Bombs and Traps are only able to be equipped using your RIGHT or LEFT hand (not both or "either", like a one-handed weapon can be).

This is due to the art file drawn in the hands. These are considered spells, and thus are drawn in a manner that expects a spherical object with a glow effect, not an actual item that is held.

The result is having two files for the held object, one for the right hand, and one for the left hand.

I have spent a TON of time trying to figure out how the weapon system allows the same art file in both hands and how to apply this to scrolls, but I cannot seem to find it - so this is my compromise.

This add-on has evolved from originally wanting to provide a personalized version of all of the awesome specialized arrows available on the Nexus, to a full-blown revamp of how these types of arrows work.

The entire idea stemmed from my personal dislike of how the basis of magicka is innately inherent for everyone in Tamriel. Somehow, this base knowledge allows people to buy and use magical items, wear magical gear, and wield magical weapons.

The enchanting system helps this some, draining the imbued properties each time the item is used, but the underlying problem remains that this powerful source is too easily controlled by those that have not dedicated their lives to the study and mastery of such power - such as mages, warlocks, and witches.

Again, this is only my opinion here, but I find it hard to believe that any melee-based character would decide to undertake the enormous commitment and time to learn magic - over honing their skills with weapons. I believe that if they did, they would become mediocre magic users at best - and weaker physical combatants overall. The system is designed to cause this exact result, yes, but why be a Jack-of-all-trades, when you can kick ass with two?

With that said, I believe that Alchemy should require similar dedication to become a true master of the art. However, it should be much easier to understand and manipulate physical chemical elements than ethereal (magical) arcane elements.

This mod takes this attitude and helps "encourage" a person down the path of Alchemy, urging them to use it for more than simple health potions, fortifying elixirs, and a few poisonous blades here and there - and then actually rewards them for do so!

As I mentioned, this started out as an alternative to magic arrows or exploding Dwemer bolts. The more I studied the many mods out there that add such features to the game, the more I kept longing for the diversity and functionality that they provided - like with Sneak Tools. This mod not only provided some very effective ammunition, but they were very practical as well.

BUT (there is always a big butt after a complement, isn't there?), I wanted more than what was available by the mod, and I disliked how simplistic the ammunition was able to be created. With the port to SE that Haytur has done, this mod has been very much improved. So, I have borrowed several ideas from this and other mods on the nexus, and then added on additional content - Bad Ass style...

The result is this: an immersive approach to creating functional ammunition that will scale with the player as they progress in level and skill!

The first step is to visit a Alchemy vendor and purchase "The Alchemist Arsenal Guide" in one of the major cities (see spoiiler). This is an Book / Journal that will allow you to build the kit at a forge.

Alternatively, there are three kits out in the wild somewhere to be found.

VENDOR LOCATION:
LOCATION HINTS:

It all starts with harvesting / looting some components!

Chances are that if you have been chewing on some Imp Stool for its psychedelic properties... wondering what to do with all that Troll Fat oozing out of your backpack... or trying to figure out why you spent the time and effort to collect and drag all that Linen Wrap back to town for an insultingly miniscule amount of coin - then you're likely half-way towards creating some new and exciting ammunition!

Once you've collected / harvested some items, they can be broken down into compounds. These, in turn, can then be combined together with small vessels in various configurations and attached to an arrow / bolt, or placed into larger vessels to be used as a bomb or trap.

What you end up with are some new pieces of ammunition with awesome abilities! One of the best parts about this "ammunition of pure awesomeness" is how they will never get old and outdated.

My logic behind this feature is this: as your skills in Alchemy increase, you would learn ways to make your results more powerful, with no need for additional materials!

See the in-game book or excel document (or pictures) for a full list of all the components / ingredients used to create the arsenal (also listed with brief descriptions below).

This is detailed in the documents as well, but here is the gist of this system:

The way that the progression system (automatic upgrade) works is like this: as your PC increases in their alchemy skill and character level, the effects of the associated item(s) will be improved "automatically" (once both conditions [skill lvl / player lvl] are met).

When starting the game, you will be at AAPL 0 (Progress Level #0), which means that you will not be able to create ANY of the actual ammunition, regardless of your current alchemy skill, until you open the kit for the first time.

From here, there are seven total PL's to move through:
AAPL 1 = Alchemy Level 10, Player Level 3
AAPL 2 = Alchemy Level 20, Player Level 6
AAPL 3 = Alchemy Level 30, Player Level 9
AAPL 4 = Alchemy Level 40, Player Level 12
AAPL 5 = Alchemy Level 50, Player Level 15
AAPL 6 = Alchemy Level 60, Player Level 18
AAPL 7 = Alchemy Level 70, Player Level 21
AAPL 8 = Alchemy Level 80, Player Level 24
AAPL 9 = Alchemy Level 90, Player Level 27
AAPL 10 = Alchemy Level 100, Player Level 30

You WILL be able to create compounds and vessels until you reach PL1, giving you an alternative method to raise your skill level some.

