Begginers Guide: Creating Custom Equipment

[Jayw21]

Guide: Creating Custom Equipment

 

Serves as a Beginner teaching beginner’s reference for Modding equipment with a few tricks.

I sugget following along with this guide as your using the software, many of the instructions are based off the assumption you can see what I'm writing to you. Have the program open while you go through the process will aid you immensely.

 

The Aim of this guide isn't to teach you to make anything from scratch but how to use already existing Files to create something unique to you. This guide doesn't re-create the wheel just covers some very basic functions that anyone can do.

 

Software Requirements:

 

TES5EDIT

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25859/?tab=2&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmodfiles%2F%3Fid%3D25859&pUp=1

 

Skyrim’s Creation Kit

 

Can be acquired through steam. Located under the drop down Library, subsection “Tool” Search and download.

 

BSA_Browser

(Depending on the file set up. You won’t need this for Loose files. It’s you responsibility to figure out if you need the BSA_Browser or not.)

 

Other Requirements:

 

Choose a mod from Nexus that you really enjoy. For this tutorial I’ll be used Sky cutter by Favoredsoul.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/59222/?tab=2&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmodfiles%2F%3Fid%3D59222&pUp=1

Hat’s off to you good sir you really know how to make quality mods.

Last requirement is patience these things take time, but are worth the effort if you a stickler for details. When you just don’t have experience to create something from scratch. Fear not! The time of the little man is neigh, I got your back.

 

Creating Custom Pieces

 

So the first thing were going to is open the creation kit. Click on the Vanilla folder in the upper right hand corner “Load Master/Plugin Files”

Select Skyrim .ESM and the mod you wish to customize. For me I selected FS_Skycutters.esm

Now it takes a while to load everything, give it some time. A Lot of drop down options are going to appear on the left hand side. If doing a piece of armor, click on armor. For a weapon, click on weapon. Easy right.

Now Select a vanilla piece of equipment you want to modify. You have Two choices here.

1. Modify and Replace an existing Vanilla component. Lets say for example you want to replace a unique item with Mod you really enjoy playing with. For me this was Dawn-breaker with skycutter.
2. Your second option is to create a Stand Alone Duplicate. Let say I want to make an Iron sword into Longclaw. Right click iron sword and select Duplicate.

Now This is where the magic begins to happen. Select the file you wish to modify by double clicking it. A large window is going to pop up with a lot of options. Were just going to focus on the basics for now.

 

Name:

Self Explanatory

Flags:

Make sure Playable is selected

Game Data:

This is where you can modify several statistics to your liking. Such as Weight reach (how far the attack can strike regardless of meshes.) Speed, how fast it attacks, damage etc etc. Change these numbers however you see fit, I recommend not getting to crazy though but it’s your game. Do what you want.

 

Once you’ve finished, click on art and sound. This is why we loaded the other .esm

 

Under Model click Edit: Find the .nif folder usually located through your steam folder. Data/Meshes/Mod-name/modmodel.nif (Mostly not all the time. Again this part is your responsibility to figure out what you need for your system. Trust me the knowledge is out there you just need a URL. I started not knowing how to use nnm properly. You can do it.)

 

Sometime you gotta look for it’s your computer don’t ask me where you saved your files.

 

Find the model.nif and select it, awesome now your third person sword/armor whatever matches what you wanted it to be. Do the same thing with your first person, except this one is a drop down. SO while you were selecting your model, take note of what the first person file was named and select it through the drop down. When it comes to “IS animations” when in doubt check the mod your pulling the information from, Just make everything matches minus whatever tweaks you want to make.

 

That’s It! You’ve made a custom piece. Now when you load the ESM of your desired mod it pulls the “Vanilla” Resource you allocated and replaces it with the changes you’ve made. Simple right? Well… What if you want more.

What if you want npc guards to stop calling your glorious masterpiece an iron sword. You blind of deft sonofa, This is thing of…. “That pig sticker ~ qqq” Been there.

 

But before we get into that lets cover Custom Enchants using the creation kit while we still have it open. An amazing sword needs a great enchant right? With the default settings you can only create an item with one enchant, wrong. You can add as many enchants as you like by creating your own. Tell me how Sempai.

 

"Custom Enchantment"

 

Same thing, Load the Skyrim.ESM and the mod your using to modify the vanilla component with.

Scroll to “Magic” on the left hand side, and click “Enchants” Right click anywhere on the forms list once you see all the enchants pop up and select “new”. Double click your new enchantment and give it a form id similar to what it’s used for.

