Winter Break Modding Project

I'm thinking about working on a Skyrim modding project over winter break. Unlike my previous projects, this one would involve storytelling and quests rather than gameplay recoding. Are there any of y'all that would be interested in working with me for a few weeks between semesters to create an interesting and unique modification to Skyrim? I am looking for people with any of the following skills:

Story/quest writing
Character design
Art/3d-modeling
Programming
Level design
Voice Acting
Fictional worldbuilding
Game testing

The concept for the project has already been developed some, but I would like input while developing the rest of it and help with creating the actual mod. For those of you who have played Skyrim but do not have a PC copy, I may consider PAYING to get you a copy of the game for your PC.

Obviously, you will need to have a PC capable of running the game if you are going to work on the coding, modeling, or level design. You would also need to be willing to work with me and any others on the team, as well as be able to devote some time each week during the break to the project.

If you are interested, then please message me and I can give you more details on the project. I can guarantee that you will find plenty of interesting work if you do join. :-)

Once the project is complete then it would be released for free online for players to download. A donation link would be available for fans, and any donations would be split with you.

If you are interested in my previous modding work, you can check out the following pages:

Skyrim Nexus: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/users/1266423
Steam Workshop: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198008458024/myworkshopfiles
Modding Blog: http://tesmods.blogspot.com/


My mods have been downloaded over 40,000 people and viewed by likely 300,000.

SkyUI 3 MCM compatability

Howdy, y'all.

I'm sorry for not releasing a new version during the past couple of months. I have been far too busy with school and work to make an update. I have not forgotten about this mod, though. If at some point I have more free time to work on it, then I will. I am not ignoring the complaints and bug reports that y'all give; rather, I simply haven't had the time to respond to you or to fix them.

That being said, with the announcement of the Mod Configuration Menu for SkyUI 3, I am going to try to take out some time from my busy schedule the next few weeks to make an MCM menu for Way of the Monk. One of the biggest complaints about this mod is the menus. They're crap. I know. Not only are they annoying to you, but they are annoying to me. To make the menus of the sort that WoM uses now often requires over 1000 lines of code, and many hours. I spent probably 100-200 hours working on the menus alone. The MCM is not only easier for the player to use, but supposedly it reduces the scripting time to a couple of hours max. Not only that, but it allows checkboxes, drop-down menus, option highlighting, sliders, and many other useful features. It is still in alpha phase, so it might change over time and y'all might not have downloaded it yet. However, once I learn the system and have taken the time to script it, I will hopefully have made Way of the Monk MCM compatable.

What does that mean for y'all? Well, first, the menus won't be so annoying. You will be able to press 'escape' to access them, rather than casting a spell or power. You will also be given more options. I will try to code into the menus new options including leveling speed. This will allow you to change how quickly you raise your Monk skills. I am not sure what the menu restriictions are, but I *might* (I stress *might*) even be able to create a menu for choosing perks. I hate the current menu system that this mod is using. It's awful. Especially when choosing perks. Many peoples' complaint is that they don't want to have to use those awful menus, and they want the process of choosing new perks to be easier. So far, that has not been possible without replacing an existing skill tree in the main leveling menu. MCM may allow me to do that.

I'm not sure exactly when I will create this menu. Likely, it will be an incremental process that may take a week or two, as I learn the MCM system and code when I get the opportunity. I may also need to wait a while for MCM to get out of alpha stage, to ensure that I don't have to rewrite part of the code. Supposedly, Gopher is going to make a tutorial on creating MCM menus, which I am also waiting for. The one downside of this is that the MCM menu will not be available for Steam Workshop users. I am going to add an optional download here on the Nexus for it. Also, I may have to change Way of the Monk to an ESM, which would make it incompatible with the Workshop.

Tutorial: Creating A Skill

Object: To create a new skill using Papyrus scritps

Difficulty: Very complicated and difficult

Time Needed: A great deal. If you are an unexperienced modder, it will take you even longer. For experienced modders, while actually writing the scripts might not take much time, designing the system, implementing it, and perfecting it until it plays well can still take a long time.

An extended version of this tutorial, along with a fully-functional example woodcutting skill mod are available on the Skyrim Nexus for free.

