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About this mod
Immersively strengthens various NPC's including Amren, Captain Aldis, Alvor, Adrienne, Eorlund Grey-Mane, Ulfberth War-Bear, Ghorza, Grelka, Brunwulf, Sinmir, Anoriath, Beirand, Balimund, Hermir, Runil, Morwen, Baldor and more to be more in keeping with who they are and to better protect the civilians in the game.
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There are quite a few NPC's in Skyrim who are, in one way or another, stated to be some kind of fighter, or whose lifestyle should make them at least reasonably capable fighters, but whose stats don't reflect it. Not only does this break immersion by having a character who is supposed to be strong be extremely weak, it also puts both themselves and various other NPC's at greater risk due to a lack of defenses. This mod aims to fix that by boosting the stats and equipment of several NPC's to better reflect their background and in-lore abilities, and help protect the NPC's of Skyrim. Make sure you are using the latest version of the mod.
NPC's Changed by This Mod:
Whiterun:
Riften:
Markarth:
Windhelm:
Solitude:
Morthal:
Falkreath:
Riverwood:
Solstheim:
College of Winterhold:
Other:
Dark Brotherhood Targets (Optional Download):
The optional file in this mod will make the Dark Brotherhood quest-line a bit more challenging, but the targets can still be beaten in a direct fight by a fairly low level character, and simply sneak attacking them should still be very much an option.
Note: If you're looking to make the Dark Brotherhood enemies stronger, including the ones mentioned above, to create a challenge in the Dark Brotherhood quest-line, check out my other mod Tougher Dark Brotherhood Enemies. It will upgrade all of these characters more than this mod does, so load it after this one.
In short, these characters are all characters who should be able to fight to varying degrees, and yet in vanilla their stats are those of civilians, or barely better. This mod aims to fix that by raising their levels to different extents, giving them better equipment, skills and perks, and as a result making them more useful in the event of a vampire or dragon attack and therefore making NPC's more likely to survive. The blacksmiths are also valuable characters who frequently get killed, so this mod boosts their stats a bit to give them a fighting chance, and it isn't unreasonable given that blacksmiths would have to be strong.
This mod's main file and optional file are both ESP files flagged as ESL so as not to take up a slot in your load order.
In the event of a mod conflict, simply make a bashed patch using Wrye Bash, which is great for solving all sorts of mod conflicts.
NPC's Changed by This Mod:
Whiterun:
Spoiler:
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- Amren is a former soldier good enough that his home is marked as dangerous by the Thieves Guild, and now he is level 30 with decent stats instead of level 6.
- Sinmir becomes captain of the Whiterun guard if the Stormcloaks take it over, and he is now level 40 to reflect that instead of level 4 like vanilla.
- Idolaf is an Imperial soldier, and is now level 25 instead of level 4, and has an imperial sword instead of an iron sword.
- Anoriath is a hunter who likely contends with sabre cats and bears while hunting, and is now level 15. While Anoriath is stronger than before, he will not be so strong as to add much challenge to the Dark Brotherhood questline, as by the time you are sent after him you have likely faced Alain and his bandits.
- Ulfberth War-Bear is treated as being a warrior, and the reason Mikael, who levels with the player to level 25, doesn't make any advances on Adrienne is because he's confident Ulfberth will crush him for it. Ulfberth is now level 25 instead of level 4.
- Adrienne is a blacksmith, and has a tendency to get killed in vampire and dragon attacks, so she has been elevated to level 15 and now has a better weapon. She is also flagged as protected, so she will be harder to kill.
- Eorlund Grey-Mane is the best blacksmith in Skyrim, and is now strengthened to level 15 to reflect that job. He also now carries a Skyforged weapon.
- Hrongar is the brother of the Jarl and an aggressive warrior, but first and foremost he seems to be an aggressive, unpleasant despot, although that is only in content that was cut from the final game. He is now level 15 with better stats to reflect his warrior status.
- Farengar Secret-Fire is a court wizard, and is now level 30 to reflect that, and knows some useful spells and has more health and magicka.
- Commander Caius is the commander of the Whiterun guards, and is now level 35 instead of level 10, has more health and stamina and has some perks.
- Danica Pure-Spring is a priestess and a master level trainer in Restoration, and yet she is level 6, knows no spells, and even has a low Restoration skill. She is now level 20, has more health and magicka, knows several spells, and has some perks.
- Irileth also recieves an upgrade, now levelling to level 50 instead of 30 and having an ebony sword with an absorb health enchantment.
