::Features::

This mod expands the Necromancy system in Enderal. It is heavily inspired by my Dark Arts mod over on the Special Edition Nexus and is designed to add more depth to Entropist builds in Enderal.


This mod DOES a few things:

• It prevents reanimated thralls from turning to ashpiles when they die, which allows them to be reanimated again. Please note that enemy Entropists will also benefit from this feature as well so it will make fighting those with reanimation spells even more challenging.
• It grants players the opportunity to customize the weapons and armor of reanimated thralls.
• It gives players the ability to summon reanimated thralls.
• It teaches a spell that allows players to detect dead corpses and undead.
• It gives players a way to view stats of summons and reanimated thralls so that players can easily compare them and be well informed when trying to optimize them.
• It equips players with the ability to apply buffs to summons and reanimated thralls.
• It adds a means to safely and permanently store their favorite corpses for reanimation.
• It includes fixes for a few of the vanilla necromancy bugs like the "moonwalking" bug.
• It gives the player the ability to craft unenchanted replicas of both the Hooded and Unhooded Entropy Robes set at tanning racks. The hooded version of this robe was also designed to allow players to wear circlets.
• It gives the player the ability to craft unenchanted replicas of both the Hooded and Unhooded Psionicist's Robes set at tanning racks. Just as the case above, players can wear circlets with the hooded variant of this robe.
• It gives the player the ability to craft two unenchanted replicas of the Wandering Mage set at forges and anvils - one heavy armor version using the same stats of the Wandering Mage set and a light armor version using the same stats of the Tribunal set. Circlets can be equipped simultaneously with the hoods of these sets.
• It gives the player the ability to craft an unenchanted replica of the Wandering Mage set at forges and anvils that uses the same stats of the Skybreaker (Heavenstormer) set. Circlets can be equipped simultaneously with the hood of this set. This powerful set requires that the player locates the recipes of the Skybreaker (Heavenstormer) set and has a Handicraft skill of at least 75 to craft them.
• It gives the player the ability to craft two unenchanted replicas of Skyrim's Daedric Gloves at forges and anvils - one heavy armor version using the same stats of the gloves for the Wandering Mage set and a light armor version using the same stats of the gloves for the Tribunal set.
• It gives the player the ability to craft an unenchanted replica of Skyrim's Daedric Gloves at forges and anvils that uses the same stats of the gloves for the Skybreaker (Heavenstormer) set. These gauntlets require that the player locates the gauntlet recipe of the Skybreaker (Heavenstormer) set and has a Handicraft skill of at least 75 to craft them. Why make Daedric gloves craftable? Because fashion!
• It allows players to craft two new unenchanted circlets at forges, an Entropy Circlet and a Psionicist's Circlet which will match well with those aforementioned robes and can be worn with the hoods in this mod.
• It makes it possible to not only craft those items but allows players to temper and dismantle them to recover components. Please note that in Enderal you need to unequip items first if you wish to dismantle them at the smelter.
  

This mod DOES NOT:

• Edit any of the vanilla perks or perk trees.
• Edit any of the vanilla spells.
• Increase the level cap for reanimation spells.
• Increase the number of corpses that the player can reanimate.
  

I was just about to start my second playthrough of Enderal as a Sinistra mage after playing it almost three years ago, so I am really excited to see all of the changes to the game. However, if I feel like more should be added to Necromancy or even the other disciplines within the school of Sinistra, then I will add more features and mechanics in future updates.






::The Grimoire::

After installing this mod a grimoire will be added to the world called "Scientia Sinistra." The Scientia Sinistra was inspired by an in-game book of the same name that was written by Ibn Nay'Darim who was a skilled Qyranian arcanist of the Sibnzota. It can be found among the rewards of the Secrets from the Can quest. This grimoire will teach you two new perks and a few utility spells should you decide to "memorize" it. You can also read it again to "forget" everything that was learned. You can interact with the grimoire by either reading it while it is in your inventory or dropping it to the ground and reading it.

• Cancel - This option closes the grimoire's menu.
• Memorize - This option adds the new perks and the summon spell to the player.
• Forget - This option allows the player to remove the new perks and the summon spell.
  

