About this mod
An immersive, lore-friendly spell package designed to add extra utility, passive and situational magic to SSE. Conceptualised with Survival/Hardcore/RPG playthroughs in mind and for those using more realistic lighting with darker dungeons. Minimally invasive to the game, to balance with maximum compatibility with other modifications.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs

Contents:
- Description
- Spell List
- Installation
- Compatibility
1. Description
At a glance
- UMP is a lore-friendly, immersive, balanced spell pack designed to insert into and compliment the existing magic system in SSE.
- Designed with survival, ENB, realistic darkness and difficulty mods in mind to support difficulty and roleplaying - but compatible with vanilla
- Features numerous spells and unobtrusive re-workings of the existing spell systems in Skyrim.
- Expands spells into lines of magic from novice to master with increasing functionality
- Aims to provide magic-users with better utility, defensive, situational and convenience options, reminiscent of earlier TES
- Integrated immersively to levelled lists and spell vendors, no freebies/stashes/cheats
- Compatibility patch options for Ordinator and Andromeda Unique Standing Stones included
In Depth
The Utility Magic Package is a spell-package for Skyrim: Special Edition that is designed to make magic in the game more diverse and functional to the adventurer, from the first steps surviving the wilderness, through to being an expert magus.
Throughout my time playing Skyrim - and then even moreso when playing it heavily modded with increased difficulty, survival elements, dark nights and dungeons - I frequently found the magic content underwhelming. Certainly, the combat spells are repetitive, but I found the actual variety of non-combat options severely lacking: why is my master mage relying on a tiny light spell in this big black dungeon; why is there often only one spell of an entire type in the game, and not a series of developing spells? Why can my level 5 stealth archer noob who has never practised illusion before completely magically silence his footsteps with the baseline muffle spell? And why is my archmage incapable of applying his magic to anything other than smashing up Draugr, magic surely can be used for all sorts of problems?
There are countless fantastic mods that offer arrays of new spells and mechanics to the various schools of magic, but most of these focus on combat-serving abilities, often with dramatic spells at higher skill levels. The Utility Magic Package has a different aim: to fill in the space in the game for the mage to apply magic to non-violent purposes: to provide utility to the player who develops magic skills, and to do this in an immersive way that develops lines of spells across the spectrum from novitiate to master. The new spells bring new utility to the magic/caster skills. Light spells, for example, start with the feeble cantrips of a novice trying to light the pitch black dungeon after their torch runs out, end with the master mage able to bathe the entire cavern in moonlight with a mere snap of her fingers, and have various stages of expertise in between which allows the player to grow across their playthrough.
This mod is based off a brief project I opened back in 2013 for original Skyrim, but had to abandon due to work commitments (medical school was a bitch). The current version - assigned 0.5 as a tentative/testing release - includes a significant number of balanced, lore-friendly and game-integrated spells for TESV Skyrim. These not only add to the existing game's spell roster without breaking their themes, but also overhauls existing spell types - such as magical light and muffle spells - into entire branches of their school of magic, which progress with caster ability. Much of the content is inspired by the spells or mechanics of previous Elder Scrolls games, re-introducing archetypes of spells not included in Skyrim.
2. Spell list

Light Spells
Light spells are a perfectly valid sub-school of alteration! Especially when adventurers are using darker dungeon mods and ENBs and need better light options. Now, like any other area of magic, there is a range of light spells, starting from the novice's ability to create only the dim light of a candle, up to the expert alterer's skill at evoking powerful moonlight to bathe his surroundings in its glow. Not only does this provide progression in illumination capabilities with increasing alteration skill, but also gives the player a choice just which light they feel is appropriate: an expert alterer may yet choose to use only a candlelight in order to maintain some stealth, or to illuminate only their small corner of the inn where they are working.
For the sake of utility, light spells have also had their base duration (i.e. pre-perks) doubled to 120 seconds. This is slightly less tedious in dungeons and dark nights, this is also supplemented by the Darkness spell - allowing any mage who has at least reached apprentice proficiency to dispel their own light spells at will.
I have also removed the massive aura of the glowing 'ball' of light from the magic effect's model which would allow the player to see the whole room in 3rd person regardless of lighting, and otherwise blind the player when it clipped into vision in first person. Each of the spells has customised magelight artwork as well as completely different types, intensity and range of lighting.
