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About this mod
A makeover mod for Skyrim's Housecarls featuring unique, lore-friendly looks & improved combat skills.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
This mod has been updated & incorporated into Fabulous Followers, which you can find HERE.
A total rework for the visuals & skills of several followers with an immersive, lore-friendly approach. All of the affected NPCs have been given new combat perks so they can carry their own weight against whatever threats the Dragonborn may face. I've also implemented a few other changes to make them less of a homogenous group of near-clones.
This mod overhauls the following NPCs:
Argis the Bulwark ~ Calder ~ Gregor ~ Iona
Jordis the Sword-Maiden ~ Lydia ~ Rayya ~ Valdimar
My goal was to visually enhance each follower in a way that wouldn't look too out of place in the vanilla game, but still be unique & reflective of their personality/background. This also extends to combat, with several characters gaining access to useful perks, abilities, equipment, etc. To see a more in-depth list of changes for each follower, click the spoiler tag below.
Spoiler:
Show
-- ARGIS --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Deflect Arrows, Juggernaut (Tier 2), Well Fitted
New Outfit: Dwarven Armor & Weapons
NOTES: Clad in Dwemer plate from head to toe & sporting several new defensive perks, Argis is the ultimate tank. His prosthetic eye is a prototype created by Calcelmo using ancient Dwemer tech found in the ruins beneath Markarth.
-- CALDER --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Barbarian (Tier 1), Limbsplitter (Tier 2), Custom Fit
New Class: Barbarian (Light Armor, Two-Handed, Archery, Block, One-Handed)
New Outfit: Stormcloak Cuirass & Steel Battleaxe
NOTES: Calder is a proud Nord living in Windhelm & although he may not be a Stormcloak himself, I imagine he empathizes with the plight of his compatriots. My apologies to anyone who might've liked them, but the mutton chops had to go.
-- JORDIS --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Champion's Stance, Deep Wounds (Tier 1), Magic Resistance (Tier 1)
New Class: Two-Handed Warrior (Heavy Armor, Two-Handed, Archery, Block, One-Handed)
New Outfit: Steel Plate Armor & Steel Greatsword
NOTES: With an epithet like "The Sword-Maiden", I thought Jordis deserved a nice big greatsword to hack apart the enemies of Haafingar & I've also given her a more protective set of armor to reflect Solitude's vast wealth.
-- GREGOR --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Barbarian (Tier 1), Juggernaut (Tier 1), Well Fitted
NOTES: Like all those hailing from Dawnstar, Gregor is plagued by nightmares & his appearance now alludes to that.
-- IONA --
Perks Added: Stealth (Tier 1), Light Foot, Critical Shot (Tier 1), Hack & Slash (Tier 1)
New Class: Ranger (Archery, One-Handed, Block, Light Armor, Sneak)
New Outfit: Common Clothes & Hunting Bow
NOTES: I really felt the need to diversify the combat styles of each Housecarl so there would be a benefit to taking one over the other. When re-imagining Iona's role, I wanted her to come across as more of an infiltrator & less of a meathead beatstick. Her female animations have also been restored.
-- LYDIA --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Extra Pockets, Armsman (Tier 1), Juggernaut (Tier 2)
NOTES: Lydia gains a modest boost to her damage & defense as well as a little extra carry weight to better schlep your burdens around, as she's sworn to do.
-- RAYYA --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Bladesman (Tier 1), Dual Flurry (Tier 1), Juggernaut (Tier 1)
NOTES: I wanted Rayya's look to evoke the sense that she's still very much connected to her Redguard heritage despite having settled in Skyrim. The added perks will help her cut down your enemies with greater speed & finesse.
-- VALDIMAR --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Bone Breaker (Tier 1)
NOTES: As a sorcerer, Valdimar is actually pretty unique amongst the Housecarls & I wanted his look to reflect that by giving him the appearance of a grizzled battle-mage. I've also given him the Bone Breaker perk because Horksbane seemingly takes up a permanent slot in his inventory for most people & he comes equipped with a mace by default.
Perks Added: Light Foot, Deflect Arrows, Juggernaut (Tier 2), Well Fitted
New Outfit: Dwarven Armor & Weapons
NOTES: Clad in Dwemer plate from head to toe & sporting several new defensive perks, Argis is the ultimate tank. His prosthetic eye is a prototype created by Calcelmo using ancient Dwemer tech found in the ruins beneath Markarth.
