Description:
Do you enjoy creating your own mercenary groups? Have you ever felt like the vanilla followers were subpar compared to your enemies? Maybe you play with follower-death turned on and don't want to depopulate Skyrim of all it's vanilla citizens? Maybe you're on your 10,000,000th playthrough and don't want to go through a 4 hour long quest just to recruit someone? Then this mod is for you!

I originally created this mod because I enjoy playing with lots of followers, but was overall just bored and tired of the vanilla followers the game provides. And modding turned up no answers, as the few follower mods that are out there simply add one new companion with a bunch of unique dialogue and overpowered items and abilities and bugs. The Crew fixes that, and adds 13+ new followers using only vanilla assets. I created this mod in 2021 for personal use, and only just decided to release it publicly, so it has two years and hundreds and hundreds of hours of playtesting, so I'm pretty sure everything is working squeaky clean. If anything, these followers function even better than vanilla followers because they don't have any quests or items tied to them in any way. This mod simply uses what was available in the game, to do what Bethesda never did.

What it does:
- Adds 13+ new followers to the game ready for adventures!
- Fills in the gaps left by vanilla followers (no high elf followers in vanilla; now you have them).
- Attempts to create more interesting and varied companions compared to vanilla. Vanilla followers often stuck to a handful of classes and combat styles with little deviation. This mod opens up the possibilities a lot more. A lot of the unique things your enemies do to you can now be found being done by the new followers.
- Pairs extremely well with follower mods such as NFF, as I use those mods and it was designed with those mods in mind.
- This mod aims to give you a variety of builds and options available so you can build a party. In Vanilla, I often felt like I was pidgeon-holed into taking Faendahl, Jenassa, and Uthgerd around with me everywhere. Now there's variety.
- All followers are essential, so that they don't get themselves killed on the very first quest you take them on, or fall off a cliff to their demise.
- ALL followers have the light foot perk, so they will not activate traps.
- Default hunting bow and iron arrows have been removed. This is usually already done in follower overhauls, but it's done here anyways in case you're vanilla.
- They do not have any AI packages or anything assigned, so they will always be exactly where you found them, so you can always reliably find them whenever you need them.
- All follower's default outfits are generic clothing, so you can equip them whatever armour you want and they won't prioritize their default steel armour set.
- Followers will level up with you indefinitely! No level caps. To make up for this, there are no level floors either, so they all start at level 1 with you. You all suck together, and you all become legends together.

All followers can be found somewhere in or around Whiterun.

Requirements:
Requires Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs to be installed. Varkenne the Bard requires Hearthfire.

Follower Overhauls, Such as Nether's Follower Framework
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/55653
- Not really "required", but as my mod adds in followers for races that did not exist in the vanilla game, there are no voice lines available for them. Mods such as NFF, or even Relationship Dialogue Overhaul, add voice lines to the races and genders that vanilla ignored, such as High Elfs or female Khajiit. Again, not a hard requirement, but if you don't have some kind of mod that adds voice lines for every condition and outcome like NFF or RDO, followers with certain voice types will have some silent dialogue.

Installation:
Manual:
- Plop the .esp file into Skyrim Special Edition/Data
- Also plop the Meshes and Textures folders into Skyrim Special Edition/Data

Automatic:
- Allow Vortex/Mod Organizer/whatever you use, to download and manage it.

In both situations, ensure that TheCrew.esp is loaded before any follower overhauls you may have, so that the follower overhaul can detect and control the followers added by The Crew.


Followers:
Sursion - Male Breton
Build: Dragonborn
Skills: Speech/Heavy Armour/One Handed/Alteration/Destruction/Restoration/Block

Sursion is a fellow dragonborn, like the player, who has mastered many shouts and uses them often in combat. He is a spellsword, and will prefer using a one handed weapon and heavy armour while he uses conjuration and destruction magics to annihilate enemies. Extremely overpowered, he should probably only be used if you're aiming for less-serious gameplay, or if you want someone to carry you through difficult parts (he fits in well with difficulty-enhancing mods). I've seen this guy wipe out entire bandit camps by himself at level 1, so be prepared to be shown up by your own follower if you bring him along. This was mostly an experiment to see just how powerful I could make a follower. He is quite fun to watch in action though.

Auruc - Male Nord
Build: Two Handed Warrior
Skills: Two Handed/Heavy Armour/Block/Archery/One Handed

This veteran Circle member of the Companions is just itching to get back to adventuring. He specializes in heavy armour and two handed weaponry, and rumours swirling around the Bannered Mare say he has a trick up his sleeve when the going gets tough.

Wadzi - Female Redguard
Build: Vampire Lord
Skills: Destruction/Conjuration/Restoration/Alteration

Terrifying vampire mage specializing in fire magicks, wards, reanimating the undead, and controlling/banishing daedra. In combat, she will happily use up her magicka firing destruction magic and reanimating the dead, then when magicka runs low, she charges in with a one handed weapon and vampiric drain. Can be quite deadly, and an excellent choice if you want a non-Serana vampire follower.

Nikki - Female Imperial
Build: Rogue Archer
Skills: Archery/Light Armour/Sneak/One Handed/Speech/Block

A dashing rogue specializing in archery. She has a storied history of adventuring (and thieving) across Tamriel, but after being betrayed by an old friend, she figures it would be better to team up with someone new. Wears light armour, and in combat, will primarily stick to ranged weapons, only swapping to melee if backed into a corner or she runs out of ammo.

