Skyrim Skse

Skyrim SKSE Module

Create and manage SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) C++ plugin projects using Spooky's AutoMod Toolkit.

Prerequisites

Run all commands from the toolkit directory:

cd "<TOOLKIT_PATH>"
# Example: cd "C:\Tools\spookys-automod-toolkit"

Build Requirements

IMPORTANT: Building SKSE plugins requires:

Note: You do NOT need the full Visual Studio IDE - only the MSVC Build Tools (C++ compiler). The Build Tools can be installed standalone without Visual Studio.

Overview

SKSE plugins are DLL files that extend Skyrim's functionality at a native level. This module generates project scaffolding using CommonLibSSE-NG, which supports Skyrim SE, AE, GOG, and VR from a single codebase.

Command Reference

List Available Templates

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse templates

Available Templates:

Create SKSE Project

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse create "<name>" [options]

Get Project Info

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse info "<path>"

Add Papyrus Native Function

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse add-function "<project>" --name "<name>" [options]

Common Workflows

Create Basic SKSE Plugin

# 1. Create project
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse create "MyPlugin" --output "./" --author "YourName"

# 2. Build (requires CMake and MSVC)
cd MyPlugin
cmake -B build -S .
cmake --build build --config Release

# Output: build/Release/MyPlugin.dll

Create Plugin with Papyrus Functions

# 1. Create project with papyrus-native template
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse create "MyNativePlugin" --template papyrus-native --author "YourName" --output "./"

# 2. Add custom functions
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse add-function "./MyNativePlugin" --name "GetActorSpeed" --return "Float" --param "Actor:target"

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse add-function "./MyNativePlugin" --name "SetActorSpeed" --return "void" --param "Actor:target" --param "Float:speed"

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse add-function "./MyNativePlugin" --name "GetPluginVersion" --return "Int"

# 3. Build
cd MyNativePlugin
cmake -B build -S .
cmake --build build --config Release

Check Existing Project

# Get project info
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse info "./MyPlugin"

Papyrus Type Mapping

Function Parameter Format

--param "Type:name"

Examples:

• --param "Actor:target" - Actor parameter named "target"
• --param "Float:speed" - Float parameter named "speed"
• --param "Int:count" - Integer parameter named "count"
• --param "String:message" - String parameter named "message"

Generated Project Structure

MyPlugin/
  CMakeLists.txt          # CMake build configuration
  vcpkg.json              # C++ dependencies
  skse_config.json        # Toolkit configuration
  src/
    main.cpp              # SKSE plugin entry point
    plugin.cpp            # Plugin implementation
    plugin.h              # Plugin header
  cmake/
    CommonLibSSE.cmake    # CommonLibSSE-NG integration

Template Details

basic Template

Minimal plugin with:

• Modern C++20 plugin metadata (.RuntimeCompatibility())
• Precompiled headers (PCH) for fast builds
• Comprehensive event handler examples (OnHit, OnEquip)
• Safe NiPointer and Actor casting patterns
• Correct form lookup methods (EditorID vs FormID)
• Logging setup
• Message handler for game events

Modern API Features:

// Modern plugin version declaration
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) constinit SKSE::PluginVersionData SKSEPlugin_Version = [] {
    SKSE::PluginVersionData data{};
    data.RuntimeCompatibility(SKSE::RuntimeCompatibility::Independent);
    return data;
}();

// Safe NiPointer handling
auto target = event->target.get();  // Get raw pointer
auto actor = target->As<RE::Actor>();  // Safe cast

// Correct form lookup
auto form = RE::TESForm::LookupByEditorID("MyForm"sv);  // By EditorID
auto form = RE::TESForm::LookupByID(0x00012EB7);  // By FormID

Build Options:

• VCPKG (automatic dependency management)
• Manual vendor/ folder (no VCPKG required)
• Windows CMD build script included (build.bat)

papyrus-native Template

Includes everything in basic plus:

• Papyrus native function registration
• Script interface
• Example function

// Register functions
bool RegisterFunctions(RE::BSScript::IVirtualMachine* vm) {
    vm->RegisterFunction("MyFunction", "MyScript", MyFunction);
    return true;
}

// Example native function
int MyFunction(RE::StaticFunctionTag*) {
    return 42;
}

Using Native Functions in Papyrus

After building the plugin, call native functions from Papyrus:

ScriptName MyScript

; Declare native functions
Int Function GetPluginVersion() global native
Float Function GetActorSpeed(Actor target) global native
Function SetActorSpeed(Actor target, Float speed) global native

; Usage
Event OnInit()
    Int version = GetPluginVersion()
    Debug.Notification("Plugin version: " + version)

    Actor player = Game.GetPlayer()
    Float speed = GetActorSpeed(player)
    SetActorSpeed(player, speed * 1.5)
EndEvent

CommonLibSSE-NG

This toolkit uses CommonLibSSE-NG (Next Generation), which provides:

• Multi-version support: Single DLL works on SE, AE, GOG, VR
• Address independence: No hardcoded addresses
• Modern C++: Uses C++20 features
• Complete API: Covers most game functions

Supported Skyrim Versions

Building Projects

Standard Build

cd MyPlugin
cmake -B build -S .
cmake --build build --config Release

Debug Build

cmake --build build --config Debug

Clean Rebuild

rm -rf build
cmake -B build -S .
cmake --build build --config Release

Output Location

• Release: build/Release/MyPlugin.dll
• Debug: build/Debug/MyPlugin.dll

Installing SKSE Plugins

1. Copy DLL to Data/SKSE/Plugins/
2. Copy any config files to same folder
3. Launch game with SKSE loader

Limitations

This module CAN:

• Generate project scaffolding
• Add Papyrus native function stubs
• Manage project configuration

This module CANNOT:

• Write custom C++ logic
• Compile projects (requires local build tools)
• Debug plugins
• Generate complex game hooks

For advanced SKSE development:

• CommonLibSSE-NG Wiki
• SKSE Plugin Development Guide

Important Notes

1. Build tools required - CMake and MSVC Build Tools needed (NOT full Visual Studio IDE)
2. Single codebase, all versions - CommonLibSSE-NG handles version differences
3. vcpkg auto-bootstraps - Dependencies downloaded on first build (~5 minutes first time)
4. Native functions need matching Papyrus declarations - Script must declare functions as native
5. Use --json flag for machine-readable output when scripting
6. LLMs can build plugins - Use Bash tool to invoke CMake commands for end-to-end workflow

JSON Output

All commands support --json for structured output:

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- skse info "./MyPlugin" --json

Example response:

{
  "success": true,
  "result": {
    "name": "MyPlugin",
    "author": "YourName",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "template": "papyrus-native",
    "description": "My SKSE Plugin",
    "targetVersions": ["SE", "AE"],
    "papyrusFunctions": [
      {
        "name": "GetActorSpeed",
        "returnType": "Float",
        "parameters": [
          { "type": "Actor", "name": "target" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}