-- CALDER --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Barbarian (Tier 1), Limbsplitter (Tier 2), Custom Fit
New Class: Barbarian (Light Armor, Two-Handed, Archery, Block, One-Handed)
New Outfit: Stormcloak Cuirass & Steel Battleaxe
NOTES: Calder is a proud Nord living in Windhelm & although he may not be a Stormcloak himself, I imagine he empathizes with the plight of his compatriots. My apologies to anyone who might've liked them, but the mutton chops had to go.
-- JORDIS --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Champion's Stance, Deep Wounds (Tier 1), Magic Resistance (Tier 1)
New Class: Two-Handed Warrior (Heavy Armor, Two-Handed, Archery, Block, One-Handed)
New Outfit: Steel Plate Armor & Steel Greatsword
NOTES: With an epithet like "The Sword-Maiden", I thought Jordis deserved a nice big greatsword to hack apart the enemies of Haafingar & I've also given her a more protective set of armor to reflect Solitude's vast wealth.
-- GREGOR --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Barbarian (Tier 1), Juggernaut (Tier 1), Well Fitted
NOTES: Like all those hailing from Dawnstar, Gregor is plagued by nightmares & his appearance now alludes to that.
-- IONA --
Perks Added: Stealth (Tier 1), Light Foot, Critical Shot (Tier 1), Hack & Slash (Tier 1)
New Class: Ranger (Archery, One-Handed, Block, Light Armor, Sneak)
New Outfit: Common Clothes & Hunting Bow
NOTES: I really felt the need to diversify the combat styles of each Housecarl so there would be a benefit to taking one over the other. When re-imagining Iona's role, I wanted her to come across as more of an infiltrator & less of a meathead beatstick. Her female animations have also been restored.
-- LYDIA --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Extra Pockets, Armsman (Tier 1), Juggernaut (Tier 2)
NOTES: Lydia gains a modest boost to her damage & defense as well as a little extra carry weight to better schlep your burdens around, as she's sworn to do.
-- RAYYA --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Bladesman (Tier 1), Dual Flurry (Tier 1), Juggernaut (Tier 1)
NOTES: I wanted Rayya's look to evoke the sense that she's still very much connected to her Redguard heritage despite having settled in Skyrim. The added perks will help her cut down your enemies with greater speed & finesse.
-- VALDIMAR --
Perks Added: Light Foot, Bone Breaker (Tier 1)
NOTES: As a sorcerer, Valdimar is actually pretty unique amongst the Housecarls & I wanted his look to reflect that by giving him the appearance of a grizzled battle-mage. I've also given him the Bone Breaker perk because Horksbane seemingly takes up a permanent slot in his inventory for most people & he comes equipped with a mace by default.
REQUIREMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
There are no hard requirements to run this mod, but if you'd like your followers to look exactly like the screenshots, I highly recommend Tempered Skins (Male & Female), Expressive Facial Animations (Male & Female), Mild Complexions, Brows, Beards, & True Faces. USSEP & USMP changes have been forwarded, but the patches themselves aren't necessary if you don't want to run them for some reason.
If you'd like your Housecarls to grant you minor buffs while accompanying you, the "Addon" file from Housecarl Companions Refine is entirely compatible with this mod. For more interesting, talkative & well-developed Housecarls, take a look at Improved Follower Dialogue - Lydia & Less Generic Housecarls - Argis. I've included a patch for the former & the latter works out of the box.
COMPATIBILITY & OTHER INFO
It should go without saying, but this mod is generally incompatible with other mods that edit the same NPCs. Most issues can be resolved via proper load order, but some problems may require a different solution. For more information, click the spoiler tag below.
Spoiler:
Show
Q: "I have the gray/dark face bug!"
A: If you have an issue with dark faces, it's most likely a conflict in your load order. To be safe, place my mod below any others that affect NPC visuals or follower functionality like EFF or ATF, etc.
Q: "Why didn't my follower's skill levels change to reflect their new class?"
A: You shouldn't run into this issue if you've started a new game. However, if you've installed during the middle of a save where you've already met/recruited them, you'll have to reset their levels to force the change. Select the follower in the console & type in the following lines one after the other:
That should update their skills to the proper value.
Q: "The NPCs aren't wearing the new armor sets you gave them."
