplodeSpell
ForceJump
ForceMoveJump
ForceRun
GetArmorType
GetCollidingActor
GetCollidingPC
GetForceJump
GetForceMoveJump
GetForceRun
GetPCJumping
GetPCRunning
GetPCSneaking
GetScale
GetSpellReadied
GetSquareRoot
GetWaterLevel
GetWeaponDrawn
GetWeaponType
HasItemEquipped
HurtCollidingActor
ModScale
208
New functions that come with BLOODMOON
The second expansion for Morrowind, Bloodmoon, introduces a few new functions.
Note that both you and the user of the mod must have Bloodmoon installed to make use of
these, so make sure you mark your mod accordingly.
Index of new Bloodmoon Script Functions and variables:

AllowWereWolfForceGreeting
BecomeWerewolf
GetPCInJail
GetPCTraveling
GetWerewolfKills
IsWerewolf
PCKnownWerewolf
PlaceAtMe
SetWerewolfAcrobatics
TurnMoonRed
TurnMoonWhite
UndoWerewolf
209
Previously undocumented functions
These functions were not documented in the original helpfile. I have explained most of them
in this guide, but for a few the uses are still unknown to me. I thought it might be useful to
have as a list for an easy overview. The list was put together by someone who Hex-edited the
TES-CS .exe, so it's likely to be complete.
(thanks to Soralis for the list and XPCagey and others who helped to put it together):
Undocumented in Helpfile: Functions which are spelled differently

PayFineThief
EnableStatReviewMenu
than documented (XPCagey):
GetFactionReaction
ShowMap getHealthRatio -> getHealthGetRatio
EnableBirthMenu getInvisible -> getInvisibile
EnableClassMenu setInvisible -> setInvisibile
EnableRaceMenu modInvisible -> modInvisibile
EnableNameMenu getSecundusPhase -> getSecundaPhase
RemoveEffects
EnableMagicMenu
(actual syntax on the right)
EnableMapMenu
EnableInventoryMenu
EnableStatsMenu
GetInterior And those which don't work:
GetLineOfSight (alias for GetLOS)
GetWindSpeed
getPlayerViewSwitch -> (can't be used)
GetCurrentTime OnRepair -> not in string tables
ResetActors UsedOnMe -> not in string tables
OutputRefInfo name -> not in string tables
MenuTest
Also be aware that most console
commands can be compiled as functions
by the Construction Set (see list below).
These are also to a large part not listed by
the helpfile.
210
Variable-type functions:
For easy reference, the following list shows all those variable/function type hybrids that you
need to declare as variables if you use them in a script.
Local variables that get set by the game:

Short OnPCEquip
Short OnPCAdd
Short OnPCRepair
Short OnPCSoulGemUse
Short OnPCHitMe
Float minimumProfit (Tribunal)
Local variables that you can set as a flag:

Short Companion (Tribunal)
Short StayOutside (Tribunal)
Short PCSkipEquip
Special Globals
Some globals hold special significance that you can take advantage of for your own scripting.
Since they are globals, you do not need to declare them.
Short NPCVoiceDistance (750)
Used as a distance when Following NPCs call after you to
wait for them (e.g. see DandsaScript)
Float GameHour
Holds the current hour of the day (0-23)
Note, this is a float, so 10:30 would be represented as 10.5.
See the section on float variables for more information
Short Day
Holds the current day of the month (1-30)
Short Month
Holds the current Month of the year (0-11)
Short Year (427)
Holds the current year
Float TimeScale (30)
Sets the ratio of real-time/game-time
Short Random100
Is randomly set between 0-100 (set by main script when
out of menumode)
Short PCRace
Contains the player's Race
(1=Argonian, 2=Breton, 3=Dark Elf, 4=High Elf,
5=Imperial, 6= Khajiit, 7=Nord, 8=Orc, 9=Redguard,
10=Woodelf)
If the player is using a custom race, PCRace will remain 0
by default. Note that it is possible to add your own
racecheck script for custom races, and set PCRace to a
custom value, but be warned: if two mods do this, you may
have conflicts. As this variable is only used in dialog, it is
not required that you set it to a different number for every
custom race you make. If you made a new race with dialog,
instead of using this it would be far better to make your
own global variable as it would be less likely to conflict
with other mods.
Short PCVampire
Vampire status: 0=Normal, 1=Vampire, -1= cured
Short VampClan
If the PC becomes a vampire, this indicates his clan.
1=Aundae, 2=Berne, 3=Quarra
Short DaysPassed
Contains the number of days since the game started.
Requires an explicit declaration, which is present in
Tribunal but must otherwise be added (not present in
211
Bloodmoon or Morrowind).
Short PCWerewolf
Werewolf status: 0=Normal, 1=Werewolf, -1=Cured
Float WerewolfClawMult (25.00)
Increased during the Werewolf quests to make your claw
attack more powerful.
Short PCHasGoldDiscount
Used in dialogue. Gets set to 1 if player has enough gold to
pay thieves guild discount on the "price on your head".
Short PCHAsTurnIn
pay the reduced fee for turning yourself in.
Short PCHasCrimeGold
pay the crime fee.
Short CrimeGoldTurnIn
Gold needed for reduced crime fee
CrimeGoldDiscount
Gold needed for thieves guild discount crime fee
212
Game units:
1 game unit = 0.56 inches
50 =28 inches
500 = 23.3 feet
5000 = 233.3 feet
8192 = 385 feet = 1 game cell
1 game unit = 1.42 cm

100 game units = 142 cm = 1.42 meters
1000 game units = 14.2 meters
8192 game units = 116.33 meters = 1 exterior cell
The island of Morrowind itself is 5.00 km north to south and 4.65 km east to west.
(thanks to Iudas for this information)
Derived attribute calculations:

