This mod changes the appearance of some female NPCs. It's designed to be relatively lightweight and compatible with other NPC mods, with multiple install options and the option to use it without any .esp plugin at all. You could use this mod with a completely Vanilla game and it would work perfectly.
As of right now, this alters the appearance of the following NPCs:
Aela the Huntress
Astrid
Beleval (Dawnguard DLC)
Borgakh the Steel Heart
Brelyna Maryon
Dravynea the Stoneweaver
Elisif the Fair
Eola
Frea (Dragonborn DLC)
Ghorza gra-Bagol
Grelka
Hroki
Illia
Jordis the Sword-Maiden
Luaffyn
Lydia
Lynly Star-Sung
Mirabelle Ervine
Mjoll the Lioness
Narri
Rayya (Hearthfires DLC)
Sapphire
Sybille Stentor
Tonilia
Vex
Viola Giordano
I may add more later on if I make them :)
Requirements
This mod has absolutely no requirements.
This mod does not affect the skin/face textures or meshes used by these NPCs, meaning they will use whatever meshes and textures you have installed in your game. Nifty, right? If you want them to look exactly like my screenshots, you can download my skin textures in the optional downloads section, but it's not required.
Installation
I strongly recommend installing this with NMM. It's a scripted fomod installer that has all the options packaged and will sort of help you through the installation process. Mod Organizer users ... I'm not exactly sure how MO handles overwrites and/or priorities when it comes to installing stuff, so you're a little bit on your own there. I'm assuming it's basically the same but I do not know for sure.
Here's the long and short of it:
If you're not using any mods that change the appearances of these NPCs, you may choose the 'No plugin' option.
If you're using mods that change the appearances of any of these NPCs, you have two options:
1. You can choose the 'No plugin' option, and when NMM asks if you want to overwrite the other mod(s) meshes, say no. This means that NPCs that are already being changed by your other mod(s) will not be affected by this mod at all. Ethereal Elven Overhaul is an exception to this rule, you can override EEO meshes without using a plugin.
OR
2. You can choose any of the plugin options (depending on what DLC you're using), and when NMM asks if you want to overwrite the other mod(s) meshes, say yes. This means that all the NPCs packed in this mod will be changed, overriding changes made by other NPC mods. Make sure your Fresh Faces.esp is loaded below your other NPC mods or you will end up with gray faces.
For more details, check the FAQ
Bugs
Rayya's hair will clip through her hood/helmet. There's nothing I can do to fix this, but if you are using one of the plugins it will remove the Alik'r hood from her outfit so she doesn't automatically wear anything on her head unless you give her a helmet or hood by trading with her. If you're not using a plugin (or this just really irritates you for some other reason) there's a patch in the optional downloads that gives her back her vanilla shaved head.
That should be it, but if you come across something else let me know and I'll try to get it fixed right away!
F.A.Q.
Q: Can you make an installer with separated NPCs/Plugins/ETC?
A: No. At least not any time in the near future. Doing so would be extremely difficult and time consuming to set up, and would make porting to SSE or creating updates a nightmare. I've provided instructions below on how to set up a custom installation for yourself if you would like one :)
Q: MY NPCS DON'T LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE SCREENSHOTS!!??!?!?
A: This mod does not affect the skin textures or meshes used by these NPCs. They will use whatever meshes/textures you have installed, just like every other NPC. If you want them to look exactly like the screenshots, you can download my skin textures in the optional downloads section.
Q: Can I install this with (insert NPC mod here) ?
A: Absolutely! If it is a mod that affects NPC functionality, speech, or any other non-cosmetic aspects, it will work perfectly with this mod. Just make sure it's loaded after this mod in your load order if you chose to install a plugin. If it is a mod that affects NPCs cosmetically then you will have to choose to either overwrite it or let it overwrite this mod, but that is up to you.
Q: What if I only want (insert NPC(s) here) from your mod to override my other NPC mod?
