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About this mod
Meet Duncan in style! Replaces your crappy starting equipment so that your noble LOOKS like a noble in the intro cutscene. v1.20 up!
- Permissions and credits
All right! v2.00 is here! This should be the definitive version, and it runs bug-free on my system. but naturally, please come screaming to me if there are any bugs. As always, I reccommend jwvanderbeck's "No Starting Abilities" mod to make the greatest use of the skill-based weapon selection.
There is going to be a version out as per requests that equips your armor for the starting cutscene; it will be along shortly.
Here's a rundown of everything:
INTRO HUMAN NOBLE CUTSCENE: COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT FORESHADOWING!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You show up dressed elegantly as befits a noble of your rank, looking like you belong in the conversation between Bryce and Howe. Now, it's only Duncan that looks scruffy from the road - but at least *he* gets custom armor for that.
OMG! RATS!
----------
You are unarmed, and so you should do the proper noble thing: Stay to the side and let Ser Gilmore and the Dog kill the rats. But if you simply feel like punching some rats, go for it! Even with a Super-Nightmare Mod installed, it's not like they can hurt you, and they die in one hit. Blood apparently does not stick to silk in Ferelden, as you'll notice that by the end, you're the only clean one. :)
THE SIEGE OF HIGHEVER FINDS YOU IN YOUR UNDERWEAR!
--------------------------------------------------
While your dog's barking like crazy (and potentially your lover too), you're strapping your gear on like an intelligent RPG hero would do. By the time you have control and Howe's soldiers kick in the door, you're armed and ready for combat! Note that the game still prioritizes Two Handed Weapons > Two Weapons > Sword & Shield > Archery. Archers, your bow is in your second weapons group in all cases.
As a side note, since it occurs automatically and has nothing to do with looting your chest, you get to keep that useless Small Grease Trap! Yay!
LOOT THE TREASURY BEFORE THEY DO!
---------------------------------
When you grab the Family Sword and the Shield of Highever, they will automatically be replaced with silverite versions of themselves. Also, when you take the sword, you will get your father's silverite formal armor! You know, that cool stuff he's wearing in his portrait in the main hall? Now, unlike the starting equipment I provide, these have their stat requirements in place, so you'll have to work your way up to use your father's stuff (or cheat). Since this is a treasury, there's also a reasonable amount of gold. Enough to get everyone equipped, but not enough to afford the expensive stuff, so everyone should be happy. To keep things clean (and prevent a reoccurence), I remove the original items.
Note well, the original Family Sword did not have stat requirements, but this new silverite one DOES. Enchantments on the family items and your father's armor set are very modest - the armor set merely has slight increases to armor and a mild boost to physical and mental defence, while the sword and shield have only minor improvements to what they already had, well in line with (or under) other weapons of that tier in the game. It's still worth your while to dig up those massive armor sets and unique weapons. But if you feel like being a Cousland more than a Grey Warden all the way through the game, these should serve you well.
For the sake of keeping both your starting equipment and your family items viable for as long as possible, all relevant items are rune-enabled. Go nuts.
And... that's it! You escape the castle, killing a significant number of Howe's men and taking with you anything of real value, robbing Howe of the complete victory he was looking for. More importantly than that, though, you looked awesome the entire time, not once being depicted in scruffy gear that even your servants wouldn't wear.
REQUESTS
--------
Now that this is out, I will take requests for different noble clothing, weapon groupings or armor types, or more powerful armor... just put it in the comments section. :D
INSTALLATION AND UNINSTALLATION
-------------------------------
TO INSTALL: Run daupdater.exe, select the .dazip file from wherever you saved it to, and install. Done!
TO UNINSTALL: Remove jkb_the_armory_package.erf from the Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\packages\core\data directory, and the jkb_the_armory folder from the Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\addins directory.
COMPATABILITY ISSUES
--------------------
None! The add-in checks for background and items, so it's completely invisible unless you're starting a new human noble character.
*********
OLD TEXT
*********
Version 1.20
------------------
As per request, both warriors and rogues begin in noble's clothing, with their weapons and armor in inventory.
Also as per request, items are renamed along more neutral lines like "Commemorative," etc.
Item sets have been implemented for both suits of armor - the exact same set bonus you'd expect from heavy chain mail and scale armor, respectively. The helmets don't factor into the bonus, so you're free to wear or not wear them, as you prefer.
******************
******************
You start a human campaign as a Cousland, touted as the second-most powerful noble house in Ferelden. The cutscene shows you your father, dressed in the rich clothes of nobility, talking to his vassal, who is also dressed finely. Suddenly, they're interrupted by a rank-and-file soldier ... wait, that's *YOU?*
What's with the pathetic armor and rusty weapon? Aren't you the son of a noble? Surely your equipment is better than some common farm-boy!
... There are, of course, a million and one rationalizations for what you're wearing - practice gear, or what-have-you. It's also a matter of game balance, since starting you with mid-range equipment offers a significant combat advantage, since enemies are scaled for low-level and thus poorly equipped. Two facts stand out, however:
First, game balance aside, by definition of the origin, you should have a decent suit of armor and a set of weapons - even your brother leaves wearing heavy chainmail, and if you check the portraits in the main hall, your father own a suit of silverite ceremonial heavy armor.