Things you will need:

• Creation Kit.
• A plan for how the skill will work mathematically
• Scripting and general Skyrim modding experience

Note: You cannot create a new skill that uses the vanilla interface without editing most of the base code of the game. This tutorial explains a workaround tactic for create a system of scripts that let you track the how much the player does a certain item so that you can add perks, quests, or other features that depend on the player reaching a certain level in that skill. This tutorial is not going to follow the normal format (a list of buttons that you need to click and actions that you need to do). Rather, it is going to explain the concept of the skill workaround, and how to design/implement it. The actual implementation and the specific equations will be left to you to develop. In this tutorial, we will be using a Woodcutting skill as an example.

Setting up the XP: You first need to plan out the math of your skill. How you gain XP, how much XP you need to level, whether each level requires more XP, what higher levels give you, etc. These decisions will decide how the skill actually works mathematically and are extremely subject to change. I can't tell you how many times I have tweaked and changed my Unarmed leveling system in Way of the Monk. Once you being testing the skill you will inevitably find ways in which it can be improved or tweaked. What sounds good  in theory may not play well in the real game.

The first thing that you need to determine is the XP system. Even though Skyrim tries to take away the numbers as much as possible so that the game feels more immersive, it does actually use XP. Every time you use one of the skills (by casting a spell, hitting an enemy with a weapon, creating a potion, etc.) your XP is raised by a certain amount. Once it hits a cap, the skill level is then increased and the amount of XP needed to reach the next level is raised. You can study the XP system in Skyrim on the UESP wiki. I would highly recomend that you study the vanilla skills to gain a grasp of how they work. In the Woodcutting skill that I will be using as an example I used the following Papyrus Code:

if WoodcuttingXP.GetValue() >= 100
    WoodcuttingLevel.SetValue()WoodcuttingLevel.GetValue() + 1)
    WoodcuttingXP.SetValue(WoodcuttingXP - 100)
endif

Each time you activate the Woodcutting block, your XP will be raised. In the above code, the IF statement determines that when your XP reaches 100, your skill level is raised by one and your XP is reset.

If you want to have the amount of XP required to level increased every time, then you can do one of two things. 1) Instead of increasing the XP by a set amount every time the Woodcutting Block is activated, you should use a variable that can be decreased every time you level. So, say the variable starts out at a value of 10 and you must use the Woodcutting block 10 times to reach level 2. You should add to the above code a line that decreases that variable from 10 to (for instance) 8. Next time, it will take 12.5 (rounded to 13) uses of the Woodcutting Block to raise your level to 3. You can continue that process as long as you want to make it harder to level each time. Keep in mind, though, that if you simply subtract from the variable each time then the variable will eventually hit 0 and the level will never increase. So I would advise you to either write an IF statement to make sure that it never hits 0, or make sure that it hits 0 at just the right time if you want to have a level cap.

2) The other possibility is to have the amount of XP required to level set as a variable and increase it each time you gain a level. So, say at level 1 you gain 10 XP each time you use the Woodcutting Block and must acquire 100 XP to reach level 2. You can write the code so that when you hit level 2, the amount required to level is raised to (for example) 130. That way, it will take 13 uses of the Woodcutting Block to reach Level 3.

So, which of those methods should you use? It's really up to you. The second method is much more natural and runs much smoother than the first. But the first one makes it easier to modify the speed at which you raise your level with perks/abilities, and can be set up so that it stops level progression after a while.

Rewards: A skill is useless without rewards. You can give the player as fancy of an XP system as you want, but if it doesn't change the gameplay for them, then there is no point in downloading your mod. The vanilla game uses a perk system and a scaling system to reward the player for using a skill. The manner of your rewards depends entirely upon the skill that you are creating. For a Woodcutting Skill, the player might expect to be able to get a perk that increases the amount of firewood that they get each time they use the Woodcutting Block. Another good reward might be the ability to create items with your wood (arrows, bows, Forsworn items, etc.). Decide what type of reward you would like to give to the player.

Perks are the standard method of rewarding the player for raising their level. They are also an incredibly versatile way of giving bonuses to the player. I won't discuss perks in detail, since that's another discussion for another time. I will add, though, that one of the conditions that you can add to perks and their effects is the GetGlobalValue condition. This condition is extremely useful when using a skill system based upon Global Variables. If (for example), you want to specify that a Perk Entry only works when your Woodcutting Level is over 10, you can choose the S GetGlobalValue(WoodcuttingLevel) >= 10 condition information. This condition can also be used on Magic Effects in Spells.

Perk points are a good way of giving the player a choice in how they level. There is a reason why the game developers of Skyrim gave the player the choice of choosing their perks, rather than making the perk rewards mandatory like in Oblivion. It adds replay value and makes the player feel more invested in their character. If you're going to give the player that option, you will most likely end up having to create more perks so that they have some to choose from. While that means more work, it also means a more enjoyable playing experience.

The other type of reward that I mentioned was scaling. Scaling is when your ability to use the skill is improved as your level is increased. In the case of weapons, it means that your damage is increases when your level in that type of weapon is raised. The best way to set this up is to use an equation or perk that includes the skill level divided by a certain amount (e.g. effectiveness = 1 + Level*.01). You can also increase the effectiveness by a finite amount each time you level.

Example, using the equation:

        WoodcuttingEffectiveness.SetValue(1 + (WoodcuttingLevel.GetValue()*0.01))

OR by increasing it by a finite amount:

      WoodcuttingEffectiveness.SetValueInt(WoodCuttingEffectiveness.GetVaueInt() + 1)

This can be done with perks or by code in the leveling script. In the case of the example Woodcutting skill, the player can gain perks that increase the amount of wood that you gain each time you chop at the Chopping Block.

Another standard way of rewarding the player for raising their level is with new abilities or spells. New powers can be hard to make if you are trying to create a new type of effect that suits your skill, but they are a great way of making the player feel like they have accomplished something.

The other standard way of rewarding the player is with items. If you are a 3d artist, know someone who is, or have the permission of a mod author to use their models, you can add new items to reward the player with. Otherwise, you can add new enchantments or allow the crafting of vanilla items that you previously could not craft. Now, to fit the rest of the game, you probably don't want to simply add the item to their inventory once they reach a certain skill level. That breaks immersion and seems totally unnatural or special. It is best to either have a quest or a leveled list to give the item to the player. You can either make a quest for them to find it that you can only start once your skill reaches a certain level, or you can create a leveled list that has a chance to give you the item determined by a global variable. You can learn more about using globals in leveled lists by reading the "Chance None" entry on the wiki page, or by studying the Golden Touch perk in the Creation Kit.

The Coding Process: Now that you have finished the planning process, you need to actually write the code.

First, you need to find an Event that will run the code. This can actually be more challenging than it sounds. In my Way of the Monk mod, the Unarmed leveling script actually used the OnEffectStart Event because it was implemented as a script on a Magic Effect. Why? Because it was the only way to make sure that the script ran when the player successfully hit the enemy. Finding the right event can be tricky, and will likely take some testing. The Event that you use is totally dependent upon the nature of your skill, and it will probably take a lot of testing and inventive designing to find the right one.

For the Woodcutting example skill, finding the event was a bit difficult. I tried creating a unique script that ran on the OnActivate Event, but that ended up only running it whenever the player pressed 'e', rather than each time that they chopped wood. It would also run whenever NPCs used the Chop Block. So, instead, I edited the woodchoppingscript (not the vanilla script for the process) and added in my calculations as a function that ran when the played chopped a piece of wood.

        if WoodCuttingLevel.GetValueInt() <= 3
                WoodcuttingXP.SetValueInt(WoodcuttingXP.GetValueInt() + 1)
                if WoodcuttingXP.GetValueInt() >= 10
                        WoodcuttingLevel.SetValueInt(WoodcuttingLevel.GetValueInt() + 1)               
                        WoodcuttingXP.SetValueInt(WoodcuttingXP.GetValueInt() - 10)        
                        Debug.Notification("Your Woodcutting level has been raised to " + WoodcuttingLevel.GetValueInt())
                        PerkPointsAvailable.SetValueInt(PerkPointsAvailable.GetValueInt() + 1)
                        PerkPointsEarned.SetValueInt(PerkPointsSpent.GetValueInt() + PerkPointsAvailable.GetValueInt())
                endif
        endif

 After this, I created some perks, created a power to let you choose your perks and check your stats, and some notifications to let the player know that they are leveling as they use the Chop Block.

After you have found the Event to use, and have implemented the code, you need to test your mod. Creating the code is the easy part. Refining it takes time. I would highly suggest finding a group of modders to beta-test your skill once you have finished it. A system that seems to work well in the code and in your own testing might not work as pleasantly when others are using it.

Testing: After you have finished your planning, your coding, and your implementation, you must test your mod. I would highly suggest gathering a group of beta testers. You can do this by uploading your mod as a BETA version online. Let players know that what they are downloading is still in beta-mode, and give them an invitation to report any bugs or areas which could be improved.


Example: If you want to see an example of this tutorial in action, then feel free to download the Woodcutting Skill mod. You can also download an extended tutorial for creating a skill in PDF format.

Way of the Monk Lore: The Pillars

In an effort to fit my mod into the game lore, I have written three books that will explain the history and organization of the Cult of the Way, a group of people that specialize in unarmed combat. This book explains the history, uses, and locations of the Pillars. The Pillars are like the Standing Stones and let you gain unique powers to aid you in combat. This book can also be used as a player guide in finding the Pillars. The locations are hidden in riddles. They are not too hard to figure out, and give you a hint as to their location.

The Pillars

A Pilgrims guide to the holy Pillars of our Way

By Gurnjad Shormirisson

Wanderer of the Way

Praise be to our Master, and to the Teachings of the Way.

Hail, Pilgrim! It is to your honor that you seek to learn of the Pillars. They are the guides along the Way, and their sites are holy to our Cult.

Let us speak first of those called the Pillars of the Way:

They are called thus because of their importance. They were the first established by our Master, and they guide us in all that we do.

By seeking the counsel of the Pillar of the Way, you begin your journey.

By seeking the counsel of the Pillar of the Progress, you may learn of your progression upon the Way. By consulting it you can understand your distance, and reflect upon all the choices you have made

By seeking the counsel of the Pillar of the Choice, you may choose how you will progress upon the Way. The powers that we gain upon our Path must be determined and decided upon by us and us alone.

By seeking the counsel of the Pillar of Rewalking, we may choose to Rewalk the Way. We are relieved of our previous choices, and may make our decisions anew. Be wise, though, because Talos gives us only one chance to Rewalk our Path.

Let us now turn our attention to the holy sites of the Pillars of Power. These Pillars are unique places of importance, where great judgement of justice was once made. The significance and power of these sites influenced the Master and the Cult to erect Pillars in honor of them. These Pillars bestow upon the Pilgrims and Wanderers a unique power to aid them in their pursuit of justice. 

Pillar of the Shadows

The Pillar of Shadows is the site of a great battle between a Wanderer and a Bandit camp that took place after nightfall. The Wanderer Hod's heart was weighed upon in compassion for the locals who had suffered under the tyranny of the bandit chief. The Orc chief forced a tax upon the village that he had taken by force. He controlled the movements of everyone in the area, keeping them from alerting nearby villages. Their village was small, as well, and could not resist his warband. The blood of many of their sons already soaked the ground from the initial battle. Hod, however, encountered one of their men as he ran from the clutches of three bandits. Hod assaulted the criminals and dashed their brains upon the rocks. Filled with gratitude, the young man told the whole tale to Hod with his dying breath. Hod traveled to the surrounding villages and raised a band of his own to match the chief's force. At nightfall he and his men crept through the shadows and attacked the invaders. All of villagers  were brutally slain by the heroes. The Orc chief himself was slain in his bed as he forced himself upon a local maiden. Justice was served.

Find ye the stone of Shadows

There you will find the Pillar of night

Pillar of the Elements

Avoid the Apostates! For once there was another cult; a cult of Apostates. They were vile and conniving in their deeds, and they turned every thought towards personal gain. Because of their evil, they tempered their powers and became masters of both magic and the Moth combat form. Eventually their masters learned to even combine the styles to form a new mode of fighting. But despite their power, their greed destroyed the new cult. When the temple heard of their apostasy, Master Shormir led a force of Wanderers and Elders to their tower and destroyed every one of their hideous followers. In memory of their downfall, and to warn future generations from following the Apostate Path, the Master established a Pillar that bestows the cult's elemental skill upon Wanderers and followers of the True Way. Justice was served.

