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About this mod
A.R.M.O.R. - Absorb. Resist. Mitigate. Obstruct. Repel. - A modular approach to combat, A.R.M.O.R. offers options for overhauling damage reduction, enhancing spell protections, and too many other features to list. Whether it be distinctive damage types or deadlier, faster paced combat, A.R.M.O.R. has something for almost everyone.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
ARMOR was created to provide a new and unique way to experience damage reduction while playing Skyrim and to enhance your overall combat experience with a variety of features. It can be downloaded as a single esl flagged esp which includes everything it has to offer, or you can pick and choose what modules you want. Both options automatically install ARMOR - Core.esp, which is an esl flagged plugin which contains the assets needed for ARMOR's modules to function.
Note: I've done what I can to keep things brief, though some explanation is necessary. If you're interested in one or more of the modules and want more information, a user-manual comes with the FOMOD and is available as an optional download.
Regarding The Screenshots: ARMOR isn't an eye-candy mod. The in-game screenshots show some of the changes ARMOR makes that you'll see in the user interface, though not all. I extracted a few tables from the user manual to shed a bit of light on things. For full documentation, refer to the manual.
Performance/Scripts: There are a few simple scripts which should have virtually no impact on performance. Most just install spells to your character once and never run again or only run for a second when you activate them. The A Fighting Chance module does run a super simple script when an actor is struck by a physical attack, but it shouldn't affect performance at all. Even in an already script-heavy game, ARMOR won't cause any problems.
Load Order: The main file (ARMOR - Core.esp) should load near the top of your load order so that it is overwritten by your other mods. The rest of the modules, including the all-in-one options, should be given priority, since you don't want anything overwriting them. Conflicts should be rare, and patches are available for some of the most popular mods that conflict with my changes to protection spells, wards, and the Mage Armor perk. See the bottom of the description for more compatibility information.
Regarding True Armor Unleashed (TAU)
I honestly didn't think I'd ever finish TAU, but it's done and published. As a result, I thought I'd give some more specific guidance for using my modules with True Armor. Below, I've posted a quick breakdown of how they interact.
Red: Probably best not to use with True Armor
Orange: Can be used together, but there's potential for crossover if you enable similar features in TA.
Green: No crossover. Feel free to combine without issues.
- Armor Foundation Module: You can use this with True Armor without any conflicts, technically, but whatever armor protections you assign using TA will stack with the Foundation. True Armor also allows you to scale how much you want the vanilla Armor Rating system to contribute to your defense, which wouldn't work to scale back the Foundation's protections. Personally, I wouldn't combine the two, but you be you.
- Layered Armor Protection:This was created to be the "second layer" that True Armor offers as a deflect/pierce system. Combining it with the Foundation was meant to provide a rough approximation of a True Armor preset. Since you can customize and tweak your own armor settings to your heart's content with True Armor, I see no real reason to use this unless you just want a simple plug and play mod with no scripts attached and you like the values I chose.
- Enhanced Protection Spells: True Armor does allow you to assign script driven additional damage reduction to protection spells, but it's a blanket effect where all flesh spells get stronger equally. A big drawback of TA's spell protections (in my opinion) is that they stack with the effects of armor. So if you make armor particulary strong and also make spells strong, and then you cast a flesh spell while wearing armor, you can get WAY too much protection using TA's system. TA does have spell protection scaling based on Alteration skill level, but the specific spell being cast is irrelevant. Dragonhide is particularly troublesome here, since it already gives 80% damage reduction. If you assign an additional 50% using TA's system, that's an effective DR of 90%, and that's assuming you turn the vanilla Armor Rating system scaling down to the minimum of 10% in TA's settings. It's a lot to think about.
With A.R.M.O.R.'s Enhanced Protection Spells, you get a whole new way to use protection spells which is balanced and tailored towards rewarding mages for not wearing any armor, so you can set your armor protections at whatever you want using True Armor and it won't matter. My spells won't provide extra protection if you're wearing armor. Mage, warrior, or thief. You decide.
The Enhanced Protection Spells module also incorporates a tactical approach with spell imrovements, so low level flesh spells don't become useless. It is a great companion for any True Armor setup and is arguably a better implementation of spell protection, though it isn't adjustable. I will personally be using Enhanced Protection Spells alongside True Armor instead of TA's spell protections feature.
- Mage Armor Improved: True Armor doesn't touch Mage Armor. If you like this module, use it with TA. Combine it with Enhanced Protection Spells to really make your unarmored wizard feel like a wizard. I will be using this with True Armor.