- Candlelight* - Alt Novice - A cantrip-level, simplistic light spell for novices that illuminates a small area with the dim flame of a candle. The vanilla spell was a massive torch *Changed from vanilla candlelight
- Gaslight - Alt Apprentice - A more useful light spell for the mage with some experience; brings forth a hovering ball of magic that casts the light of a gas-lamp around in a more useful radius.
- Starlight - Alt Adept - A more developed alteration spell, which invokes the dark night's starlight to wash over and illuminate a large area.
- Moonlight - Alt Expert - The most developed light spell available to the expert alterer, Moonlight bathes a very large area the pallid bright light of the moon, lighting even the darkest dungeon.
- Darkness - Alt Apprentice - This spell permits the caster to silently dispel their current personal light (but not their magelight) at any time - ideal when wanting to remain hidden, or when the light is no longer wanted or necessary
Magelight Spells
The same applies to magelight as applies to general light spells: the ability of a spellcaster to evoke a persisting ball of light away from herself varies with her experience. Initially, the novice can learn to project her candlelight away from herself - after which, other forms of mage light gradually become available to her. By nature, maintaining magical light away from one's self is more costly than a typical lighting spell. The base duration has also been increased to 90 seconds.
- Apprentice's Torch* - Alt Novice - The budding alterer can learn to propel his Candlelight, which sticks where it hits to provide a constant dim light. *Formerly vanilla magelight
- Adept's Lamp - Alt Apprentice - A practised alterer can instead evoke a mobile ball of Gaslight for better lighting
- Magelight - Alt Adept - The competent mage brings forth a hovering ball of Starlight that sticks where it impacts, illuminating the vicinity.
Abjuration: Magic Resistance
Magic resistance, as an archetype, makes a return from Oblivion. An Alterer of experience can learn to protect herself against magical harm, and not just physical. This is, magically speaking, more complicated spellmaking than mage armours, with the entry-point spell to this line in the Apprentice tier. The amount of magic resistance granted by the spells is not huge, but can give the edge over magic-wielding opponents in battle, and can be stacked with potions and armour. Furthermore, the Mage Armour perk improves these spells just as they do for Oakflesh et cetera, making the Magic Resistance skin spells markedly more powerful for the unarmoured alterer when these bonuses are applied.
- Glintskin - Alt Apprentice - Caster gains 10% resistance to magic for a baseline 60 seconds. Improved by the Mage Armour perk.
- Shimmerskin - Alt Adept - Caster gains 15% resistance to magic for a baseline 60 seconds. Improved by the Mage Armour perk.
- Mirrorskin - Alt Expert - Caster gains 20% resistance to magic for a baseline 60 seconds. Improved by the Mage Armour perk.
- Voidskin - Alt Master - Caster gains 30% resistance to magic for a baseline 60 seconds. Improved by the Mage Armour perk.
Abjuration: Elemental Shield
These spells are a re-introduction of the 'elemental shield' type spells from previous Elder Scrolls entries. They provide resistance to a single type of element, and a small amount of increased armour, for their duration. Only one archetype of elemental shield can be active at a time - casting Chillflesh while already under the effects of Emberflesh, for example, will dispel the former, and so the benefits cannot be stacked. The small armour boost does, however, stack with mage armour spells. The elemental resistance provided is improved by the Destruction magic tree's Augment perks for the relevant elements, each level of which improves the resistance spell by 25% of the spells' default value.
- Emberflesh - Alt Apprentice - The caster gains 20% resistance to fire damage, and 30 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Fire resistance is improved by the Augmented Flame perk (or Combustion if using Ordinator)
- Chillflesh - Alt Apprentice - The caster gains 20% resistance to frost damage, and 30 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Frost resistance is improved by the Augmented Frost perk (or Merciless Cold if using Ordinator)
- Staticflesh - Alt Apprentice - The caster gains 20% resistance to shock damage, and 30 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Shock resistance is improved by the Augmented Shock perk (or Ionized Path if using Ordinator)
- Blazeflesh - Alt Expert - The caster gains 40% resistance to fire damage, and 60 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Fire resistance is improved by the Augmented Flame perk (or Combustion if using Ordinator)
- Rimeflesh - Alt Expert - The caster gains 40% resistance to frost damage, and 60 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Frost resistance is improved by the Augmented Frost perk (or Merciless Cold if using Ordinator)
- Stormflesh - Alt Expert - The caster gains 40% resistance to shock damage, and 60 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Shock resistance is improved by the Augmented Shock perk (or Ionized Path if using Ordinator)
- Tempestflesh - Alt Master - The caster gains 30% resistance to each of the elements, and 100 points of armour, for a baseline 60 seconds. Resistances to each element are improved by their relevant augmented element perks in the Destruction tree.