(Thanks to DinkumThinkum for this info.)
The following is based on how they're calculated for player characters; checking in the
Construction Set, NPC derived attributes appear to use basically the same system (if auto-
calculate is enabled).
Maximum Fatigue: equals the total of current Strength, current Endurance, current
Willpower, and current Agility.
Maximum Magicka: current Intelligence times the character's magicka multiplier (varies
with race and birthsign). For NPCs, the multiplier apparently is fixed at two (default value of
fNPCbaseMagickaMult: see Game Settings); race doesn't seem to affect it.
NOTE: this is based on the Maximum Magicka shown in the editor. Racial abilities that
fortify Maximum Magicka are listed in the 'spells' section of the NPC's properties page, so
that may be figured into the maximum value used during game play; haven't tested this.
Maximum Encumbrance: five times the character's current Strength.
Maximum Health (player): When you create your character, their starting maximum Health
(at first level) is one half the total of their Strength and Endurance. After that, each time your
character goes up a level their maximum Health is increased by 10% of their Endurance
(value set by fLevelUpHealthEndMult, see Game Settings). This is based on the character's
base natural Endurance; magical modifications to Endurance are ignored.
Strength is only used to calculate the player character's starting value for maximum Health; it
has no further affect on Health once the character has been created. Also, Endurance affects
the amount added to the character's maximum Health each level; there's no recalculation of
the amount added in previous levels.
Maximum Health (NPCs): A number of formulas for NPC health have been proposed, but I
(melian) have yet to find one that works for more than one NPC. At base level, NPC Health
appears to be auto-calculated in the same way as the player's: (STR + END)/2. After that it
gets tricky, and most formulas fail quite dramatically at higher levels.
213
For some NPCs: The calculation is based on the character's Strength and Endurance, and
Health increase factor per level is constant within three brackets: before STR has maxed
(largest increase), after STR but before END has maxed (smaller increase), and after both
have maxed (constant smaller increase from then on). It's usually easy enough to calculate a
single NPC's Health at any given level by noting Health, Strength and Endurance at various
levels and working out the increase factor per level in each of the three brackets
(remembering that values are really floats: averaging a larger value will get a more accurate
increase factor). This has worked for most NPCs I've used it on, whose Strength maxed well
before Endurance did. I'm not sure of the progression for NPCs whose Endurance maxes first,
and race may have something to do with it as well.
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Magic Effect List
For the function GetEffect, you need the ID-string itself (e.g. GetEffect
sEffectWaterBreathing). For the RemoveEffects function, the effect number is used (e.g.
RemoveEffects, 0)
0 => sEffectWaterBreathing 69 => sEffectCureCommonDisease
1 => sEffectSwiftSwim 70 => sEffectCureBlightDisease
2 => sEffectWaterWalking 71 => sEffectCureCorprusDisease
3 => sEffectShield 72 => sEffectCurePoison
4 => sEffectFireShield 73 => sEffectCureParalyzation
5 => sEffectLightningShield 74 => sEffectRestoreAttribute
6 => sEffectFrostShield 75 => sEffectRestoreHealth
7 => sEffectBurden 76 => sEffectRestoreSpellPoints
8 => sEffectFeather 77 => sEffectRestoreFatigue
9 => sEffectJump 78 => sEffectRestoreSkill
10 => sEffectLevitate 79 => sEffectFortifyAttribute
11 => sEffectSlowFall 80 => sEffectFortifyHealth
12 => sEffectLock 81 => sEffectFortifySpellpoints
13 => sEffectOpen 82 => sEffectFortifyFatigue
14 => sEffectFireDamage 83 => sEffectFortifySkill
15 => sEffectShockDamage 84 => sEffectFortifyMagickaMultiplier
16 => sEffectFrostDamage 85 => sEffectAbsorbAttribute
17 => sEffectDrainAttribute 86 => sEffectAbsorbHealth
18 => sEffectDrainHealth 87 => sEffectAbsorbSpellPoints
19 => sEffectDrainSpellpoints 88 => sEffectAbsorbFatigue
20 => sEffectDrainFatigue 89 => sEffectAbsorbSkill
21 => sEffectDrainSkill 90 => sEffectResistFire
22 => sEffectDamageAttribute 91 => sEffectResistFrost
23 => sEffectDamageHealth 92 => sEffectResistShock
24 => sEffectDamageMagicka 93 => sEffectResistMagicka
25 => sEffectDamageFatigue 94 => sEffectResistCommonDisease
26 => sEffectDamageSkill 95 => sEffectResistBlightDisease
27 => sEffectPoison 96 => sEffectResistCorprusDisease
28 => sEffectWeaknessToFire 97 => sEffectResistPoison
29 => sEffectWeaknessToFrost 98 => sEffectResistNormalWeapons
30 => sEffectWeaknessToShock 99 => sEffectResistParalysis
31 => sEffectWeaknessToMagicka 100 => sEffectRemoveCurse
32 => sEffectWeaknessToCommonDisease 101 => sEffectTurnUndead
33 => sEffectWeaknessToBlightDisease 102 => sEffectSummonScamp
34 => sEffectWeaknessToCorprusDisease 103 => sEffectSummonClannfear
35 => sEffectWeaknessToPoison 104 => sEffectSummonDaedroth
36 => sEffectWeaknessToNormalWeapons 105 => sEffectSummonDremora
37 => sEffectDisintegrateWeapon 106 => sEffectSummonAncestralGhost
38 => sEffectDisintegrateArmor 107 => sEffectSummonSkeletalMinion
39 => sEffectInvisibility 108 => sEffectSummonLeastBonewalker
40 => sEffectChameleon 109 => sEffectSummonGreaterBonewalker
41 => sEffectLight 110 => sEffectSummonBonelord
42 => sEffectSanctuary 111 => sEffectSummonWingedTwilight
43 => sEffectNightEye 112 => sEffectSummonHunger
44 => sEffectCharm 113 => sEffectSummonGoldensaint
45 => sEffectParalyze 114 => sEffectSummonFlameAtronach
46 => sEffectSilence 115 => sEffectSummonFrostAtronach
47 => sEffectBlind 116 => sEffectSummonStormAtronach
48 => sEffectSound 117 => sEffectFortifyAttackBonus
49 => sEffectCalmHumanoid 118 => sEffectCommandCreatures
50 => sEffectCalmCreature 119 => sEffectCommandHumanoids
51 => sEffectFrenzyHumanoid 120 => sEffectBoundDagger
52 => sEffectFrenzyCreature 121 => sEffectBoundLongsword
53 => sEffectDemoralizeHumanoid 122 => sEffectBoundMace
54 => sEffectDemoralizeCreature 123 => sEffectBoundBattleAxe
55 => sEffectRallyHumanoid 124 => sEffectBoundSpear
56 => sEffectRallyCreature 125 => sEffectBoundLongbow
57 => sEffectDispel 126 => sEffectExtraSpell
58 => sEffectSoultrap 127 => sEffectBoundCuirass
59 => sEffectTelekinesis 128 => sEffectBoundHelm
60 => sEffectMark 129 => sEffectBoundBoots
61 => sEffectRecall 130 => sEffectBoundShield
62 => sEffectDivineIntervention 131 => sEffectBoundGloves
63 => sEffectAlmsiviIntervention 132 => sEffectCorpus
64 => sEffectDetectAnimal 133 => sEffectVampirism
65 => sEffectDetectEnchantment 134 => sEffectSummonCenturionSphere
66 => sEffectDetectKey 135 => sEffectSunDamage
67 => sEffectSpellAbsorption 136 => sEffectStuntedMagicka
68 => sEffectReflect
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List of console commands
Console (in game only commands). Most are useful for debugging / testing only, but some of
these (marked with *) CAN be used in scripts. For functions that produce an output to
console: you can continue playing with the console open by rightclicking outside of the
console window.
Command short Description

* Places the PC in the named cell. Very useful for testing mods.
CenterOnCell, "Cell_ID" COC
* Places the PC in the exterior cell grid.
CenterOnExterior, X, Y COE
CreateMaps Creates map image file depending on the Create Maps Enable value in the
Morrowind.INI file. If it is 1 (XBox), the file FILENAME.ESP.MAP is created
"Filename.esp" in the DataFiles path with the map data (unknown format). If the value is 2
(Exterior Cell Maps) and you have created a directory /Maps/ in the main
Morrowind game directory, this command will create a 256x256 high color
bitmap of each exterior cell in the game. This command takes a long while even
on fast computers as each cell in the game is loaded.
Note that CreateMaps won't generate an image of the cell in which the player is
currently located. So if you're standing in your mod's landscape, all the cells
around it are processed just fine, but you'll be missing the current cell. To work
around this, move to a cell you don't care about before starting the CreateMaps
process. You might also be able to move to an interior cell, but this is untested. -
(Klinn)
BC Beta Comment: Edit the morrowind.ini file to give a filename in the beta
comment line:
Beta Comment File=BetaComment.txt
Then you can use the BC Command to make a note about an object in the game.
You open the console and click something, then type your comment, like this:
BC "Root not attached well."
And in BetaComment.txt you get:
6/20/2004 (21:02) Morrowind.esm 5/8/2003 (21:07) Paul ex_t_root_03 Tel Vos
(10,14) 85078 118468 4111 "Root not attached well."
The time I made the comment, the file the object is from, the modification time
of that file, my name (windows log-in), the cell, the X, Y and Z Position of the
object, and of course, the comment (forum info / ManaUser).
FillJournal add all entries to journal, takes a long time
* show all the towns / uniquely named cells on the full map. Takes a few seconds.
FillMap Not recommended for scripts.
* Jump 128 units away from where I am now. Good to get "unstuck"
FixMe
GetFactionReaction, The faction ID's are not optional, works in Console window only. Not sure
about the actual meaning of the output.
"factionID", "factionID",
amount
Help Lists, and shows shorthand for most commands
MoveOneToOne MOTO This command changes the speed at which the PC actor (and presumably other
actors) RUN. With MOTO active your walking and running speeds are the
same, and the same animation will play for either walking or
running.(IndigoRage)
ObjectReferenceInfo ORI Lists info about the selected object, such as the cell it's in and the esm/esp file it
originates from. Handy when identifying which mod added a certain item.
OutputObjCounts Counts all objects in various categories. Output is written to the console window
OutputRefCounts Counts all references in various categories. Output is written to the console
window.
PT "Purge textures" makes the engine reload all textures. If you play in windows
mode you can use this to test textures in-game, while editing them in another
application.
Show global_var Writes the value of the specified global variable to the console
ShowVars SV Lists global variables and variables in global scripts, or local variables if you
click on an object with a local script first. Output to console.
StopCellTest SCT Stops the cell test, player remains in currently loaded cell
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TestCells Loads all cells in alphabetical order (On testing it seemed to be only interiors -
Not sure about difference to TestInteriorCells)
Note: TestCells, TestInteriorCells and TestThreadCells is a bit buggy. Even if
you load a savegame while it's in process, it will continue until the last cell is
reached.
TestInteriorCells Loads all interior cells in alphabetical order
TestThreadCells Loads all exterior cells , then all interior cells. Exterior cells load in the
following order:
[biggest x number], [biggest y number]
[biggest x number], [biggest y number - 1]
When the "y" number reaches the last value this follows
[biggest x number - 3 _OR_ - 1], [biggest y number]
[biggest x number - 3 _OR_ - 1], [biggest y number - 1]
etc.
Interior cells load in alphabetical order.
The command pauses in menumode, but not exactly when the menumode is first
triggered. It waits several frames. -(unknown)
TestModels T3D Test all objects and reports missing .nif files
* Stops AI, including combat. Useful in testing a cell without being attacked by
ToggleAI TA nasties
ToggleBorders TB Shows borders of exterior cells
ToggleCombatStats TCS Allows you to monitor combat statistics in realtime. Enable this, then right-click
outside the console window to continue playing with the console window open.
Note: When I tested, the output was also written to log.txt - not sure if this is by
default.
* Turns collision on and off. Lets you float through walls. Can make Actors drop
ToggleCollision TCL through floors, or float
ToggleCollisionBoxes TCB Shows the collision boxes of all models
ToggleCollisionGrid TCG Outputs a matrix to the screen that probably indicates the current collision
situation - I couldn't interpret it. Slows the game to a crawl
ToggleDebugText TDT Displays some debugging info on the screen: Players animation groups, speed,
heading, position, FPS, delta movement per frame, and some I could not identify
ToggleDialogueStats TDS Outputs result of persuasion attempts (and maybe other dialogue results?) to the
console
* Lets you see all of the local map
ToggleFogOfWar TFOW
ToggleFullHelp TFH Shows you ownership and script on mouseover while in console mode or in the
info box during normal play. Also displays info on how the game fills leveled
lists (upon entering a cell or opening a container) in the console.
* Makes you invulnerable.

