| name | skyrim-dialog-system |
| description | Pure reference for how Skyrim's (TES5) dialogue, voice, and quest systems work — every record type (DIAL, INFO, QUST, DLBR, DLVW, SCEN, VTYP, IDLE), its binary layout, field meanings, enums, the condition (CTDA) system, the voice-routing pipeline, and a checklist of everything required for dialogue to fire in-engine. Use when authoring, reading, or debugging Skyrim dialogue/quest/voice records, when reasoning about how a topic reaches an NPC, or when you need the exact structure of any of these records. This is a description of vanilla Skyrim only — it contains no conversion/import logic. |
Skyrim Dialogue, Voice & Quest System
This skill is a pure reference for how vanilla Skyrim (TES5) routes dialogue. It
describes only how the game itself works — it deliberately contains no
conversion or import logic.
It is built from two authoritative, grounded sources in this repo:
- xEdit Core record definitions —
references/xEdit/Core/wbDefinitionsTES5.pas
(the binary layout of every record; verbatim field names/sizes/enums).
- Real Skyrim.esm data —
references/Skyrim.esm (dumped via
tools/tes5_esm_reader.py), giving real field values.
When the answer needs an exact byte layout or full enum, open the matching
reference file rather than guessing:
references/records.md — every record's complete subrecord-by-subrecord
binary layout, field types, sizes, and full enums (DIAL, INFO, QUST, DLBR,
DLVW, SCEN, VTYP, IDLE).references/conditions.md — the CTDA condition system: 32-byte layout,
operator/flag byte, OR-chaining, and the function indices that matter for
dialogue (GetIsVoiceType, GetIsID, GetStage, GetQuestRunning, GetInCell…).references/checklist.md — the full "everything that must be true for a
line to fire" checklist, plus the most common failure modes and their fixes.
The mental model (read this first)
Skyrim dialogue is a filtered query system, not a script. When an actor needs
something to say (player greets them, combat starts, player picks a topic), the
engine collects every INFO whose conditions all evaluate true, in priority
order, and speaks the first valid one. Conditions are the only gate. If you
want a line restricted to one NPC, the restriction must live in a CTDA condition
on the INFO.
The record hierarchy, top to bottom:
QUST (Quest) owns dialogue; must be running/enabled for its topics
│ to be eligible. Holds stages, objectives, aliases, and
│ quest-level dialogue conditions.
│
├── DLBR (Branch) groups topics into a conversation flow. Points at its
│ │ owning QUST (QNAM) and its first DIAL (SNAM). Flags say
│ │ whether it's Top-Level (appears in the menu) or Normal
│ │ (only reachable by being linked to).
│ │
│ └── DIAL (Topic) a prompt + a bucket of INFOs. Has a Category + Subtype
│ │ that classify it (Topic / Combat / Detection / Misc…),
│ │ a 4-char Subtype code (SNAM), and points back at its
│ │ QUST (QNAM) and branch (BNAM).
│ │
│ └── INFO ONE actual spoken exchange: one or more Responses
│ (lines of voiced text), the conditions (CTDAs) that
│ gate it, optional VMAD script fragments, and "Link To"
│ (TCLT) entries that chain to follow-up topics.
│
└── DLVW (View) Creation-Kit-only UI metadata listing a quest's branches
and topics. Not gameplay-critical but vanilla has them.
VTYP (Voice Type) the routing key. Every speaking NPC has a voice type
(VTCK). Almost every INFO carries a GetIsVoiceType
condition so the engine plays the right recording.
SCEN (Scene) scripted multi-actor sequences (cutscene-like). Drives
DIAL topics through phases/actions. Not needed for
ordinary NPC chatter.
IDLE (Idle Animation) referenced by INFO responses (SNAM/LNAM) for speaker /
listener gestures while a line plays.
Voice routing in one paragraph
A speaking NPC_ has VTCK → a VTYP record (e.g. MaleNord). When the engine
picks an INFO to play, it needs the audio file recorded for that voice type.
The standard way an INFO is bound to a voice type is a GetIsVoiceType(VTYP) == 1.0 CTDA condition (function index 426). Multiple voice types are
expressed as an OR-chain of GetIsVoiceType CTDAs. Voice files live at
Sound\Voice\<plugin>\<VoiceType>\<infoFID>_<respNum>.fuz. An INFO with no
GetIsVoiceType condition will (a) be eligible for every NPC and (b) try to
export an audio file for every voice type — both almost always undesirable.
What must be true for a line to actually fire
(Full version with fixes in references/checklist.md. The essentials:)
- The owning QUST is eligible —
Start Game Enabled (0x0001) (and usually
Starts Enabled 0x0010) so it's running, OR the quest is started by other
means. Dialogue-only quests in vanilla use DNAM Flags = 0x0011.
- Every DIAL has a
QNAM pointing at a running quest. A topic with no quest
owner is ignored.
- The branch (DLBR) is correct — Top-Level (
DNAM 0x01) for things that
appear directly in the menu; Normal (DNAM 0x00) for chain/linked topics.
