Balanced Magic SE
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This started as a project for personal use, upgrading Balanced Magic for Skyrim Special Edition. I ended up changing how some of it was set up, including fixes from the unofficial patch and added quality of life improvements where I saw useful.

I noticed there were still people asking for a Special Edition version so I have decided to release my custom version as Balanced Magic SE.

All due credit to mysty for the original mod and all the work she put into it


Included Files
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Balanced Magic SE.esp
Balanced Magic SE.bsa


Manual Installation
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1 - Extract Balanced Magic SE.esp and Balanced Magic SE.bsa into your ...\Skyrim Special Edition\Data\ folder
2 - Launch Skyrim Special Edition and enable the mod in the Mods\Load Order menu


Purpose
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This mod is intended to provide greater flexibility when playing as a mage. Instead of relying on a few overpowered gimmicks, mages should be able to experiment with different techniques in different situations, and still have a reasonable chance of overcoming their opponent. I have attempted to make each school of magic uniquely powerful while staying pure to Elder Scrolls lore; these were the considerations I made when addressing each school of magic:

Alteration is the school of magic which deals with altering the physical world. Alteration mages can bend the laws of nature, changing the world around them. Many alteration spells are utilitarian - they allow the caster to access hard to reach areas, to lighten a burden, to breathe water as though it were air, etc., but alteration also has a place in combat. Alteration mages can change the composition of their own bodies, making them less susceptible to certain types of damage, or exhaust an opponent by making their own weapons and armor much heavier to carry.

Conjuration mages are able to telepathically commune with Daedra and the undead, and bend them to their will – for a time, at least. As the conjuror becomes more skilled, he may control more powerful servants for a greater length of time. Conjuration mages may also call forth mighty weapons from Oblivion, or bind the souls of the slain.

Destruction mages wield the destructive force of the elements to wreak havok in battle. Their magic can ignore armor or take out an entire room full of enemies. With a full arsenal of spells at their command, there are few who can stand against a powerful destruction mage.

With the power to manipulate the mind, mages who study the school of Illusion can change what one perceives – for good or ill. While not able to deal much damage directly, a single Illusionist can turn the tide of a battle, causing enemies to fight amongst themselves or giving allies the confidence to surge forward. A skilled Illusionist is subtle, veiled in silence and cloaked in invisibility, often undetected by those she manipulates.

Those who practice restoration are not only excellent healers, they can also channel the powers of magicka to protect, strengthen, and enhance.    Many restoration mages choose to serve as priests and healers, and are welcomed even by those who are generally suspicious of magic users. Their powerful bond to life causes undead to recoil in fear.

Enchanters, while not exactly spellcasters, are nevertheless intrigued by the magical arts, and are able to imbue physical objects with magical properties. Masters of enchantment can turn quality equipment into powerful artifacts, nearly as great as those of legend.


What It Does
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Magicka Management
- Magicka regenerates faster in combat (60% instead of 33%)
- Dual Casting costs less (2.4x instead of 2.8x) and is more effective (2.6x instead of 2.2x)
- Spell costs have been calculated so that they no longer decrease as your skill improves; instead your spells will get more powerful as skill increases.
- Neither light nor heavy armor increase spell costs, however, costs are reduced if armor is removed since movements are less restricted, making it easier to cast spells. Each slot (head, body, hands, and feet) that is unarmored will reduce casting cost by 8%.

Alteration
- Alteration spells with a magnitude become more powerful as your skill increases (automatically)
- The Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Alteration perks increase the duration of corresponding level spells based on your skill. At skill level 100, duration will have doubled.
- Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
- Paralyze has been reduced to 6 seconds (was 10)
- Mass Paralysis has been reduced to 10 seconds (was 15)
- With scaling, higher level protection spells became redundant, so I have altered them so that each is the embodiment of a particular element. Stoneskin increases your armor (much as the original *flesh spells did), and Flameskin, Frostskin, and Stormskin provide less bonus armor, but also offer some resistance to the associated elemental damage.
- Casting a *skin spell will dispel any other active *skin spell so you can switch at will
- Dragonhide stacks with the *skin spells
- Mage Armor Perk Rank 1: *skin spells provide additional armor if you are not wearing physical armor (calculated for each armor slot)
- Mage Armor Perk Rank 2: *skin spells provide additional armor if you are not wearing physical armor (calculated for each armor slot)
- Mage Armor Perk Rank 3: *skin spells provide additional armor if you are not wearing physical armor (calculated for each armor slot). Also increases the duration of *skin spells and Dragonhide by 50%
- Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
- Transmute Mineral Ore now prioritises Iron to Silver over Silver to Gold

Conjuration
- Spell duration increases with skill (automatically). Spells may be a few seconds shorter initially, but will increase to 150% of vanilla duration by the time you max your skill.
- The Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Conjuration perks increase the level of summoned Daedra, and allow necromancers to reanimate higher level corpses
- Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
- The base damage of the bound bow was reduced, and the base damage of the bound battleaxe was increased
- Fixed "Storm Thrall" spell so that it actually summons a Storm Thrall instead of Storm Atronach. It is now a ritual spell as well.
- Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
- Bound Weapons scale with your Conjuration skill. Base damage of bound weapons has been lowered. At 100 Conjurationg skill these will have doubled in strength.

Destruction
- Destruction spells become more powerful as your skill increases (automatically)
- The Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Destruction perks increase damage of corresponding level AND ALL LOWER LEVEL spells by 10% in addition to reducing spell costs
- To keep damage to magicka cost ratios balanced, I had to scale cost up along with the extra damage. I also reduced the cost of Adept, Expert, and Master spells more than the 25% stated.
- Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
- Incinerate, Icy Spear, and Thunderbolt do lingering damage for 3 seconds. (Tapered, in all damage is roughly doubled)
- The impact perk causes stagger to occur 25% of the time in apprentice spells, 50% of the time in adept spells, and 75% of the time in expert spells.
- The Rune Master perk now allows the placement of multiple runes (up to 4)
- Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds

Enchanting
- Capped Fortify enchantments for Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, and Restoration. You can no longer enchant away spell costs completely. Soft cap is 50%, hard cap is 72% (depending on strength of enchantments and order in which you equip items.)

Illusion
- Illusion spells influence higher level creatures based on skill (automatically)
- The Aspect of Terror Perk no longer increases the damage of Destruction Fire spells
- Hypnotic Gaze, Aspect of Terror, and Rage increase level of controlled opponents based on illusion skill (+.2*skill)
- Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
- Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds

Restoration
- Restoration spells become more powerful as your skill increases (automatically)
- Wards charge more quickly and provide experience each time they successfully protect the caster. They are free to maintain but drain magicka when hit.
- The shield effect from the wards (bonus armor) has been set to 40 for all 3 wards. This scales up as your Restoration skill increases so that at skill level 100, you will gain 80 armor.
- Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
- Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds


Note
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I have messaged mysty, the author of the original mod, asking for her blessing as the official Skyrim Special Edition version but unfortunately she has not been online in several
months.

If I am required to remove this mod, please notify me and I will do so immediately.