Oblivion Mod:Thieves Arsenal Mission Zero: Odd Jobs

Thieves Arsenal Mission Zero: Odd Jobs

Mod Information
Author(s)	scruggsywuggsy the ferret
Current Version	1.5
Version Date	7 Jan 2008
Links	Nexus Mods
Requirements	OBSE
Language	English
Translations	French: Wiwiland (v1.5) German: Elder Scrolls Portal (v1.5), Ei der Zeit (v1.5) Italian: Nexus Mods (v1.5) Japanese: Oblivion Mod Translations Office (v1.5)
Playing Time	10+ hours*
Quests (Side Quests)	16*

*The quests are repeatable; the time given is for going through each one once.

Description

Thieves Arsenal is designed to introduce the stealth gameplay of the Thief series to Oblivion. In Oblivion, stealth functions mainly as a prelude to combat, allowing your character to sneak up on opponents and score extra damage. But avoiding combat is often impossible, and once a fight has begun, stealth is of little use. The Thief games, by contrast, emphasize avoidance of combat through the use of special tools and clever strategy. Thieves Arsenal makes those tools available in Oblivion, opening up an entirely new style of play.

Thieves Arsenal adds new behaviors to NPCs and creatures:

Unconscious: NPCs and creatures can be knocked out with the blackjack, gas arrows, or when slipping in puddles of oil. Unconscious actors are, for all intents and purposes, dead. They don't process their AI and their bodies can be looted or dragged around. Unconscious NPCs will wake up eventually, or immediately if attacked. When an unconscious actor wakes up, they will be suspicious and search the area for you. The number of actors you've knocked out over the course of the game is tracked on your character's miscellaneous stats page - the same page that shows your bounty. It replaces the "Jokes Told" stat.

Suspicious: When an NPC or creature observes suspicious behavior, they will become alerted and search the area for the cause. Actors become suspicious when they see a light go out, find a noisemaker arrow, notice an unconscious body, or wake up after being knocked out. While searching, an NPC will draw his weapon and periodically utter phrases like "Where are you?" He will also be more alert, giving him an increased chance to detect you, so sneaking and hiding are essential.

An actor's behavior after finding you depends on his attitude toward your character and the reason for his suspicion. Hostile actors will attack. Non-hostile NPCs may call for the guards, run for help, or even attack you. Guards will fine you based on the crime committed and may arrest or attack you.

Corpse Detection: When an NPC or creature comes across an unconscious body, he will assume the victim is dead and search for you, as long as the victim is someone whom he doesn't hate. It's important to either hide your victims' bodies, or to avoid detection after knocking them out. Hiding bodies in dark places decreases the chance of detection, as does hiding them in enclosed spaces or behind walls. "Corpse detection" is a bit of a misnomer, since it only applies to unconscious bodies; victims killed with normal weapons will not be noticed by other actors.

Running for Help: Some NPCs, including most townsfolk, are naturally timid. If they detect you while in a suspicious state, they may run for help. They will find a nearby guard and report your crime, at which point the guard will begin to search for you. If you are caught by the guard, you will be fined based on the crime committed.

Calling for Help: When you are caught committing a minor offense such as dousing a light or shooting a noisemaker arrow, NPCs may call for help. This will cause nearby guards to run to the scene of the crime and search for you. If they catch you, you will be fined.

Tools of the Trade

The heart of Thieves Arsenal is the set of tools which will assist you in playing a stealthy character. These tools are meant to help you avoid combat and outwit your adversaries. A decent Sneak skill and good strategy will make them more effective.

The tools can be purchased from Basso the Boxman, an entrepeneur who operates a hidden shop within the Imperial City. Basso often contacts suitably skilled thieves while they are in the City.

Note that if you draw an arrow and then decide you don't want to fire it, you can cancel the shot by pressing the "grab" key or button while holding down the "attack" button. This feature works for all arrows in the game.

Finally, be aware that these tools are not strictly legal, so using them in towns can get you into trouble. Civilians who catch you in the act may call for the guards or even run to the nearest guard to report your crime. Guards will actively search for you if they become alerted. However, you will only be fined if a guard actually finds you* they will not automatically know where you are like they normally do in Oblivion.

Water Arrows: The crystal tips of these arrows are filled with water. When fired at a surface, the crystal shatters, releasing its contents. Water arrows can be used to extinguish open light sources like torches and fires. If an actor sees a light go out, he may become suspicious and search for the cause, possibly casting a Light spell or lighting a torch to aid his vision. Doused lights will be relit between one and two days later. Note: When dousing a light, aim at the center of the flames. Lights in dungeons and castles are extinguishable; those in homes and shops generally are not.

Vine Arrows: Vine arrows contain the seeds of an incredibly fast-growing species of jungle vine within their crystalline tips. When shot at a surface, the seeds are implanted into the surface, where they will attempt to grow. If there is sufficient room, a dangling vine will sprout which can then be climbed. To climb a vine, stand underneath it and look directly up. You may jump up to grab onto the vine if it is too high to reach when standing. To climb down, look directly down. Should you try to attack or cast a spell while climbing, you will lose your grip on the vine and fall. It is possible to jump off the vine at any point by using the movement and jump keys, and even to jump from one vine to another. Jumping at the top of the vine allows you to mantle up onto a ledge or rooftop. Vines will disappear one to two days after they began growing.

Note: Since the vine grows downward, it is best to fire the vine arrow at the flat underside of a ledge or rooftop. Keep in mind that the collision used by Bethesda's meshes doesn't always match the visual shape of the mesh, so for instance, some wooden abuttments on buildings in Bravil lack collision and thus can't be used for climbing.