- Elemental Resistances and Vulnerabilities: True Armor offers customized, armor based, script driven resistances to fire, frost, and shock. It doesn't provide an option for vulnerabilities. My system is unscripted and provides static strengths and weaknesses. Another thing my module has that TA doesn't is that it provides additional protection against vampire magic for Dawnguard armor and dragon magic for the Blades set. You can use it with TA without any issues. Just account for that if you're adjusting resistances using TA's system. I'll be using them together.
- Enhanced Blocking: True Armor's script driven system allows you to set a percentage of extra damage blocked for shields and weapons separately, as well as options for passive shield blocking. My module includes all of that, but the bonuses are not adjustable, and again, no scripts. My system also accounts for blocking skill, weapon skill, and it sets a stamina threshold. It isn't adjustable, but it's balanced and somewhat more nuanced than what TA offers. My system also rewards you for using a one handed weapon with no weapon or shield in the off hand and reduces movement speed for using a shield, since shields provide the best blocking chance and can passively block. I'll probably stick with mine, since TA's, while customizable, is fairly shallow.
- Warded Blocking: No crossover. TA doesn't touch wards. I'll be using them together.
- Armor Based Movement Penalties: Using TA, you can increase or decrease movement as you see fit. I'll probably use TA's system instead of this module. But again, if you want a simple, lightweight, clean option, these go together nicely, though my module only offers speed penalties for worn armor, not bonuses.
- Unarmed Scaling: No crossover. I'll be using this with TA.
- A Fighting Chance: No crossover, and I highly recommend using this with or without TA, since it helps prevent power creep and keeps you on your toes.
- The Bigger They Are: No crossover. Same as A Fighting Chance. Good to go with True Armor. Use both.
- Deadly Unarmored Combat: No crossover. I'll be using both. This module emphasizes the importance of wearing armor or using protection spells by introducing a chance to take additional damage if you leave yourself unprotected.
- Distinct Damage Types: With True Armor, you can set armor specific resistances to different damage types. However, that doesn't actually change the way that the weapons themselves feel and behave. This module changes weapons so that they are more unique and have their own personalities. I'll be using this alongside True Armor.
Module 1: Armor Foundation System - Vanilla Armor Rating System Redesigned
The vanilla Armor Rating system has been redesigned from the ground up. Armor and protection spells are stronger at lower Armor Rating ranks without being overpowered. Damage types affect protection levels and have varying chances to defeat armor. The target's status (sleeping, not-in-combat, paralyzed, etc.) is considered as well.
Armor Rating is hard capped at 600 with no hidden bonuses or weird combinations to keep track of. Designed to provide enough survivability to be used as a standalone system at lower difficulty levels, the Foundation really shines when you combine it with ARMOR's other damage-reduction based modules.
Determining Armor Rating Based Damage Reduction
One frustrating aspect of the vanilla system is that there's no way to see how much actual damage reduction your Armor Rating is providing. The Foundation module fixes this by assigning a lesser power that displays your current damage reduction against the different damage types. It does NOT show defeat probabilities or account for compromised status, but if you want to know your base protection amounts, it's quite handy.
Defeating Armor
When an attack defeats armor, it has penetrated or bypased and deals full damage unless another layer of protection gets in the way. This can have a significant effect on combat, potentially turning the tide in an instant.
Damage Types
Instead of the worn-out "blunt is strong vs heavy armor but weak vs light armor" trope, ARMOR's system focuses on the damage types themselves, with the goal being to make them feel more distinct without creating imbalances. Weapons go from doing consistent, reliable damage without much chance for a big hit to relatively low damage with a good chance to defeat armor and exploit gaps. The effect isn't extreme, but as your character becomes stronger and damage numbers increase, you'll notice it more.
Blunt (Warhammer, Mace, Fists, Bashing): Armor provides the least protection against blunt damage, but blunt attacks have little chance of defeating armor. Blunt offers steady and predictable damage.
- Base Chance to Defeat Armor: 1-3% depending on subtype and hand protection.
Axes: Armor resists axes a little better than blunt, but axes are also somewhat more likely penetrate or bypass. While still not a great choice for those looking to have a chance at full damage attacks, it won't let you down even when it fails to defeat armor.
- Base Chance To Defeat Armor: 6%
Swords and Claws: With less emphasis on weight and brute strength, swords and claws are less effective than axes at damaging armored targets. However, their razor sharp edges and piercing tips make up for this gap with an increased chance to penetrate or bypass armor. This is the "middle ground" damage type.
- Base Chance to Defeat Armor: 9%
Spears and Crossbows: Known for punching through armor and spells, these weapons cause even less damage than swords and claws when they fail to penetrate, but they defeat armor often enough to be quite dangerous.
- Base Chance to Defeat Armor: 12%
Bows and Daggers: Designed for finesse and accuracy, bows and daggers struggle the most to damage armored targets, but they have the highest probability of bypassing.