::Dance Of Death::

This perk increases the duration of reanimation spells from the 1 minute by default to 1 hour, which saves players the tedium of having to constantly recast reanimation spells. Please note that this was done without directly editing any of the reanimation spells. The added duration for reanimation spells, combined with the fact that this mod also eliminates the disintegration of reanimated thralls upon death, makes Necromancy a more viable playstyle for Sinistra mages. Also due to the longer duration, players can now travel around Enderal with less fear of their reanimated thrall suddenly disappearing or dying on them during transit.


::Speak With Undead::

Both reanimated undead and summons will now have more options than vanilla should the player "memorize" this perk from the grimoire. A few options have been removed for summons for obvious reasons. The following list seeks to explain what the various options do in this menu interaction when players activate their thrall.

• Trade - Allows players to exchange items with reanimated thralls. This option is disabled for summons as they can permanently take items away from players when they die.
• Command - Issues simple commands to reanimated thralls like "Dismiss" which kills the thrall automatically with more commands that will be added in the future.
• Stats - Allows players to view detailed stats on the reanimated thrall like the thrall's level, health, mana, stamina, damage, skill levels, resistances and more. Please check out the screenshots above to see the various stats that can be monitored.
• Cast - Grants players the ability to dispel magic effects and can be used to purge lingering effects from enemy spell casters. This option also allows players to cast spells, that are equipped in either their left or right hand on the summon or reanimated thrall. This feature can be used to apply healing spells, armor spells, light spells, buffs and other utility spells. Please note that players can only cast non-hostile fire and forget spells. Be sure to use the dispel option to prematurely end any spells that were cast and use the "Banish" option to send your Chosen Undead and Preserved Dead to storage.
• Equipment - This option allows players to order their reanimated thralls to equip weapons and armor. This option is disabled for summons for the same reason as the Trade option.
• Promote - Allows players to promote reanimated thralls to either "Preserved Dead" or "Chosen Undead" status or demote them back to regular reanimated undead. The benefits of these unique categories will be elaborated on soon.
• Upgrade - Allows players to convert their Chosen Undead from generic reanimated thralls to ghosts. Please note that this "upgrade" is 100% cosmetic; it does not make them ignore incoming damage or deal bonus damage. I added this option for my own playthrough, because I am a fan of having spectral thralls serving me.
• Nevermind - Permits players to exit out of the follower menu.
  

Please be sure to check out the screenshots above for more details on these options as some things are better shown rather than explained.



This perk also comes with a built-in debugging feature that will attempt to fix reanimation bugs on NPCs. When activating a potentially bugged corpse, a unique corpse menu will appear, simply press the "Debug" option to fix the bug.





::Summon Dead::

This is a unique spell that allows players to summon any reanimated thrall that was promoted to Preserved Dead. This will help prevent players from ever losing their favorite thrall. In addition to serving as a summoning spell, it also has a built-in debugging feature which will quickly detect and fix any bugs on your reanimated thrall. For example, if your thrall gets inflicted with the "moonwalking bug" that happens from time to time, then you can either activate it to reveal the corpse menu shown above or simply resummon it in order to fix the bug.


::Summon Undead::

This spell allows players to summon any reanimated thrall that was promoted to Chosen Undead and has the same debugging benefits of the Summon Dead spell.


::Detect Dead::

A unique spell that acts just like the Detect Life spell but for corpses and undead, so it will allow you to find corpses that get lost in tall grass or search for any nearby undead enemies.


::Animate Dead::

This is a new reanimation spell that scales with the player's level. It will allow players to reanimate corpses that are either at or below the player's level to keep things balanced. It also requires that the player's Entropy skill exceeds the corpse's level so that it can be successfully reanimated and to ensure that only those who invest in Entropy will benefit the most from the spell. Once the player reaches level 100 in Entropy skill, then any corpse can be reanimated assuming that it still meets the aforementioned level requirements. Unlike the other vanilla reanimation skills that last an hour with this mod installed, this spell will last for 24 hours.


