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About this mod
Inspired by Sorcerys Toll. Instead of being just about the \"toll\" of magic, I wanted the mod to help the player capture the spirit of discovery and encourage experimentation. It should allow the player to be daring, take risks and both profit and suffer from the unpredictability of powerful magic. Hence the name Audacious Magery...
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
Name: Audacious Magery
Version: 1.09
Date: 7/15/2009
Category: Magic
Requirements: Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE)
Author: statttis
Description
===========
A couple weeks ago I tried out picador's Sorcerys Toll and while the idea was great, I wasn't satisfied with the implementation. So I decided to write my own version, and while I was at it, add some fun new features. I also decided to change the focus of the mod a little bit. Instead of being just about the "toll" of magic, I wanted the mod to help the player capture the spirit of discovery and encourage experimentation. It should allow the player to be daring, take risks and both profit and suffer from the unpredictability of powerful magic. Hence the name Audacious Magery...
Details
=======
Features:
-The ability to cast spell above your mastery level. There are two possible modes of calculating your mastery level: vanilla, which uses the skill levels of 25-50-75-100, and a system similar to Sorcerys Toll, where mastery level is based on player skill vs. magicka cost.
When using vanilla mastery levels, only spells higher than your mastery levels will cause penalties. For example, if you have 30 skill in Restoration, there will be no penalty for casting novice or apprentice spells, but there will be penalties for casting journeyman spells and above.
The modified mastery levels uses the formula player mastery = (magic skill) * MasteryMultiplier (default 1.7)
It's hard to do these sorts of calculations in the midst of battle so I included the option to have sounds and/or messages inform you when you may have penalties applied. Three different message options:
- First-person immersive messages that give you a rough estimate of how dangerous the spell is to cast
- Message with exact numbers
- Warning sound
-Spell Penalties: just like Sorcerys Toll, when you cast a spell above your mastery level, bad things can happen. There are short term effects in the form of attribute damage, drained fatigue, loss of magicka, and so on. Long term effects come in the form of magical diseases (which can be cured just like a normal disease). Diseases become more likely if you cast many powerful spells in a short time. The main difference between my mod and Sorcerys Toll is an added element of randomness - you can cast the same spell a dozen times and something different can happen each time.
Spell penalties are influenced by three attributes:
- Willpower reduces the chance of being hit with a penalty.
- Intelligence reduces the magnitude of the penalty.
- Personality reduces the chance for the penalty to be unusually strong.
Using the default settings, personality will generally have the greatest effect, closely followed by intelligence. Willpower has the weakest effect, but also affects spell failures and backfiring.
-Spell Failure: a chance for your spell cast to fail when the spell is above your mastery level. The failure chance increases based on how powerful the spell is. This option is disabled by default.
Willpower reduces the chance of spell failure.
-Spell Backfire: a chance that your spell will backfire and hit you instead, if you lack the power to properly control it (your mastery level is too low). Only harmful spells will backfire.
Willpower reduces the chance of a spell backfiring.
-Experimentation: if you've played the Aleswell quest you know the importance of a distraction free environment to magical research. Working in a properly insulated laboratory will help you concentrate on controlling the stronger spells.
-A chance for summoned creatures to be hostile, especially dangerous Daedra conjurations (unless your conjuration skill is high enough).
Willpower reduces the chance of the summoned creature being hostile.
-Wielding a staff of the same school as the spell you cast helps reduce penalties, failure chance, and backfiring. This has a strong effect so choose your staff wisely.
-You may notice that while you can cast any spell, you are still limited by your mastery level when making new spells. This is intentional: a mage should only be able to create spells that he has mastered. If you want stronger spells, buy them from someone who is more skilled... or use the ini setting to remove limits on spellmaking.
-Since you can cast any spell starting at level 1 (though not safely), there are new skill perks to keep the advancement milestones meaningful. New skill perks:
You can safely cast any spells in a school you have fully mastered (skill level 100).
Alteration:
A mage skilled in alteration learns to shield himself not only from outside threats, but inner ones as well. Increasing your skill in alteration reduces the magnitude of all spell penalties by the following amounts:
25 - 10%
50 - 20%
75 - 30%
100 - 50%
Conjuration:
A skilled conjurer learns to better control the creatures he summons. Increasing your conjuration skill reduces the chance for a summoned creature to be hostile by the following amounts:
25 - 10%
50 - 20%
75 - 40%
100 - Having finally perfected the control of his summoned creatures, a master of conjuration learns to channel the excess energy of powerful spells into the creatures he summons. While using this ability, there is a chance that a spell penalty will harm the caster's summoned creature instead of harming the caster. This ability can be turned on and off by using the Channel Energy lesser power.