- Base Chance to Defeat Armor: 15%
Rending: Monsters deal a special kind of damage which is both effective at damaging an armored enemy and excellent at defeating armor. This gives Skyrim's creatures an advantage over other damage types.
- Base Chance to Defeat Armor: 15%
Combat Conditon
The system takes into account combat conditions such as sleeping, unaware (out of combat), paralysis, and calmed status when determining how well armor protects against an attack. Detailed information can be found in the user manual.
Why Use This?
The Foundation replaces the vanilla system with one that is both streamlined and more nuanced. It creates dynamic combat, where not every hit feels the same, and battles aren't so predictable. In terms of survivability, it leaves enough room for you to customize damage reduction by adding one of ARMOR's supplemental Protection modules, or you could use a similar mod like Know Your Enemy 2 - Armors to round out the protection you get from armor.
If you want more control over how armor and spells protect you and you've grown tired of every attack feeling the same, try it out. The worse case scenario is that you decide it isn't for you. At best, you'll decide this is how damage reduction should have always worked, and you'll never go back!
Compatibility Note:
If another mod touches the "fMaxArmorRating" setting, you'll need to allow the Foundation module to win the conflict. Combat centered mods are the most likely to adjust this setting. Load the Foundation after those mods, or you'll get way too much damage reduction.
Module 2: Layered Armor Protection
Designed to supplement the protection offered by the Foundation module, the Layered Armor Protection modules provide three options for strengthening the damage reduction of armor. This is strictly limited to armor.
Protection is on a per-piece basis, with each armor piece reducing damage by a percentage. Armor Rating is factored in so that the extra layers are balanced across different levels. Damage types are not accounted for, though combat condition is still considered. While made to be combined with the Foundation module, the Layered Protection modules can be used alongside the vanilla system and/or paired with any other mod(s) that affect how armor works. Finding a combination that suits your tastes and feels balanced is part of the fun, and the three options allow you to customize your armor system.
Examine Armor
Like the Foundation Module, the layered modules take the guess-work out of knowing how well protected you are. Use the included lesser power to display the individual piece resistances of whatever armor you're wearing. The Ranked module displays armor rank, while the Light/Heavy module shows the weight of the pieces, and the Simple module just shows the armor pieces and resistances without any fluff.
Option 1 (Module 2.0): Layered Ranked Protection (Recommended Option)
The goal of the Layered Ranked module is to recreate the classic RPG mechanic where lower-tier armor is objectively less protective and can never be as good as higher quality armor. If you want additional survivability, but you’ve always found it odd that leather armor has the potential to provide as much defense as dragonplate, this is the module for you.
With the Ranked option installed, armors have been divided into six ranks. Listed from weakest to strongest, they are as follows: crude soft, reinforced soft, inferior hard, standard hard, advanced hard, and unrivaled hard. If you're not sure what you're wearing and want to know, use the Examine Armor power.
Option 2 (Module 2.1): Layered Protection - Light and Heavy
For those who dislike the rank system but still think light armor should be weaker than heavy armor, this module offers per-piece protection based on whether the armor is light or heavy. With this option installed, both light and heavy armor are given addtional protection, but heavy armor is stronger. Things like rank and material quality are not taken into account.
Option 3 (Module 2.2): Layered Protection - Simple
If you want an extra layer of protection but think all armor should perform the same, choose this module. This is the most stripped-down version of the Layered Armor Protection systems. Combined with the Foundation module, it brings protection levels a little higher than what you’d get with just the vanilla system, making it the perfect choice for those who want to wear weaker armor and skimpy outfits without compromising on defense.
Module 3: Enhanced Protection Spells
Dragonhide
Dragonhide no longer offers a guaranteed 80% physical damage reduction. Instead, it now does two things. First, it improves your Armor Rating like flesh spells, boosting Armor Rating by 150 points. It also benefits from the Mage Armor perk, which means you can achieve an Armor Rating of 450 with this spell alone. Because Dragonhide is now, functionally, an improved flesh spell, it no longer comes with the ritual spell casting animation. It can be cast while moving, and it can be cast with one hand or dual cast for increased duration. Finally, to ensure that it stands out above the other flesh spells, Dragonhide provides a substantial boost to magical damage resistance which is separate from your normal resistances.
Dual Purpose Spells
Protection spells now provide a secondary chance-based physical damage reduction which only applies if the caster isn’t wearing any armor. Now, the whole "Mage, Warrior, or Thief" thing feels a little more honest. The probability of a spell reducing damage is based on the particular spell being cast and the caster's Alteration skill. Like the Mage Armor perk, this encourages the player to choose between a pure mage who relies completely on his spells for defense and a spellsword who augments his armor’s protection using spells, creating a clear distinction between wizards and warriors. For clarification, this module does NOT prevent spells from boosting Armor Rating if armor is worn. That works just fine. It’s only the “extra” (secondary) protections that require the caster to be unarmored to function.