::Possess Undead::

This spell allows players to take control of their Chosen Undead's body for a few seconds. This utility spell can be used for a variety of situations like moving the undead ahead of the player to scout the area, to position the Chosen Undead in the middle of enemies to tank or take aggro, to lead the Chosen Undead away from traps or to simply control the undead to kill specific targets first like that annoying wild mage in a group of bandits. Possessions can be cancelled by simply sheathing the Chosen Undead's weapon.


::Chosen Undead::

With the Speak With Undead perk, players can "promote" their reanimated thralls to Chosen Undead. There are a few key benefits to promoting your undead to Chosen Undead:

• They will display health, stamina and mana bars on screen just like summoned creatures do in-game.
• They will quickly regenerate health outside of combat just like Apparitions do in-game.
• They will pull out their weapons whenever you do and will automatically equip the best weapons and armor in their inventory.
• They will sneak whenever the player sneaks and will not break the player's stealth.
• They are now immune to certain effects that tend to trigger reanimation bugs like paralysis, disintegration, decapitation and a few other detrimental non-damaging effects.
• They can be summoned to the player with the Summon Undead spell.
• They can be banished to storage via the Cast option. Please note that they will be killed automatically just before being banished and then teleported to storage.
• The reanimation effect shaders for Chosen Undead will persist across loading screens, unlike vanilla Skyrim's reanimated thralls which loses their shaders due to an engine limitation.
  

::Preserved Dead::

Players can also "promote" their reanimated thralls to Preserved Dead. There are a few benefits to promoting your undead to Preserved Dead:

• They primarily serve as a backup corpse that the player would like to save or possibly use later. I recommend that players promote their strongest reanimated thrall as a Chosen Undead and reserve this category for either their second strongest undead or undead reserved for special situations.
• They will display health, stamina and mana bars on screen just like summoned creatures do in-game.
• They will quickly regenerate health outside of combat just like Apparitions do in-game.
• They are immune to certain effects that tend to trigger reanimation bugs like paralysis, disintegration, decapitation and a few other detrimental non-damaging effects.
• They can be summoned to the player with the Summon Dead spell.
• They can be banished to storage via the Cast option. Please note that they will be killed automatically just before being banished and then teleported to storage.
• They will not pull out weapons whenever the player does, will not sneak and will not automatically equip the best gear within their inventory.
• They can not be upgraded to ghosts like Chosen Undead.
• They do not benefit from the built-in fix for Chosen Undead which overcomes an engine limitation that causes effect shaders to disappear whenever players go through loading screens.
  

::New Craftable and Unenchanted Gear::

Once the contents of the grimoire is memorized you will unlock the ability to craft unenchanted versions of a few robes, armors and circlets that can be made at tanning racks and forges. The mod adds the ability to craft hooded and non-hooded versions of the entropist and psionicist robes with circlets that can be worn at the same time with the hooded versions. It also offers 3 unenchanted standalone versions of the Wandering Mage set which uses the same stats as the Tribunal Set (Light Armor), Wandering Mage (Heavy Armor) and the Skybreaker or Heavenstormer (Heavy Armor) set respectively. Additionally, the mod adds the ability to craft 3 unenchanted versions of the daedric gloves which likewise use the same stats as the gloves for the Tribunal Set (Light Armor), Wandering Mage (Heavy Armor) and the Skybreaker or Heavenstormer (Heavy Armor) sets. Please note that all the higher end gear comes with similar Handicraft requirements as their sets, for instance, players will need a Handicraft level of at least 75 and possess the recipes for the Skybreaker (Heavenstormer) set in order to craft the specific Wandering Mage set that uses those same stats. The mod also makes it possible to dismantle all the gear at the smelter to recover components. Please keep in mind that Enderal only allows unequipped items to be dismantled at the smelter.





::Requirements::

• A legal copy of Skyrim
• Enderal
  

::Installation::

Before enabling the mod in your load order, please make a backup save before installing this mod, because this mod makes use of scripts and will corrupt your save should you decide to uninstall the mod on an ongoing save. This pre-installation backup save should be used instead if you want to safely uninstall the mod at a later time. While save cleaners may be another option, I cannot vouch for how reliable they can be in cleaning orphan scripts from your save and might actually make things worse.