The key / trick is to remember to open the AA Kit periodically to trigger a scripted event to check your AAPL. If you qualify, the script will upgrade all the items in your inventory. What is actually does is set a global value so that when the effects are triggered, the associated object effect(s) improve (more damage, greater effect, longer duration, etc).

The reason it is set up like this, is so that I do not have a script running all the time. Running scripts can be resource heavy, and there are enough of them already in game. These items only run their scripts when needed.

Nor did I want to force the player to make several different versions of ammo, simply to improve upon the previous level. This clutters the inventory and causes more management of products that I do not enjoy (and I make the assumption that others are annoyed by this as well).

Note that AAPL 10 is considered a "Grand Master" level and offers significant boosts for the "final versions" of each item. In most cases, this effect is about 150% of level 9.

Also note that when you achieve AAPL 10, you will never be reverted back. This means that if you decide to reset your alchemy skill via the perk process, your progress level will remain at ten (10). The scripting is built so that if it sees that you are at level 10, it skips any further checks.

It's worth stating AGAIN that as you progress up in level, you will not require more ingredients! Rather, it is your knowledge and experience that allows you to make use of the same amount of material, but create more powerful items!

I have two forms of documentation available for use:

(1) There is a book that you can get by simply opening the kit (after you purchase it or find it) and using the workbench to "make" one. Within this manual, you will be told about every feature available, as well as information on how to build the arsenal, and what to harvest to make the compounds.

2) There is a additional Excel Workbook file included in the download. In this workbook is a large amount of data on all the ingredients and items available, how to combine them, what the effects of the ammo are, and some concept ideas and explanations.

All ammo has a 5-ish ft splash radius. This is more evident with the some ammo effects that others. I have reduced the splash area to the lowest possible value to counter this.

Although I would have liked to keep most of all the explosions to a single target area (around 32 units), there is a diminishing return when trying to adjust the radius values too low, and it ends up having no effect on any targets.

This is the compromise that I must use until I find another (better) way to trigger the effects.

Items highlighted in MAGENTA require both the SNEAK TOOLS mod and included ESP file to use properly.
CALM: (Powder Packed into a Cloth Bag on a Blunted Tip) Removes hostility from the target for a period of time. [Does not work against undead, ghosts, machines, or dragons]

ENRAGE: (Red Liquid Coating a Sharpened Tip) Frenzies the target for a period of time.[Does not work against undead, ghosts, machines, or children]

FIRE: (Orange Crystals in Glass Vial Attached to Shaft) Explodes for Fire damage, burning the target over <5> seconds.[If using the ST addon, these can also ignite most fire sources]

FLARE: (Powder Packed into a Cloth Bag Attached to a Sharpened Tip) Places a light source at the point of impact for <2> minutes.

FROST: (Bright Crystals & Yellow Liquid & Water in a Vial, Affixed to a Normal Tip) Explodes upon impact, causing Frost damage over <10> seconds, silencing the target for a period of time, and possibly freezing them for <5> seconds.

GLUE: (Yellow Liquid in Glass Vial Attached to Shaft) Shatters glue at the point of impact, slowing the movement speed of the target and draining their Stamina over <15> seconds.

NOISE: (Crystals Packed into a Cloth Bag on a Blunted Tip) Ignites at the point of impact, making loud noises and attracting attention to that spot.

OIL: (Black Liquid in Glass Vial Attached to Shaft) Shatters into a pool of oil at the point of impact. If ignited, it explodes for Fire damage, burning all within range for Fire damage over <10> seconds, and places a <10> second Fire trap in the area.

POISON: (Green Liquid Coating the Tip) Paralyzes the target briefly and inflicts Poison damage over <30> seconds. [Does not work against undead, ghosts, machines, or children]

ROPE: (Brown Rope Wrapped Around Shaft w/ Sharpened Tip) Places a climbable rope at the point of impact.

SHOCK: (Bright Purple Fibers in Glass Vial Attached to Shaft) Explodes for Shock damage, staggering the target and draining their Magicka over <15> seconds. [Stagger does not work against Deadra, dragons, or machines.]

SILVER: (Silver Liquid Coating the Tip) Afflicts the target with silver, causing Physical damage to Undead and Were-beasts over <20> seconds. [Does normal physical damage against other targets]

WATER: (Blue Liquid in Glass Vial Attached to Shaft) Shatters water at the point of impact, silently extinguishing most fire sources (not bonfires).

Both Bombs and Traps are located in the Scrolls category. This is required due to the way that I've implemented their usage, and the ability to deplete the stock properly. 