Spell Durations and Casting Times
Spell durations and casting times have been tweaked to give the spells more defined roles and incentivize using weaker spells when appropriate while still allowing stronger spells to be better overall. Low level spells are cheap and cast quickly, but they don’t last long. As spell level increases, so too do duration and casting time. Casting cost has been largely untouched.
Enhanced Unarmored Protection
Casting a protection spell while unarmored results in a chance of significant physical damage reduction. Unlike the Layered Armor modules, however, which provide four additional layers of guaranteed damage reduction (1 per armor piece), protection spells offer only one additional layer which can fail. Consequently, the protection is quite good, reducing incoming damage by 65% if successful. The probability depends on the particular spell that’s cast, though it can be increased vs spell-specific damage types by raising your Alteration skill. Read below for more on that.
Tactical Spells
Flesh spells improve in limited ways as the caster's Alteration skill increases. Oakflesh becomes stronger against blunt attacks. Stoneflesh becomes stronger against slashing attacks. Ironflesh becomes stronger against piercing attacks. Ebonyflesh becomes stronger against all attacks. Dragonhide is always at maximum strength regardless of Alteration skill and has the ability to reduce both physical AND magical damage. Since higher level spells cost more to cast and have significantly increased casting times, this creates a dynamic where it sometimes makes sense to use a cheaper spell that's quicker to cast when you only need protection against a limited threat and/or want to conserve magicka.
Because of the tactical nature of protection spells, this module adds a novice level Alteration spell to your character. It costs nothing to cast and allows you to cancel any active protection spell so you can use one that suits the situation better.
Note: Enhanced protections show up in your active effects unless disabled using the included lesser power.
Module 4.0: Mage Armor Improved
In addition to improving the Armor Rating boost offered by protection spells, Mage Armor now provides an additional layer of probability based damage reduction for unarmored casters. All you have to do is concentrate...
You Must Focus
Using a lesser power, you can enable or disable Mental Focus. If you have the Mage Armor perk, focusing provides additional protection against physical attacks in exchange for reduced movement speed. This only affects you during combat and while unarmored, and it can be toggled on the fly, so you won't feel like Mage Armor is a permament burden. The added protection you get from being focused does NOT require an active protection spell. NPC mages always use Mental Focus because of AI limitations, so if they have Mage Armor, they'll move slower and be better protected.
Module 5.0: Elemental Resistances and Vulnerabilities
With this module installed, armors have innate magical resistances and vulnerabilities.
Armor Properties and Piece Resistances
There are three armor properties that determine resistance and vulnerability: leather, metal, and resistive. Armors have been assigned one of these properties based on vanilla keywords. If armor lacks the necessary keywords, it will be assigned the property of metal if it is heavy and leather if it is light. “Leather” means any armor that is composed primarily of animal skin such as forsworn, hide, leather, studded, etc. “Metal” includes armors that are constructed from materials that are traditionally thought of as being metal such as iron, steel, etc. “Resistive” armor materials are made of hard materials which lack the conductive properties of metal.
Armor with the leather property resists frost, is vulnerable to fire, and is neutral to shock. Metal armor resists fire, is vulnerable to shock, and is neutral to frost. Resistive armor resists shock, is vulnerable to frost, and is neutral to fire. Cuirasses provide a 33% chance to take 75% less damage from elements they resist and a 5% chance to triple incoming damage from elements against which they are weak. Boots, helmets, and gauntlets each increase or reduce resistances by 10%.
Dawnguard and Blades armors are unique. Dawnguard armor protects against magical damage caused by vampires and death hounds, and Blades armor protects against magical damage caused by dragons. As specialty armors, they excel at protecting the wearer from these specific threats but have no resistances or vulnerabilities when fighting other opponents. Cuirasses reduce incoming magic damage vs the above enemies by 35% with an added 20% chance that the attack deals 75% less damage. Peripheral pieces reduce incoming damage by 15% each, with an added 5% chance per piece of taking 75% less damage.
Layered Mechanics
These resistances are separate from normal resistances. This means an actor with capped fire resistance would still benefit from wearing armor that resists fire via this module. Conversely, if an attack causes additional magical damage as a result of a vulnerability, regular resistances still act to mitigate damage normally. Resistances and vulnerabilities show up in your active effects menu when you’re wearing armor. They can be displayed or hidden using the included lesser power.
Module 6.0: Enhanced Blocking
The purpose of this module is to provide a probability based improvement to the effectiveness of blocking with weapons and shields while creating a distinction amongst them. Overall, shields block better than two-handed weapons, and two-handed weapons block better than one-handed weapons. With enough skill and stamina reserves, however, all of them have the potential to reduce incoming physical damage to zero, though not at equal probabilities.