ToggleGodMode TGM
ToggleGrid TG Displays the current cell's coordinates, and a grid of the currently loaded cells on
screen, indicating the activities of morrowinds "thread loading" (caching of
cells)
ToggleKillStats TKS When an actor is killed the name of the kill, the total number of kills, and (with
Bloodmoon) werewolf kills, is displayed in the console
ToggleLights Unknown, I did not get any effect or output from this.
ToggleLoadFade Unknown. From the name it would seem to refer to the screen fading in and out
on loading of a game or teleporting, but I could not detect a difference.
ToggleMagicStats TMS Displays info on active spell effects in the console. Gives effect #, spell name,
and statistical info
* Disables all menus (including the main save/load/options menu!). Menus stay
ToggleMenus TM invisible until console is brought up again (press console key twice). Not
recommended for use in scripts - If the player uses the console, your script may
end up disabling the menus completely!
ToggleScripts Presumably stops script processing
ToggleScriptOutput TSO Unknown, I did not get any effect or output from this.
ToggleStats TST Activates all stat debugging modes (ToggleCombatStats, ToggleMagicStats,

ToggleDialogueStats, ToggleKillStats)
* Switches the sky off. Also affects lighting, basically with switched off sky it's
ToggleSky TS also "night".
ToggleTextureString TTS Unknown, I did not get any effect or output from this.
ToggleWater Unknown, I did not get any effect or output from this.
* Stops the "world" and all objects from being rendered, just leaves the sky and
ToggleWorld TW water. Does not affect anything else, meaning collision, AI, etc. All remain
active, just invisible
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ToggleWireframe TWF Shows grid instead of full render
TogglePathGrid TPG Toggle AI path grid display

* Switches to vanity mode, player can not switch again until toggle is off. May be
ToggleVanityMode TVM useful for cutscenes.
SA "Show Animation" Shows status and animation info for the selected actor: Spell
readied, weapon drawn, attacked, animation group
ShowGroup SG Writes the selected Actors goup actual ID + reference number to the console
window. For the player this is PlayerSaveGame
ST "Show target group" Writes the ID + reference number of the selected actors
"target" group (combat opponent) to the console window.
ShowScenegraph SSG Opens a new window that displays a hierarchical view of (I assume) the data
structure of the currently rendered scene. Use TAB to get to the window. MW
will remain unresponsive while the scene graph window is open.
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Game Settings
The following long table is a list of game settings. Listed here are all settings that have a
numerical value. Not listed are string entries – which are used to set many standard message
texts, menu-texts, spell effect names, etc. But since they are fairly descriptive, they should be
easy to figure out. Not so the numerical settings. Thanks to four forum members (maxpublic,
Ldones, Wakim and Iudas), the meaning of many of the settings is now known and compiled
into the list below. The list may still be a bit rough. I have not edited it thoroughly, but I am
sure it will be interesting information for many modders.
In many cases where you see Base and Mult game settings, the formula they're involved in is
a standard linear equation in the form y = mx + b, where m is the mult, b is the base, and x is
some attribute, skill, or other value.
Note that the entry names begin with f or i (for floats and integers). The string entries begin
with s (string). To my knowledge they can not be changed in-game, only in the TES-CS.
Nr. Name Value Description and Comments