Destruction:
A skill evoker learns to channel energy into his opponents instead of himself. Increasing your destruction skill reduces the chance of all spells (except summons) backfiring by the following amounts:
25 - 10%
50 - 20%
75 - 30%
100 - 50%
Illusion:
A skilled illusionist can be different things to different people. Increasing your illusion skill gives you a bonus in an attribute, and you can change which attribute is increased at any time by using the Illusion Skill lesser power. The bonuses are as follows:
25 - +1
50 - +2
75 - +3
100 - +5
Mysticism:
A mage skilled in mysticism can not only dispel effects from normal spells, but also effects from the harmful backlash of his own spells. Increasing your mysticism skill lets you use the Inner Dispel power once a day to dispel penalty effects on yourself. The number of effects dispelled is as follows:
25 - 1
50 - 2
75 - 3
100 - all
Restoration:
A mage skilled in restoration can resist and cure the worst afflictions. Increasing your restoration skill gives you a reduced chance of being magically diseased by the following amounts:
25 - 5%
50 - 10%
75 - 15%
100 - 30%
The reduction perks from other skills cannot bring chances below 0. However, a high skill level in restoration can eliminate the chance of disease... as long as you limit your casting of spells beyond your mastery level.
-An .ini file that allows you to choose which features to use as well as finely tune them to work the way you want. The ini file included uses the settings I prefer. Depending on the mods you have installed and your play style, you may not find them balanced. If you want to finely tune the settings to your preferences, dive into the ini, read the comments, and try out some new settings. If you'd prefer just to start playing but the balance doesn't feel quite right, here are a couple recommended settings to change:
set aaEMMainQuest.xMasteryMultiplier to 1.7(x is the name of a spell school)
- If you want spells of type x to be more difficult, set this value lower. If you want them to be easier, set it higher. The recommended range is 1.0 - 2.0.
set aaEMMainQuest.basePenaltyMultiplier to 0.5
- Make this lower or higher (by .1-.2 or less) to make all penalties weaker or stronger.
IMPORTANT!!!!
I really encourage you to read through the ini file. Pretty much everything this mod does can be enabled/disabled and modified through the settings provided.
Install
=======
**This mod requires OBSE**
1. Extract the files to \Oblivion\Data\
2. Start Oblivion Launcher, click 'Data Files', place a checkmark beside the AudaciousMagery.esp file.
3. Modify the settings in AudaciousMagery.ini to configure the mod to your liking.
Note: this mod works entirely through scripts and therefore load order is irrelevant. Set the load order to whatever is convenient.
If you install using BAIN, be sure to enable the "Has Extra Directories" option. Otherwise the .ini file won't be installed and the mod will not work.
Uninstall
=========
1. Start Oblivion Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck the AudaciousMagery.esp file.
2. Delete AudaciousMagery.esp and ini\AudaciousMagery.ini
Incompatibility
===============
No game settings are changed, and the mod works entirely through scripts, so this mod is compatible with just about everything. That includes magic mods like LAME, Supreme Magicka, and Midas Magic. Yes, this mod has been tested with LAME and Supreme Magicka and is compatible with them.
If you want to use this mod with a mod that removes spell levels (like Sorcerys Toll or Fizzle), you cannot use the vanilla mastery level setting. Be sure to set this option in the ini file to 0:
set aaEMMainQuest.useVanillaMastery to 0
Known Issues or Bugs
====================
Unfortunately, scripted conjurations like the ones in Midas Magic cannot backfire and become hostile. I might make an addon to fix this if I get around to it.
History
=======
1.09 12/3/09 - Fixed bug with spell level calculation.
1.08 9/3/09 - Fixed bug with Personality bonus.
- Improved handling of magicka cost scaling.
1.07 8/31/09 - Added option to prevent looting of summoned creatures.
- Updated some documentation.
1.06 8/8/09 - Fixed bug with powers.
1.05 7/25/09 - Removed an unpleasant penalty.
- Added new customization options: set the mastery multiplier for each school of magic individually.
- Cleared up some confusing wording.
- Penalty effects now show the name of the spell that caused them.
1.04 7/19/09 - Fixed bug where a spell could get be permanently changed.
1.03 7/19/09 - Fixed error with GetSpellMasteryLevel.
1.02 7/18/09 - Added option to remove limits on spellmaking.
1.01 7/16/09 - Fixed player not being notified when diseased.
1.0 7/15/09 - Initial release.
Contact
=======
You can find me on TESNexus and bethsoft.com forums as 'statttis'
Credits
=======
Thanks to the OBSE team, without their hard work on OBSE this mod wouldn't be possible.
Thanks to Sugarape for the idea about the mage's staff.
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Oblivion.
Thanks to TESNexus.com for the a one-stop-shop resource for authors and players.
Thanks to LHammonds for the Readme Generator this file was based on.