Riften:
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- Grelka is a light armour trainer, but has the stats of a civilian. She is now upgraded to have the stats of a warrior, level 30 and better equipment.
- Aerin claims to have been given some lessons with a blade by Mjoll, so he is now level 10 and has slightly more health.
- Balimund is a blacksmith. He is now level 15 and has more health and stamina.
- Asbjorn Fire-Tamer is an apprentice blacksmith. He is now level 15 and has more health and stamina.
- Wylandriah is a court mage, and yet she knows no spells. She is now level 25, knows some spells and has more health and magicka.
Markarth:
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- Ghorza is upgraded to reflect that she served as a smith in the Legion, and wields an Orcish axe.
- Calcelmo is a court wizard, and now levels to level 40 and has more magicka and health, and some new perks to make his spells more useful.
- Faleen is the Markarth housecarl, and now levels to level 40 and has dwarven equipment, and some helpful perks.
- Moth is a blacksmith, who offers a quest that involves getting a Daedra Heart, telling us he makes Daedric equipment. He now has a Daedric Dagger instead of steel, is level 15 and has higher stats.
- Orla is a priestess in training, and has been made a slightly better restoration mage to better reflect this, as well as being given some healing potions.
- Senna is a priestess in training, and has been made a slightly better restoration mage to better reflect this, as well as being given some healing potions.
- Anwen is a priestess in training, and has been made a slightly better restoration mage to better reflect this, as well as being given some healing potions.
Windhelm:
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- Brunwulf Free-Winter is a war hero, but in vanilla his stats are very low. He now is at level 40.
- Angrenor Once-Honored is a former Stormcloak soldier, and is still very large and muscular, and now he is level 15 to reflect that.
- Oengul War-Anvil is a blacksmith and is now level 15 to reflect the strength required for that job and make him harder to kill.
- Hermir Strong-Heart is the assistant blacksmith, and now has the stats to reflect that.
- Wuunferth the Unliving is a court mage. He is now level 35 instead of level 15, and knows several spells, and has more health and stamina.
Solitude:
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- Captain Aldis is the captain of the guard in Solitude, but has stats far lower than he should have. Aldis now levels to level 50, the same as the guards he commands, and replaces the iron greatsword Aldis uses with a steel greatsword with a shock enchantment.
- Noster Eagle-Eye is a former Imperial soldier, and though old and worn out can still teach some moves to the player. He is now level 15.
- Beirand is a blacksmith and is even implied to be able to fight in the Legion. He is now level 15 with higher stats.
- Bolgeir Bearclaw is the Housecarl to the Jarl of Solitude, and is now level 45 instead of level 18 and has more health and better weapons, with some perks to strengthen him further.
- Fihada is a former Imperial ranger, and yet he is level 4 and has a long bow. He is now level 20 and has more stamina, and an Imperial Bow.
- Sybille Stentor is a court mage and a vampire. She is now level 35, has some useful perks and an enchanted weapon, and has more health and magicka.
- Melaran is the mage who becomes court wizard if Sybille gets done away with, and he is certainly treated as a strong mage. He now knows several useful spells instead of knowing none, and he has an enchanted elven dagger instead of just an iron dagger.
Morthal:
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- Falion is a powerful mage, and yet he knows no spells and is level 15. Falion is now level 40 and knows very dangerous spells, with perks to support them and a stronger weapon.
- Gorm is the Jarl's housecarl and yet he is level 4. Gorm is now level 30 and has better skills.
Falkreath:
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- Runil is a former leader of a squad of Thalmor battlemages who defected and became a priest, who also has some special clairvoyance as he had a vision of the dragons returning and the Dovahkiin, and he is a high level Conjuration trainer, and yet in vanilla he knows no spells and is level 4. He now knows multiple dangerous spells and is level 50.
- Lod is a blacksmith who should be strong. He is now level 15 and has a steel dagger instead of iron, since he literally makes weapons.
- Solaf is a former Stormcloak soldier and now has the stats to reflect that.
- Bolund is an aggressive lumberjack whose brother used to be a Stormcloak soldier, and with his hostility to several people, he now has a steel dagger instead of iron and is level 8, with more health and stamina.
- Dengeir is a former warrior who served as Jarl during the great war and is treated as a warrior. However, he also shows telltale signs of dementia, so he shouldn't be placed too high. He is now level 10 with better stats and a steel dagger instead of iron.
- Nenya is treated as an elemental mage, and yet she doesn't even know any spells. She now knows the novice destruction spells and has better stats, with the novice destruction perk to better use those spells.