If you’re using mods that increase damage, including ARMOR’s “The Bigger They Are” and “Deadly Unarmored Combat”, the ability to block 100% of damage can mean the difference between surviving and getting one-shotted by a particularly nasty foe.
Skill-Based Blocking Effectiveness
Increasing blocking and/or weapon skill improves the probability of blocking additional damage as well as the amount blocked. When blocking with a shield, skill alone is used to determine probability and damage reduction. When blocking with a weapon, it depends on whether the defender is wielding a one or two-handed weapon, his blocking skill, and his corresponding weapon tree skill.
Shields
Shields have been divided into two categories: Heavy and Light.
- Heavy Shields: Iron, Imperial Heavy, Orcish, Dwarven, Steel, Steel Plate (If Added by a Mod), Ebony, Dragonplate, Daedric, Blades, Falmer, Bonemold Heavy, Dawnguard, and Nordic Heavy.
- Light Shields: All other materials
All shields excel at blocking, and unlike weapons, they can block projectiles. This comes, however, with a penalty to both movement speed and one-handed weapon damage whenever a shield is equipped during combat. Heavy shields are the best at blocking but incur the most severe penalty. Light shields block more effectively than weapons but not as well as heavy shields, so the penalty is reduced.
- Heavy Shields: Reduce movement by 10% and one-handed damage by 35% during combat.
- Light Shields: Reduce movement by 7% and one-handed damage by 25% during combat.
The skill level requirements to block with a shield are identical for light and heavy shields, but the percent chance to block is higher for heavy shields.
Stamina
When actively blocking with a weapon or shield, an actor must have sufficient stamina reserves to receive a blocking bonus. When stamina drops below this percent, the defender will still block at his normal efficiency but will receive no bonus from this module and cannot block 100% of damage. The stamina percentage required depends upon what is used to block the attack.
Shields are better at absorbing impacts than weapons, requiring less remaining stamina to continue providing extra blocking potential. Heavy shields have a lower stamina requirement than light shields. Light shields require less stamina in reserve than two-handed weapons, and two-handed weapons require less remaining stamina than one-handed weapons.
- Heavy Shield: 15% Stamina Reserves
- Light Shield: 25% Stamina Reserves
- Two-Handed Weapon: 35% Stamina Reserves
- One-Handed Weapon: 45% Stamina Reserves
Stamina regeneration while blocking has been reduced for the player to prevent permanent blocking. If you want your stamina to recover, stop blocking and start dodging. Unlike the player, NPCs can’t manage their stamina and have few methods of regenerating it. As a result, they have received a stamina regeneration boost that kicks in when they’re not blocking so that they aren’t always out of stamina and at a disadvantage.
**Recommended mod(s): Wildcat or any mod that causes stamina to drain when attacks are blocked.
Passive Shield Blocking Mechanic:
If an actor has a shield equipped, there is a chance that physical damage from incoming attacks will hit the shield and do no damage. This additional layer of protection ONLY applies if the actor is not blocking, attacking, or casting a spell. He must also be in combat and not paralyzed. Only attacks made from the front can be passively blocked (NPCs do not share this restriction). Heavy shields provide a 25% chance of passive blocking, and light shields provide a 20% chance. There is no stamina reserve requirement for passive blocking.
Weapons
Weapons have a lower chance to block additional damage than shields, and they can't block 100% of damage until the highest level of skill is obtained. Important: To unlock enhanced blocking potential with a weapon, you must reach a skill level of 40 in the respective weapon perk tree. Two-Handed weapons, being larger and heavier, have a better chance of blocking than one-handed weapons. Spellsword/Duelist: To offset the disadvantages of blocking with a one-handed weapon, combatants wielding a one-handed weapon and no weapon or shield in the off-hand gain a 20% bonus to attack damage and a 7.5% bonus to movement speed. This only applies if the actor has a one-handed skill of 40 or higher and is in combat.
Dual Wielding
Blocking extra damage while dual wielding carries the same requirements and is as effective as blocking with a single one-handed weapon, but there is no bonus to damage or movement speed, since you already do more damage while dual wielding, and there are perks to support this playstyle.
Paralysis
If an actor is paralyzed while blocking, his ability to block additional damage is suspended.
Module 7: Warded Blocking
Ward spells gain a chance to reduce additional incoming physical damage provided that the attacker is in front of you and you aren’t making a physical attack.
Blocking with a ward is less effective than blocking with a shield or weapon. Wards cannot block 100% of damage, but damage can still be significantly reduced. The reason for this is that wards can be maintained while attacking, and mages aren’t supposed to be as durable as warriors. Effectiveness is based on the caster’s Alteration skill and the spell being cast. Stamina is not a factor, but naturally, if the caster runs out of magicka, he will not be able to maintain his ward. Drawing inspiration from Odin – Skyrim Magic Overhaul, wards regenerate in combat, allowing them to remain useful later in the game.
