Combat Realism � Weapons, Armor, & Blocking
BY ROWAN WALKINGWOLF


THE PURPOSE OF THIS MOD, IN SHORT
Combat Realism � Weapons, Armor, & Blocking strives to provide the best Skyrim combat
experience possible by making combat swift, deadly, and brutal.
This mod aims for Realism, Immersion, and Simplicity.


LENGTHY LIST OF CHANGES & FEATURES
WEAPONS
- All weapons are now deadlier and more effective at killing.
- Weapons have been streamlined and balanced based on standard, mundane steel weapons as a template.
- Damage is now no longer based upon the material of a given weapon. Rather, all weapons of a given type (e.g.- Swords) have identical damage stats (with a few exceptions); material instead now affects weight, attack speed, and critical chance. This is based upon the real-world observation that similar weapons of various materials are equally effective at killing, but they differ in other ways. For example, historically, Bronze shortswords and Steel shortswords are equally damaging to the flesh they strike. However, bronze weapons weigh more, are more difficult and slower to swing, lose their edge more quickly, and are more durable than steel weapons. Steel weapons, on the other hand, weigh less than bronze, are easier to weild and faster to swing, hold and edge longer, and are less durable than bronze. Weapon stats in this mod are altered to fit this historical real-world model.
- In keeping with historical weapon trends, weapons now become LIGHTER as they improve in material, not heavier as vanilla Skyrim seems to think they should. For example, iron weapons are the heaviest, steel weapons (of all kinds) are lighter, glass and ebony weapons are lighter still, and daedric weapons (being eldritch and otherworldly in nature) are the lightest. If this seems odd to you, compare real historical trends with Bronze Weapons, Iron Weapons, Early Steel, Medieval Steel, and contemporary carbon Steel weaponry. As materials and techniques improve, weapons (and technology in general) gets lighter and smaller.
- Ebony and Daedric weapons are two exceptions to the above rule, as they are NOT steel weapons. Ebony and Daedric weapons, being superior and arcane materials, remain superior to steel weapons (including Orcish steel, Elven steel, etc.)
- Pickaxes and Woodcutter's Axes are now viable weapons, as they should have been in the vanilla game. Having used pickaxes and wood-chopping axes in my woodsie adult life for many years, I can attest to their efficacy as weapons.
- War Axes have all been renamed as Hand Axes. Historically, there's no such thing as a "war axe"; such axes meant for war have always been called "battleaxes". Since that names is reserved for two-handed axes in Skyrim, all War Axes are now renamed to the more appropriate "Hand Axe", a name synonymous with hatchets, which is what they are.
- Other weapons have been renamed to reflect the type of weapon their corresponding artwork represents. For example, Imperial Swords are now called Steel Gladius (Imperial), because they're modeled after and meant to represent historical Roman gladius, the imperial shortsword appropriated by the Romans from the Spanish. Dwarven Swords are now renamed Steel Broadsword (Dwarven) because they most closely resemble broadswords, not longswords as the other steel weapons represent. Other such realism changes have been made to weapon names.
- Daggers are now MUCH faster and MUCH more viable as primary weapons than in the vanilla game, and have been altered to reflect real-world knife and dagger speeds.
- Shivs now have a huge critical chance, since the whole point of shiving someone is to strike a critical point (artery, lung, jugular, heart, etc.) Shivs are also MUCH faster.
- Crossbows and Arbalests (Dwarven Crossbows renamed) are now the deadliest and slowest weapons in the game. Historically, crossbows, and their heavier cousins, arbalests, are very slow to reload, but incredibly powerful. Most crossbows and arbalests of the medieval era were capable of penetrating plate armor and even plate with chainmail underneath. In terms of Skyrim, this essentially means that crossbows should inflict terrible damage on all those except the heaviest armors (Ebony, Daedric, and Dragon armors). The stats of these weapons reflect their historical power and sluggishness.
- All standard and mundane arrows and crossbow bolts are streamlined and identical in statistics. I can speak from experience that shooting an animal with an obsidian or flint broadhead arrow from a primitive bow is no different than and equally effective to shooting a similar animal with a modern steel broadhead. The type of head on the arrow is what makes it effective or ineffective, not the materials from which it's made.
- Leveled Lists have been altered to add Scimitars and Shivs throughout the world. You'll see these weapons much more commonly now.
- Leveled Weapons no longer exist. Leveled lists are stupid, and despite people's general annoyance at this immersion-breaking feature, Bethesda still hasn't learned this since Fallout 3. All weapons that changed according to the player's level are now altered to reflect their ultimate form, regardless of the player's level.
- Legendary and unique weapons are now MUCH better than their vanilla counterparts. Also, Mehrune's Razor is now truly deadly, as the lore suggests it should be, not a flippant joke as in the vanilla game.
- All weapons have been appropriately renamed to reflect what they actually are. For example, Elven Dagger is no longer a weapon. With this mod, the weapon is now: Steel Dagger (Elven), as the weapon is made of Elven steel. Similarly, other variations include Steel Dagger (Orcish), Steel Dagger (Dwarven), and so on. Non-steel weapons retain their names. For example, Ebony Dagger, Daedric Dagger, Glass Dagger, etc.


