* Sabal's Companion Weapons Pack *

Thanks for downloading my mod.

I'm always gripped by nostalgia when I remember the days of Baldur's Gate II, and the little mini-stories
attached to the various items. These days, it feels like the RPGs we play are stale and lack the immersion
factor of the great old games. The companions of DA2 are fun and interesting, but I felt that they should
come with items which had their own powerful stats and history. With this in mind, I made the S C W P.

This mod replaces the stale, useless, weak weapons your companions have by default with sleeker, newer,
and more powerful versions. The stats on each item were hand-picked to mesh with that particular character's
personality and style of play. Also, all the items level up along with the companions, so you'll never have to
replace them, and will always have nice weapons for your henchpeople... er, companions.
(note: the mod also changes the 3D models of the various weapons - see pics for info!)

Inside, you'll find 2 folders;

- "Text Descriptions - None"
- "Text Descriptions - Verbose"

The first one contains the improved items with absolutely no text descriptions or backstory. This was a request
by some people who found the huge wall of text distracting, and wanted only the improved, sleeker weapons.
The second contains the same items, but with verbose descriptions - use this version if you like RP and want
to read about a bit of history about each item (warning: none of this is cannon - I made it all up!)

Anyway, pick the folder you want ("None", or "Verbose"), and open it. Inside you'll see 2 additional folders:

- "Sabal Companion Weapons Pack - Everyone"
- "Sabal Companion Weapons Pack - Individual"

The first one has the .erf file for all the companions; use if you want to replace *everyone's* weapons.
The second one has folders for individual companions; use if you want to replace only *some* weapons.


Pick whichever you want, and just drop the corresponding folder(s) into your override directory:

X:\...\BioWare\Dragon Age 2\packages\core\override

To uninstall the mod, simply remove the .erf file(s) from the override.

If you're staring a new game, that's it, you're set and good to go - have fun!



If you're *not* starting a new game, and wish to play one that's already in progress, then keep reading...

Any new companion you meet and pick up after installing the mod will automaticall have the new and improved
version of the weapons. However, companions you've already recruited will have their 'old' weapons because the
game stores inventory details in saved game files, and only checks the override for new items when they appear
for the *first* time. Due to the way the DA2 works, the 'old' weapons will display the new text descriptions, and
the new 3D models, but will still have subpar stats and will not level-up along the player.

What this means is that you'll have to manually add the new items via the console if you want them with the
new stats. You'll have to use the Vaddin mod and the console to spawn them into an existing game. Sorry, but
there's absolutely nothing I can do about this; blame Bioware for their silly, silly system...

You can find information about activating and using the console here:
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Console_%28Dragon_Age_II%29

You can find the Vaddin mod and its information here:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/Dragon-Age-II/Dragon-Age-II-Fan-Creations-Mods-and-Modding-Spoilers/
Release-Vaddi-visual-add-item-6587675-1.html (it's one line, I broke it to fit into the document better!)


Once you've enabled the console and have Vaddin installed and working, use it to spawn the items. You
should also spawn the new items if you're upgrading from an older version of this mod (each new version
has better balanced stats and less typos in the text descriptions... hopefully).

You can use either the 'vaddi' or the 'vaddin' command (once you download that mod), depending on which
you find easier. So, for example, you could type any of the following commands, and, if input corretly, they
would all work just fine and spawn the item:

runscript vaddin chevalier
runscript vaddin reach
runscript vaddin chevalier's reach
runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_one_aveline_01


All of the above would open a side window with Aveline's sword, the one named "Chevalier's Reach".
'Vaddin' is a pretty smart little script, and as long as you enter the name correctly, it'll give you what
you want. If you find it easier to use 'vaddi' and the strings, I've listed them below.


For simplicity's sake, let's say you want to use the 'vaddi' command. Here are all the item codes:

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_arc_sebastian_01 ("Temperance", Sebastian's longbow)

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_arc_varric_01 ("Bianca", Varric's crossbow)

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_dua_isabela_01 ("Backstabber", one of Isabela's two daggers)
runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_dua_isabela_02 ("Heartbreaker", one of Isabela's two daggers)

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_one_aveline_01 ("Chevalier's Reach", Aveline's longsword)
runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_shd_aveline_01 ("Ser Wesley's Shield", Aveline's shield)

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_sta_anders_01 ("Freedom's Call", Anders's mage staff)

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_sta_merril_01 ("Vir Tassalan", Merrill's mage staff)

runscript vaddi gen_im_flw_two_fenris_01 ("Lethendralis", Fenris's greatsword)


(*) 'Vaddi' is pretty smart as well, so you could just type "runscript vaddi dua_isab"
(without the quotations, of course), and it would still give you Isabela's two daggers.


Have fun with your new and improved companion items.

And don't forget to stop by the Nexus and drop a comment!

Enjoy!



- Sabal1984