"465" "fRepairMult" 1.0000 Sets the general effectiveness of the repair skill of the character, via the armorer's
hammer used
"466" "fRepairAmountMult" 3.0000 Tells the game how many points of health are returned to the item when repaired
Determines cost for repairing items (Whether calculated from Max Item Health or
Item Cost, I’m not sure)
"467" "fSpellValueMult" 10.0000
"468" "fSpellMakingValueMult" 7.0000
"469" "fEnchantmentValueMult" 1000.0000 The setting for the price you pay at an enchanter to enchant an item. Linear.
"470" "fTravelMult" 4000.0000 Sets the cost of Silt Strider and boat travel (I think)
Multiplies cost of Travel – Unsure why the number is so high, but raising it raises
the cost of Fast Travel
"471" "fTravelTimeMult" 16000.000 Tells the game how much time elapses during this sort of travel
0
"472" "fMagesGuildTravel" 10.0000 Sets the cost of Guild Guide travel
"947" "fWortChanceValue" 15.0000 Is compared to your alchemy skill to determine which of the effects of an ingredient
you can see. -(Wakim, Iudas)
"949" "fMinWalkSpeed" 100.0000 This is the minimum walking speed of the PC, regardless of stats, skills or
encumbrance
"950" "fMaxWalkSpeed" 200.0000 This is the maximum walking speed of the PC, regardless of stats, skills, or
encumbrance
The actual walking speed of NPC’s (and the PC) is set by checking various factors
(Speed, Athletics, etc.) and assigning a value between fMinWalkSpeed and
fMaxWalkSpeed based on that – The two settings dictate the spectrum of Walk
Speeds
"951" "fMinWalkSpeedCreature" 5.0000 The same as for the PC, but if you badly encumber a creature it'll move veeerrry
slowly. I've done this by accident.
"952" "fMaxWalkSpeedCreature" 300.0000 Same as above, they get faster, so they cover the speed spectrum more rapidly
"953" "fEncumberedMoveEffect" 0.3000 This sets how encumbrance affects walking and running speed, within the min/max
limits set by other values.
"954" "fBaseRunMultiplier" 1.7500 Exactly as it says. Changing the value will increase/decrease base running speed.
Dictates how much faster Running is than the current Walk Speed
"955" "fAthleticsRunBonus" 1.0000 Sets how Athletics affects running speed.
"956" "fJumpAcrobaticsBase" 128.0000 Sets the base jumping distance for the PC.
"957" "fJumpAcroMultiplier" 4.0000 Sets the multiplier for Acrobatics, which is why you can leap over tall buildings
when your Acro is high enough.
"958" "fJumpEncumbranceBase" 0.5000 Effects how greatly jumping ability is effected by Encumbrance, but I’m unsure
how
"959" "fJumpEncumbranceMultiplier" 1.0000 Effects how greatly jumping ability is effected by Encumbrance, but I’m unsure
how
"960" "fJumpRunMultiplier" 1.0000 UNSURE – Presumably effects Jump Distance while running (it doesn’t seem to
effect height, but I could be wrong)
"961" "fJumpMoveBase" 0.5000
"962" "fJumpMoveMult" 0.5000
"963" "fSwimWalkBase" 0.5000 Multiplies your walking speed to achieve the swimming speed at a 'walk'
Base swim speed while ‘walking’
"964" "fSwimRunBase" 0.5000 Multiplies your running speed to achieve the swimming speed at a 'run'.
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"965" "fSwimWalkAthleticsMult" 0.0200 Tells the game how Athletics affects 'walking' swimming speed. These low values
keep you from flying through the water like you do on land when your Athletics is
high.
"966" "fSwimRunAthleticsMult" 0.1000 Same as above.
"967" "fSwimHeightScale" 0.9000 Determines how close to the surface you have to be before the breathe indicator
goes away
"968" "fHoldBreathTime" 20.0000 The number of seconds your PC can hold her breath.
Base time that a character can remain underwater before incurring suffocation
damage
"969" "fHoldBreathEndMult" 0.5000 How Endurance affects the time you can hold your breath. I believe this is a flat-out
multiplier to End, added as seconds to HoldBreathTime.<Doesn't seem to work.>
"970" "fSuffocationDamage" 3.0000 The amount of health damage you take each second you suffocate
"971" "fMinFlySpeed" 5.0000 Exactly as it says – minimum flying speed.
"972" "fMaxFlySpeed" 300.0000 See above
"973" "fStromWindSpeed" 0.7000 UNSURE - Determines altered walk speed during an ash or blight storm, but I’m
unsure how – Might be a separate value from that entirely – might determine speed
of storm particles /sprites(Dust, etc.) Interesting (possibally related) note, while
treading water in an ash storm, I noticed I was moving slightly.
"974" "fStromWalkMult" 0.2500 Determines altered walk speed during an ash or blight storm, but I’m unsure how
uses the getwindspeed to lower the PC movement speed during storms...
"975" "fFallDamageDistanceMin" 400.0000 The minimum distance you have to fall before you take damage.
(Presumably in units) In game units each unit - .0.56 inches
"976" "fFallDistanceBase" 0.0000 This will increase/decrease the distance needed to fall before you take damage.
"977" "fFallDistanceMult" 0.0700 Higher you are the more damage you take when you hit
"978" "fFallAcroBase" 0.2500 Acrobatics skill increases the distance you can fall before you take damage.
"979" "fFallAcroMult" 0.0100 Has to do w/ how the Acrobatics skill effects Fall Distance and Damage, but unsure
how
"980" "iMaxActivateDist" 192 Maximum distance for the player to be able to ‘Activate’ an object - approx 9 feet
"981" "iMaxInfoDist" 192 Maximum distance for an Info message (object/NPC/creature name, etc.) to pop up
in the Player’s view
"982" "fVanityDelay" 30.0000 Seconds until VanityMode begins – the camera starts circling the player if there is
no input via mouse or keyboard.
"983" "fMaxHeadTrackDistance" 400.0000 IIRC, this is the maximum distance an NPC or creature can be away from another
NPC or creature and still trigger the 'head follow' routine you sometimes see. Put
your PC in Balmora, let it go to Vanity View and you'll see your PC watch passing
NPCs and 'follow' their movements for a certain amount of time.
"984" "fInteriorHeadTrackMult" 0.5000 UNSURE – something to do w/ the modifier for this in Interiors – Do they track at
half-distance in Interiors?
"985" "iHelmWeight" 5 These values are used to set what weights are used to determine whether a piece of
"986" "iPauldronWeight" 10 armor is light, medium, or heavy. Altering a value alters these categories for *all*
"987" "iCuirassWeight" 30 armor of that type *everywhere* in the game. Rather nice, actually; I used it in
"988" "iGauntletWeight" 5 redux to set weight categories for all of my armor types across the board.
"989" "iGreavesWeight" 15
"990" "iBootsWeight" 20
"991" "iShieldWeight" 15
"992" "fLightMaxMod" 0.6000 These values are used in conjunction with armor weights to set the weight classes
"993" "fMedMaxMod" 0.9000 (Light, Medium, Heavy).
"994" "fUnarmoredBase1" 0.1000 These two values dictate the range of AR for characters going Unarmored, based on
"995" "fUnarmoredBase2" 0.0650 the Unarmored skill – As they are, the settings produce a Maximum Unarmored AR
of 65 (at 100 Unarmored skill), which you can see is some for of multiplication
between the two settings – Reversing the values produces the same effect , so it
seems the values are interchangeable (unless I missed something – could be wrong)
- Changing one to 1.000 and the other to 0.0650 results in a max Unarmored AR of
650 – The game multiplies the numbers and then multiplies the resulting number by
1000 to obtain the actual in-game Max Unarmored AR – Doesn’t seem to effect
Min AR independently, only max - Progression of AR (from low skill to high skill)
appears to be hard-coded.
It has also been found that the Unarmored skill doesn’t work at all UNLESS atleast
one item of armor is worn. (Forum Info / The other Felix)
"996" "iBaseArmorSkill" 30 The Skill Level where in-game armors reach their base (i.e. ‘In-Editor’) AR value –
Example: Glass Armor has a Base AR of 50 – At Light Armor skill level 30 (as
indicated above), it will read as having AR 50 in-game – Before Skill Level 30,
armors have diminished AR’s from their Base Value, and after Skill Level 30,
armors have higher AR’s than their base until Skill Level reaches 100 – I haven’t
figured out the game’s scheme for determining the mult value yet
"997" "fBlockStillBonus" 1.2500 UNSURE – Presumably the amount that standing still increases the chance to block
"998" "fDamageStrengthBase" 0.5000 Your STR adds to the damage you do with weapons. This determines how much
damage is added.
"999" "fDamageStrengthMult" 0.1000 Effects amount that Strength effects damage dealt in combat (Unsure of how this
value relates to in-game effect)
"1000" "fSwingBlockBase" 1.0000
"1001" "fSwingBlockMult" 1.0000
"1002" "fFatigueBase" 1.2500 How much fatigue you lose while walking. However, this appears to let you jump
very high without getting hurt (Bug? – Forum Info / DinkumThinkum).
1002 – 1022 All effect ‘Fatigue’ in-game, obviously – For separate actions,
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although not all of them actually have an effect in-game (I’ve never been able to get
spells to reduce fatigue) – They seem pretty self-explanatory, but I haven’t tested
them thoroughly
"1003" "fFatigueMult" 0.5000 Used to determine successful chance of casting if you are fatigued
"1004" "fFatigueReturnBase" 2.5000 How much fatigue you regain per second. This is why you don't actually fatigue
while walking.
"1005" "fFatigueReturnMult" 0.0200 How much fatigue returns per second while walking
"1006" "fEndFatigueMult" 0.0400
"1007" "fFatigueAttackBase" 2.0000 How much fatigue you lose with every melee attack you make
"1008" "fFatigueAttackMult" 0.0000
"1009" "fWeaponFatigueMult" 0.2500
"1010" "fFatigueBlockBase" 4.0000 How much fatigue you lose blocking with a shield.
"1011" "fFatigueBlockMult" 0.0000 This will increase the amount of fatigue lost when blocking with a shield.
"1012" "fWeaponFatigueBlockMult" 1.0000
"1013" "fFatigueRunBase" 5.0000 How much fatigue you lose running.
"1014" "fFatigueRunMult" 2.0000 This one appears to work with encumbrance,the more encumbered the more fatigue