BASE WEAPON STATISTICS TEMPLATES
Since weapon stats are now no longer dependent upon material (as described and rationalized above), weapons of various kinds have had their stats redone based upon mundane iron/steel weapons as a template. These weapon templates are provided below to be used as reference points when contrasting other weapons with the changes made according to material in the following section. In the templates below, weight and value are provided for iron weapons where available, but certain weapons- like Scimitar's- have no iron correlary in the game, and so steel weights and values are provided. The only statistical difference between iron and steel weapons with this mod activated is weight and value, as they are otherwise identical.

Daggers: 25 dam, 2.5 speed, crit dam 15, reach .7, stagger 0.0, value 10, weight 2
Pickaxes: 40 dam, .85 speed, crit dam 35, reach 1, stagger .8, weight 5
Hand Axes: 50 dam, .85 speed, crit dam 25, reach 1, stagger .9, value 30, weight 5
Maces: 50 dam, .75 speed, crit dam 25, reach 1, stagger 1.0, value 30, weight 6
Swords: 50 dam, 1.0 speed, crit dam 25, reach 1, stagger .75, value 30, weight 4
Scimitars: 50 dam, .9 speed, crit 25, reach .85, stagger .85, weight 3.8
Gladius (Imperial Swords): 50, 1.1 speed, .9 reach, otherwise identical to swords

Battleaxes: 75 dam, .7 speed, 40 crit dam, reach 1.3, stagger 1.15, value 60, weight 10
Warhammer: 75 dam, .6 speed, 40 crit dam, reach 1.3, stagger 1.25, value 60, weight 12
Greatswords: 75 dam, .85 speed, 40 crit dam, reach 1.3, stagger 1.0, value 60, weight 8

Long Bows: 50 dam, 1 speed, 25 crit, reach 1, stagger 0, value 100
Forsworn Bows: 75 dam, .875 speed, 40 crit, reach 1, stagger 0, value 200
Recurve Long Bows (Hunting Bows): 75 dam, .875 speed, 40 crit, reach 1, stagger 0, value 200
Recurve Long Bows (Imperial Bows): 75 dam, .875 speed, 40 crit, reach 1, stagger 0, value 200
Crossbows: 90 dam, .435 speed, 45 crit, reach 1, stagger .5, value 300
Arbalests (Dwarven Crossbows): 100 dam, .4 speed, 50 crit, reach 1, stagger .75, value 350

Iron, Steel, other Normal Arrows 20 damage
Forsworn, Primitive Arrows 10 damage
Rusty, Old Arrows 15 damage
Ebony Bodkin Arrow 25 damage
Daedric Pronged Arrows 25 damage
Standard Crossbow/Arbalest Bolts 15 damage


WEAPON CHANGES BASED ON MATERIAL
Although weapon damage in this mod is not dependent upon the material of the weapon, material does altered other statistics. As mentioned above, historically, a Bronze shortsword and an Iron or Steel shortsword are equally effective at killing and maiming (i.e.- Damage). However, a bronze shortsword is heavier, more durable, and holds an edge less than steel. A steel shortsword, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is lighter, easier to swing, holds and edge better, and is ultimately less durable than bronze. Weapon stats in this mod have been altered and streamlined to fit this historical model and to encourage realism and immersion. Following below is a list of changes based upon weapon materials. All changes listed are relative to mundane iron and steel weaponry as described in the templates above.