After making a pre-installation save, to rollback to should you change your mind about using the mod, you can either Install the mod virtually with your preferred mod manager or copy and paste the contents of the zip file into the Data directory.



::Updating::

First of all, kill off any of your reanimated thralls before updating. Read the grimoire to enter the grimoire's menu and "forget" the contents of the grimoire. Once you have forgotten everything make a save and then close the game. You can update the mod by reinstalling it with the updated version through your mod manager or by manually deleting the mod and installing it again with the updated version. Load up the game and just re-memorize the grimoire again to finish the update process. Please note that the "forgetting" process will automatically demote any Preserved Dead and Chosen Undead that you may have, so you will need to reanimate and promote them again.



::Uninstallation::

This mod has scripts and should not be uninstalled on an ongoing save that had the mod enabled. If you decide to uninstall the mod then uninstall it and revert to the pre-installation save(s) that was made by following the Installation procedure above.





::Mod Compatibility::

This mod was designed with compatibility in mind and should play well with any mod in your load order. It also does not directly edit or overwrite anything in vanilla Enderal, thus making it future proof. At the moment there aren't any known conflicting mods and based on how it is designed there likely will not be one, but if you found a conflicting mod, then please send me a message, so I can list the conflicting mod by name within this compatibility section for the sake of other users.



::Known Issues::

• If your Chosen Undead, that has been upgraded to a ghost, dies and the player reanimates them then they will look like generic reanimated thralls, in order to fix this simply resummon the Chosen Undead so that its effect shaders will "reset" back to the desired ghostly appearance. Alternatively, you can just ignore this and keep playing the game, the next loading screen that you go through with your Chosen Undead will likely reset things naturally without your intervention.
• Unfortunately, there are a three engine limitations to the Possess Undead spell. The first engine limitation is the camera, once the possession succeeds the camera tends to be zoomed in (making the Chosen Undead appear invisible) but this can be fixed by simply zooming out the camera to make the Chosen Undead visible. The second engine limitation prevents players from using the attack buttons for both spellcasters (humanoids with spells equipped) and non-humanoid undead (undead that are incapable of wielding weapons), however this limitation can be bypassed by simply moving the non-humanoid undead or spellcaster within melee range of an enemy target. Once within melee range, the undead will automatically attack and/or cast spells on the enemy without the player's actual input. The third engine limitation to possession tends to bug out the jumping animations for controlled humanoids (undead NPCs that are capable of jumping just like the player). However, this mod provides a built-in fix for this by setting the humanoid to "ragdoll" soon after jumping, which serves to preemptively fix that jumping animation bug, so please do not panic when this happens as it is intentional.
  

::Recommended Mods::

Please note that the following mods are not actually required for this mod to work:

• Better MessageBox Controls - Highly recommended for better navigation through the new menus that are added by this mod.
• Reapers Necromancers Robe Textures Replacer - This makes the vanilla Necromancer robes look darker and removes the green skull.
• Difficulty Balance - This mod applies the same bonus incoming and reduced outgoing damage penalties that the player gets with Iron Path difficulty to reanimated thralls. Only recommended if you actually want more of a challenge or wish to fix that possible oversight that exists in the Elder Scrolls games.
• Display Enemy Level - Helps in keeping track of levels of new enemies that you'd like to consider for the Animate Dead spell.
• Floating Damage - Convenient way to see the exact damage that you and your minions deal against enemies.
  

::Permissions::

Please do not upload my mod to other websites. Anyone can make a translation for this mod and my other mods without seeking my permission. The only thing that I ask is that you at least upload the translation to the Nexus. For those out there who own a website, then it is perfectly fine if you host the translation on other websites, but all I ask is that you please maintain a separate mod page for the translation here on the Nexus in addition to that copy on your website.



::Credits::

Special thanks to Bethesda for providing the tools for modding their games and SureAI for creating such an amazing world for us to explore and enjoy.