Bounty quests expanded for Bandits, Forsworn, Giants and Dragons. Like in the Witcher 3, bring "trophies" from your enemy to the Jarl as proof of the bounty or deliver the captured bandits to a guard for justice. Support for Missives, The Notice Board, AllGUD and more.
Requirements
This mod does not have any known dependencies other than the base game.
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Author notes
Reach out and say hello, I've never said no to permission requests before.
File credits
Big thanks to:
*Acherones* single handely fixed the most annoying bug I had during development, I don't think I would have figured it out on my own. Huge thanks. For anyone curious: Jarls would send you to kill bandits that WERE already in dungeons, basically making you the headsman. Acherones talked to all the Jarls of Skyrim and convinced them to stop messing around and hire an executioner. Enough is enough!
*Umgak* for allowing me to forward their AllGUD fixes (no more random blackstar on your belt when you start the game!) Genius!
*EpicCrab* for hearing me ramble and giving some of his time to help brainstorm on a certain bug. (And also: for encouraging me to make mods!)
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Guards were having trouble finishing their escort task and would often stay inside the cell to look after the prisoner. They really took their job seriously. Maybe a bit too much. Guards will now drop the prisoners in jail and resume their daily activities.
The bug above could also cause a bug where a new bounty would send you to kill someone who is already jail. This doesn't break anything, but Headsmen would not look kindly on you stealing their jobs, so this is also fixed.
Version 1.55
Small changes, safe to update from 1.53 or 1.54.
Made it easier for the guard to lead the prisoner to jail, as it could get stuck.
Made it so the prisoners will hate the player if you happen to talk to them once they're in jail.
Updated the FOMOD version number, so Vortex/MO2 won't complain about the update number.
Version 1.54
To update to 1.53, I'd recommend a new game or at least a game where no bounty quests are currently on-going. Lots of small changes, but they add up. I've tested this version for a couple of hours without issues, but you might want to wait until it's been tested by thousands of people as opposed to just me :)
Kudos to author MoKeine for working on 90% of the content of this update. Thank you!
You should no longer be able to scam guards into giving you 25 extra Gold forever.
Fixed a bug where if you capture a bandit, but they died on their way to jail, the bandit would respawn 30 days later still as a captured prisoner.
Fixed a bug where you couldn't complete the Giant quest if you chose to forgive the giant.
Fixed some inconsistencies in the missives patch.
Fixed incorrect alias settings in the winterhold and riften dragon bounty quests.
Fixed a bug that could make resurrected bandits (after 30 days) spawn with a prisoner outfit.
Fixed a bug that could make prisoners and guards go to jail at different rythms, making it look like the guard is not escorting the prisoner.
Fixed some issues with the "Prisoner in Jail" system, including making sure the prisoners stay in their cells and do not go wandering about the prison.
When getting weapons/armors from a captured prisoner, the weapons will be looted first, and then the outfit. Hopefully this solves the issue where osme bandits could start flying away like balloon. Hilarious.
Captured bandits now get footwraps.
Briar Hearts Forsworn leaders won't offer you their heart while captured in the looting screen.
Bandits can now only be handed over to guards of the corresponding hold. You cannot lock a Whiterun bandit in a Solitude prison anymore.
To the 300 people that updated to 1.53 quickly: you can update to 1.54 without issues. I forgot one small condition that was missing from one of the new packages.
Version 1.53
One condition was wrong, reuploading as 1.54
Version 1.52
Small bugfix, safe to update mid-game.
Fixed some Bruma bounties not finishing correctly. They won't trigger the effects of this mod, but at least they can be finished as normal. Big thanks to MissileMan (Aka: The Patrick guy) for the fix.
Version 1.51
Safe to update from 1.50. If updating from an older version, read the full changelog under the changelog tab for 1.50.
Adds support (Without the need for patches) for the just released Immersive Death Cycle: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/97048
Adds support for Simple Hunting Overhaul, also without patches.
Updates the version number in the fomod so Vortex will stop complaining.
Version 1.50
Installing Headhunter for the first time? Safe to install/update mid-game.
Updating from a previous version? I recommend waiting until your next playthrough to update. I haven't tested updating mid-game with this version and the changes to the bounty quest might not carry forward successfully. 1.50 doesn't bring a lot to the table so don't feel the "need" to update.
What's changed: Before this update, bandit/giant/dragon heads were temporarily stored in the inventory of the local Jarl, and then they were moved to the corpse of the bounty leader once you kill the bounty target. This was not an issue per se and it did not break anything, but if you somehow looked at the Jarl's inventory during the course of a bounty, you'd see they are carrying the heads lol. In 1.50, the heads are now stored in an inaccesible chest.
