It can be easy to forget where the “RP” in “RPG” comes from.
Nowadays it’s all about high stats and powerful equipment – but role-playing games are, at their core, about becoming the protagonist of your own story.
Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the best Western RPGs ever made. But many find it lacking in the role-playing department compared to previous TES titles like Oblivion and Morrowind.
In the old days, you’d have to make up a story and do your best to act the part with your imagination – but now we have mods for that!
Don’t worry; you’ll still have a ton of fun exploring your creativity as you build a character to role-play – but the following mods will help you take it to the next level.
Roleplaying in vanilla Skyrim is possible but very restricted.
After all, your starting point is always Helgen, meaning your character must have a reason they were caught along with the Stormcloaks before the game begins.
That rules out stuff like being a Rorikstead farmhand who discovers their Dragonborn powers or some kind of sailor arriving in Solitude looking for fame and fortune.
Another option for alternate starts is Realm of Lorkhan, which helps you create your backstory and immersively as you explore this metaphysical plane.
The Realm of Lorkhan is made up of islands floating in the void, connected by man-made bridges and the sturdy roots of the trees that grow there.
You’ll find interesting artifacts everywhere on the island that’ll grant different blessings – sort of like creating a class, but on foot. You can also find some starting equipment, get yourself turned into a vampire, and more.
Once you’re done exploring and finding yourself, you can choose a portal to somewhere in Skyrim and finally start your adventure.
Most games prefer treating the player in the second person for simplicity’s sake – but if you’re going to roleplay, that might not be immersive enough.
Your Own Thoughts offers an alternative: talking to yourself.
Now, every time the game would tell “you” (the player) something like “progress saved” or “you can’t fast travel when there are enemies nearby,” you’ll see the inner thoughts of the Dovahkiin.
It’s not simply changing every “you” to “I.” Instead, every system message has been completely rewritten to seem like natural thoughts that might arise in someone’s head.
It’s a small change, but it removes a little bit of Skyrim’s “gameyness” and helps you slip into character more easily.
Skyrim’s vanilla quest tracker functions like an automatic journal. You’ll see missions described in the first person, and it’s generally enough to remember what’s going on when you sit down to play.
But if you’re taking your RP seriously, you also need to remember what’s going on with your personal story.
That’s where Take Notes comes in.
This mod lets you create your own journal and organize it in whatever chapters you want. You’ll also write your own entries, which can be fun and help keep your character’s story coherent.
Don’t just write the bare minimum. Get creative! Try to find your character’s voice.
I promise it will be excellent reading material by the time you finish your playthrough.
I’ve often found myself doing quests I couldn’t care less about just because they popped up in my quest tracker, and ignoring them was too much for my Virgo brain.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The Choice is Yours allows the Dragonborn to accept or refuse almost every quest. This way, you can easily pursue only what would interest your RP character.
Now, you can talk to NPCs without fear of triggering a questline. In other words, ask questions first, dive into a dangerous cave second.
These mysterious furry people hail from the far-away land of Elseweyr and travel all throughout the Empire, peddling valuable wares like Moon Sugar (if not straight up Skooma).
You’ll always know you’re talking to a Khajiit due to their thick accent and how they speak in the third person – except the Dragonborn, who speaks like a normal human.
Wait, what?
If that makes no sense to you either, you need Khajiit Speak – a dialogue overhaul that changes the grammar of your replies to match the unique way our furry friends speak.
The best part about shedding your Dragonborn identity and ignoring the main quest is the opportunity to set your own goals.
Are you collecting Daedric artifacts? Righting injustices in the world? Perhaps you just want to be filthy rich…
If you want some ideas, you should check out Goals for Roleplaying (and its sequel), which adds a wealth of possible RP goals in the form of an interactive checklist.
The goals are split into 11 different character archetypes, and there’s even a little flavor text to get your adventuring spirit riled up. Plus there are suggested gameplay restrictions and similar suggestions too.