you lose/second
"1015" "fFatigueJumpBase" 5.0000 How much fatigue you lose jumping.
"1016" "fFatigueJumpMult" 0.0000 Modifier for fatigue loss
"1017" "fFatigueSwimWalkBase" 2.5000 How much fatigue you lose swimming at a 'walk'
"1018" "fFatigueSwimRunBase" 7.0000 How much fatigue you lose swimming at a 'run'.
"1019" "fFatigueSwimWalkMult" 0.0000 Modifier for fatigue loss
"1020" "fFatigueSwimRunMult" 0.0000 Modifier for fatigue loss
"1021" "fFatigueSneakBase" 1.5000 The base level of fatigue loss while sneaking
"1022" "fFatigueSneakMult" 1.5000 Multiplier to that base level
"1023" "fMinHandToHandMult" 0.1000
"1024" "fMaxHandToHandMult" 0.5000
"1025" "fHandtoHandHealthPer" 0.1000
"1026" "fCombatInvisoMult" 0.2000 Reduce the chance to hit the PC when he is chameleoned or invisible
"1027" "fCombatKODamageMult" 1.5000
"1028" "fCombatCriticalStrikeMult" 4.0000 This one appears to only work if you hit someone unawares while sneaking. I never
got it to do anything else. 4x damage from a successful sneak attack works when
chameleoned or invisible
"1029" "iBlockMinChance" 10 Minimum chance of blocking with a shield
"1030" "iBlockMaxChance" 50 Maximum chance of blocking with a shield
"1031" "fLevelUpHealthEndMult" 0.1000 Multiplies current END to get hit points added at level-up.
"1032" "fSoulGemMult" 3.0000 A soul gem's monetary value is multiplied by this value to determine the soul
capacity of a soul gem. Creatures with a soul value less than or equal to that
capacity can "fit" in the gem.
"1033" "fEffectCostMult" 0.5000 The setting for all magicka costs for all spell effects. Changing this will change
what all spells and enchantments cost. Everything. Linear change. Doubling this
makes all spells cost twice as much magicka, all enchanted items cost twice as
many charges.
"1034" "fSpellPriceMult" 2.0000
"1035" "fFatigueSpellBase" 0.0000
"1036" "fFatigueSpellMult" 0.0000
"1037" "fFatigueSpellCostMult" 0.0000
"1038" "fPotionStrengthMult" 0.5000
"1039" "fPotionT1MagMult" 1.5000
"1040" "fPotionT1DurMult" 0.5000
"1041" "fPotionMinUsefulDuration" 20.0000
"1042" "fPotionT4BaseStrengthMult" 20.0000
"1043" "fPotionT4EquipStrengthMult" 12.0000
"1044" "fIngredientMult" 1.0000 Min # of an ingredient required to make a potion
"1045" "fMagicItemCostMult" 1.0000 UNUSED
"1046" "fMagicItemPriceMult" 1.0000
"1047" "fMagicItemOnceMult" 1.0000
"1048" "fMagicItemUsedMult" 1.0000
"1049" "fMagicItemStrikeMult" 1.0000
"1050" "fMagicItemConstantMult" 1.0000
"1051" "fEnchantmentMult" 0.1000 Setting for how much enchantment an item can hold based upon the value set in
each individual item's property file. Linear, if an item in TESCS shows an
enchantment value of 1200 (i.e. an exquisite ring) multiply it by fEnchantmentMult
to get the actual enchantment you'll see in the make an enchanted item window.
"1052" "fEnchantmentChanceMult" 3.0000 These affect the PC's chance of making an enchantment
"1053" "fPCbaseMagickaMult" 1.0000 This sets the spell point multiplier for the PC with respect to INT (e.g., 1 x INT
with this setting)
"1054" "fNPCbaseMagickaMult" 2.0000 This does the same thing for NPCs.
"1055" "fAutoSpellChance" 80.0000
"1056" "fAutoPCSpellChance" 50.0000
"1057" "iAutoSpellTimesCanCast" 3
"1058" "iAutoSpellAttSkillMin" 70
"1059" "iAutoSpellAlterationMax" 5
221
"1060" "iAutoSpellConjurationMax" 2
"1061" "iAutoSpellDestructionMax" 5
"1062" "iAutoSpellIllusionMax" 5
"1063" "iAutoSpellMysticismMax" 5
"1064" "iAutoSpellRestorationMax" 5
"1065" "iAutoPCSpellMax" 100
"1066" "iAutoRepFacMod" 2 A positive modification to relations you get with people who belong to the same
faction
"1067" "iAutoRepLevMod" 0 You can apparently add rep points with each level-up. I've never tried it.
"1068" "iMagicItemChargeOnce" 1 1068-1071 effect the amount of charges auto-calculated on magic items based on
"1069" "iMagicItemChargeConst" 10 their function – This value is the number of uses that the game will account for
"1070" "iMagicItemChargeUse" 5 when calculating the max charges of a magic item (works universally, across the
"1071" "iMagicItemChargeStrike" 10 board with all –ingame items –
1068 is the setting for the number of charges an automatically calculated cast once
effect enchanted item will have. Formula is BaseSpellEffectCost x
iMagicItemChargeOnce. Linear. This way an item with a cast once effect will have
exactly the number of charges needed to cast the effect upon it
1069 for const effect items
1070 is the setting for the multiplier for charges for automatically calculated cast
when used effect enchanted items. See above for explanation.
1071 for "Cast on Strike" items
(charges are calculated to account for X ‘uses’ with this value as is)
"1072" "iMonthsToRespawn" 4 The time to respawn things like the Fighters Guild/Mages Guild chests, etc. How
many months before a picked plant respawns ingredients. Chests in guilds respawn
contents the same as any other chests.
"1073" "fCorpseClearDelay" 72.0000 How many hours it takes before a non-persistent corpse disappears. Also controls
time before certain temporary data is cleared if the object has not been in an active
cell in that time (e.g. Talked to PC flag).
"1074" "fCorpseRespawnDelay" 72.0000 How many hours it takes before a respawnable creature actually respawns (note that
this doesn't seem to work properly).
"1075" "fBarterGoldResetDelay" 24.0000 How many hours it takes before a trader resets it barter gold to its default value.
"1076" "fEncumbranceStrMult" 5.0000 A straight multiplier to STR to see how much a PC/NPC/creature can carry.
"1077" "fPickLockMult" -1.0000 Dictates amount that Lock pick difficulty raises according to Lock Level – Lower
the value here, the harder it gets – Positive values make locks get easier with higher
lock Levels
"1078" "fTrapCostMult" 0.0000 Dictates difficulty of traps based on the spell cost of the spell assigned as trap –
Lower the value here, the harder it gets to disarm (again, based on spell cost of
assigned ‘trap’)
The values is multiplied by the spell cost of a trap and then added to your chance of
disarming it. Since it's set to zero, the trap spell's cost is not incorporated into the
chance. So basically it's also unused.
"1079" "fMessageTimePerChar" 0.1000
"1080" "fMagicItemRechargePerSecond" 0.0500 This is the setting for the amount of charges restored to a charged magic item per
second of game play. Linear. 0.05 x 20 seconds = 1 charge restored.
"1081" "i1stPersonSneakDelta" 10
"1082" "iBarterSuccessDisposition" 1 If you barter with a merchant successfully, your disposition with that merchant
"1083" "iBarterFailDisposition" -1 increases by one and falls by 1 if you fail a barter attempt.
"1084" "iLevelupTotal" 10 How many skill points you need before you level up.
"1085" "iLevelupMajorMult" 1 How much each major skill is worth in points. E.g., if you set this to 2 then each
point earned in a major skill counts as 2 skill points for leveling up.
"1086" "iLevelupMinorMult" 1 Same as above, but for minor skills.
"1087" "iLevelupMajorMultAttribute" 1 I *think* - not sure if I remember this correctly - but I think this works like the
"1088" "iLevelupMinorMultAttribute" 1 above, but for skills governed by your two primary attributes. So if your primary
"1089" "iLevelupMiscMultAttriubte" 1 attributes are STR and AGI, and you set 1087 to 2, then any major skill governed
by one of these attributes which goes up by a point counts as 2 points for purposes
of leveling.
"1090" "iLevelupSpecialization" 1 The game keeps track of how many skill points you've gained since the last level
"1091" "iLevelUp01Mult" 2 up. If you gained 8 skill points in skills governed by AGI, then when you get to
"1092" "iLevelUp02Mult" 2 distribute attribute points whatever number is in place for iLevelUp08Mult will be
"1093" "iLevelUp03Mult" 2 used for AGI. So if this value is 4, you'll see a x 4 next to AGI when you level up
"1094" "iLevelUp04Mult" 2 (you'll get 4 points in AGI if you pick this during the leveling process).
"1095" "iLevelUp05Mult" 3
"1101" "iSoulAmountForConstantEffect" 400 This is the setting for the minimum soul value to toggle the constant effect button in
the enchantment creation window.
"1102" "fConstantEffectMult" 15.0000 UNUSED
"1103" "fEnchantmentConstantDurationMult 100.0000 This setting is the multiplier for constant effect cast cost as compared to a 0
" duration spell. so restore health 2-2 for 0 secs, which costs 0.50 to cast as a spell,
costs 0.5 x 100 = 50 as a constant effect.
"1104" "fEnchantmentConstantChanceMult" 0.5000
"1105" "fWeaponDamageMult" 0.1000 weapon damage during combat. depreciation as it were.
222
"1106" "fSeriousWoundMult" 0.0000 UNUSED
"1107" "fKnockDownMult" 0.5000 This sets the chance for a knock-down factored on how much damage you do in a
single blow.
"1108" "iKnockDownOddsBase" 50 Sets the base odds for a knockdown when the condition for it is met
"1109" "iKnockDownOddsMult" 50
"1110" "fCombatArmorMinMult" 0.2500
"1111" "fHandToHandReach" 1.0000 Sets the reach of HTH weapons. Values of less than 1.0 have no meaning.
"1112" "fVoiceIdleOdds" 10.0000 Controls likelihood of an NPC ‘speaking’ a voice clip when Idle (Unsure of
specifics)
"1113" "iVoiceAttackOdds" 10 Controls likelihood of an NPC ‘speaking’ a voice clip when attacking (Unsure of
specifics)
"1114" "iVoiceHitOdds" 30 Controls likelihood of an NPC ‘speaking’ a voice clip when being hit (Unsure of
specifics
"1115" "fProjectileMinSpeed" 400.0000 Sets the minimum speed of projectile weapons
"1116" "fProjectileMaxSpeed" 3000.0000 Dictates maximum speed of projectiles from bows and crossbows
"1117" "fThrownWeaponMinSpeed" 300.0000 Sets the minimum speed of thrown weapons
"1118" "fThrownWeaponMaxSpeed" 1000.0000 Dictates Max speed of thrown weapons
"1119" "fTargetSpellMaxSpeed" 1000.0000 Sets the speed of spells. Double this and your spells will *zip* across the screen!
– Min speed is apparently hard-coded
"1120" "fProjectileThrownStoreChance" 25.0000 The odds of getting arrows back when you loot a corpse. Thrown weapons also