All Bombs and Traps are equipped, handheld, and "thrown" - with minimal scripting associated with them.

Bombs and Traps use the same auto-progression system as the Arrows & Bolts.

All Bomb and Trap explosions have a 10 ft effective radius (320 units) and share the same effects at each progression tier, it is simply their application that makes them operate differently. Bombs are thrown and explode on impact, Traps are set and explode via proximity.

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WARNING: Both Bombs and Traps will place an activator at the point of impact / placement. This activator has a minor script that applies the effect or hazard to that spot. This is important to understand, because the game considers this action as a random event that has occurred at this spot, and not that the player themselves just threw / placed an item there. This means that any resulting blast radius and/or object effects will also affect the player! BE WARNED!

Why was this feature implemented? Because the visual explosions are many times not what I wanted to see (too large or too small), and the visual explosion size is directly related to the radius assigned to the magic effects. Therefore, I have created two explosions: the 1st is the visual effect, the 2nd is the magical effect.
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Traps work slightly different from bombs. They are also "thrown", but they do not have projectiles, or an arc. Essentially, traps work the same way that runes work.

They have a much more limited range than bombs (about 15 feet, look for the crosshair turning red after priming the "toss"), but will immediately be placed where your cursor is pointed.

Due the nature of how runes work, an variety of optional ESL files are included in the FOMOD to increase the total # of runes / traps allowed to be placed in game (vanilla settings only allow one (1) active rune). Note that this change will effect BOTH traps and magical runes, so use it accordingly. I suggest the +10 version, as I feel it provides enough variance, without being too OP.

Keep in mind that, like bombs, when placed into the game, a super-light script is fired to make the explosion and effects hit the player (if close by). However, you will not trigger the traps when walking over them. My logic here is that you would know where you placed them... 

Also, all traps have a proximity trigger radius of 100 units, which is about 12 ft (roughly). This is important to understand, as NPC's that are chasing you could trigger one trap... which could inadvertently trigger an adjacent trap... which you just so happen to be standing next to... so watch your distance as you lure victims to their death!

CLUSTER: (Dark Metal Chunks in Bottle, Brown Cloth Wick) Explodes for Physical damage. 

FIRE: (Orange Crystals in Bottle) Explodes for Fire damage, then continues to burn all targets within range for Fire damage over <10> seconds. Places a <10> second Fire trap in the area. 

FLASH: (Light Blue Powder in Bottle) Explodes for non-lethal damage, knocking down all targets within range. It also blinds them, halts all regeneration, and enrages them for <20> seconds.

FROST: (Bright Crystals atop Yellow Liquid atop Water in a Bottle, Brown Cloth Strip in Bottle) Explodes upon impact for Frost damage, causes additional Frost damage over <10> seconds, silences the target for a period of time, and possibly freezes them for <5> seconds. 

GLUE: (Yellow Liquid in Bottle) Explodes for non-lethal damage, slowing all targets within range and draining their Stamina over <15> seconds.

POISON: (Green Liquid in Bottle) Explodes for non-lethal damage, but paralyzes all targets within range briefly, and then inflicts Poison damage over <30> seconds. Places a <15> second Poison trap in the area. [Does not work against undead, ghosts, machines, or children]

SHOCK: (White Fibers in Bottle) Explodes for Shock damage, staggering all targets within range and draining their Magicka over <15> seconds. [Stagger does not work against Deadra, dragons, or machines]

SILVER: (Silver Shards in Bottle) Explodes for Physical damage to all within range, and causes silver affliction to Undead and Were-beasts, inflicting additional Physical damage over <20> seconds.

ALCHEMIST ARSENAL KIT: A portable crafting kit that contains all the tools needed to create compounds and vessels, as well as construct specialized arrows, bolts, bombs, and traps. (this kit simply operates as a workbench for all the associated items to be built up and made on demand)

BLOOD: This volatile liquid is harvested directly from the blood of others. Through distillation and revivification, a serum is produced that when injected into a target, will cause their blood to quicken, forcing them to lose control and attack anyone around them.

EXPLOSIVE: Explosives are carefully created by grinding down flammable materials into finer crystals. Be careful though, for if they are struck with a spark, they will ignite, and detonate.

GLUE: Glue is developed through the process of glutenation and congelation: slowly mixing and heating various sticky and viscous substances until they become gelatinized. In its new form, anything that comes into contact with this material will have its movement impaired greatly - and the efforts it takes to break free will require a moderate amount of Stamina.

OIL: This thicker liquid is drawn from various fatty and flammable sources. While nice to have a lubricant for those squeaky door hinges, it really “shines” when used for another purpose. When ignited by a flame, it burns longer and more intensely than explosive compounds.