Tools Used
==========
TES4Edit - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11536
TES Construction Set - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11367
Readme Generator - http://lhammonds.game-host.org/obmm/tools_readme_generator1.asp
Licensing/Legal
===============
You can do whatever you want with this mod.
Version: 1.09
Date: 7/15/2009
Category: Magic
Requirements: Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE)
Author: statttis
Description
===========
A couple weeks ago I tried out picador's Sorcerys Toll and while the idea was great, I wasn't satisfied with the implementation. So I decided to write my own version, and while I was at it, add some fun new features. I also decided to change the focus of the mod a little bit. Instead of being just about the "toll" of magic, I wanted the mod to help the player capture the spirit of discovery and encourage experimentation. It should allow the player to be daring, take risks and both profit and suffer from the unpredictability of powerful magic. Hence the name Audacious Magery...
Details
=======
Features:
-The ability to cast spell above your mastery level. There are two possible modes of calculating your mastery level: vanilla, which uses the skill levels of 25-50-75-100, and a system similar to Sorcerys Toll, where mastery level is based on player skill vs. magicka cost.
When using vanilla mastery levels, only spells higher than your mastery levels will cause penalties. For example, if you have 30 skill in Restoration, there will be no penalty for casting novice or apprentice spells, but there will be penalties for casting journeyman spells and above.
The modified mastery levels uses the formula player mastery = (magic skill) * MasteryMultiplier (default 1.7)
It's hard to do these sorts of calculations in the midst of battle so I included the option to have sounds and/or messages inform you when you may have penalties applied. Three different message options:
- First-person immersive messages that give you a rough estimate of how dangerous the spell is to cast
- Message with exact numbers
- Warning sound
-Spell Penalties: just like Sorcerys Toll, when you cast a spell above your mastery level, bad things can happen. There are short term effects in the form of attribute damage, drained fatigue, loss of magicka, and so on. Long term effects come in the form of magical diseases (which can be cured just like a normal disease). Diseases become more likely if you cast many powerful spells in a short time. The main difference between my mod and Sorcerys Toll is an added element of randomness - you can cast the same spell a dozen times and something different can happen each time.
Spell penalties are influenced by three attributes:
- Willpower reduces the chance of being hit with a penalty.
- Intelligence reduces the magnitude of the penalty.
- Personality reduces the chance for the penalty to be unusually strong.
Using the default settings, personality will generally have the greatest effect, closely followed by intelligence. Willpower has the weakest effect, but also affects spell failures and backfiring.
-Spell Failure: a chance for your spell cast to fail when the spell is above your mastery level. The failure chance increases based on how powerful the spell is. This option is disabled by default.
Willpower reduces the chance of spell failure.
-Spell Backfire: a chance that your spell will backfire and hit you instead, if you lack the power to properly control it (your mastery level is too low). Only harmful spells will backfire.
Willpower reduces the chance of a spell backfiring.
-Experimentation: if you've played the Aleswell quest you know the importance of a distraction free environment to magical research. Working in a properly insulated laboratory will help you concentrate on controlling the stronger spells.
-A chance for summoned creatures to be hostile, especially dangerous Daedra conjurations (unless your conjuration skill is high enough).
Willpower reduces the chance of the summoned creature being hostile.
-Wielding a staff of the same school as the spell you cast helps reduce penalties, failure chance, and backfiring. This has a strong effect so choose your staff wisely.
-You may notice that while you can cast any spell, you are still limited by your mastery level when making new spells. This is intentional: a mage should only be able to create spells that he has mastered. If you want stronger spells, buy them from someone who is more skilled... or use the ini setting to remove limits on spellmaking.
-Since you can cast any spell starting at level 1 (though not safely), there are new skill perks to keep the advancement milestones meaningful. New skill perks:
You can safely cast any spells in a school you have fully mastered (skill level 100).
Alteration:
A mage skilled in alteration learns to shield himself not only from outside threats, but inner ones as well. Increasing your skill in alteration reduces the magnitude of all spell penalties by the following amounts:
25 - 10%
50 - 20%
75 - 30%
100 - 50%
Conjuration:
A skilled conjurer learns to better control the creatures he summons. Increasing your conjuration skill reduces the chance for a summoned creature to be hostile by the following amounts:
25 - 10%
50 - 20%
75 - 40%
100 - Having finally perfected the control of his summoned creatures, a master of conjuration learns to channel the excess energy of powerful spells into the creatures he summons. While using this ability, there is a chance that a spell penalty will harm the caster's summoned creature instead of harming the caster. This ability can be turned on and off by using the Channel Energy lesser power.
