Stealth Detection Fixes

If a NPC falls, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

According to Bethesda: Yes. Yes it does. And you will be punished for it.

kqgwFX7FUEs

Mod Overview

Fixes NPCs magically detecting the player after a stealth kill as well as other detection issues. See the video above for an example where a fully perked, master sneak is detected by sleeping NPCs.

Why does this bug occur? (More Below)

Through engine-level testing, I discovered that the player isn't actually the direct cause of nearby NPCs becoming alert after a stealth kill. Instead, when an NPC is killed by you or another Actor, the game generates a Detection Event—similar to how firing an arrow into a wall draws NPCs' attention. Even when player detection is completely disabled at the engine level, NPCs will still investigate the spot where the kill happened.

Why is my mod needed?

While not common in vanilla, bugs related to Detection Events are most noticeable in modded games where NPCs have overall boosted detection abilities via mods like Requiem or Realistic AI Detection (RAID).

• [] In general, improving Skyrim's player detection formula to something passable comes at the cost of NPCs over-detecting Detection Events.[/]

  []Additionally, while a higher sneak skill will lower your general chances of being detected, it will never lower how NPCs react to Detection Events themselves (like a stealth kill).[/]

All of the condition logic in this mod is handled natively (not via Papyrus), making it extremely responsive and lightweight. Additionally, no vanilla records were edited, making it highly compatible.

The mod currently includes five fixes. All are optional. You can pick and choose which to enable in the MCM Menu.

🐛 Bug: Sleeping NPCs can detect unobserved stealth kills and vampire feeding, resulting in bounties or combat.

✅ Fix: Sleeping NPC Detection Fix

Sleeping NPCs will now only react to the player or enemy NPCs, not Detection Events. A successful sneak kill or vampire drain on a nearby NPC won’t wake up other sleeping NPCs.

As in vanilla, they can still wake up if: