SSE "Rare Magic/Special Items" Overhaul idea

[KhajitDave]

I had this idea, though I'm probably not the first.

I think a good way to add more depth and meaning to this game would be if powerful magic, and enchanted weapons, were a lot rarer, and therefore more meaningful and important.

 

This would mean that generally in the world of humans, magic is something which exists in legend and rumour. Of course one could venture into a Draugr Crypt but it would mean certain death for most people.

 

There would be many more variations of physical weapons and armour, and they wouldn't necessarily be upgraded by material. The material variations would mainly be for aesthetic purposes. This would create a game similar to Red Dead Redemption 2, where your own customized guns are a lot more personal and special to you. Currently in Skyrim any weapon you have is quickly discarded when you find a stronger version of it, but with this overhaul you might spend time searching for your favourite type of weapon and appearance. Your weapon can be upgraded continuously but it keeps the same appearance (or perhaps you could customize certain features like handles and engravings etc). Perhaps your weapon or armour becomes stronger/faster the more you use it, implying a bond/familiarity with it.

 

Currently in Skyrim dungeons and caves etc don't matter so much because you can go anywhere you like and not face any real danger. But with this overhaul, some places could be extremely dangerous. Fighting in general would be more damaging, so taking on groups of bandits could be risky. Magical/Supernatural enemies would be extremely dangerous. This would mean careful planning- items and allies, training etc would be necessary, and it also means you can't easily find an abundance of gold everywhere, so the game's economy would be more meaningful. Of course, if you were roleplaying as a thief you might decide to sneak into a cave or dungeon looking for treasures. Because of the difficulty of the dungeons and caves, breaking into houses and pickpocketing would also be a (risky) way to make money, as well as honest hard work in farms, kitchens and blacksmiths.

 

Mudcrabs and wolves would be an easy kill, but packs of wolves would be much more dangerous. Bears and Sabre Cats would be particularly deadly, but manageable for a skilled warrior. Spriggans and other supernatural creatures would pose the most danger. For example, skeletons and draugrs might be mostly resistant to physical damage, or certain items are needed to defeat them more easily.

 

 

In the Elder Scrolls World magic seems to be so abundant as to be an everyday thing, but this overhaul would make magic more similar to that in the Tolkien world (based on what I know about LOTR etc, which isn't much).

Most magic in the game would be concerned with luck and perhaps superstition- the "magic helmet" you bought from the Khajit merchant may actually be useless. Some items you find might actually be cursed. Many items could be based more around the idea of a lucky charm or ward to protect against the undead and supernatural. Bandit mages would be more like shamans/alchemists, who may or may not have actual magic powers, but might supply their gang with potions and poisons. Diseases would also have a more pronounced effect, making cure disease potions more important.

 

The player wouldn't start the game with any magical spells or abilities, but with enough training (or finding the right people/items) would start to be able to cast more obvious, powerful spells, which would absolutely obliterate any non-magical foes- however an arrow or lucky sword strike would still be very damaging, especially to someone wearing robes instead of armour.

The order of power and rarity might look something like this:

Lucky charms -> Wards and spells/items with specific uses (e.g. light/waterwalking etc) -> restoration magic -> conjurations (conjured daedra would be powerful but perhaps hard to control, posing a threat to the conjurer) -> weaker destruction magic -> necromancy -> powerful destruction magic/other powerful spells from other schools.

 

Rather than being continuously randomly generated, enchanted items would be unique, and harder to find, therefore more valuable to the player. The rarity/cost of magic in general would also increase their importance/value. Soul gems, and their creation, would also be rarer/more difficult so that any magic weapon you do have would need to be used only when necessary. Soul Trap spells would therefore be much more important in this regard.

 

Werewolf/Vampire Lord abilities would also be extremely powerful, but at some cost to the player perhaps.

 

Thanks for reading! i'd love to read any comments or suggestions. Perhaps one day I might start working on this, by myself if i have to