Update: You can now replace Vine Arrows with Rope Arrows, which have the same functionality but different artwork. See the Customization section for details.

Blackjack: The blackjack is a thief's best friend. It does no damage, but is perfectly weighted to apply maximum force to the back of a victim's head, rendering him unconscious. The blackjack works on all NPCs, including dremora, and a handful of humanoid creatures as well. These include Goblins, Clannfear, Scamps, Xivilai, Flame Atronachs, and Spriggans. You cannot blackjack an NPC who has his weapon drawn or is engaged in combat, nor anyone who is aware of your presence.

Noisemaker Arrow: Noisemaker arrows are filled with a pyrotechnic mixture which explodes with a loud noise when striking a surface. When NPCs and creatures hear this noise, they will run off to investigate. Once they've discovered your trickery, they will search the area for you. Noisemaker arrows are very useful for distracting opponents so you can sneak past them.

Gas Arrows: The crystal affixed to the tip of a gas arrow contains a highly poisonous gas which renders air-breathing actors unconscious. This gas can be injected into a single opponent with a direct hit, or released in a smal cloud when fired at the ground. This can be useful for knocking out several opponents standing close together. The duration of the effect is determined by the victim's resistance to poison; highly resistant actors, including all Argonians and the undead, will never be knocked out, but may become suspicious if they notice the cloud of gas. Be careful not to get too close to the cloud yourself, or your character will be knocked out for a short time, rendering him vulnerable to attack.

Holy Water Fountains: In the chapels of the Nine Divines, fountains of water blessed by the priests are used for healing and rituals. By dipping your water arrows in these fountains, you can imbue them with special properties. Holy water arrows have power over the undead. Direct contact with an undead creature will cause that creature to flee from you in terror. Firing a holy water arrow at the gronud releases a puddle of holy water. When an undead creature comes too close to the puddle, the dark magic which animates it will be dispelled for a short period of time, rendering the creature immobile. Puddles of holy water are very useful for blocking off passages or taking out a group of undead creatures.

Grease Arrows: Banded to the tip of a grease arrow is a small, oil-filled sack. When the arrow is fired at the ground, the arrow head pierces this sack, releasing a slippery puddle of oil. Actors who walk through the puddle will slip and fall. If they fall far enough, they may be rendered unconscious and even take damage. If the actor is running, he will slide much further. Grease arrows are particularly effective when fired at the top of a flight of stairs, or in the path of an actor who is chasing you. A direct hit with a grease arrow will soak your opponent in oil, which is highly flammable. Any Fire Damage spell which is cast upon the oil-drenched victim will then deal extra damage.

Getting the Most out of the Arsenal

A mix of strategy and stealth will help you maximize the potential of your new tools. A few examples of strategies:

• Purchase the Blackjack first. Unlike the arrows, the blackjack never needs to be replaced. It's a thief's best friend.
• Fire a grease arrow at the ground, then lure a group of opponents into the puddle by engaging them in combat or by firing a noisemaker.
• Use a noisemaker to bring opponents running to a location, then gas them all with a well-placed gas arrow.
• Use a vine arrow to climb to inaccessible ledges in dungeons or onto rooftops, then snipe your opponents from above.
• Drag the bodies of your unconscious victims into water to drown them, or throw them off of ledges to cause extra damage.

Customization

Certain features of the mod can be adjusted to your preference. To access the configuration menu, activate the "Strange Candle" on the second floor of Basso's shop, at the top of the ladder. The options are:

• Price Scale: You can specify the cost of Basso's tools by choosing one of four options. Note that "Dirt Cheap" is technically a cheat, and is not recommended. Also, bear in mind that the prices increase with your character's level regardless of the scaling option chosen.
• Quest Markers: By default, quest markers for Basso's quests will point only to the general location of your objectives, requiring you to explore a bit to meet your goals. If you don't like thinking for yourself and prefer the usual hand-holding provided by Oblivion, use this option to make quest markers point to the exact locations of your objectives.
• Rope Arrows: Use this option to switch between Vine Arrows and Rope Arrows. Both types function the same way; the only difference is aesthetic.
• Ren's Guard Overhaul: If you are using Ren's Guard Overhaul, use this option to enable compatibility with that mod. Note that while I have worked with Reneer to eliminate conflicts between our mods, 100% compatibility is not guaranteed.

Notes

• Nexus Mods Mod of the Month, February 2008.
• Known Issues:
  • When an actor is disabled, whether by paralysis, unconsciousness, or loss of fatigue, Oblivion does not remove that actor from the list of actors who can detect the player. The upshot of this is that, if you knock someone unconscious while they can detect you, the game will continue to think they detect you until they awaken or you leave the cell. I have scripted around most of the implications of this bug. However, your "sneak eye" crosshair may remain bright after knocking someone out even when you are well-hidden. There is currently no known way of fixing this issue short of patching Oblivion* and trust me, I spent a great deal of time looking for a solution. My personal preference is to disable the sneak eye entirely* it forces me to pay attention to my surroundings in order to determine if someone can detect me.
  • Thieves Arsenal is not designed for use with companion mods, because companions tend to attract the attention of opponents while you're trying to be stealthy.
  • Certain quests in Oblivion require that you kill someone directly in order to advance. If a quest directs you to kill someone, do so by conventional means rather than by knocking them out and drowning them, or causing them to slip in oil and take damage. Examples of quests where this can become an issue include the Bravil recommendation (Kalthar) and some Dark Brotherhood quests.