A: You will have to edit my .esp with TESVEdit and delete the edits made to any NPCs you don't want affected, and then make sure the facegen meshes for those NPCs are not installed by my mod. If you have never dabbled in modding this may seem daunting, but it's not as scary as it sounds, I believe there are some nice video tutorials and explanations out there if you google it.
Q: I have Mod A and Mod B. I want your mod to overwrite Mod A, but not Mod B. How do I install?
A: In the installer, choose to use one of the plugins. When NMM asks about overwriting files from Mod A, click 'Yes to Mod.' When NMM asks about overwriting files from Mod B, click 'No to Mod.' Then set your load order like this:
Mod A.esp
Fresh Faces.esp
Mod B.esp
Q: What if I want some of my NPCs to keep their vanilla face?
A: Easy peasy, just delete their facegen mesh. Go to meshes\actors\character\facegendata\facegeom\Skyrim.esm (or Dragonborn.esm or wherever the NPC is from) and delete the mesh that corresponds to the NPC you want to keep vanilla. Numbers are as follows:
Aela - 0001A696
Astrid - 0001bdb4 and 0004d6d0
Beleval - 0001541c
Borgakh - 00019959
Brelyna - 0001C196
Dravynea - 0001365F
Elisif - 0001326a
Eola - 0001990f
Frea - 00017934
Ghorza - 0001339a
Grelka - 000136C5
Hroki - 0001339e
Illia - 00048c2f
Jordis - 000a2c8f
Luaffyn - 00047cad
Lydia - 000a2c8e
Lynly - 000136BC
Mirabelle - 0001C1A0
Mjoll - 0001336b
Narri - 00013654
Rayya - 00005215
Sapphire - 000c19a3
Sybille - 000132aa
Tonilia - 000b8827
Vex - 0001cd90
Viola - 00014129
You can delete the matching facetint file too, but there's no real need, all it does it give higher rez lip/makeup tints. They're located in texture\actors\character\facegendata\facetint if you want to delete them too.
Q: How can I make my own plugin/get a plugin for only certain NPCs/etc?
A: You'll have to use the Creation Kit. Basically all I did to make mine was this:
- Open CK, go to the top left, file > Data
- Double click the check box next to Skyrim.esm (and any DLCs you're using) and then click OK. Wait for it to load and dismiss any error messages (hit Yes to All). If you've never used the CK before and it crashes, you need to look up how to edit the .ini settings to allow multiple .esm files at once.
- In the Object window, go to the 'Actor' tab. Find the NPC you want to change, and double click them. (Most NPCs have the same editorID as their name, but if you can't find them use the little search box or organize the list by Name instead of Editor ID)
- In the window that pops up, go to the Inventory tab, right click in the inventory window and choose 'New.' Use the drop down list right below to pick an item you want to give the NPC, it can literally be anything but I recommend something small like an ingredient. For my plugin I gave each NPC a Nirnroot :P
- Click OK, the popup window will close. A * will appear next to their 'Count' number, which shows that they've been edited by your plugin.
- Repeat for every NPC you want included. Go to file > Save, save your plugin, and then activate it. Make sure it's below any other NPC mods or it won't do anything.
That's it. Obviously you'll have to make sure that when you install the mod itself you don't install one of my plugins, and that only the facegen meshes/textures from the NPCs you edited overwrite other mods. Just use the numbers listed above as a reference and hit yes or no to each one individually as you install.
Credits
The Eyes of Beauty
Lind's Elven Eyes
KS Hairdos
Various warpaints by TairenSoul
XCE - Warpaint and Dirt
Mature Skin 2
Pride of Valhalla
Real Girls Realistic Body Texture
SG Female Textures Renewal
Fair Skin Complexion
Zoe's normal map
Halo's overlays
JayF's Female Textures
Better Complexion
FreckleMania2
Brows
Maeven2's Brows
El's Face Stuff
If I've missed crediting anyone, please inform me ASAP! :)