Zerice - Male Argonian
Build: Insanity Argonian
Skills: One Handed/Heavy Armour/Alteration/Restoration/Block/Light Armour/Sneak

The Insanity Argonian is an unarmed martial artist mage. He boosts himself with alteration magicks, then charges in and starts pounding faces. He will use healing magicks if his health gets too low, and he has a... "special surprise" in store for his enemies. He is equally proficient in both light and heavy armour, however, he has the Fist of Steel perk for unarmed damage increases, so you might want to make him heavy armour.

Wrex Godsmasher - Male Orc
Build: Orcish Berserker
Skills: Light Armour/One Handed/Sneak/Archery/Alteration

Wrex Godsmasher was kicked out of his stronghold for his unorthodox beliefs; using magic in combat. This dual wielding Berserker will buff himself with alteration magicks, then swap to either archery or dual wielding to slaughter enemies depending on range. With his use of all three schools of combat (magic, range, and melee), Wrex is one of the most versatile followers, with a very high light armour skill.

Binladel - Male Night Elf
Build: Sword and Shield Tank
Skills: Block/One Handed/Heavy Armour/Sneak/Archery

This well-traveled Night Elf is ready to defend you from any enemies that want to make you their dinner. Specializes in heavy armour and one handed, with a very high blocking skill. In combat, he will charge at enemies, then spend most of his time bashing and blocking. Makes an excellent tank if you are a squishy character.

Saraya - Female Khajiit
Build: Soldier
Skills: Archery/One Handed/Light Armour/Sneak/Block/Heavy Armour

Saraya is a member of the Whiterun guard, but is ready to ditch her menial life and go on adventures. In combat, she brings her army background into play with a well balanced build that can use archery or melee in equal measure. She has more light armour skill than heavy, but can use both effectively. Recommended equipment: light armour with crossbows, one handed weapons and light shield. Decent jack of all trades.

Nimphec - Female High Elf
Build: Electromancer
Skills: Destruction/Alteration/Restoration/Sneak/One Handed/Light Armour

The electromancer Nimphec is a former bandit who felt she outgrew the skill of her peers. She specializes in electric magic, with secondary one handed and light armour skills to get down and dirty. In combat, she plays a very aggressive mage, casting flesh and destruction spells as she closes the distance, then pulls out a weapon to start slashing and zapping.

Chalk - Female Wood Elf
Build: Cryomancer
Skills: Conjuration/Destruction/Restoration/One Handed/Sneak

Chalk the Cryomancer has never been on adventures before, but is eager to begin! In combat, she hangs back and conjures a familiar or frost atronach, then starts launching frost spells. Once in a while she will use anti-undead restoration magic. She has one handed and sneak skills to double as a sneaky mage.

Arkaidos - Male Redguard
Build: Thief
Skills: Lockpicking/Light Armour/Sneak/Archery/One Handed/Block

This stealth archer was once a member of the thieves guild, but decided adventuring was more his calling. He now uses his skills in dungeons. Has a very high lockpicking skill, if you hate lockpicking. Otherwise, in combat he is a very competent archer with good sneak skills, who will bust out one handed weapons at close-medium range. Good choice for stealth archers.

Isosine - Male High Elf
Build: Combat Monk
Skills: Archery/One Handed/Alteration/Restoration/Sneak/Light Armour

The enigmatic Isosine is a rarely seen combat monk. In combat, he will use staffs and magic, then swap to archery or melee once magicka is depleted. He basically does everything, staffs/magic/range/one handed with some sneak and light armour skills. Very balanced, but strong and versatile build.

Garndurr Foul-Breath - Male Nord
Build: Spellsword
Skills: Destruction/Sneak/One Handed/Alteration/Light Armour

Since Sursion is a rather overpowered spellsword, there needed to be a more normal spellsword available. This drunkard seems unassuming at first glance, but in battle (and with mead in his belly), his combat prowess shines. Whereas Sursion focuses more on Heavy Armour, Conjuration, and Shouts, Garndurr uses light armour, sneak, and destruction/alteration magic. In combat, he is quite strong and is highly aggressive, looking to put down foes quickly before they can react.

BONUS FOLLOWERS
Varkenne Sweetsinger - Female Breton
Build: Adventure Bard
Skills: Speech/Alteration/Illusion/Pickpocketing/One Handed/Archery

Varkenne Sweetsinger is a bard who is rather unhappy about her job due to the lack of customers. She decided she would rather provide her talents to a party that would appreciate them. Varkenne is a bard follower who can be requested to play songs any time and any where. In combat, she starts combat by buffing herself with flesh spells, then prefers using ranged weapons, swapping to melee in close quarters or when out of ammo.

Varkenne is in a seperate file compared to the rest of The Crew, as she is slightly more complex. I had to edit bard dialogues in order to get her to play music outside of Inns.

Future Updates:
- MORE followers.
- Pet followers. Due to an immense increase in difficulty and complexity, they were omitted from base version of The Crew.
- A custom house to house everyone in.
- More immersive implementation; moving people to specific locations around Skyrim rather than crowding Whiterun, giving very basic AI packages so they can sleep and go to inns at night rather than just sit in a chair eating their bread for eternity.

Update History
v1.1
- Initial Public Release
v1.2
- Face Discoloration Fix mod is no longer required. The Crew now includes facegen data and facetint maps for all followers.
- Modified Garndurr's initial spawn location, to prevent him from sometimes spawning behind a locked door
- Removed versioning numbers from the .esp file names, to prevent breaking save games every time there's an update...