Also: Huge thank you for the 7000 endorsements. You rock!!!
Version 1.43
Safe to update from 1.42. If uploading from an earlier version, read the changelog from the past version.
Thanks to Mokeine for their help with this patch <3
Fixed an issue that could result in bandit bosses in the wild wearing rags instead of their armor, after imprisoning the same type of bandit in the past. Fixed.
Fixed a possible issue that could make bandits be executed in prison before their time.
Sometimes when trying to arrest a bandit, you could hear things like "Need something?" if they've recently used their "injured" line. I've added a couple of new lines for hellos/goodbyes, more fitting for these cases. They'll now be like "Oh gods, this can't be happening!" and similar.
Version 1.42
Should be safe to update mid-game but please read the entire changelog before updating.
POLYMORPH BUGFIX: Fixed bandits in jail polymorphing into other bandits. (The good old prison escape switcheroo!) I strongly recommend updating to fix this (funny yet annoying) bug. If you have bandits already in jail before the update, I recommend visiting them and KILLING THEM either with the console (Kill + disable) or execution style. It doesn't matter if you kill them before or after the update. Big kudos to mko543 for finding the solution here. I was stuck looking for a way to solve this for weeks now and they figured it out to help Giamel. (Also thanks to Giamel for always helping me out).
MORE APPROPIATE BOUNTY REWARDS: The most epic of all crustaceans, aka the legendary EpicCrab, has kindly worked on a "leveled bounties" addon for Headhunter that does NOT rely on Missives. This is now available as an optional plugin in the FOMOD. As many of you know, I was relying on the Missives patch to cover getting more apropiate rewards depending on the bounty you complete, but some of you do not want to use Missives for one reason or the other. For people not using missives but in search of leveled rewards, you can now select the new "leveled bounties" option in the fomod when installing the mod. Do not use this optional plugin together with similar mods OR with the missives patch, as it will most likely conflict.
Version 1.41
NEW for 1.41: Tiny update that fixes small inconsequential things. (Not being able to drop some heads, where others were droppable, and similar tiny things). Uploading now before too many people download the update and hate me forever for making them redownload. Safe to update.
1.40: Howdy headhunters! Quite the big update. Safe to update mid-game. However...
Please, keep in mind I've only tested the new update during a couple of days. I've tested it both in a new save as in an already started save with the previous version. I haven't experienced any issues in the 4 or 5 bounties I've completed, but you never know until dozens of people have tested it. If you experience issues, let me know. But please, read the troubleshooting guide in the comment first, chances are you a) have a mod overwriting the bounty quests. 2) have installed the esps in the wrong order. I appreciate if you want to give this version a try, but you might also want to wait a couple of days until we know for sure no one's game has been set on fire.
Feature: Headhunter should now play nice with mods that change the faction of the whiterun guards.
Bug fix: Fixed the "infinite 25 Gold reward from guard" possible exploit when handing over a prisoner if you exited the conversation before it was finished.
Feature: I'm now covering a lot more voicetypes for the bandits. Meaning if you have a mod that changes the voices of the bandits (Hello there, Bandit Lines Expansion optional patch among many other mods!), the voiced bits of this mod should remained voiced.
Bug fix: Spared giants should no longer have the bug where they cannot be talked to without first loading up a save. If they're not talking to you after taking a knee, you might have to wait for them to stand up and bring them to their knees again. They are stubborn creatures. No loading of saves needed anymore though.
Suggestion: AllGUD patch should still work, however... I've stopped using it personally. There's a couple of IED presets out there that support Headhunter items. Even on horses. I recommend getting one of these instead.
Huge thank you: Mod author and superstar Mokeine decided to overhaul a bunch of things from the mod's workings in the background. Mostly fixes and optimizations, which we all love. All the changes below are coming from the amazing Mokeine. Again, thank you, you rock!
Optimization: Integrated the different scripts for each bounty type into a single one, making patching/troubleshooting easier.
Bug fix: Fixed a bug that could make it so picking up a bandit's head could complete a different bandit bounty quest from Missives/The Notice Board.
Bug fix: Fixed bug that could make some quest objectives do not display or disappear.
Feature: Quest objectives should now be smoother and even allow for "mistakes". Example: Dropping a bandit head is now possible and the quest objective will point you to the bandit's head as it rolls down a mountain. You monster! Leave the dead bandits alone!