AKAVIRI
The Akaviri are known for their katanas, a curving longsword borrowed from the Japanese feudal ages. Compared to the average steel sword, Akaviri katanas are slightly faster and slightly lighter.

ANCIENT NORD, NORDIC WEAPONS
The indigenous people of Skyrim forge their weaponry to be heavy, brutal, and unforgiving, much like Orcish smiths. Compared to standard iron and steel weapons, Nord and Ancient Nord Steel weaponry is heavier, slower, and has better criticals and causes more staggering.

EBONY
Being a harder, lighter, and highly sought after material, Ebony weaponry is in many ways superior to average steel weaponry. Compared to the average steel weapon, Ebony weapons have overall better statistics.

ELVEN
Elven steel is notable for is elegance, fine and minute craftsmanship, and relative lightness. And so, Elven Steel weapons weigh less, cause less stagger, do slightly less damage, and have a higher critical chance. Also, due to the prevalence of archery and marksmanship with the Bosmer (wood elves), Elven bows are the best overall bows (excluding Ebony and Daedric).

DAEDRIC
Due to its arcane and demonic nature, Daedric weapons are in every way statistically superior to average, mundane steel weapons. Daedric weapons remain (statistically) the best weapons in the game (though they also remain ugly as hell).

DWARVEN, DWEMER
Dwarves engineered their unique, steampunk-esque weaponry to be heavy, durable, and clunky. Just so, compared to mundane iron and steel, Dwarven Steel weapons are much heavier, do much more damage, are much slower, cause fewer critical hits, and cause more staggering.

FALMER, CHITIN
The weird chitinous carapace of the chaurus used by the Falmer is much different than typical steel weaponry. Falmer weapons made of this material tend to be lighter, less likely to cause critical hits, and less likely to stagger an opponent.

FORSWORN, PRIMITIVE
The organic, primitive weaponry used by the Forsworn of the Reach is beautiful, well-crafted, and ingenious. However, it's made of bone, tooth, wood, and stone, and simply can't hold up to average steel weapons and armor in combat. Just so, Forsword weapons are much lighter, slightly faster, more likely to cause criticals, and much less damaging than standard steel weapons. Forsworn bows, however, are just as effective as recurve hunting bows and recurve long bows.

GLASS
The colorful obsidian used by the inhabitants of Nirn in manufacturing weapons and armor is much different than average steel. Compared to average steel weaponry, weapons made of Glass tend to be much lighter, much less damaging, much more likely to cause critical hits (super-sharp), much more critically damaging (weapons of finesse), and much less staggering.

IMPERIAL
The Imperials of Cyrodil are noteworthy for the unique shortsword used by their legionaries, the Gladius. Compared to standard steel swords, Gladii are slightly faster, slightly lighter, more critically damaging, and have slightly less reach.

ORCISH
Culturally, Orcs smith their steel weaponry to be jagged, as deadly as possible, and brutal in form and function. So, compared to mundane iron and steel weapons, Orcish Steel weapons are somewhat heavier, deal more damage, are slightly slower, and cause more staggering.

SKYFORGE, NORD HERO WEAPONS
Those weapons made at the Skyforge and the weaponry of Nord Heroes are simply superior to average steel weaponry. Such weapons do more damage and more critical damage than their standard contemporaries.


ARMOR CHANGES
In keeping with the changes made to make weapons more effective and deadlier, all armors in the game have been altered to be just slightly better than in vanilla Skyrim. All armors have also been streamlined with a proportional formula, meaning, for example, that the protection value of leather boots is relative to the protection value of leather armor. All other armors follow the same relative proportional value.