 

IE “EnchArmorKickass” Give it a fitting name like “Size ten boot.” Do whatever you want. Since it’s a weapon set it to “CAST and FORGET”, Delivery “contact”. If you’re doing and armor enchantment check any vanilla armor enchantment and make it match, That simple. Now lets give it effects. Right click in the effects and select whatever you desire. Do it as many times as you like. And there you have it. You’ve made a custom enchant with 2 or even 10 effects. (The item will only read off the first two though in game, but they will all function) Go back to your weapon and select your new enchantment. Yay WERE DONE! With enchantments that is.

 

“Hello Greetings”

 

Now for you die hard immersion lovers this part is for you, I want guards to notice my armor and weapon for what I want it to be. Not for what I set it up as, my damn longclaw aka Megakicker of dragon slayer doom IS NOT made of iron! What do you mean my litch-king armor is made of dragonbone… no it’s not you sure that arrow didn’t hit you in the head instead.

 

Here is the fix, and it can take a while cause we are mostly file digging. But again, don’t worry I did the heavy lifting for you.

Look on the creation kit toolbar, See what looks like Chat bubble? Click it, you’ll get a warning it will take a while. Click okay and do what you do while you wait. This only takes a while the first time. Once ALL THE VOICE files in the game have loaded, click on MISC on the top. On the far left side, click ALL Then Click Hello to 3^rd from list from the left. Scroll about 4/9 of the way down until you see “Guards General Dialog.” Pick Whatever ones you want to apply to your weapon there are a lot. I personally like ebony sword. Then Double click it. A new window is going to pop up with more drop downs and forms and margin boxes.

 

Right click in the forms list and Select “New” Target at “T” Function name “GetEquipped” Function info Find your weapon or armor and select it and a Value of “1”

 

You are done with Skyrim Creation tool. SAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Before you exit….. SAAAAAAAAAVE before you exit…… SAAAAAAVVVVEEE before you exit.

 

“Double Checking Application of Changes and Overall Quality Check”

 

Open Tes5edit.

 

Run Skyrim.ESP and Mod.ESP you used. Did it Crash? No? Good, if so you blundered BIG TIME Start over.

Let’s double check to see if it loaded right. You should notice in your Mod.ESP file there is a new item, the one you made. It now exists in your modded.esp because its references exist here. IF you remove this esp from your load order everything goes back to vanilla. (minus your enchants, unless your enchantment was ALSO depended on that ESP.)

 

Find your new weapon/armor here it’s much easier to make some changes than in Skyrim creation kit.

 

Go to keywords and change light armor, heavy armor, to whatever you want it be. You want your dragon scale armor to be clothing do it. It’s your game. Adjust values accordingly Damage, armor light heavy one hand two hand etc etc. Set the material to whatever perk you want to receive for wearing a set of for whatever you want to game to recognize it as. If it’s ebony make it ebony, or leather whatever. Exit, and save. You save on exit.

Do note, Some patchers automatically adjust armor values etc etc after you run them. If you run patches IE Perma or Sky-re you May notice a change in your equipment. This is based of the material type you associated it with and the armor classification. Do keep that in mind.

 

Load your game and enjoy your Replacement/Duplicate. If you made a duplicate make sure you got the form id or it’s editor id. (If it was a re-placer don't worry.)

 

Use the help command in juncture with your Editor-ID, It can bring it up the form id through the console. And you can just use player.additem 0031010f 1 or 3 or 40. It’s your game Enjoy! You just made your first mod for your own personal use.

A final note, don’t re-post anyone else work without permission though.

 

Authors give you permission by default for your own PERSONAL use, meaning you can make as many changes as you want FOR YOURSELF. That said this doesn’t mean you can go making a total replacement ESP File for every sword in the game with other peoples mods and go cheers Nexus this ones on me. Ask first, if they say no…. no means no. Deal with it.

 

The purpose of this guide is to provide individuals with basics tools so they can make their own changes without having to depend on authors to do everything for them. As a member of this community you now you have the means to make whatever changes you like to your gear without having to be a master at C++ and auto desk. And as you grow with knowledge and experience maybe one day you’ll feel more comfortable and make changes completely all your own. I hope you enjoyed the read and your new gear, Cheers.

 

 

And a special thanks to those who have assisted me on issues in the past and to those very special authors who ignore every single pm. No I mean it. I see as tough love, I'm now able to make the small tweaks and changes I desire on my own time in my own way. This guide is a tribute to all the hard work you do and I hope to see it used as a redirect to questions. I've also applied several # to the thread so people looking to make similar changes or have questions to a very under addressed topic "Assigning npc voices to items" Now have an actual reference and guide. Please direct future inquires here.

 

Thank you all and much love to all those fellow Nexi'teers.

 

 

 

 

Paarthurnax: What is better... to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?

Edited December 10, 2014 by Jayw21