"1121" "iPickMinChance" 5 Minimum pickpocketing chance (forum info / Iudas)
"1122" "iPickMaxChance" 75 Maximum pickpocketing chance (forum info / Iudas)
"1123" "fDispRaceMod" 5.0000 You have better relations with your own race than with others.
"1124" "fDispPersonalityMult" 0.5000 These determine how personality affect NPC disposition
"1125" "fDispPersonalityBase" 50.0000
"1126" "fDispFactionMod" 3.0000 These determine how your rank in a faction will alter your relations with people
"1127" "fDispFactionRankBase" 1.0000 that belong to that faction. This is why when you reach high ranks in a faction
"1128" "fDispFactionRankMult" 0.5000 everyone in that faction suddenly becomes very friendly.
"1129" "fDispCrimeMod" 0.0000 This is multiplied by the player's crime level (bounty) to determine how that
information affects an NPC's disposition towards the player.
"1130" "fDispDiseaseMod" -10.0000 How much disposition is lowered when you're suffering from a disease.
"1131" "iDispAttackMod" -50 Not completely sure – NPC disposition modifier if PC attacks said NPC
"1132" "fDispWeaponDrawn" -5.0000 How much disposition is lowered when you have a weapon drawn.
"1133" "fDispBargainSuccessMod" 1.0000 I don't remember if these work the same as the previous barter disposition values,
"1134" "fDispBargainFailMod" -1.0000 or if these are multipliers. These effect the long term disposition of the merchant
"1135" "fDispPickPocketMod" -25.0000 NPC disposition modifier for catching the PC attempting to pickpocket them
"1136" "iDaysinPrisonMod" 100 Determines prison time based on your crime level.
"1137" "fDispAttacking" -10.0000 Unsure – I believe it’s an NPC Disposition modifier if the PC is attacking
something other than the NPC, ie it effects non-combatants dispostion.
"1138" "fDispStealing" -0.5000 Unsure - I believe it’s an NPC Disposition modifier if the PC is stealing from
someone other than the NPC it effects
"1139" "iDispTresspass" -20 NPC Disposition modifier for catching the PC ‘trespassing’ – Not sure what that
exactly means in-game
"1140" "iDispKilling" -50 Unsure NPC Disposition modifier for witnessing the PC kill an innocent NPC (I
think…)
"1141" "iTrainingMod" 10 Determines training costs. The higher the value, the more training costs.
– unsure of method of calculation
"1142" "iAlchemyMod" 2 Controls the value of player-made potions. Set to 0 and player made potions have 0
value, set to 1 and player made potions have about 1/4 to 1/2 of what they have if
you leave it at the default 2 (forum info / BeanCounter, Iudas).
"1143" "fBargainOfferBase" 50.0000 This is multiplied by the item's value to determine what the merchant will offer
when selling. Base value is also modified by PC level.
Base amount that merchants will buy items from you for, in percentage points –
Believe it goes both ways, but I’m unsure how it would work the ‘other way’
"1144" "fBargainOfferMulti" -4.0000 Effects how much the merchant lowers his offers during a bargaining session
"1145" "fDispositionMod" 1.0000
"1146" "fPersonalityMod" 5.0000
"1147" "fLuckMod" 10.0000 IIRC, this is multiplied by your Luck as a percentage to get a base increase to all
skills.
"1148" "fReputationMod" 1.0000
"1149" "fLevelMod" 5.0000
"1150" "fBribe10Mod" 35.0000 Dictates amount that NPC Disposition will raise on a successful 10 Gold Bribe –
Don’t believe it’s in straight disposition points – Could be percentages - (Other
factors like race, sex, opposing faction etc. reduce this amount significantly)
"1151" "fBribe100Mod" 75.0000 Dictates amount that NPC Disposition will raise on a successful 100 Gold Bribe.
See above.
"1152" "fBribe1000Mod" 150.0000 Dictates amount that NPC Disposition will raise on a successful 1000 Gold Bribe.
See above.
"1153" "fPerDieRollMult" 0.3000
"1154" "fPerTempMult" 1.0000 is used in just about every disposition modifying calculation.
"1155" "iPerMinChance" 5
"1156" "iPerMinChange" 10
"1157" "fSpecialSkillBonus" 0.8000 These all determine how fast you gain skill points in each skill. The lower the
"1158" "fMajorSkillBonus" 0.7500 value, the faster you'll gain skill points. The values are multiplied by whatever rate
223
"1159" "fMinorSkillBonus" 1.0000 you set for each individual skill.
"1160" "fMiscSkillBonus" 1.2500
"1161" "iAlarmKilling" 90
"1162" "iAlarmAttack" 50
"1163" "iAlarmStealing" 1
"1164" "iAlarmPickPocket" 20
"1165" "iAlarmTresspass" 5
"1166" "fAlarmRadius" 2000.0000 When an NPC raises the alarm, this is the base radius for response by other
affiliated NPCs.
"1167" "iCrimeKilling" 1000 These set the gold value for crimes. I believe that fCrimeStealing is multiplied by
"1168" "iCrimeAttack" 40 the price of the item stolen.
"1169" "fCrimeStealing" 1.0000
"1170" "iCrimePickPocket" 25
"1171" "iCrimeTresspass" 5
"1172" "iCrimeThreshold" 1000 When NPC's start to react negatively to the PC
"1173" "iCrimeThresholdMultiplier" 10
"1174" "fCrimeGoldDiscountMult" 0.5000 Thieves guild discount when you have a price on your head.
"1175" "fCrimeGoldTurnInMult" 0.9000 Discount on the fine if you turn yourself in.
"1176" "iFightAttack" 100
"1177" "iFightAttacking" 50
"1178" "iFightDistanceBase" 20
"1179" "fFightDistanceMultiplier" 0.0050
"1180" "iFightAlarmMult" 1
"1181" "fFightDispMult" 0.2000
"1182" "fFightStealing" 50.0000
"1183" "iFightPickpocket" 25
"1184" "iFightTrespass" 25
"1185" "iFightKilling" 50
"1186" "iFlee" 0 UNUSED
"1187" "iGreetDistanceMultiplier" 6 Used for those annoying voice greetings NPCs use when you get too close
Specifically (if the Construction Set help is to be believed) this is multiplied by
their hello rating to get the distance before they talk.
"1188" "iGreetDuration" 4
"1189" "fGreetDistanceReset" 512.0000 How far away from an NPC you have to get before they check for a voice greeting
again.
"1190" "fIdleChanceMultiplier" 0.7500 Probability multiplier that an NPC will mumble something while standing idly near
the PC
"1191" "fSneakUseDist" 500.0000 Helps determine if you can sneak
"1192" "fSneakUseDelay" 1.0000 Helps determine how long before the Sneak Icon come on
"1193" "fSneakDistanceBase" 0.5000 see above
"1194" "fSneakDistanceMultiplier" 0.0020 see above
"1195" "fSneakSpeedMultiplier" 0.7500 Multiplied by base walking speed to see how fast you move while sneaking.
"1196" "fSneakViewMult" 1.5000 Makes it more difficult to sneak when in view of an NPC.
"1197" "fSneakNoViewMult" 0.5000 Makes it easier to sneak when you aren't in view.
"1198" "fSneakSkillMult" 1.0000
"1199" "fSneakBootMult" -1.0000 Multiplied by the boot value (weight?) to determine the reduction to Sneak skill.
"1200" "fCombatDistance" 128.0000 Combined with weapon reach, determines the effective distance that hits can be
obtained
"1201" "fCombatAngleXY" 60.0000
"1202" "fCombatAngleZ" 60.0000
"1203" "fCombatForceSideAngle" 30.0000
"1204" "fCombatTorsoSideAngle" 45.0000
"1205" "fCombatTorsoStartPercent" 0.3000
"1206" "fCombatTorsoStopPercent" 0.8000
"1207" "fCombatBlockLeftAngle" -90.0000 Shields are worn on the left and partially block attacks from 90 degrees left to 30
"1208" "fCombatBlockRightAngle" 30.0000 degrees right of the PC’s facing.
"1209" "fCombatDelayCreature" 0.1000
"1210" "fCombatDelayNPC" 0.1000
"1212" "fAIMeleeWeaponMult" 2.0000 Used in the determination of how far away an NPC will flee if they flee combat and
the PC has a melee weapon in hand
"1213" "fAIRangeMeleeWeaponMult" 5.0000 as above but the PC has a crossbow or Bow in hand
"1214" "fAIMagicSpellMult" 3.0000
"1215" "fAIRangeMagicSpellMult" 5.0000 As above but the PC has a spell readied
"1216" "fAIMeleeArmorMult" 1.0000
"1217" "fAIMeleeSummWeaponMult" 1.0000
"1218" "fAIFleeHealthMult" 7.0000 Alters the opponents flee rating when health declines
"1219" "fAIFleeFleeMult" 0.3000 Used to alter base flee ratings.
"1220" "fPickPocketMod" 0.3000 Multiplier to item's weight vs player's security. As far as I've tested it, chances are
as follows:
Enter/Leave inventory:
Player.Sneak > d100 + Victim.Sneak
Take items:
Player.Security > d100 + fPickPocketMod * item Weight
In the moment you successfully take an item, the inventory is reloaded (this is why
224
sometimes items vanish or appear) and you have to make another Enter/Leave
inventory check, so effectively both checks are made when taking items. When the
victim can't detect you (sneaking, invisibility or chameleon) you always succeed in
entering the inventory, though only chameleon will also help you in taking items
and leaving the inventory. (JOG)
"1221" "fSleepRandMod" 0.2500 Affects the chance of a mob waking the PC up while asleep in the wilderness.
"1222" "fSleepRestMod" 0.3000 Unused (Thanks to Damar Stiehl for these two)
"1223" "iNumberCreatures" 1
"1224" "fAudioDefaultMinDistance" 5.0000
"1225" "fAudioDefaultMaxDistance" 40.0000
"1226" "fAudioVoiceDefaultMinDistance" 10.0000
"1227" "fAudioVoiceDefaultMaxDistance" 60.0000
"1228" "fAudioMinDistanceMult" 20.0000
"1229" "fAudioMaxDistanceMult" 50.0000
"1230" "fNPCHealthBarTime" 3.0000 Controls delay before the Opponents health bar disappears
"1231" "fNPCHealthBarFade" 0.5000 Controls how many seconds the bar "fades" for (rather than abruptly vanishing)
"1232" "fDifficultyMult" 5.0000
"1399" "fMagicDetectRefreshRate" 0.0167
"1400" "fMagicStartIconBlink" 3.0000 The number of seconds a spell icon will fade before the spell runs out, on the lower
right-hand corner of the screen.
"1401" "fMagicCreatureCastDelay" 1.5000
"1431" "fDiseaseXferChance" 2.5000 The chance of catching a disease if hit by a creature, or looting a diseased creature's
corpse.
"1432" "fElementalShieldMult" 0.1000
"1435" "fMagicSunBlockedMult" 0.5000 Vampire weakness
“fWereWolfRunMult” 1.3000 Werewolf run speed multiplier.
“fWereWolfSilverWeaponDamageM 2.0000 The damage multiplier for silver weapon damage against all werewolves.
ult”
“iWereWolfBounty” 1000 These are the skills and attributes for Werewolf form.
“fWereWolfStrength” 150.0000
“fWereWolfAgility” 150.0000
“fWereWolfEndurance” 150.0000
“fWereWolfSpeed” 90.0000