- Thadgeir is a warrior, and when visiting the cemetery which is best known for being full of soldiers, he says many of his friends are there, which hints at his warrior background. He is now level 20 with better stats to reflect this.
Riverwood:
Spoiler:
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- Alvor is a blacksmith who should be strong, and in vanilla he is very vulnerable to being killed, so he now has better stats to give him a better chance.
Solstheim:
Spoiler:
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- Balder Iron Shaper is a blacksmith with a unique skill for forging Stalhrim, and he is now level 15 to reflect that instead of level 1 like in vanilla, has several useful and immersive perks including the smithing perks and Augmented Frost, and also carries a Stalhrim Mace with the highest levelled frost enchantment.
- Morwen is an assistant blacksmith, and is now level 15 to reflect that instead of level 1 like in vanilla. She also has several perks and useful weapons, making her reasonably strong.
- Doer Woodcutter is a villager who ventures out of the village to bring back wood, and he is now stronger to reflect that.
College of Winterhold:
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- Tolfdir is the master of Alteration, and seemingly the third strongest mage at the College, and undeniably the wisest. He now has higher stats and knows a multitude of spells from Alteration, Destruction and Restoration schools, most notably all ward spells, Paralyze, several useful destruction spells, and armour spells. He also has numerous perks to take full advantage of these spells. He is now a genuine master of Alteration spells.
- Faralda now has higher stats and has all the expert level destruction spells, and the two good adept level destruction spells. She also now has numerous perks to make better use of them, such as the augmented frost, shock and fire perks, dual casting for destruction spells, Impact, and more. She also carries an enchanted dagger which suits her role and hints at her secret relationship with Sergius.
- Colette Marence has higher stats and multiple new spells, notably wards, healing and turn undead spells. However, she also has fire spells, and has several perks to make all these spells more effective, such as Augmented Flames and Necromage.
- Drevis Neloren now has higher stats and multiple illusion spells of the calming and fear-inducing persuasion, and he has all the perks which strengthen illusion spells, including dual casting for illusion spells and Master of the Mind. He also has two enchanted ebony daggers, one with a fear enchantment and the other with a fire enchantment. Phinis Gestor now has better stats and multiple new summoning spells, most notably Conjure Dremora Lord, Conjure Dragon Priest and Conjure Storm Atronach, as well as multiple perks which improve his ability to use those spells, including the Twin Souls perk. He also has multiple spells for summoning bound weapons, and perks to assist in using them effectively.
- Savos Aren now has higher stats and a multitude of spells and perks from every school of magic. He now has multiple dangerous destruction spells and perks to boost them, can summon Dragon Priests and even Seeker, the latter of which seemed to fit his character, as we know he is a very reckless and arguably even egotistical mage. He also now carries an enchanted Daedric Dagger and several potions.
- Mirabelle Ervine now has improved stats and multiple spells from the Destruction, Restoration and Alteration schools and perks to fit her role as deputy head of the College. She can use Expert level destruction spells and strong wards and can cast the Paralyze spell. She also carries an enchanted dagger and a scroll for banishing Daedra, which fits given students are frequently falling victim to accidents on the College grounds.
- Nirya is a mage at the college who fancies herself Faralda's rival. She is now level 25, has more health and magicka and a few perks to boost her further. She also has an enchanted dagger, which plays to her leaning towards fire magic and also hints at her secret relationship with Sergius.
- Sergius Turrianus is the enchanting expert at the College of Winterhold, and yet he is level 4. He is now level 40, has better skills and stats, a few immersive and useful perks, and has a Daedric Dagger with a shock enchantment, and several high-level staves with various useful effects to reflect that he is, after all, an enchanter. And if you read Faralda and Nirya's descriptions above, yes, this guy is canonically in secret relationships with both of them at once, even though Nirya hates Faralda. It's listed in the game's relationship files.
Other:
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- Angi is a skilled hunter who admitted to killing two imperial soldiers. She now has several perks and more health and stamina to reflect this and is at level 30 instead of level 10.
- Malborn is a spy for Delphine who has been surviving among his enemies for years, and now has a bit more health to help him survive. Mostly to avoid frustrating the players who try to save him.
- Dravynea is a skilled mage and alteration trainer, and yet she is level 4 and knows no spells. She is now level 40, knows several spells from the Destruction and Alteration schools, has more health and magicka and has some useful perks.