Second, it's a real let-down to see you march in to meet your father and the Arl dressed in armor that's crappier than what the guards are wearing. Worse, if you're playing a rogue, you really shouldn't be wearing armor and weapons *at all.* Changing that cutscene to make you look cool is what this mod is really about; keeping the armor and weapons is just a bonus. :D
The armors and weapons I've supplied are all plain tier 3 (steel or leather) equipment - no special powers or bonuses. The focus here is on roleplaying immersion, not game balance, so stat requirements have been removed. That means that a first level character can use any of these items without modification.
This add-in was designed with jwvanderbeck's "No Starting Abilities" mod in mind! Based on the starting skills you choose, it will equip you with armor and the appropriate weapon types (melee in weapon group 1, bow in weapon group 2) if you're a warrior, or noble's clothing with your armor and weapons in inventory, if you're a rogue. Heavy armor set for the warriors, medium armor set for the rogues (because light armor looks like crap in this game, and I can't mod textures).
WARNING: For warriors, the script prioritizes weapon selection in the following order: Greatsword > Dual Weapon > Sword and Shield > Archery. If, for some strange reason, you pick up Shield Bash and Mighty Blow, for example, you're going to start with a greatsword. The idea was to allow people to select one melee weapon style and archery. If you only choose archery skills, you will have a bow in weapon group 1, and a sword and shield in weapon group 2.
ALSO: There is nothing preventing the script from running for other origins, which means that you will want to disable the add-in if you're going to start a mage, elf or dwarf - or not, and keep the items, but they're Cousland-themed, so it's a bit off. If I feel enthusiastic later, I'll mod the script to terminate if you're not playing the noble background, so you don't have to keep turning it on and off.
BEFORE YOU ASK: Yes, there is a common graphics glitch where switching weapon sets from a bow and arrow to a melee weapon leaves the arrows on your back, which will make a shield dissapear, etc. etc. ... I'm sorry, I can't fix that, harp on Bioware.
FINALLY: For obvious reasons (*Cough*INTRO-CUTSCENE*Cough) this will only work with a new game, and will not affect any saved games.
COMPATABILITY ISSUES: None that I know of. Other equipment mods usually dump equipment into your inventory on module load, which won't affect this at all, since my mod depends on character creation.
TO INSTALL: Run daupdater.exe, select the .dazip file from whereever you saved it to, and install. Done!
TO UNINSTALL: Remove jkb_the_armory_package.erf from the packages Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\core\data directory, and the jkb_the_armory folder from the Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\addins directory.
I'm open to requests for different weapon sets for those with other preferences.
There is going to be a version out as per requests that equips your armor for the starting cutscene; it will be along shortly.
Here's a rundown of everything:
INTRO HUMAN NOBLE CUTSCENE: COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT FORESHADOWING!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You show up dressed elegantly as befits a noble of your rank, looking like you belong in the conversation between Bryce and Howe. Now, it's only Duncan that looks scruffy from the road - but at least *he* gets custom armor for that.
OMG! RATS!
----------
You are unarmed, and so you should do the proper noble thing: Stay to the side and let Ser Gilmore and the Dog kill the rats. But if you simply feel like punching some rats, go for it! Even with a Super-Nightmare Mod installed, it's not like they can hurt you, and they die in one hit. Blood apparently does not stick to silk in Ferelden, as you'll notice that by the end, you're the only clean one. :)
THE SIEGE OF HIGHEVER FINDS YOU IN YOUR UNDERWEAR!
--------------------------------------------------
While your dog's barking like crazy (and potentially your lover too), you're strapping your gear on like an intelligent RPG hero would do. By the time you have control and Howe's soldiers kick in the door, you're armed and ready for combat! Note that the game still prioritizes Two Handed Weapons > Two Weapons > Sword & Shield > Archery. Archers, your bow is in your second weapons group in all cases.
As a side note, since it occurs automatically and has nothing to do with looting your chest, you get to keep that useless Small Grease Trap! Yay!
LOOT THE TREASURY BEFORE THEY DO!
---------------------------------
When you grab the Family Sword and the Shield of Highever, they will automatically be replaced with silverite versions of themselves. Also, when you take the sword, you will get your father's silverite formal armor! You know, that cool stuff he's wearing in his portrait in the main hall? Now, unlike the starting equipment I provide, these have their stat requirements in place, so you'll have to work your way up to use your father's stuff (or cheat). Since this is a treasury, there's also a reasonable amount of gold. Enough to get everyone equipped, but not enough to afford the expensive stuff, so everyone should be happy. To keep things clean (and prevent a reoccurence), I remove the original items.
Note well, the original Family Sword did not have stat requirements, but this new silverite one DOES. Enchantments on the family items and your father's armor set are very modest - the armor set merely has slight increases to armor and a mild boost to physical and mental defence, while the sword and shield have only minor improvements to what they already had, well in line with (or under) other weapons of that tier in the game. It's still worth your while to dig up those massive armor sets and unique weapons. But if you feel like being a Cousland more than a Grey Warden all the way through the game, these should serve you well.