Known Bugs/Issues
NPCs casting wards receive additional protection against damage even when the attack comes from behind them. Fortunately, they’re too dumb to take advantage of this fact, so it shouldn’t have too big of an impact on gameplay.
Module 8: Armor Based Movement Penalty
This extremely simple plugin reduces movement by a small amount for each armor piece that is worn. Movement speed reduction is tied to both armor weight and armor rank. This was designed specifically to be used with the Layered Ranked Protection module. Speed reduction ranges from half of a percent for a full suit of crude soft armor to 10% for a full suit of heavy unrivaled hard armor.
Module 9: Unarmed Scaling
Unarmed attacks scale based on one-handed and two-handed weapon skill. Unlike similar mods, ARMOR’s Unarmed Scaling module offers a nuanced approach to adjusting unarmed damage.
Who Is Affected
Unarmed scaling only applies to vanilla playable races.
A Nuanced Approach
The amount of additional damage caused by unarmed attacks is based primarily on the attacker’s one-handed and two-handed weapon skills. For each skill point above 0, unarmed attack damage is multiplied by a given percentage. The combined results of one-handed and two-handed weapon skill are added to the attacker’s base unarmed damage. While combined melee weapon skill is the primary factor for determining unarmed scaling, hand protection can come into play depending on race.
Race
Humans, elves, and orcs make attacks with their fists, which can be bare or protected by soft or hard gauntlets. Since fists cause blunt damage, protecting one’s hands increases how hard you can hit without injuring yourself as well as the impact of the blow. Soft gauntlets (or bracers) increase damage scaling, and hard gauntlets increase it even more, but this increased scaling only affects humans, elves, and orcs. This is because putting hand protection over a claw wouldn’t logically change the damage you can deal with it.
Khajiit and argonians have claws, which do not benefit from hand protection. Their unarmed attacks scale at the same rate as the bare fists of humans, elves, and orcs. Khajiit have a significantly higher base unarmed damage than all other races, which gives them a clear advantage at low weapon skill. With enough training, a human, elf, or orc wearing hard gauntlets can come close to dealing as much damage as a khajiit with the same weapon skill.
Custom playable races that lack vanilla keywords will not benefit from unarmed scaling. To address this, they can be added to the KID.ini file. Leave a post, and I’ll happily accommodate you. There are also instructions for how to do it yourself in the user-manual.
Module 10: A Fighting Chance
All attackers in the game (including the player) now have a fighting chance to do meaningful damage. Lucky attacks reduce the target's health by a percentage of its current value. This doesn't happen often, and it's not meant to have a huge impact on the overall flow of combat and the significance of your other attacks. However, it occurs frequently enough and is severe enough that you will no longer be able to stand in the middle of a sea of bandits and go make a sandwich because you've grown so powerful.
When the effect triggers, you'll hear a subtle "boom" sound. It can only occur once every 5 seconds to prevent situations where an unreasonable amount of damage occurs all at once while fighting multiple opponents.
Damage and probability are based on attacker size. The bigger the attacker, the higher the chance that it will trigger the effect, and the greater the percentage of life that is lost. For more information on size, refer to The Bigger They Are (Module 11).
- Average Sized (Humans, Wolves, etc.): 5% chance to deal damage equal to 15% of the target's current health
- Large (Trolls, Bears, etc.): 6% chance to deal damage equal to 25% of the target's current health
- Massive (Giants, Mammoths, etc.): 7% chance to deal damage equal to 35% of the target's current health
- Colossal (Dragons, The Forgemaster, Soul Cairn Keepers): 8% chance to deal damage equal to 45% of the target's current health
Preventing Damage
This extra damage can be completely avoided by blocking or sustaining a ward spell. Obviously, an attack has to land for the damage to occur, so dodging works as well. As a lower level character, you’ll want to make judicious use of blocking and ward spells. At higher levels, you can relax a bit more, but you’ll never be completely safe. A room full of draugr might seem like a joke to a warrior with a mountain of health, but when this module’s effect fires off several times during a battle, you’d better hope you have some healing potions or a spell handy.
Module 11: The Bigger They Are
If A Fighting Chance doesn't do enough to make large threats scarier, with this module installed, big enemies get a chance do even more damage to people depending on the attacker's size. The bigger they are, the harder they hit. Only people are susceptible to this damage. This is to emphasize how weak and fragile they are compared to monsters. Unlike A Fighting Chance, which bypasses armor and spells and reduces the target's health by a percentage of its current value, the damage associated with this module is a multiplier with a probability of occurring. Both the multiplier and probability go up as monster size increases. This damage is reduced by armor and other normal damage reduction mechanics, including blocking, but it is not automatically prevented by blocking and ward spells like the damage from A Fighting Chance.