- Avrusa Sarethi is a skilled alchemist who used to be connected to Sinderion who explored Blackreach. She has been given some perks and potions to reflect her skills and some fire spells to suit her Dunmer heritage.
- Rustlief is a blacksmith at Dawnstar. He has been upgraded to level 15, has a steel dagger instead of iron and has higher stats.
- Filnjar is a blacksmith at Shor's Stone, and is now level 15 and has better stats.
- Gilfre is a miller who lifts huge logs. She has been slightly boosted as she is quite vulnerable.
- Sylgja is a miner who mines all day, whose mother used to an adventurer. Given that Sylgja is also a popular marriage candidate, making her more likely to survive seems like a good thing for the players who marry her. She is now slightly stronger, having a bit more health and good deal more stamina to reflect her lifestyle. She is also level 8 instead of level 6, and her one-handed skill matches her two-handed since her pickaxe is technically a one-handed weapon.
Dark Brotherhood Targets (Optional Download):
Spoiler:
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- Ma'randru-jo is a studying mage, and is now level 15 and has slightly more health and magicka. He is not targeted in the Dark Brotherhood questline until after other characters of similar strength have already been faced, so this shouldn't change the quest much at all.(tested with a level 8 Nord with no magic resistance wearing an unboosted Shrouded Armor set, wielding a sword which dealt 20 damage per hit)
- Helvard is the housecarl of Falkreath, and is now level 15 instead of level 4. This will make him harder to deal with in the Dark Brotherhood questline, but not by too much. He hasn't been boosted anywhere near as much as other housecarls, and generally will pose a medium challenge to a fairly low level player (tested with a level 10 Nord wearing an unboosted Shrouded Armor set, wielding a sword which dealt 20 damage per hit) at that point in the questline.
- Maluril is a mage Nazir treats as highly threatening, and you have to get past bandits to even reach him, and yet he is level 1 and doesn't even know any spells. He is now level 20 and knows some dangerous spells, but he still shouldn't be any more threatening than the bandits you already broke through to reach him. He has increased magicka, but not much more health than vanilla. He can be beaten by a low level player (tested with a level 10 Nord with no magic resistance wearing an unboosted Shrouded Armor set, wielding a sword which dealt 20 damage per hit).
- Safia is considered the hardest contract the Dark Brotherhood has. She now levels to level 50 instead of level 35, making her more challenging at higher levels without changing her at lower levels.
- Captain Avidius is the captain of the ship the emperor is on, and as such it makes sense he'd have some ability to fight. He is now level 10 instead of level 1 and has a small amount of health instead of literally 1 health point.
- Commander Maro is looked up to by the Penitus Oculatus who also look down on the hold guards who level to level 50, and yet Maro only levels to level 30. He now levels to level 50, has slightly higher skills (just his light armor skill) and his steel greatsword has a shock enchantment. He'll only be a little more challenging at lower levels, but he also levels higher to do better at higher levels.
- Rexus is either the bodyguard to a council member, or he is the real Amaund Motierre, and the true mastermind behind the emperor's assassination. Either way, he shouldn't be level 4 like he is in vanilla. He is now level 30, has more health, stamina and skill, and his steel greatsword has a shock enchantment. If you decide to betray Amaund Motierre, you can avoid fighting Rexus entirely, so this is simply immersion and an optional battle. By the time this fight can happen most player characters should be a match for him anyway as it is after the conclusion of the Dark Brotherhood quest-line.
The optional file in this mod will make the Dark Brotherhood quest-line a bit more challenging, but the targets can still be beaten in a direct fight by a fairly low level character, and simply sneak attacking them should still be very much an option.
Note: If you're looking to make the Dark Brotherhood enemies stronger, including the ones mentioned above, to create a challenge in the Dark Brotherhood quest-line, check out my other mod Tougher Dark Brotherhood Enemies. It will upgrade all of these characters more than this mod does, so load it after this one.
In short, these characters are all characters who should be able to fight to varying degrees, and yet in vanilla their stats are those of civilians, or barely better. This mod aims to fix that by raising their levels to different extents, giving them better equipment, skills and perks, and as a result making them more useful in the event of a vampire or dragon attack and therefore making NPC's more likely to survive. The blacksmiths are also valuable characters who frequently get killed, so this mod boosts their stats a bit to give them a fighting chance, and it isn't unreasonable given that blacksmiths would have to be strong.
This mod's main file and optional file are both ESP files flagged as ESL so as not to take up a slot in your load order.
In the event of a mod conflict, simply make a bashed patch using Wrye Bash, which is great for solving all sorts of mod conflicts.