Pillar of Dimensions

Vanquish the Dark Brotherhood! As with all men of valor, our Master has encountered assassins from that vile association. Once, upon traveling to Dragon Bridge from Riverwood, he stayed the night in a camp on the shore of the shorter branch of the River Karth. He awoke in the night with blade at his throat. But the wretched assassin was not prepared for our Master's skill. Instead of Shormir's blood upon the ground, he was surprised to find his own when our master stole the blade from his hand. But the evildoer was crafty. Through some arcane sorcery he vanished from the tent. Our Master ran into the night and discovered the man upon a rock, laughing at his own power. "You can not catch a man who is not there," he mocked. But justice is not to be derided. Our master struck the evil man down and learned his power. Now he grants the ability to all who follow him. But beware, for such power is not to be abused. The power is not reliable, and could take you to your grave within the ground. Justice was vindicated.

Pillar of Aptitude

The Pillar of Aptitude was the first Pillar to be established by our Master, and is visited by Pilgrims  more than any other. When our Master first built the Pillars of the Way, he also built the Pillar of Aptitude to guide them upon their way and to speed their progress upon the Path. Justice can be learned.

To reach the Pillar of Aptitude, you need only to find the Guardian Stones.

Pillar of the Healer

The Pillar of the Healer is the most recently established Pillar. During the beginning of the conflict between the Empire and the Stormcloaks, a caravan of Pilgrims was caught between two opposing forces. In desperation, the Wanderer in charge of the caravan called upon his knowledge of the arcane to protect his men and heal them while the battle raged around him. Though arrows flew through the air, and lightening bolts seared ground, not one of the Pilgrims fell dead upon the ground. Finally, as the battle drew to a close, the Wanderer collapsed in fatigue. The noble man sacrificed his life's force to protect the Pilgrims, and in his great honor to the Master build this Pillar. Justice was protected.

Venture ye to the valley of the Sleeping Tree

Look ye then to the rise of the sun,

And to lights of the frozen lands.

Follow the path of their merging,

And the Healer's Pillar will be discovered.

Pillar of the Whirlwind

Honor our Master! For there is no equal of his in the art of the Way form. When he strikes an enemy, the vile wretch is vanquished. When he casts an Apostate down, they are crushed beneath his blows. No rival has he in Cultist combat. Whether with the bare fist, or with the Implements designed by his skill, all who come before his might are destroyed. Fear him in battle, and respect him in debate. For not a Dragonborn could defeat him in war. In mercy and in honor did he establish the Whirlwind Pillar. For he wisely saw that his power must be shared if his followers were to bring the light of justice into this dark world. To meet that end did he build this Pillar. Once a day, Pilgrims of this Pillar are granted his skill and power to pummel their enemies beneath many blows. Justice enlightens the world.

Behold the tower of the Dwemer!

Like a sentinel it reaches to the sky from the Reach,

And now it has another ward to guard

The Pillar which our Master bestowed.

Pillar of the Seer

Not long after the formation of the Cult of the Way, an elderly man came from Cyrodil to visit our Master at the new Temple. He was a Cultist of the Ancestor Moths, our father Cult. Though our Master had once been banished from their brethren, they saw that he had now become a great man, despite their initial dispute. Thus, he offered our Master a chance to return to the Ancestor Moths, and forsake the Way. Gently, and wisely, our Master declined. With grace, the elder accepted his decision, and left our Master with a gift. The gift was the knowledge of Seeing. For centuries the Ancestor Moth cultists have read the Elder Scrolls to decipher their meaning. But to do so leaves them blind and nearly mad. To aid in the service of Justice, the elder granted our Master and his followers the ability of prescience vision. Though the user is partially blinded for a short while, they are allowed to see the presence of all creatures in the region, whether dead or alive. Justice was honored.

The Pillar of Shadows was not established nearby,

But seek ye out the city of Wind,

Follow the waters west to the frozen lake,

and there will you gain the power of the Seer.

Way Of The Monk Release Details & Plans

Details:

Skills:

Way of the Monk includes many new features. The most important is the addition of two new skills: Unarmed and Unarmored. Unlike other mods, these skills do not replace existing skills, and do not even use the same system. Thus, these new skills will also not conflict with other Unarmed mods. 