“fWereWolfHandtoHand 100.0000
“fWereWolfUnarmored” 100.0000
“fWereWolfAthletics” 50.0000
“fWereWolfAcrobatics” 80.0000
“fWereWolfInteligence” 0.0000
“fWereWolfWillPower” 0.0000
“fWereWolfPersonality” 0.0000
“fWereWolfLuck” 25.0000
“fWereWolfBlock” 0.0000
“fWereWolfArmorer” 0.0000
“fWereWolfMediumArmor” 0.0000
“fWereWolfHeavyARmor” 0.0000
“fWereWolfBluntWeapon” 0.0000
“fWereWolfLongBlade” 0.0000
“fWereWolfAxe” 0.0000
“fWereWolfSpear” 0.0000
“fWereWolfDestruction” 0.0000
“fWereWolfAlteration” 0.0000
“fWereWolfIllusion” 0.0000
“fWereWolfConjuration” 0.0000
“fWereWolfMysticism” 0.0000
“fWereWolfRestoration” 0.0000
“fWereWolfEnchant” 0.0000
“fWereWolfAlchemy” 0.0000
“fWereWolfSecurity” 0.0000
“fWereWolfSneak” 95.0000
“fWereWolfLightArmor” 0.0000
“fWereWolfShortBlade” 0.0000
“fWereWolfMarksman” 0.0000
“fWereWolfSpeechcraft” 0.0000
“iWereWolfLevelToAttack” 20
“iWereWolfFightMod” 100
“iWereWolfFleeMod” 100
“fWereWolfHealth” 2.0000
“fWereWolfFatigue” 400.0000
“fWereWolfMagica” 100.0000
“fCombatDistaceWereWolfMod” 0.3000 Determines the attack range of a Werewolf.
“fFleeDistance” 3000.0000 Determines how far away someone will flee.
225
Index
character creation, 150
Choice, 109
" Cleaning, 163
"Equal to", 32 ClearForceJump, 85
"Greater than or equal to", 32 ClearForceMoveJump, 85
"Greater than", 32 ClearForceRun, 85
"Smaller than or equal to", 32 ClearForceSneak, 83
"Smaller than", 32 ClearInfoActor, 110
"Unequal to", 32 coc, 216
coe, 216
Commands, 15
[ Comments, 26
[no fix], 35 companion, 88
Console, 204
console commands, 216
^ cosine, 189
CreateMaps, 216
^Cell, 105
CrimeGoldDiscount, 128
^Class, 106
CrimeGoldTurnIn, 128
^Faction, 106
ctrl-c, 14
^Gamehour, 106
ctrl-v, 14
^Global, 106
ctrl-x, 14
^Name, 106
^NextPCRank, 105
^PCClass, 105 D
^PCName, 105
^PCRace, 105 Day, 144
^PCRank, 105 DaysPassed, 144
^Race, 106 Disable, 71
^Rank, 106 DisableLevitation, 130
DisablePlayerControls, 149
DisablePlayerFighting, 149
A DisablePlayerJumping, 149
DisablePlayerLooking, 149
Activate, 66
DisablePlayerMagic, 149
AddItem, 36
DisablePlayerViewSwitch, 149
Addition, 30
DisableTeleporting, 129
AddSoulGem, 132
DisableVanityMode, 149
AddSpell, 133
Division, 30
AddToLevCreature, 156
DontSaveObject, 74
AddToLevItem, 156
Drop, 38
AddTopic, 106
DropSoulgem, 132
AiActivate, 79
AIEscort, 81
AIEscortCell, 81 E
AiFollow, 80
AiFollowCell, 80 Else, 31
AiTravel, 75 Elseif, 31
AiWander, 77 Enable, 71
AllowWereWolfForceGreeting, 109, 209 EnableBirthMenu, 150
AND, 34 EnableClassMenu, 150
EnableInventoryMenu, 150
EnableLevelUpMenu, 149
B EnableLevitation, 130
EnableMagicMenu, 150
BecomeWerewolf, 95
EnableMapMenu, 150
Bloodmoon Script Functions, 209
EnableNameMenu, 150
Boolean operators, 34
EnablePlayerControls, 150
EnablePlayerFighting, 150
C EnablePlayerJumping, 150
EnablePlayerLooking, 150
Cast, 134 EnablePlayerMagic, 150
CellChanged, 62 EnablePlayerViewSwitch, 150
CellUpdate, 48 EnableRaceMenu, 150
CenterOnCell, 216 EnableRest, 150
CenterOnExterior, 216 EnableStatsMenu, 150
ChangeWeather, 146 EnableTeleporting, 129
226
EnableVanityMode, 150 Get/Mod/SetMercantile, 115
Endif, 31 Get/Mod/SetMysticism, 115
EndWhile, 33 Get/Mod/SetPCCrimeLevel, 126
Equip, 40 Get/Mod/SetPersonality, 114
Error messages, 205 Get/Mod/SetReputation, 93
ExplodeSpell, 138 Get/Mod/SetResistBlight, 138
EXPRESSION, 205 Get/Mod/SetResistCorprus, 138
Get/Mod/SetResistDisease, 138
Get/Mod/SetResistFire, 138
F Get/Mod/SetResistFrost, 138
Face, 77 Get/Mod/SetResistMagicka, 138
FadeIn, 154 Get/Mod/SetResistNormalWeapons, 138
FadeOut, 154 Get/Mod/SetResistParalysis, 138
FadeTo, 154 Get/Mod/SetResistPoison, 138
Fall, 88 Get/Mod/SetResistShock, 138
FixMe, 216 Get/Mod/SetRestoration, 115
Float, 27 Get/Mod/SetSecurity, 115
ForceGreeting, 107 Get/Mod/SetShortBlade, 115
ForceJump, 85 Get/Mod/SetSilence, 139
ForceMoveJump, 85 Get/Mod/SetSneak, 115
ForceRun, 85 Get/Mod/SetSpear, 115
ForceSneak, 83 Get/Mod/SetSpeechcraft, 115
Friend Hit (dialogue), 112 Get/Mod/SetSpeed, 114
Functions, 15 Get/Mod/SetStrength, 114
Get/Mod/SetSuperJump, 139
Get/Mod/SetSwimSpeed, 139
G Get/Mod/SetUnarmored, 115
game settings, 219 Get/Mod/SetWaterBreathing, 138
GameHour, 144 Get/Mod/SetWaterWalking, 139
Get/Mod/SetAcrobatics, 115 Get/Mod/SetWillpower, 114
Get/Mod/SetAgility, 114 GetAIPackageDone, 75
Get/Mod/SetAlarm, 123 GetAngle, 60
Get/Mod/SetAlchemy, 115 GetArmorType, 43
Get/Mod/SetAlteration, 115 GetAttacked, 121
Get/Mod/SetArmorBonus, 139 GetBlightDisease, 137
Get/Mod/SetArmorer, 115 GetButtonPressed, 105
Get/Mod/SetAthletics, 115 GetCollidingActor, 65
Get/Mod/SetAttackBonus, 139 GetCollidingPC, 65
Get/Mod/SetAxe, 115 GetCommonDisease, 137
Get/Mod/SetBlindness, 139 GetCurrentAIPackage, 81
Get/Mod/SetBlock, 115 GetCurrentTime, 143
Get/Mod/SetBluntWeapon, 115 GetCurrentWeather, 147
Get/Mod/SetCastPenalty, 139 GetDeadCount, 124
Get/Mod/SetConjuration, 115 GetDetected, 62
Get/Mod/SetDefendBonus, 139 GetDisabled, 71
Get/Mod/SetDestruction, 115 GetDistance, 59
Get/Mod/SetDisposition, 93 GetEffect, 136
Get/Mod/SetEnchant, 115 GetFactionReaction, 216
Get/Mod/SetEndurance, 114 GetForceJump, 85
Get/Mod/SetFatigue, 114 GetForceMoveJump, 85
Get/Mod/SetFight, 122 GetForceRun, 85
Get/Mod/SetFlee, 122 GetForceSneak, 83
Get/Mod/SetFlying, 139 GetHealthGetRatio, 114
Get/Mod/SetHandToHand, 115 GetInterior, 58
Get/Mod/SetHealth, 114 GetItemCount, 43
Get/Mod/SetHeavyArmor, 115 GetJournalIndex, 110
Get/Mod/SetHello, 112 GetLineOfSight, 61
Get/Mod/SetIllusion, 115 GetLocked, 69
Get/Mod/SetIntelligence, 114 GetLOS, 60
Get/Mod/SetInvisibile, 139 GetMasserPhase, 144
Get/Mod/SetInvisible, 139 GetPCCell, 58
Get/Mod/SetLevel, 115 GetPCCrimeLevel, 127
Get/Mod/SetLightArmor, 115 GetPCFacRep, 91
Get/Mod/SetLongBlade, 115 GetPCInJail, 127
Get/Mod/SetLuck, 114 GetPCJumping, 86
Get/Mod/SetMagicka, 114 GetPCRank, 90
Get/Mod/SetMarksman, 115 GetPCRunning, 86
Get/Mod/SetMediumArmor, 115 GetPCSleep, 148
GetPCSneaking, 86
227
GetPCTraveling, 63 MenuTest, 152
GetPlayerControlsDisabled, 150 MessageBox, 103
GetPlayerFightingDisabled, 150 minimumprofit, 88
GetPlayerJumpingDisabled, 150 ModCurrentFatigue, 114
GetPlayerLookingDisabled, 150 ModCurrentHealth, 114
GetPlayerMagicDisabled, 150 ModCurrentMagicka, 114
GetPlayerViewSwitch, 150 ModFactionReaction, 93
GetPos, 59 ModHealth, 113
GetRace, 90 ModPCFacRep, 93
GetScale, 56 ModRegion, 146
GetSecondsPassed, 143 ModScale, 56
GetSecundaPhase, 144 ModStat, 113
GetSoundPlaying, 141 ModWaterLevel, 157
GetSpell, 135 Morrowind Enhanced, 161
GetSpellEffects, 135 Morrowind Graphics Extender, 161
GetSpellReadied, 87 Morrowind Script Extender, 161
GetSquareRoot, 157 moto, 216
GetStandingActor, 64 Move, 46
GetStandingPC, 64 MoveOneToOne, 216
GetStat, 113 MoveWorld, 47
GetTarget, 121 Multiplication, 30
GetVanityModeDisabled, 150
GetWaterLevel, 157
GetWeaponDrawn, 87
O
GetWeaponType, 43 Objects, 15
GetWerewolfKills, 94 OnActivate, 66
GetWindSpeed, 147 OnDeath, 123
Global scripts, 23 OnKnockout, 124
global variables, 29 OnMurder, 123
Goodbye, 108 OnPCAdd, 39
GotoJail, 126 OnPCDrop, 39
OnPCEquip, 41
H OnPCHitMe, 120, 127
OnPCRepair, 43
HasItemEquipped, 45 OnPCSoulGemUse, 39, 132
HasSoulgem, 131 OnRepair, 43
Help, 216 operators, 30
HitAttemptOnMe, 122 OR, 34
HitOnMe, 122
HurtCollidingActor, 65
HurtStandingActor, 65
P
PayFine, 126
I PayFineThief, 126
PC Clothing Modifier (dialogue), 111
If, 31 PC Sex (dialogue), 111
indentation, 26 PCClearExpelled, 92
INFIX to POSTFIX, 206 PCExpell, 92
IsWerewolf, 95 PCExpelled, 91
PCForce1stPerson, 150
PCForce3rdPerson, 150
J PCGet3rdPerson, 150
Journal, 110 PCHasGoldDiscount, 128
PCJoinFaction, 91
PCLowerRank, 91
L PCRaiseRank, 91
LeftEval, 206 PCSkipEquip, 42
Local scripts, 23 PlaceAtMe, 52
local variables, 28 PlaceAtPC, 51
Lock, 69 PlaceItem, 52
Long, 27 PlaceItemCell, 52
LoopGroup, 70 PlayBink, 155
LowerRank, 91 PlayGroup, 69
PlaySound, 141
PlaySound3D, 141
M PlaySound3DVP, 141
PlaySoundVP, 141
Mathematical calculations, 30
Position, 50
maximum health, 114
PositionCell, 50
MenuMode, 88, 151
228
PT, 216 sv, 216
Purge textures, 216 Syntax, 25
R T
RaiseRank, 91 T3D, 217
Random, 154 TA, 217
Rank Requirement (dialogue), 111 Talked to PC (dialogue), 111
References persist, 165 TB, 217
RemoveEffects, 136 TCB, 217
RemoveFromLevCreature, 156 TCG, 217
RemoveFromLevItem, 156 TCL, 217
RemoveItem, 36 TCS, 217
RemoveSoulgem, 131 TDS, 217
RemoveSpell, 133 TDT, 217
RepairedOnMe, 43 TESAME, 163
Resurrect, 125 TestCells, 217
Return, 153 TestInteriorCells, 217
RightEval, 206 TestModels, 217
Rotate, 54 Text defines, 105
RotateWorld, 54 TFH, 217
TFOW, 217
TG, 217
S TGM, 217
SA, 218 TKS, 217
SameFaction, 91 TM, 217
Say, 140 TMS, 217
SayDone, 140 ToggleAI, 217
scripting window, 13 ToggleBorders, 217
ScriptRunning, 153 ToggleCollision, 217
SCT, 216 ToggleCollisionBoxes, 217
Set … to, 29 ToggleCollisionGrid, 217
SetAngle, 54 ToggleCombatStats, 217
SetAtStart, 51 ToggleDebugText, 217
SetDelete, 72 ToggleDialogueStats, 217
SetFactionReaction, 93 ToggleFogOfWar, 217
SetJournalIndex, 110 ToggleFullHelp, 217
SetPCFacRep, 93 ToggleGodMode, 217
SetPos, 48 ToggleGrid, 217
SetScale, 56 ToggleKillStats, 217
SetStat, 113 ToggleLights, 217
SetWaterLevel, 157 ToggleLoadFade, 217
SetWerewolfAcrobatics, 94 ToggleMagicStats, 217
SetWillpower, 113 ToggleMenus, 217
SG, 218 TogglePathGrid, 218
Short, 27 ToggleScriptOutput, 217
Show, 216 ToggleScripts, 217
Show Animation, 218 ToggleSky, 217
Show target group, 218 ToggleStats, 217
ShowGroup, 218 ToggleTextureString, 217
ShowMap, 154 ToggleVanityMode, 218
ShowRestMenu, 148 ToggleWater, 217
ShowScenegraph, 218 ToggleWireframe, 218
ShowVars, 216 ToggleWorld, 217
sine, 189 TPG, 218
SkipAnim, 71 Tribunal Script Functions, 208
SSG, 218 Troubleshooting, 204
ST, 218 TS, 217
StartCombat, 120 TSO, 217
StartScript, 153 TST, 217
StayOutside, 89 TTS, 217
StopCellTest, 216 TurnMoonRed, 94
StopCombat, 120 TurnMoonWhite, 94
StopScript, 153 tutorial, 13
StopSound, 141 TVM, 218
StreamMusic, 140 TW, 217
string variables, 27 TWF, 218
Subtraction, 30
229
U W
UndoWerewolf, 95 WakeUpPC, 148
Unlock, 69 While, 33
UsedOnMe, 46
230