For the sake of keeping both your starting equipment and your family items viable for as long as possible, all relevant items are rune-enabled. Go nuts.
And... that's it! You escape the castle, killing a significant number of Howe's men and taking with you anything of real value, robbing Howe of the complete victory he was looking for. More importantly than that, though, you looked awesome the entire time, not once being depicted in scruffy gear that even your servants wouldn't wear.
REQUESTS
--------
Now that this is out, I will take requests for different noble clothing, weapon groupings or armor types, or more powerful armor... just put it in the comments section. :D
INSTALLATION AND UNINSTALLATION
-------------------------------
TO INSTALL: Run daupdater.exe, select the .dazip file from wherever you saved it to, and install. Done!
TO UNINSTALL: Remove jkb_the_armory_package.erf from the Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\packages\core\data directory, and the jkb_the_armory folder from the Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\addins directory.
COMPATABILITY ISSUES
--------------------
None! The add-in checks for background and items, so it's completely invisible unless you're starting a new human noble character.
*********
OLD TEXT
*********
Version 1.20
------------------
As per request, both warriors and rogues begin in noble's clothing, with their weapons and armor in inventory.
Also as per request, items are renamed along more neutral lines like "Commemorative," etc.
Item sets have been implemented for both suits of armor - the exact same set bonus you'd expect from heavy chain mail and scale armor, respectively. The helmets don't factor into the bonus, so you're free to wear or not wear them, as you prefer.
******************
******************
You start a human campaign as a Cousland, touted as the second-most powerful noble house in Ferelden. The cutscene shows you your father, dressed in the rich clothes of nobility, talking to his vassal, who is also dressed finely. Suddenly, they're interrupted by a rank-and-file soldier ... wait, that's *YOU?*
What's with the pathetic armor and rusty weapon? Aren't you the son of a noble? Surely your equipment is better than some common farm-boy!
... There are, of course, a million and one rationalizations for what you're wearing - practice gear, or what-have-you. It's also a matter of game balance, since starting you with mid-range equipment offers a significant combat advantage, since enemies are scaled for low-level and thus poorly equipped. Two facts stand out, however:
First, game balance aside, by definition of the origin, you should have a decent suit of armor and a set of weapons - even your brother leaves wearing heavy chainmail, and if you check the portraits in the main hall, your father own a suit of silverite ceremonial heavy armor.
Second, it's a real let-down to see you march in to meet your father and the Arl dressed in armor that's crappier than what the guards are wearing. Worse, if you're playing a rogue, you really shouldn't be wearing armor and weapons *at all.* Changing that cutscene to make you look cool is what this mod is really about; keeping the armor and weapons is just a bonus. :D
The armors and weapons I've supplied are all plain tier 3 (steel or leather) equipment - no special powers or bonuses. The focus here is on roleplaying immersion, not game balance, so stat requirements have been removed. That means that a first level character can use any of these items without modification.
This add-in was designed with jwvanderbeck's "No Starting Abilities" mod in mind! Based on the starting skills you choose, it will equip you with armor and the appropriate weapon types (melee in weapon group 1, bow in weapon group 2) if you're a warrior, or noble's clothing with your armor and weapons in inventory, if you're a rogue. Heavy armor set for the warriors, medium armor set for the rogues (because light armor looks like crap in this game, and I can't mod textures).
WARNING: For warriors, the script prioritizes weapon selection in the following order: Greatsword > Dual Weapon > Sword and Shield > Archery. If, for some strange reason, you pick up Shield Bash and Mighty Blow, for example, you're going to start with a greatsword. The idea was to allow people to select one melee weapon style and archery. If you only choose archery skills, you will have a bow in weapon group 1, and a sword and shield in weapon group 2.
ALSO: There is nothing preventing the script from running for other origins, which means that you will want to disable the add-in if you're going to start a mage, elf or dwarf - or not, and keep the items, but they're Cousland-themed, so it's a bit off. If I feel enthusiastic later, I'll mod the script to terminate if you're not playing the noble background, so you don't have to keep turning it on and off.
BEFORE YOU ASK: Yes, there is a common graphics glitch where switching weapon sets from a bow and arrow to a melee weapon leaves the arrows on your back, which will make a shield dissapear, etc. etc. ... I'm sorry, I can't fix that, harp on Bioware.
FINALLY: For obvious reasons (*Cough*INTRO-CUTSCENE*Cough) this will only work with a new game, and will not affect any saved games.
COMPATABILITY ISSUES: None that I know of. Other equipment mods usually dump equipment into your inventory on module load, which won't affect this at all, since my mod depends on character creation.
TO INSTALL: Run daupdater.exe, select the .dazip file from whereever you saved it to, and install. Done!
TO UNINSTALL: Remove jkb_the_armory_package.erf from the packages Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\core\data directory, and the jkb_the_armory folder from the Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\addins directory.
I'm open to requests for different weapon sets for those with other preferences.