Destruction:
A skill evoker learns to channel energy into his opponents instead of himself. Increasing your destruction skill reduces the chance of all spells (except summons) backfiring by the following amounts:
25 - 10%
50 - 20%
75 - 30%
100 - 50%
Illusion:
A skilled illusionist can be different things to different people. Increasing your illusion skill gives you a bonus in an attribute, and you can change which attribute is increased at any time by using the Illusion Skill lesser power. The bonuses are as follows:
25 - +1
50 - +2
75 - +3
100 - +5
Mysticism:
A mage skilled in mysticism can not only dispel effects from normal spells, but also effects from the harmful backlash of his own spells. Increasing your mysticism skill lets you use the Inner Dispel power once a day to dispel penalty effects on yourself. The number of effects dispelled is as follows:
25 - 1
50 - 2
75 - 3
100 - all
Restoration:
A mage skilled in restoration can resist and cure the worst afflictions. Increasing your restoration skill gives you a reduced chance of being magically diseased by the following amounts:
25 - 5%
50 - 10%
75 - 15%
100 - 30%
The reduction perks from other skills cannot bring chances below 0. However, a high skill level in restoration can eliminate the chance of disease... as long as you limit your casting of spells beyond your mastery level.
-An .ini file that allows you to choose which features to use as well as finely tune them to work the way you want. The ini file included uses the settings I prefer. Depending on the mods you have installed and your play style, you may not find them balanced. If you want to finely tune the settings to your preferences, dive into the ini, read the comments, and try out some new settings. If you'd prefer just to start playing but the balance doesn't feel quite right, here are a couple recommended settings to change:
set aaEMMainQuest.xMasteryMultiplier to 1.7(x is the name of a spell school)
- If you want spells of type x to be more difficult, set this value lower. If you want them to be easier, set it higher. The recommended range is 1.0 - 2.0.
set aaEMMainQuest.basePenaltyMultiplier to 0.5
- Make this lower or higher (by .1-.2 or less) to make all penalties weaker or stronger.
IMPORTANT!!!!
I really encourage you to read through the ini file. Pretty much everything this mod does can be enabled/disabled and modified through the settings provided.
Install
=======
**This mod requires OBSE**
1. Extract the files to \Oblivion\Data\
2. Start Oblivion Launcher, click 'Data Files', place a checkmark beside the AudaciousMagery.esp file.
3. Modify the settings in AudaciousMagery.ini to configure the mod to your liking.
Note: this mod works entirely through scripts and therefore load order is irrelevant. Set the load order to whatever is convenient.
If you install using BAIN, be sure to enable the "Has Extra Directories" option. Otherwise the .ini file won't be installed and the mod will not work.
Uninstall
=========
1. Start Oblivion Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck the AudaciousMagery.esp file.
2. Delete AudaciousMagery.esp and ini\AudaciousMagery.ini
Incompatibility
===============
No game settings are changed, and the mod works entirely through scripts, so this mod is compatible with just about everything. That includes magic mods like LAME, Supreme Magicka, and Midas Magic. Yes, this mod has been tested with LAME and Supreme Magicka and is compatible with them.
If you want to use this mod with a mod that removes spell levels (like Sorcerys Toll or Fizzle), you cannot use the vanilla mastery level setting. Be sure to set this option in the ini file to 0:
set aaEMMainQuest.useVanillaMastery to 0
Known Issues or Bugs
====================
Unfortunately, scripted conjurations like the ones in Midas Magic cannot backfire and become hostile. I might make an addon to fix this if I get around to it.
History
=======
1.09 12/3/09 - Fixed bug with spell level calculation.
1.08 9/3/09 - Fixed bug with Personality bonus.
- Improved handling of magicka cost scaling.
1.07 8/31/09 - Added option to prevent looting of summoned creatures.
- Updated some documentation.
1.06 8/8/09 - Fixed bug with powers.
1.05 7/25/09 - Removed an unpleasant penalty.
- Added new customization options: set the mastery multiplier for each school of magic individually.
- Cleared up some confusing wording.
- Penalty effects now show the name of the spell that caused them.
1.04 7/19/09 - Fixed bug where a spell could get be permanently changed.
1.03 7/19/09 - Fixed error with GetSpellMasteryLevel.
1.02 7/18/09 - Added option to remove limits on spellmaking.
1.01 7/16/09 - Fixed player not being notified when diseased.
1.0 7/15/09 - Initial release.
Contact
=======
You can find me on TESNexus and bethsoft.com forums as 'statttis'
Credits
=======
Thanks to the OBSE team, without their hard work on OBSE this mod wouldn't be possible.
Thanks to Sugarape for the idea about the mage's staff.
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Oblivion.
Thanks to TESNexus.com for the a one-stop-shop resource for authors and players.
Thanks to LHammonds for the Readme Generator this file was based on.
Tools Used
==========
TES4Edit - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11536
TES Construction Set - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11367
Readme Generator - http://lhammonds.game-host.org/obmm/tools_readme_generator1.asp
Licensing/Legal
===============
You can do whatever you want with this mod.