Also, certain changes have been made to accomodate realism and immersion. For example, Studded Leather Armor (which sucked shit in the vanilla game) is now BETTER than standard Leather Armor. I'm not sure what Bethesda was thinking making leather armor with metal studs on it worse than leather armor without studs, but it's a glaring error, and it's a glaring error that I've fixed.

Many other name changes have been made to the game's armors to make them conform to the weapon name changes. For example, the armor formerly called Imperial Leather Armor is now called Leather Armor (Imperial); similarly, Imperial Leather Bracers are now Leather Bracers (Imperial), and so forth. I find this naming to be more rational and straightforward, as the material from which a given piece of armor is made doesn't influence what the thing is called. After all, I don't call the vest I always wear my "Brown Wilson's Leather Vest", it's just my leather vest. If this naming convention bothers you, then, well, ignore it!


BLOCKING REALISM & CHANGES
Almost moreso than any other reality-destroying oversight in vanilla Skyrim, the uselessness of Blocking really bothered the crap out of me. So, as a small addition to this deadlier combat mod, I've added a tiny little ESP I made called Realistic Blocking. It does exactly what you'd think, and makes default perkless blocking a lot better. I've always found it absurd that damage somehow still soaks through to my character's body even though I've deflected or stopped an attack. Totally ridiculous. It's like blocking an opponent's punch in muay thai kickboxing and still suffering a broken nose. Doesn't make any sense, and I hate it.

Just so, this tiny ESP makes blocking SO much more effective than vanilla blocking. A level 1 character with no blocking perks still takes some amount of damage when blocking, but it's a lot less. I don't remember the exact amounts, but it's something like:

VANILLA BLOCKING DEFAULTS
Weapon Blocking without Perks: 30% damage reduction
Shield Blocking without Perks: 45% damage reduction

REALISTIC BLOCKING DEFAULTS
Weapon Blocking without Perks: 70% damage reduction
Shield Blocking without Perks: 80% or 85% damage reduction (sorry, can't remember)

When a character learns the Shield Wall perk, these values increase. With one point in Shield Wall, the realistic blocking values become weapon � 80% damage redux, and shield � 90-95% damage redux. With 2 ranks in Shield Wall, the values are weapon � 90% and shield � 95-105%. And with 3 ranks, both values are over 100%, meaning (ideally, if the game mechanics are working properly) that all damage is prevented with a successful block.

I can't play the game without this mod, and it's definitely necessary to mitigate the huge damage increase with the weapon changes. However, if you don't want this level of blocking realism, simply don't use this ESP.


COMPATIBILITY & ISSUES
Well, this mod changes EVERY SINGLE VALUE for weapons and armor in the game, so it's definitely incompatible with any other mod that does the same. It's NOT incompatible with mods that change universal values, add weapons and armor, etc. It's also really stable, since it doesn't add or remove any coding or anything. Shouldn't cause issues with pretty much anything.


FUTURE VERSIONS
I don't anticipate changing much of what is already here. It's done, and doesn't really necessitate future versions given the type of mod it is. However, when I find the time (probably later this year), I WILL be altering the weapons and armor added by Dragonborn to follow suit with this mod's changes. As soon as I've done the work on Dragonborn, I'll upload that ESP to Nexus.


CONTACT INFO, REQUESTS
A good number of quality mods add awesome weapons and armor to the pre-existing database of Skyrim's arsenal. If the author's of any such mods (like the really cool Spear mod that adds spears to Skyrim, for example) desire me to alter their work with the formulae I've used to make this mod, I will TOTALLY, HAPPILY do so. Please feel free to contact me.

And for anyone else who has questions, comments, complaints, angry rants, tirades, heaping mountains of complements, requests, or inquiries, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I'd love any and all feedback. My name and email:

Rowan WalkingWolf
[email protected]

I respond to emails regularly. Hit me up. Word.