Monster Size
Monsters that are considerably bigger than people benefit from this module. If a monster is deemed to be particularly evil or dangerous, it may be included despite not being particularly big, such as hagravens. There are three size categories: large, massive, and colossal. Various creature mods have been accounted for in the CreatureMods_KID.ini file. I will accommodate requests to add additional creatures from mods if asked. Please include the specific monsters in the mod that you think should be included and the size category you believe should be assigned to them.
Mods Currently Supported (Creatures from these mods will be assigned an appropriate size category. These mods are NOT required to use the module):
- Beholders
- Cthuloids
- Dwarven Automatons
- Draugr Patrols and Cavalry
- Flesh Colossus
- Giant Family (Mihail)
- Gorons
- Grahls and Frostgiants
- Growl Werebeasts
- Ice Titans and Sea Giants
- Mammoths (Mihail)
- Megalodon
- Mimics and Oozes
- Minotaurs (Mihail "High Minotarus")
- Ogres and Ettins
- Ogrim
- Old Gods of the Hunt
- Rhox Standalone
- Thrikreen
- Undead Werewolves
- Vampire Lords and Beasts
- Waterhags
- Wooly Thunderhorns
Large Monsters
Large monsters are somewhat bigger than people, but they aren’t huge. They have a 15% chance of doing double damage to people. Vanilla enemies included in this size category are as follows:
- Bears, saber cats, trolls (unarmored), spriggan matrons and earthmothers, horkers, lycanthropes (including the player as a werebear or werewolf), gargoyles, hagravens, and netch calves.
Massive Monsters
Creatures that are significantly bigger or more dangerous than large monsters are considered massive. Their attacks have a 25% chance of doing 2.5x damage to people. Vanilla enemies included are as follows:
- Netches, dwarven centurions, lurkers, giants, frost giants, mammoths, giant spiders, dwarven ballistae, and armored trolls.
Colossal Monsters
Colossal enemies are few and far between. They are either incredibly big or exceptionally powerful. They have a 35% chance of doing 3x damage with physical attacks. Vanilla enemies included are as follows:
- Dragons, The Forgemaster, Soul Cairn Keepers.
Module 12: Deadly Unarmored Combat
A clear distinction is drawn between the damage inflicted upon people who fail to protect themselves with armor and/or spells and those who enter combat prepared to survive. This only affects the playable races, further reinforcing the idea that monsters are generally more robust and dangerous than people, who must use every tool available to them to overcome the threat that monsters pose and protect their fragile bodies.
Missing Protection
There are four armor pieces in Skyrim. The cuirass is the most important. It provides the biggest Armor Rating boost and covers the largest portion of the body. Though the head is a smaller target, the helmet is still significant, since it protects the brain. Gauntlets and boots are relatively insignificant, since they are far less likely to be hit, and there are no vital organs associated with them. A full suit of armor negates this danger, regardless of the armor material, weight, or type. Any protection spell (flesh spells and dragonhide) acts as a full suit of armor even without my other modules installed.
For each body part that is unprotected, there is an associated damage multiplier and probability which are added together for all missing armor pieces to result in a single damage multiplier and probability. A completely unprotected person has a 50% chance of taking 3x damage from physical attacks!
- Cuirass: 35% chance of 2x damage
- Helmet: 11% chance of 1.5x damage
- Gauntlets/Boots: 2% chance of 1.25 damage per piece
Module 13: Distinct Damage Types
This module adjusts the physical damage actors take when hit by different damage types to give weapons and attacks more distinct roles. The basic idea is that bigger, slower weapons with blunt surfaces and less prominant edges are effective at delivering consistent damage, but they have limited potential to inflict sudden, severe wounds. Conversely, the smaller and lighter a weapon is, the less damage it will do on a per-hit basis, but it will have a chance to do more damage. The multiplier and probability depend on the specific damage type.
Damage Types
Blunt: Blunt damage is not reduced, and it receives no chance to do extra damage. This makes it predictable and reliable but not especially exciting. Weapons and attacks included in this category are as follows:
- Blunt weapons such as maces and warhammers
- The unarmed (fist) attacks of humans, orcs, elves.
- Bash attacks
Axes: Axes combine significant weight with a cutting edge. Though capable of inflicting severe injuries, they rely mostly on brute force to get the job done. This makes them only a little less predictable than blunt weapons, but when that big hit lands, the target will feel it. Per hit damage is reduced by 10%, and they gain a 5% chance to do double damage.
Example: An axe-based attack that used to do 100 damage willnow do 90 damage with a 5% chance to do 180 damage.