Situational Awareness
These spells develop existing capabilities for more experience alterers. The expert alterer can enhance their own eyes and perception, permitting night-vision, or even preternatural awareness of other living beings for extended periods of time.
- Night Eye - Alt Adept - Grants magical night-vision to the caster for a baseline 60 seconds
- Extrasensory Perception - Alt Expert - Combines night vision, and the ability to sense living creatures as per detect life, granting them to the caster for 60 seconds.
Ability Spells
The alterer can alter reality in other ways. Without changing the water, but by magically influencing the interaction between her body and the water's surface, a highly experienced alterer can effectively 'walk' on the surface.
- Waterwalking - Alt Expert - Caster gains the ability to walk on the surface of water (and other liquids) for a baseline 30 seconds.

Situational Awareness
The illusionist learns to alter her own perception of reality as well as that of those around her. By doing so, she can gain both convenience and, sometimes, a tactical edge.
- Target Acquisition - Ill Apprentice - Slows the perception of time to half its normal rate, and identifies and highlights any hostile beings that are within the caster's direct field of vision (but not through walls or obstacles) for 5 seconds. Ideal for snap-shots, dodging otherwise rapid blows, assessing a difficult situation with multiple enemies - or assassinations.
- Intuition - Ill Apprentice - Shows the caster the direction to his current objective, so long as he is aware of it, for 60 seconds, and is toggle-able. Archetype of Clairvoyance, but does not require concentrating a spell. Especially suitable for those who would rather disable quest markers but would like a lore-friendly way of locating their quest target.
Stealth Spells: Muffle
In vanilla, there was but one spell: Muffle. It is Apprentice-level and completely silenced your footsteps, as if stealth wasn't easy enough already. UMP introduces four tiers of Muffle-like spell, with increasing competency at cloaking one's footsteps the more powerful the illusionist becomes. Vanilla 'Muffle' remains an apprentice-tier spell which, still helpfully, reduced movement noise by 50%. This will increase the difficulty of stealth for those who may have (ab)used muffle, but stealth is already very easy in Skyrim, and gradually increasing rewards from Illusion skill feels much more immersive.
- Stifle - Ill Novice - Reduces the noise made by the caster's movements by 20% for a baseline 180 seconds.
- Muffle* - Ill Apprentice - Reduces the noise made by the caster's movements by 50% for a baseline 180 seconds. *Changed from vanilla Muffle.
- Dampen - Ill Adept - Reduces the noise made by the caster's movements by 75% for a baseline 180 seconds.
- Mute - Ill Expert - Reduces the noise made by the caster's movements by 90% for a baseline 180 seconds.
Stealth Spells: Invisibility
In vanilla, you had Invisibility at 75/Expert, and that was it if you did not wish to be seen. UMP develops the stealth/invisibility archetype into an entire area of study for the illusionist, starting with the Apprentice being capable of a quick vanishing trick (potentially enough to escape a sticky situation) despite true invisibility eluding her. From there on, she then develops the ability to maintain invisibility while concentrating at great mana cost, with the ability to Shadowdash. Finally, the master illusionist can not only maintain invisibility much longer than with a simple invisibility spell, but also fully muffle herself.
- Vanishing Trick - Ill Apprentice - Caster is rendered invisible for 5 seconds. Cannot be extended by dual casting. Effect is broken by combat or any actions.
- Shadowdash - Ill Adept - Caster is rendered invisible and movement speed is increased by 30% whilst concentrating the spell.
- Evanescence - Ill Master - Caster disappears, becoming invisible and entirely silent for a baseline 60 seconds, unless the effect is broken by action.

Practical Binding: Survival Equipment
It's all very well binding swords, axes, and bows but a conjurer may find that she needs to be able to, for example, see what she wishes to kill with such implements. One with any skill in the binding of aetherial energy into objects could surely summon a wider variety of useful adventuring implements than weapons alone! For now I have added a magical bound torch that functions as an alternative for those not skilled in alteration, or to carrying multiple spare mundane torches in the backpack! I may add bound pickaxes and woodcutting axes in future - these have been de-prioritised presently due to there already being good options available for these in another mod.
- Bound Torch - Conj Apprentice - Conjures a magical torch in the off-hand to light the caster's way for 2 minutes (scales with conjuration skill). Unequip to dispel.