These new skills will also level as you use them. As you fight with your bare fists or the new weapons, then your Unarmed will be raised. When you are hit while not wearing armor, your Unarmored will be raised. 

Along with these skills come three perk trees: Damage, Attacks, and Unarmored. The Damage perk tree contains perks related to increasing your damage and offensive abilities, the Attacks tree contains perks that affect how you fight, and the Unarmored tree lets you choose perks that (obviously) enhance your Unarmored usage. There are 9 perks for the Damage and Attacks perk trees, and 10 for the Unarmored perk tree, respectively. The Damage and Attacks perk trees use your Unarmed skill, while the Unarmored perk tree uses your Unarmored skill.

Yes, the Unarmored skill could use some more perks. I know. More will be added in later versions. The perks from both skills compliment each other, though, so it shouldn't feel too neglected. 

Right now, the first bit of gameplay forces you to choose the first perk from each tree before you can choose the second one. Not because there are actual restrictions, but because you get perk points before you get the chance to choose a new perk. This is because I have not yet created a perk to go between the first one and the second one. Doing so will help eliminate the stall in progress. Expect such an addition in a later patch or version.

The Skills are all managed at the Pillars of the Way, which are just up the road from the Guardian Stones. The Pillar of the Way introduces you to the mod. The Pillar of Choice allows you to choose new perks. The Pillar of Progress allows you to check your current stats. The Pillar of Rewalking allows you to reset your perks and choose new ones (can only be done once). In a future edition, these Pillars will be replaced with an NPC that lets you do all of this through dialog. For now, though, you have to manage your stats by using these Pillars.

Every five levels of either of the new Monk skills, you are given a perk point. These perk points can be used at the Pillar of Choice to gain new perks. The same perk points are used for both skills, so you can choose an Unarmored perk even if you got the point by advancing your Unarmed skill.

Unfortunately these are not the same perk points that are used in the normal leveling system. The scripting language for the Construction Kit does not have any way for me to use them. I have pinned hopes on the SKSE team, though, and hope that they will add that functionality. If they do, then I may be able to add more advanced leveling options.

Weapons and Clothing:

There is a plethora of new weapons and clothing. They all fit the customary monk-character, and can be crafted like normal items. There are new enchantments, as well, to enhance the Monk combat system. 

The new weapons are all from tom349's mod, with BloodySunday's enhanced textures. I gained their permission before using their creations. They can all be crafted, improved, and enchanted like normal weapons. While traveling throughout the world you may find them as loot, see enemies wielding them, or buy them from stores. 

The new clothing is a set of monk clothes that were actually created by Bethesda and can be found in the Creation Kit. Despite making them, however, they did not add them to the game. Luck for me! So, you get to see some new robes, while also being able to find specially-enchanted versions of them with my new effects. They have also been added to stores and leveled lists. They are craftable at the forge with linen wrap.

A note on the weapon animations: Unfortunately, the new weapons do not use the hand-to-hand animations and killcams. Why? Because the animation that Bethesda created was not designed to be used by actual weapons. Thus, when I try to add a model to weapon that uses it, the model either does not appear or appears obnoxiously between the player's feet. So, not my fault. :-( If anyone can find a way to fix this, however, I would be glad to do so.

Perks and Enchantments:

ALL of the new perks have been created by me. A number of them have entirely new effects that were scripted and design by myself, as well. The enchantments are the same way, though some of the weapons that you find will be enchanted with default enchantments. In total, there are 45-50 new perks, and around ten new enchantments that have been created entirely by me. That number of perks includes all of the different levels of perks, as well as those that are added for Pillars and items. Some of these perks give you powers and abilities that are entirely new to the game, built from scratch to enhance this mod. Others are unique twists of already-existing perks. Either way, they will all add unique aspects to your playing experience.

NPCs:

(Part 1)

To compliment the addition of all these new features, an enemy faction called the Apostates has been created. The Apostates are a group of Monks that use their power for personal gain. They are usually not organized into groups, but instead mix with the bandits and lowlifes of Skyrim. There are melee versions and magic versions. The melee versions focus on using the new weapons and close-combat perks that are added to the game, while the magic versions mix magic with unarmed. Both versions wear the new clothing and use the new items, providing an excellent way of finding the new weapons and clothing. 