POWDER: Many flowers and other flora can be crushed into a powder. In this dusty state, they can be thrown in an opponent's face, or slipped into a drink with ease. The purpose of this? Well, if inhaled or ingested, these powders will cause dizziness, confusion, and a state of carefree euphoria - often causing the target to completely forget what they were doing.

SILVER: Pure silver is extremely volatile to Dragon Priests, Draugr, Ghosts, Skeletons, Vampires, Were-beasts, and Zombies. Upon impact with these unnatural monsters, it caused sizable instant damage, and any silver that was left embedded within them began to dissolve, causing a lot of additional damage. Further tests have shown this to work on ethereal beings and accursed man-beasts just as well. Once smelted, it can be applied to the sharp end of a weapon in its melted state, or chipped apart and used as shrapnel when hardened. 

SPARK: Spark is developed by harvesting fibers from various materials and crystalizing them using bonding liquids and a slow evaporation process. If violently disturbed (smashing against a target or wall), they will send out pulses of static electricity - shocking / staggering anything within range and draining a large amount of concentration (Magicka) in the process.

SULFUR: Sulfur is created through the processes of desiccation and lixiviation of harvested roots and radioactive objects - which carefully scraps, crushes, dries, and oxidizes objects into a coarse vitriol material. It turns out that this material has a couple uses: 1) If lit on fire, it provides a slow burning bluish light that can illuminate dark areas. 2) If combined with other chemicals, it bonds to them. Depending upon the combination, this typically results in either an very bright and forceful explosion, or a light and airy substance that is easily ingested. Strange that it has such adaptability.

TOXIN: Toxic compounds are extracted from all types of wild fungi and poisonous plants. Some items provide a direct liquid, which can be placed into vials or spread onto items, like weapons. Other compounds need to go through a prolactation process to draw out their venomous substance into a more solid material. Both methods can then have heat applied to them to dry out into a powder form that can be easily mixed or spread onto other items. Be warned that several blind studies have reported that if this compound is exposed to skin or armor, that it is highly corrosive, aggressively painful over a long period of time, and can cause short-term paralysis if the liquid reaches the bloodstream or the vapors reach the airways.

WATER: Water is a readily available resource in most locations throughout Tamriel, and is collected for use when creating items that require it.

CLOTH STRIPS: These consist of several strips of cloth material - used as a small pouch, binding, or wick. These vary in size for the purpose at hand, but all serve to hold powders and solids. 

EMPTY FLASKS: A half-dozen medium-sized glass containers, vitrified from crystal ores and other glass-type materials, that can hold a moderate amount of liquid. Ideal for bombs and traps.

EMPTY VIALS: A dozen small glass containers, forged from crystal ores and other glass-type materials, that can hold some substance (liquid, powder, crystalized material, etc). Small enough to strap to an arrow or bolt head.

METAL FITTINGS: A collection of various hinges, brackets, clamps, and fittings that can be combined to make a simple pressure plate.

ROPE: A small entwined rope, sturdy enough to carry the weight of one person (and some gear).

1) I have limited the yield amounts for all arrow/bolt creations to twelve (12), and bombs/traps to six (6) for two reasons - a) so that the user would not have to make a large batch of items that they would potentially not use very often, and b) because I wanted to keep the compound usage common.

2) I tried to keep the yield to value ratio as close as I could for most compounds and vessels, but some things were just too silly not to change. Therefore, the yield amounts are ultimately based on the items value, and less so on how much it should produce when broken down, with consideration on its general size. This means that some items will be more valuable in their compound or vessel form than their original form. Please don't abuse this! Since I had to set a single value for all items I used as an input, it was difficult to determine the least common multiple without over/under-valuing some items.

3) Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I cannot control arrows and bolts being automatically placed into the inventory of the mob in their "Alchemist Arsenal" form. This means that you will, for example, find a fully intact Fire Arrow on the mob, ready and able to be used again - even though it exploded the first time. This is immersion breaking, I understand. The silver lining part about this is: archery mobs that are hit by this ammo will often use this same ammo against the player, adding to the challenge... somewhat.

4) Regarding the components and vessels: they will not clutter your crafting menu if you do not have the components to make the item. There are a helluvashitloada (yes, that's a real word that I just made up) of components to craft from, so be sure to download and keep the EXCEL guide handy to help you recognize items that are used. In general, it's a safe bet to simply keep most ingredient type items (as you will need them to create other alchemical items anyways), and then the few miscellaneous items can be remembered. That said, if an item (like a flower) is used to make one compound, it will not be used for any other compound, to help avoid confusion. Also, I do not use any creature ingredients in these (fish, moths, etc). However, things like blood and fat from some beasts are used.

If you have a problem with any of the above, then in the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger I say, "STOP WHINING!" and "GO! NOWWW! GET TO THE CHOPPA!!"