Swords and Claws: Swords and claws don't have a great deal of weight or force behind them, though they are more likely to find a weak spot or hit a vital area. Per hit damage is reduced by 20%, and each attack has a 10% chance of doing 2.5x damage.
Example: A sword/claw based attack that used to do 100 damage will now do 80 damage with a 10% chance to do 200 damage.
Spears and Crossbows: Though they can pack a bit of a punch, these weapons aren't meant for delivering significant raw damage and depend on puncturing the target to really shine in combat. Per hit damage is reduced by 30%, and each attack has a 15% chance of doing 3x damage.
Example: A spear/crossbow based attack that used to do 100 damage will now do 70 damage with a 15% chance to do 210 damage.
Bows and Daggers: As the lightest weapons with the least potential to cause trauma, daggers and bows do 40% less damage per hit. However, they are excellent for finding weak spots and hitting vulnerable areas, gaining a 20% chance to do 3.5x damage with each attack.
Example: An attack that used to do 100 damage will now do 60 damage with a 20% chance to do 210 damage.
Rending: Monsters that don't use weapons cause rending damage, which is more potent than other types of damage. If you have the Foundation module installed, rending is also quite effective at damaging armor. Unlike other types, which are weakened for a chance at a damage spike, rending based attacks are stronger all the time and still get a chance to do additional damage. They do 1.25x normal damage and have a 20% chance to do an additional 1.5x damage.
Example: An attack that used to do 100 damage will now do 125 damage with a 20% chance to do 187 damage.
RequirementsSpell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) and Keyword Item Distributor (KID) are required, or the mod will not function correctly.
Compatibility
ARMOR is compatible with version 1.5.97 and should work fine with AE. Most of ARMOR's modules shouldn't conflict with anything. If you aren't using SSEEdit to check for and resolve conflicts as a general practice, you are doing yourself a great disservice.
True Armor - Read the writeup at the top of the page.
Know Your Enemy 2 - Armors (KYE2A) - Another excellent mod, this is designed to supplement the vanilla system by providing additional cuirass based damage resistance. It has similar features as ARMOR's Layered Protection and Elemental Resistances and Vulnerabilities, so I wouldn't use it with them. It can, however, be used in lieu of them alongside the Foundation module if you prefer the way KYE2A handles damage reduction and resistances. One key difference between KYE2A and ARMOR's layered systems is that KYE2A only provides additional protection through the cuirass and can be adjusted to different strengths via an MCM, while ARMOR's systems account for each armor piece individually and are plug-and-play, designed around the Foundation module to round out damage resistance.
Odin - If you use Odin and Enhanced Protection Spells , load Enhanced Protection Spells after Odin.
Adamant, Mysticism, Odinator, and Vokrii - Patches are available in the FOMOD. Please read the descriptions while installing.
Combat Mods - Mods like Wildcat and Blade and Blunt aren't technically incompatible with ARMOR, but some features may overlap with certain ARMOR modules. For example, ARMOR's Enhanced Blocking module causes your stamina to stop regenerating while blocking. Blade and Blunt also includes this mechanic as well as other changes to how blocking works. Blade and Blunt changes how Armor Rating provides damage resistance, and you'd want to let ARMOR's Foundation module win that conflict, or you'll receive way too much protection. Generally speaking, combat mods should be fine. But take the time to read the description of the combat mod and the detailed explanation of how ARMOR's module works in the user manual included in the core file download, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Installation and Load Order
Choose an option, download, and install. The FOMOD will guide you through the installation process. Be sure to read carefully if you have mods for which patches are provided, since there are instructions about load order and other useful information. Each module is an esl flagged esp, so they won't take up any space.
Advanced Installation
If you choose to "Forge Your Own A.R.M.O.R." (install individual modules rather than the whole package) and you are comfortable with Xedit (SSEEdit), it's a quick and simple process to combine the modules' contents with ARMOR - Core.esp. This isn't necessary, since they are all light plugins, but if you hate seing clutter in your mod manager window, just drag and drop the records from the modules you choose into their corresponding records in the core. After that, you can deactivate/delete the module(s) you've merged and use the core. Do not merge patches into the core.
Uninstalling
Do not uninstall mods during a playthrough, or monsters will come out of the closet at night and eat you. Big hairy ones.
Acknowledgements
A big thank you to SO many people who guided me and made incredible mods that I used as references. Thanks as well to the people who make the awesome tools we all love which allow us to mod without losing our minds. Finally, thanks to everyone who takes the time to make and share free mods with the community. It's your time, and you get nothing out of it, but please know that it means a lot to a lot of us.
Furture Plans/Ideas
This project is big enough as it is, and I don't intend to add anything to it unless I come up with an idea that I just can't pass on. But knowing me, that'll happen sooner rather than later.