They are also leveled so that you will not encounter ones that are two easy or difficult. There are the basic "Apostates" that are level 1, the "Apostate Apprentices" that are level 10, the "Apostate Masters that are level 20, and the "Apostate Elders" that are level 40. The Apostate Elders are the most powerful and will only be encountered at high high levels. Bring all that you've got, though, because they are powerful!

In addition to using the new items, they also take advantage of the Monk perks. Don't be surprised if they use some of the same tactics that you do! 

(Part 2 and 3)

Read the Plans for information on new NPCs and factions that I hope to add.

Plans:

My plans are somewhat tenuous, but are outlined below. Some of the features that I want to add may prove either impossible or too difficult. For now, though, they are what I desire to give you. 

Also, new enchantments, perks, and items will be added as I think of them or am supplied with new material, so they are not included in the list. Assume that I will add them whenever I get the chance.

Part 1: (current)

• New Unarmed and Unarmored skills
• New melee weapons
• New monk robes
• New perks
• New enchantments
• New enemies

Part 2:

• Monk follower(s)
• Joinable Apostate and Cult of the Way factions
• Radiant quests for both factions
• A mentor that lets you manage your stats, tells you the backstory, and can train you
• New scaling options to balance my leveling system with Bethesda's default system (may be impossible)
• New combat animations (I will contact the owner of the Marital Arts mod)

Part 3:

• Bases for the new factions
• Faction questlines (possibly hundreds of hours of work)
• More backstory in books
• Unique NPCs with quests

I can not specify exact dates, unfortunately. They will simply be released as they are completed. Part 3 will likely take the most amount of time, if I am even able to complete it. Hopefully, since summer is coming up, I will have a ton of time to mod. Real life gets in the way, though, so I can not know for sure what will happen.

Way of the Monk beta-testing begins now!

Beta-testing has begun!

The beta version of  Way of the Monk has been completed and is ready for testing. Please read the rules and advice below to learn how you may become a beta-tester, how to report bugs, and what is new in the mod. Please read the whole post before applying to become a beta-tester. It is fairly long, I know, but you need to know this information before testing the game for me.

Since this is a beta version, there will most likely be bugs. Please be patient with me as I work to fix them. 

Applying:

To apply to become a beta-tester, simply contact Woverdude and request beta-testing privileges. I will e-mail you the .zip folder that contains the .esp plugin file and the .bsa archive. Export those into your Data folder and you should be able to load the mod. I had some trouble getting the .bsa created, so if you have trouble with the models and scripts, then e-mail me and I will recreate the .bsa.

How to report bugs/make suggestions:

I have created the two forms for reporting bugs or making suggestions. I will send them to you in my e-mail. Fill them out when you find a bug or want to make a suggestion and your input will be added to a database.

Please keep your suggestions related to the content that I have already added, rather than suggestion a new kind of content. For instance, instead of suggestion several new perks, you can suggest a way to improve current perks. If you want to suggest new ideas, please post on the WIP thread.

What to test for:

Primarily what I need to know is whether the new items, enchantments, leveling system, and perks work.

You can either choose to test each item and perk individually, or you can run a playthrough as a Monk and see how it all fits together. Either way works and helps me out. :-)

What is in the Mod:

First, there are a ton of new items, all of which are craftable. These new items can be found in stores, crafted, looted from enemies, or found in dungeons.

There are around 10-15 new fist-weapons, and many enchanted variations of each of those. A few of the new weapons are not found in the game as loot, but will be used in later versions to create unique items for quests or bosses. The weapons can be crafted and improved normally. The animations are a bit wonky, but that is not my fault. Bethesda designed their handtohand animation strangely, so when weapons use it they do become invisible on the right hand. Their issue, not mine...

There are also new enchantments with new effects. These enchantments can be found on the new weapons and clothing.

There are also a new set of robes. These are monk robes that I found in the Creation Kit, but were not used in the vanilla game. Which was quite lucky for me. You can find them or craft them. They use 1 linen wrap to craft and are in the Misc. category.