Feature: Talking to the steward without proof will result in "I'm not a fool, you expect me to believe that?" type of dialogue that reminds you that first you must provide proof.
Feature: Mokeine overhauled the entire prisoner system, now allowing in theory for infinite captured prisoners (in theory, we haven't tested out more than a few). This is because the original bandit leader now dies and is replaced by a clone created at runtime. This new very sus impostor comes with a few advantages like increased compatibility and avoiding some bugs, like the one that could make it so a new bounty points you to a bandit leader sitting in prison (lol).
Feature: The reward for Missive's Track Vampire quests can now be redeemed from any Vigilant actor.
Enjoy the update, let me know if you encounter any issues!
Version 1.30
Kept you waiting, huh? Headhunter 1.30 is finally here. Probably safe to install/update mid-game. Probably. I haven't had a lot of time to test the changes, so update at your own peril for now.
Number of total possible prisoners has been increased. There are now 20 possible prisoners in jails Thanks to Mokeine for implementing this!
Sometimes, you could get a friendly bandit chief after the bandit location had completely respawn. Now fixed. Thanks to Mokeine for solving this!
There could be some issues with dragon-hunting missives (from the missives patch), not anymore. Thanks to Mokeine for fixing this!
After "borrowing" a bandit's head, the game will now exit the looting menu. This is done to account for players that are not using Skyrim Souls, so the effect is immediate for them too. Thanks to TateTaylorUSA for implementing this!
Orcs were considered "guards" as per the stronghold law system, and they could take the prisoners for you to the Jarl (lol). Now it's limited to city guards only.
Sometimes, for strange reasons, bandits could have 2 heads on them (Say what now). They should just have one now.
Only full helmets were unequipped automatically when taking the bandit's head, now everything above the neck will be removed and stored in their inventory when you get their heads. (Circlets, hair-covering hats, masks, earrings and the like)
Using the missives patch, you could accuse fugitives and thieves of their crimes BEFORE you had accepted the missive for their quests. Not anymore.
Version 1.20
New voice lines for captured bandits: George from Zero Period Productions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o5daur1ehY) DARED criticize this objectively perfect mod, can you believe it?! He said the bandits would repeat the same line over and over again when captured ("I've had enough of you!"). Unbelievable! I'm the one who has had enough of you, George! I'm just kidding, I love his channel and really appreciate the feedback as always! <3 - Bandits will now have a couple of additional lines when captured and when jailed. Nothing amazing, just your average insult, they will cough, they will be like "I can't believe I got caught!" and similar. There's also a timer on these lines now so they don't repeat as often.
Bugfixing and general improvements: Dragon and Giant bounty targets would not have a quest marker displayed on the map/hud, now they do. Giant heads could sometimes remain on your character and not be taken upon quest completion, this is now fixed. Using the missives extension, some dialogue options from captured bandits could be missing for female bandits, now fixed. If you clicked through the dialogue of the guard when handing a bandit too quickly without letting the dialogue play, you could temporarily break the scene and your tab menu would show up. This is now fixed and improved. All of these fixes have been implemented by Mokeine, so big thank you for your help!
If you use OBIS + Missives, you might be interested in a patch Mokeine just made too, which also includes functionality for Headhunter: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/52520
Version 1.15
So I believe it should be safe to update mid-game, but make sure you don't have any bounties on-going.
- Fixes for the TNB: The patch for the Notice Board had some errors in the Forsworn and Giant quests (they were partially mixed up). Sorry about this. The issues are now fixed. If you're in the middle of either of these quests (and you got the quest via the Notice Board), I suggest using the console to complete the quest, then installing the updated patch. Thanks to TheFrozenFace for taking the time to find, troubleshoot, and fix the errors, you rock!
- Fixes for Missives Patch: Falkreath Thieves could not be Intimidated/Persuaded. Fixed now. Thanks to Mokeine for noticing.
- Forsworn Dialogue: With this update, captured Forsworn get a special dialogue line and they dont' get the "rags" outfit. This is because if you remove their armor, they lose their carved heart visuals which is annoying, so instead they get to keep their armor, and thus, their heart.
- All I want Is Your Heart: If you loot the briarheart off Forsworns, they will die. You will still need to take their heads afterwards.
- Custom voice lines: This is not new, but you probably don't know this cause I myself totally forgot I implemented this and it surprised me when testing Forsworn today: Guards will have custom dialogue when taking the prisoner depending on the hold you're in. There's a dialogue for guards from Markarth ("That's it, I'm taking you to Cidhna Mine!"), one for guards from Whiterun (You're going to rot in the Dragonsreach Dungeon!") and then a generic "I'm placing you under arrest" dialogue line.
