Blocking and warding with staves

[FafnirTheDragon]

I've decided to create this thread here and not in Mod Requests section, because I merely want to brainstorm about how to introduce my idea into the game. If anyone takes interest in this and will be willing to create a mod - be my guest. Otherwise I will seek help and learn how to create this by myself.

 

The idea:

 

Player character must be holding a staff in left hand and a weapon, a spell or nothing in right hand for this to work.
If player presses a hotkey, player character performs parry animation with the staff.
The hotkey can be held for a sustained block animation.
If player character has 0 magicka, parrying and blocking will be performed normally, using game settings and Block skill to calculate damage and additional effects.
If player character has more than 0 magicka, parrying or blocking brings up a forward facing shield, which looks like a ward spell.
The shield is turned on and off via script, which checks only for two conditions - pressed hotkey and magicka > 0. This means it can also appear while player character is already blocking.
The shield doesn't cost magicka to sustain.
The shield blocks ALL incoming attacks - melee, arrows and magic.
The shield absorbs all damage from blocked and turns it into magicka damage taken by player character (mana shield functionality).
If player character doesn't have enough magicka, remaining magicka damage is turned into health damage, the shield is dispelled and player character is staggered.
Alteration skill reduces magicka damage by 0-50% (needs testing and balancing), but it doesn't affect health damage.
Timing parry just before being hit has 100% chance to stagger opponents. This works with and without the shield.
Parrying or blocking without the shield increases Block skill.
Parrying or blocking with the shield increases Alteration skill.

 

 

It sounds mighty complicated, but it's pretty straightforward. See below:

 

First step is to add a parry and block hotkey functionality for staves held in left hand.
Second step is to create an unplayable ward spell absorbing all incoming attacks.
Third step is to create a script turning the shield on and off, doing magicka/health damage and staggering player character.
Fourth step is to somehow add additional features, such as timed blocking.

 

 

Also many features I listed have been added by other mods already, such as Dual Wield Parry or Magicka Shield.

 

Thoughts?

[Dimitian]

I don't suppose you'd mind giving a more detailed explanation of how to accomplish this, for someone who is actually attempting such a thing? Though, I'll have to make it a block in the right hand, not the left (left blocking could be done as a compatibility mod for http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/9247/?).