- The INFO's conditions all pass — including a
GetIsVoiceType so the
right voice says it, and (for conversation topics) an identity gate such as
GetIsID so it doesn't appear on every NPC.
- The INFO has at least one Response (TRDT + NAM1) with valid response text.
- A SEQ file exists for Start-Game-Enabled quests (since game v1.7) or their
dialogue/scenes won't initialize.
- Voice audio exists in
.fuz (or .xwm+.lip) at the right path for the
NPC's voice type, or the line plays silently / not at all.
Quick subrecord cheat-sheet
Exact bytes, enums, and edge cases are in references/records.md. This table is
for fast recall only.
| Record | Key subrecords (in order) | Notes |
|---|
| DIAL | EDID, FULL, PNAM(float priority, dflt 50.0), BNAM(→DLBR), QNAM(→QUST), DATA(4B), SNAM(U32 4-char code), TIFC(U32 info count) | DATA on-disk = TopicFlags(U8)+Category(U8)+Subtype(U16) (the xEdit order — swapping it crashes at startup; see records.md ⚠). Subtype NUMBERS come from real data, not xEdit's shifted display enum (real Hello=73). SNAM raw LE ASCII (e.g. CUST,HELO) mirrors the subtype and is what the engine keys on. |
| INFO | EDID, VMAD, ENAM(4B flags+reset), TPIC(→DIAL), PNAM(prev INFO), CNAM(favor U8), TCLT[](→DIAL/INFO links), Responses[(TRDT 24B + NAM1 + NAM2 + NAM3 + SNAM/LNAM idle)], CTDAs, RNAM(prompt), ANAM(speaker) | A child INFO references its parent topic via the GRUP. ENAM flags incl. Goodbye(0x01), Random(0x02), Say once(0x04). |
| QUST | EDID, VMAD, FULL, DNAM(12B general), ENAM(event 4B), QTGL[], FLTR, quest CTDAs, INDX/QSDT stages, QOBJ/QSTA objectives, ANAM(next alias id), ALST/ALLS aliases, NNAM, QSTA targets | DNAM = Flags(U16)+Priority(U8)+FormVer(U8)+Unknown(4B)+Type(U32). |
| DLBR | EDID, QNAM(→QUST, req), TNAM(category U32: 0=Player,1=Command), DNAM(flags U32: 0x01 Top-Level, 0x02 Blocking, 0x04 Exclusive), SNAM(→DIAL starting topic, req) | One branch per conversation flow. |
| DLVW | EDID, QNAM(→QUST), BNAM, TNAM, ENAM(view category U32), DNAM(show all text U8) | CK UI metadata only. |
| VTYP | EDID, DNAM(flags U8: 0x01 Allow Default Dialog, 0x02 Female) | The routing key. ~143 in Skyrim.esm. |
| SCEN | EDID, VMAD, FNAM(flags U32), Phases[(HNAM/NAM0/conditions/NEXT)], Actors[(ALID/LNAM/DNAM)], Actions[(ANAM type/…)] | Multi-actor scripted sequences. |
| IDLE | EDID, conditions, DATA, anim event | Referenced by INFO response SNAM/LNAM. |
CTDA conditions (the heart of routing)
Every condition is exactly 32 bytes. Critical offsets (full detail in
references/conditions.md):
- byte[0] = operator + flags. Bit 0 (0x01) = OR with the next condition.
- byte[0] (bit 2, 0x04) = Use Global (comparison value is a GLOB FormID).
- bytes[4:8] = comparison value (float).
1.0 = 00 00 80 3F.
- bytes[8:10] = function index (U16 LE).
- bytes[12:16] = param1, bytes[16:20] = param2.
Function indices you will see constantly in dialogue:
| Func | Name | Use |
|---|
| 426 | GetIsVoiceType | Route line to a voice type. On nearly every INFO. |
| 72 | GetIsID | Restrict line to a specific NPC (conversation topics). |
| 71 | GetInCell | Location gating (city-specific greetings/gossip). |
| 58 | GetStage | Gate by quest stage. |
| 56 | GetQuestRunning | Gate by whether a quest is active. |
| 67 | GetCurrentAIProcedure | AI-state gating on barks. |
OR-chain rule: to mean "voice type A OR B OR C", set OR on every CTDA in the
chain except the last; the last is AND. A trailing OR flag leaks into the
following (unrelated) condition.
How to use this skill
- Understanding a record →
references/records.md for the exact layout, then
check a real example in references/Skyrim.esm/<TYPE>.txt.
- Reasoning about why a topic reaches (or doesn't reach) an NPC → walk
references/checklist.md; it's almost always a condition (GetIsVoiceType or
GetIsID) or a quest not running.
- Reading/understanding a CTDA →
references/conditions.md for offsets,
OR-chain rules, and function indices.
- Inspecting real data →
python tools/tes5_esm_reader.py references/Skyrim.esm --types DIAL INFO QUST DLBR DLVW VTYP --outdir temp/skyrim_dialog_dump.