Version 1.10
1.10 is here! Safe to update mid-game.
- New Head Models: The most exciting bit of this update. > The talented TheBowGal decided to bless us all with better meshes for items on the back/horse of your character. These now include fitting and cool-looking ropes to hold the "trophies" that now replace my ugly leather belts. I've uploaded new pictures showcasing these new models to the gallery of the mod. Huge thanks to TheBowGal for providing these!
- Can you please keep it quiet when cutting heads? > A couple of you (Wink, wink, skunkjohnson + WredWolf) complained that the mini-screen that appears when picking up a head was too sudden and jarring. I've tried to tweak it a bit, mostly reduced the sound level of the axe sound and tweaked the blackscreen a tiny bit. Hopelly it won't startle you now, but you know, someone is losing their head! It's not supposed to be a pleasant experience! Haha
- Small text-based bug: >Made sure to reduce double entries in your quest journal so they're there only there when it makes sense. So for example, you will have two misc entries when you still have the chance to bring the bandit to justice or kill them. I don't want players to think you're locked to one option only, as the option of getting your "souvenir" is still there.
-Who's the Jarl, who's the Steward? > Fixed a small bug that would point the arrow towards the Steward when in reality you're supposed to talk to the Jarl. No big deal since quest should avance either way, but this is now fixed.
- WHAT PRISONER? Says the Guard. > If for whatever reason, you lose the prisoner (or you lock them somewhere and they can't get out), it was still possible to hand over the prisoner to a guard when in reality.... the prisoner was miles away. Guards will now only accept a prisoner if the prisoner is with you in the same cell. Thanks to NewVegasJoker for reporting the bug.
ISSUES? I've written a troubleshooting guide in the comments section, it's in the sticky. If you're experiencing bugs, please, please. Check that you're not using one of the incompatible mods. Make sure you have activated the right patches and they're installed in the right order. Make sure nothing is modifying the quests my mod adds new stages to. I'm getting tired of answering the same things over and over, please do some digging first, the mod works fine. I have more than 500 mods and I've now done over 25 bounty quests of all sorts, not a single issue. The only issue is I wish I had implemented a "head on pike" static item outside the city's hold that grows as you bring more bounties haha. (No, don't ask, I need some rest :P )
Version 1.02
New patches, small bug fixes, fomod installer. Safe to update mid-game.
• NEW PATCH: Support for "The Notice Board". Bandits/Forsworn/Giants/Dragons from the notice board will use the new features. There's also a Skyrim Realistic Conquering patch.
• NEW PATCH: Support for "Bounty Preview". Both mods must be installed, my files should override the files of the other mod.
• Notice Board + Missives plugins are compatible with each other, so you can go crazy and install everything if you use those mods. All new files are ESL too, of course.
• Fomod installation: the number of patches was getting out of hand, so I created a simple installer. Load order is not automatic, so make sure to reorder the plugins in a way it makes sense (From more general to the most specific plugins)
• Small USSEP forwarding changes in the prisons. Nothing major.
• Small bugfix: Giants that surrendered could be told to follow you in some rare ocassions (Lol). Now fixed.
Version 1.01
Couple of minor changes, safe to update mid-game:
• New Missive Patches: Solstheim, Bruma and Wyrmstooth patches now available. All ESL and they require Missives Worldspace Additions. Huge thanks to Solracmgp for helping with these.
• Lawbringer (black magic) Compatibility: The legendary EpicCrab was like: STEP ASIDE. He casted a couple of master level spells and made all versions of the mod compatible with Lawbringer without the need of any patches or dependencies. Impressive (and also a little bit scary). Thank you!
• Stop scamming me, Jarl Balgruuf: The missives (general) patch now makes it so the vanilla bounty quests give you different amounts of Gold depending on the bounty type (bandits/giants/dragons). The reward number matches that of Missives, and can be configured via the MCM.
• Let the heads roll: No, seriously, don't. Heads are quest items and are supposed to be non-droppable, but it's possible they skip their quest item status sometimes, which means you can drop them (even though you shouldn't). ANYWAY, if you DO drop them for whatever reason, they will have a proper world model with physics, they will roll down a hill and you will go crazy trying to pick it up before it ends on a river or something. Huge thanks to Giamel, who kindly worked on the updated meshes and did an awesome job.