Soul Magic: Transference
The advanced conjurer can manipulate and transfer diseases from their body into a charged soul gem, destroying it in the process - but offering an alternative means of cure for one without skill in alchemy or restoration.
- Substitution - Conj Expert - Consumes one filled Greater or Grand Soul Gem to cure the caster of any mundane disease

Holy Magic: Exorcism
Stendarr's mercy does not stop at the Adept level of Restoration magic!
- Stendarr's Vigilance - Rest Expert - grants the caster the ability to perceive the undead, even through walls, in a significant area (larger than detect undead and without having to concentrate). Grants a cloak that cripples enemy undead in melee range, halving their rate of attack. Base duration of 60 seconds.
Healing Magic: Treatment
In vanilla, there is not a single spell in the restoration school that actually gave options for the treatment of poisoning and disease. UMP adds some physicianly magic; options for the skilled restorer to treat poisoning and disease, as always striving to so in a balanced manner. The options to magically curie poisoning and disease don't become available until the apprentice and adept levels, and at this stage exact a significant toll on the caster's body to perform, causing long-lasting debuffs in exchange for the cure. As one becomes a master of restoration, true 'cure' spells without debuffs eventually become available, but not until the expert and master level, and require a large magicka pool to perform that may not be amenable to usage by the average spellsword with high restoration skill.
This balancing is aimed especially for those using survival and deadly disease mods to provide an alternative to alchemy while not simply invalidating it: curative potions can be crafted at a relatively lower skill of alchemy and exhibit no negative effects, but require ingredients or money to purchase them, and the player to carry them in advance, whereas the restorer can purge these diseases without recourse to items - at a cost, until the very highest levels of skill.
- Purge - Rest Apprentice - Purges poison from the caster's body, at the cost of ravaging their stamina for prolonged period of time
- Nostrum - Rest Adept - Cures the caster of mundane diseases but at the cost of mental exhaustion limiting their magicka regeneration for a prolonged time.
- Antidote - Rest Expert - Swiftly and harmlessly neutralises any poison that is running through the caster's body.
- Panacea - Rest Master - Cures the caster of all mundane diseases without adverse effects.
3. Installation
- Download and install with NMM/Vortex/MO2
- Choose compatibility patches in NMM/Vortex/MO2 as needed (Installer will usually detect Ordinator and Andromeda for you if they are in your load order)
- Rebuild Bashed Patch (advisable especially if using any other spell mods/mods that add new spellbooks so levelled lists ar emerged)
- Play
4. Compatibility
Largely compatible in the strictest sense (i.e. should not cause glitches/crashes) with most mods. All new effects and spells are made with new entries, and only Candlelight and Magelight from vanilla have been edited. Any lights, spells or items that use the vanilla Candlelight and Magelight will therefore be affected - though this will change visuals it should not cause any progression blocking problems or crashes, and any differences in lighting would revert simply by de-activating UMP.
- Fully compatible with Apocalypse Spells with only one spell noticeably overlapping in function or mis-matching balance wise
- Functional, but not thematically compatible, with Mysticism. Marked overlap in some spell types with completely different balance. Some edits will conflict
- Designed while playing with Ordinator; fully compatible using included patch. This patch ensures that perks and skill level in Ordinator do not amplify any negative effects of UMP spells (e.g. the caster stamina debuff of 'Purge'), as well as ensuring that Target Acquisition cannot be extended beyond its intended 5 seconds. It is not strictly required to avoid hard errors/crashes. The Elemental Resistance spells benefit from the Ordinator Fire/Frost/Shock perks natively instead of the vanilla options.
- I have included an Andromeda: Unique Standing Stones patch. This patch ensures that the Mage Stone effects do not prolong the amplify/prolong any of the negative effects of UMP spells (e.g. the caster stamina debuff of 'Purge') as well as ensuring that Target Acquisition cannot be extended beyond its intended 5 seconds.
- UMP edits spellbook levelled lists to add the new spells. If this causes any conflicts, your own Vortex/MO will usually notice, and if so will require a bashed patch to merge the levelled lists of UMP with those of other mods adding new spell books to lists and vendors. The Spellbooks for the new spells are all added to the default levelled lists for loot and vendors and so should be widely compatible across the Skyrim modding ecology and easily bashed without any user input other than building the patch.
5. Acknowledgements
Ongoing and eternal gratitude to:
- Creators of Nifskope, though I can barely use it
- Creators of SSEEdit