Morrowind Scripting For Dummies 9

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Morrowind Scripting For Dummies 9

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Morrowind Scripting for

A manual for the TES Construction Set Scripting Language by

Special thanks go to GhanBuriGhan, who gave me permission to update his indispensable

Yacoby and melian

Secondly this is a manual, a reference, a handbook. The bulk of this document is a

What scripts can't do:

Let's get going!

The scripting window

Naming a script: Begin and End

Writing text and obtaining decisions from the player

How local scripts are executed

[Your script code]

MessageBox "Thousands of useless Messages"

What is still missing? The trap effect of course!

Putting a spell on the player

How to learn more

You will have to specify the NPC in a global script:

The function to terminate a global script is:

…and the script "MyScript" might look like this:

;main body of script goes here

Beginning and ending scripts

General syntax for functions:

General syntax: Commas, parentheses and spaces

Indentation / using tabstops

Short -32,768 to 32,767 (signed integer)

A Note about Floats:

The number 2385901045 would be stored similar to this:

set num3 to num1 * num2

Referencing variables on other objects and scripts

A caution when setting variables from outside the script (DinkumThinkum):

Using variables in functions

Operators / mathematical calculations

The syntax is as follows:

Set result_var to (var_a + var_b)

Use of if… elseif conditions

Verbose Conditional operator

In this example Block C will be executed it foo_var is neither 1 nor 2.

Notes and cautions:

if(getStrength < desiredAmnt) ; non-literal value to match

Constructing Boolean operations in TES Script

you have to use:

you can use elseif constructions:

Examples of usage follow in italics and are indented:

Example scripts are set in frames:

for Tribunal functions and

for Bloodmoon functions.

Adding and removing items from the inventory

Notes on AddItem (by DinkumThinkum):

Here's the code I used for this in the Potion Saver:

Usage with containers:

Another (probably better) workaround suggested by Enmesharra: Add a non-carryable light

To avoid the two known RemoveItem bugs:

Notes on using Additem / Removeitem in dialogue:

if ( OnPCEquip == 1 ) ; when the item is equipped

Dropping items to the floor

Examples of use are found in Bethesda's SlaveScript.

Monitoring inventory activities: Adding, dropping items and using soul

[no fix] OnPCDrop (is local short variable)

[no fix] OnPCSoulGemUse (is local short variable)