• AllGUD One or the Other: If you have both a Dragon Skull and a Giant head on you, only the Dragon Skull will now show. (It was both before, and it was... bad)
Bounties Require Proof: "I killed the bandit, Mr. Jarl, give me the reward" is no longer enough. You will need to get proof that you completed the bounty. When you kill the target of a bounty, the bandit/giant/dragon will receive an item in their inventory. When you loot them, getting this item will fade out the screen for a second and the bounty target will lose their head... literally!
Capturing prisoners: For those playing a more lawful / forgiving character, bandit leaders who have a bounty on them can be captured and brought to justice. To capture a bandit leader, they must kneel (low health) and then you can talk to them and order them to give up. They can then be looted via dialogue. Next step is talking to a guard (Any guard will do) and handing them over the prisoner.
Populating prisons: The bandit will be taken by the guard to the nearest prison, where the prisoner will stay permanently. The guard will return to his or her post. Prisoners can be visited, but they won't be happy to see you. There's a limit of 7 or 8 maximum prisoners. Once the limit is reached, the oldest prisoner is executed off-screen to make room for the new ones.
Giants have feelings too: You can spare bounty giants from death (or not). Once they kneel down, you can talk to them (if the option doesn't show up, quick save and load). If forgiven, they will slowly walk away in shame until they disappear forever. This counts as completing the bounty.
Fully integrated into the quest objectives: When you kill a bandit leader, you will get a new objective: "Get proof of the bounty" and the objective arrow will point to the corpse. Same for the other new stages of bounties.
Visible representation: Bandits/Dragons/Giants will lose their heads when you get proof of the bounty, this is reflected on their model. If you have AllGUD installed, an optional patch allows for your character to display the items on you (or your horse in the case of dragon skulls). This accounts for backpacks too, so there's no collision between the items.
Missives support + Added features: If you use missives, the bounties from the mod will also support these features. I've also added some extra options to the mod, like the ability of capturing fugitives via speech option, or intimidating/persuading thieves into giving you what they stole so no one gets hurt.
Notice Board, SRC, Lawbringer and other patches available too.
MOD SHOWCASE
FILES & PATCHES EXPLAINED (ALL FILES ARE ESL FILES)
- Headhunter Main File: This covers vanilla bounty quests. Required for everything else to work. Works with Lawbringer without any patches.
- Headhunter ALLGUD Patch: If you are using All Geared Up Derivative SE, this patch enables trophies on your character, and dragon skulls on your horse. This patch also forwardes Umgak's AllGUD fixes, so no need to install that fix anymore (but go check their other patches and endorse!) Choose between campfire or no campfire version. The only difference is campfire version detects backpacks and moves the item accordingly. Requires: Main File (+ optional: Campfire)
- Headhunter Missives Patch: This enables bounty quests added by Missives to work using my bounty system. I've also taken the liberty of adding more options to some of the other missives features. (Non violent ways of finishing certain missive quests) and the vanilla bounty rewards will use missives rewards (so rewards for bandits/dragons/giants can be configured via the MCM) Requires: Main File + Missives (There's also options for additional Missives Worldspaces)
- Headhunter + Skyrim Realistic Conquering: This is a mini patch that forwards the radiant exclusion formlists of SRC to the modified Bounty Quests. This just makes sure you don't get sent to kill a bandit to a location that has been marked as "conquered". I'm providing this patch as I use Missives + SRC, but if you are using a different combination of mods, making this patch is quite simple, just a matter of opening the mods in SSEdit and forwarding the condition of the exclusion system (formlist condition) to my mod (or a new mod) and that's it. Requires: Main File + Missives + Missives Patch + SRC
I also added suport for The Notice Board in 1.02. This is also compatible with Missives, so you can install everything together if you want to.
KNOWN ISSUES & COMPATIBILITY
Surrendered giants cannot be talked to sometimes: For some reason, there's a bug in Skyrim that won't allow you to talk to non-humanoid creatures unless you save/load the game. I had this in Skills of the Wild, and here it is still. So once the giant surrenders, if you can't talk to him, just save and load your game, and he can be talked to again. This should only need to be done once.
If you have a mod that modifies the vanilla bounty quests (like increasing or decreasing the value of the reward), this mod is probably not compatible. Let my mod sit lower than the other mod in your load order or consider uninstalling the other mod. My mod already offers configurable bounty rewards via the MCM of missives.
I've stickied a beautiful trouble-shooting guide for all possible compatibility issues in the comment section. Read it through before reaching out to me, please.
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