New enemies. There is a new enemy faction called "The Apostates". They are a breakoff of the Cult of the Way that will be expanded on in later versions. They can be found in encounters and use the new fist weapons. They have a unique combat style, as well, that mixes magic and unarmed combat. They are very lightly armored (if at all), but are very quick. There are different types and levels of these new enemies.

New Unarmed and Unarmored skills. The Unarmed skill is raised by using any of the new weapons or by fighting without a weapon equipped. The Unarmored skill is raised by taking hits while not wearing armor. These skills do NOT replace existing skills, but are instead entirely new and operate through a series of scripts that run in the background. They also include new perks.

Perks. The perks can be gained as you level your Monk skills. You choose and manage your perks at the new Pillars.

Pillars. The Pillars are like the Standing Stones, in the way that they give you new abilities. There are two types of Pillars. There are the Pillars of the Way that allow you to manage your stats, and there are the Pillars found around Skyrim that give you unique powers. The Pillars of the Way are where you manage your stats and are probably the first place that you want to go. Here is a screenshot of their location:

They are just up the hill from the Guardian Stones, marked by a stone archway. Between the Pillars will be three books that explain some of the lore and provide you beta testers with the locations of all of the Pillars.

All of the new items can all be found in the QASmoke testing room. To get there type coc QASmoke into the console and press enter. When the game is finished loading, you will see a table in front of you. The containers with them are on the other side of the table and all have the prefix "WoM".

Legality/Use-restrictions:

Skyrim and all of its component are owned by Bethesda. All of the Way of the Monk work is reserved be used by me and those that I give permission to. Do not send the beta version to anyone without my permission. Do not upload the files to any website. Do not claim the files to be your own. Doing any such things will result in the loss of your beta-testing privileges and you will be reported for piracy to any website that you have illegally uploaded the files to.

Have fun!

Though my post seems pretty serious, I want you to have as much fun as you can with my mod. Go thou therefore, and have fun! :-) Though you may not pirate the files, feel free to make videos, or write posts/reviews about my mod as long as you mention that the mod is still in beta and give a link to this blog. Have fun!

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions!

WIP Screenshots!

A new Screenshots page has been added to the navbar at the top. Pre-Alpha Way of the Monk content screenshots and teasers are on it, and new pictures will be added as I complete the mod. Check out the page regularly for new screenshots of the WIP mods of our modders!

Way of the Monk Update: 4-4-12

First off, let me state that I've been taking a bit of a break from modding. I have two tests that I must take tomorrow and have been preparing for them. I have, however, managed to accomplish quite a bit since me last update.

Pillars:

The script that manages all of the power-giving Pillars has been completed, the Pillars are planned and organized, and several of them have been added to the game. You can find the script for them here. It's based off of the powerShrineScript from the vanilla game that manages the Standing Stones.

I've written a list of all of the Pillars that I plan on adding to the first edition. Some of them are proving to be troublesome to code and figure out, but I am confident that I can complete them with enough work. The Pillar that I've added and am currently working on is the Pillar of the Elements.

Here's a screenshot:

I'm having some trouble getting the effect to be applied. I've found that for some strange reason, all weapons that use the HandToHand attack animation have trouble with perk effects and are not considered Weapons of the normal sort. I'm not sure what's going on, but it has somewhat crippled my perk and item designing. I hope to find a workaround or fix soon, though.

Items:


I've gained permission from tom348 at the Nexus Forums to use his mod Fist Weapons, as well as Bloodsunday's permission to use his retextures of tom349's weapons. I'm not sure that I'll use all of the models in my mod, but a good number of them will be going into the game. I'm having some trouble with the weapons being mysteriously invisible when equipped in the right hand, but other than that it's all going well.

Unarmored Skill:


I have also added in a separate Unarmored skill in addition to the Unarmed skill. Along with this skill are a number of Unarmored perks and enchantments that will be added. The perks will be chosen independently from each other and will level with use.

Plans:


The next few weeks are going to be pretty hectic and busy for me. I have two tests tomorrow, am moving in a week, and have finals later this month. So, I wont be able to do nearly as much modding. :-( I will, however, be writing tutorials. Also, keep watch, because I'm soon going to announce a great new opportunity/project for all of you modders and players. I will post the news soon. :-)