A: If you're experiencing this issue after installation, simply wait 24 hours in another cell so the game can reset their outfits. Alternatively, you can just select them in the console & type in the following line to force an immediate change of clothes.
Q: "Jordis has a big ol' gap in her neck!"
A: I changed her weight in the CK, but you still might see a visible gap if you've installed this mod mid-game. Select Jordis in the console & type in the following lines one after the other.
That should permanently resolve any visual glitches for Jordis.
Q: "Can you make a patch for [Insert Mod Name Here]?"
I've included a patch for Improved Follower Dialogue - Lydia, but I don't currently have any plans to provide patches for mods I don't use in my own game due to the effort & tediousness involved. However, feel free to ask anyway & I might oblige if it's a simple enough fix. You're also more than welcome to create your own patch for this mod & publish it as a standalone mod or request that I host it here, just know that I may not be able to provide further support for said patch.
Q: "Can you upload a version that has [NPC A, B, & C] but not [NPC D]?"
Sorry, but I don't take these types of requests. If you're not comfortable learning how to remove certain NPCs from this mod using xEdit, I would recommend trying out either Easy NPC or NPC Plugin Chooser to do what you're aiming for.
Q: "Any plans to make over other followers?"
A: Eventually, though I work full-time and I'm also a perfectionist when it comes to creating characters so they might be few & far between.
A: If you have an issue with dark faces, it's most likely a conflict in your load order. To be safe, place my mod below any others that affect NPC visuals or follower functionality like EFF or ATF, etc.
Q: "Why didn't my follower's skill levels change to reflect their new class?"
A: You shouldn't run into this issue if you've started a new game. However, if you've installed during the middle of a save where you've already met/recruited them, you'll have to reset their levels to force the change. Select the follower in the console & type in the following lines one after the other:
setlevel 1000 0 1 1setlevel 1000 0 1 50That should update their skills to the proper value.
Q: "The NPCs aren't wearing the new armor sets you gave them."
A: If you're experiencing this issue after installation, simply wait 24 hours in another cell so the game can reset their outfits. Alternatively, you can just select them in the console & type in the following line to force an immediate change of clothes.
resetinventoryQ: "Jordis has a big ol' gap in her neck!"
A: I changed her weight in the CK, but you still might see a visible gap if you've installed this mod mid-game. Select Jordis in the console & type in the following lines one after the other.
setnpcweight 60disableenableThat should permanently resolve any visual glitches for Jordis.
Q: "Can you make a patch for [Insert Mod Name Here]?"
I've included a patch for Improved Follower Dialogue - Lydia, but I don't currently have any plans to provide patches for mods I don't use in my own game due to the effort & tediousness involved. However, feel free to ask anyway & I might oblige if it's a simple enough fix. You're also more than welcome to create your own patch for this mod & publish it as a standalone mod or request that I host it here, just know that I may not be able to provide further support for said patch.
Q: "Can you upload a version that has [NPC A, B, & C] but not [NPC D]?"
Sorry, but I don't take these types of requests. If you're not comfortable learning how to remove certain NPCs from this mod using xEdit, I would recommend trying out either Easy NPC or NPC Plugin Chooser to do what you're aiming for.
Q: "Any plans to make over other followers?"
A: Eventually, though I work full-time and I'm also a perfectionist when it comes to creating characters so they might be few & far between.
CREDITS
Better Makeup by Diethardt
Brows by Hvergelmir
Community Overlay 3 by DomainWolf
Double Sided Vertex Mouth Fix by Artsick/Ruhadre
ENB Brow Fix by triptherift
Expressive Facegen Morphs by Niroku
Eyes AO Clipping Fix by Artsick
Freckle Mania 2 by tetrodoxin
Hallgarth's Additional Hair by Hallgarth
High Poly Vanilla Hair by Macxhiin
Marks of Beauty by Lamenthia
Northborn Scars by Northborn
RaceMenu by expired6978
Skin Feature Overlays SE by DomainWolf
TD18 Lore-Friendly Hair by Threeton
Vanilla Warpaints Absolution by DomainWolf
Weathered Nordic Bodypaints by DomainWolf
SCREENSHOTS
aMidianBorn Book of Silence by CaBaL
Guards Armor Replacer by NordwarUA
Northborn Scars by Northborn
Rudy ENB SE for Cathedral Weathers by rudy102
RUSTIC CLOTHING by Gamwich
Superior Lore-Friendly Hair by skyrimaguas