Character creation is a key aspect of roleplaying – especially in vanilla Skyrim.
Imperious – Races of Skyrim is the golden standard for race overhaul mods.
It improves every race in Skyrim, developing them in different lore-friendly directions to increase gameplay variety.
Now, it really matters whether you choose a hardy cold-resistant Nord or a magically-attuned Breton.
Each race gets three new passive abilities and even a new power you must unlock through a racial quest. It’s all pretty immersive, and you won’t ever want to go back to vanilla.
Magic development in Skyrim is divided into schools like Destruction, Conjuration, and Restoration.
These loosely match some stereotypical mage archetypes like healer or summoner, but you’ll have a hard time specializing further.
Generally, you’ll just mix and match.
The Triumvirate mod expands your mage build possibilities with a whopping 75 new spells created around the archetypes of Druid, Shadow Mage, Warlock, Cleric, and Shaman.
With it, your mage can express their personality and values through their magic – plus, a change is always welcome after so much time casting fireballs.
Shouts were a nice little addition to Skyrim’s combat system, but honestly, I expected more.
Didn’t Ulfric shout the previous High King to shreds? Why can’t I do the same?
The Thu’um rarely provides anything more than a modest tactical advantage – unless you install Thunderchild.
This mod revolves around the idea of making a Thu’um-based character. It expands the shouting experience with 29 new shouts and a new set of buffs acquired by proving yourself to Kyne.
Wearing Thalmor Robes – especially if you’re a High Elf – can help you slip by undetected during the Diplomatic Immunity quest where you infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy.
The Master of Disguise mod expands this functionality to the entire game, setting up a customizable detection system and transforming faction-related apparel like Imperial or Stormcloak armor into real disguises.
This change makes stealthy playthroughs much more than stabbing people from the shadows.
It’ll let you bring down your body count and offer a new way to experience many quests.
Roleplaying is not just about picking a story and sticking with it. Reacting to whatever happens to you during your adventure is also essential.
Usually that means using this or that weapon, or choosing a follower based on circumstance, but you can take it further with the Wounds mod.
This add-on introduces all sorts of injuries and wounds to Skyrim.
Every time you take damage, there’s a chance you’ll break a leg or have a concussion – among other terrible fates.
These take time and attention to heal, forcing you to settle down in a nearby town or find some peaceful spot to camp while you recover. It’s immersive as hell.
Battles can leave a lot more than just wounds on your body.
Every time you swing a mace or cut someone’s head clean off with your dual-wielded blades, you’re burning calories and subjecting your muscles to plenty of tension – almost as if you were lifting at the gym.
The Pumping Iron mod lets you see the fruits of your labor by introducing visible muscle development as you level up any physical combat skill and Smithing – because forging weapons is the fast track to building strength.
The way it works is pretty immersive, too. You’ll need to sleep sufficiently and constantly train to achieve your bodybuilding dreams.
In Skyrim, you build your character by leveling individual skills and distributing perk points.
It’s an organic system. But it makes character creation more basic by removing classes and birthsigns, which used to be a vital part of your character’s backstory.
Classic Classes & Birthsigns gives the Dragonborn a “Select Class” book upon starting a playthrough so you can choose a class and birthsign much like you used to in Oblivion and Morrowind.
You’ll find many of the same classes available back in the day, such as Barbarian and Nightblade.
Religion has been a vital part of the human experience since times immemorial – and the same is true for the men and mer of Tamriel.
Your character’s faith should be one of the main questions to define when preparing an RP playthrough.
The Orcs seem to take the Code of Malacath pretty seriously – so why shouldn’t you?
Wintersun – Faiths of Skyrim makes worship more exciting by introducing a divine favor system. You’ll receive blessings from the gods depending on how much you respect their tenets and taboos.
There are 50 different deities to adore in Wintersun, including the Nine Divines, the Daedric Princes, and some from imported faiths like the Elven Ancestors and the Khajiiti Pantheon.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
