Updates highlighted: 2 August 2019, 3 August 2019, 4 August 2019, 11 August 2019, 19 February 2020
I am originally an Oblivion player who then switched for a short while to Morrowind because of its higher level of sophistication and is now considering playing Daggerfall instead because it seems even more complex and realistic. I learned of Daggerfall Unity and see this as an opportunity to make an already great game even greater. I would like to use this topic to work on some ideas I have with regard to magic. Some of it will be quite divergent from Classic Daggerfall. I plan to build on Daggerfall mechanics and expand on them, where possible, but also study other TES games or even other universes and seek to suggest good ideas and work out the details sufficiently that they can one day be implemented as a mod/mods to DFU. I observe mostly the RP element in the game, immersion, lore-friendliness.
Discussed below are:
- The mystery part of magic
- (Magic) Skills and attributes above 100
- Unleveled spells
- Alchemy
- Enchanting
- Aiming with magic missiles
- Some spell missiles are born faster
- Rethinking spell creation
- Updated teleporting
- Plans forward
(following soon to be moved to another post)
- Super strong NPCs
- Contact with Daedra and the Daedric realm.
- More/updated wizarding quest lines
- Possibility of Unlife
- A mechanic for controlling other beings or characters (Imperius for short)
- Conjuration, necromancy
(above soon to be moved to another post)
Will soon be adding certain further changes with possible connections other topics, like special (dis)advantages getting stronger at higher character levels and a diseases and cures mod. These are both ideas somewhat connected to magic that I currently think would not be too hard to implement.
Planning to include some things from this topic too.
- Plans forward
(11 August 2019) ... I now aim to work out some details and, after the release of DFU 1.0, implement some or all of the ideas as a complex magic mod. Would appreciate more feedback and/or help.
There are a few things I would like to do first. I am committed to implementing a roads mod and am also considering doing a banking, ownership, capitalism mod before the magic mod as well.
There are also a few mods/ideas I like, so I will try to remain compatible with and build on the following mods: Daggerfall Unity Quest Pack #1, the Archeologists Mod and the Roleplay and Realism Mod Pack - will be looking to add further mods to the list before implementing.
I'll try to suggest at least two different approaches to the individual ideas, one ideal and one minimalistic in case there will not be a lot of folks who'd help.
I'll try to be methodical, work from the more basic things up to the thing built on top of them. Even as the details are worked out, I'll try to assess and keep track of the possibilities for implementation.
I'll try to remain realistic and work only on ideas I see a good chance of getting implemented.
If I should discontinue work on this project for any reason, please feel free to use all things published here to advance your own projects.
As things currently stand
- The mystery part of magic
Then, the most potent spell effects need to be made unavailable for purchase.
Details in the 2nd post here.
Working on finalizing the spell affects gathered from the other TES games (enumerated in the 5th post below) and adding some basic thoughts on how they could work in DFU.
- Skills and attributes above 100
Skills could also be higher than 100 - the maxima could depend mainly on governing attributes and primary/major/minor skill status. Some exceptions can be allowed if numbers above 100 would break game mechanics. Asked a couple of questions related to the affected formulas in other threads. Given up on waiting for replies. Will need a way to find out what the formulas the skills are being fed into are.
Details here in the 7th post.
Currently not working on this one.
- Unleveled spells
Spell level (SL) could be introduced like SL = Floor((Skill + (Willpower-50) + (Luck-50)/5) / 5)
Spell level could function in the game mechanics in an identical way to how character level works currently.
Next thing will be to perform some calculations with the aim of refining the above formula.
- Alchemy
A proper implementation would require an Alchemy skill. I was recently informed that new skills cannot be currently modded in. This complicates the situation. *
More detail in the 5th post here.
Currently trying to figure out if there is a good way to do this without a dedicated Alchemy skill.
- Enchanting
More on this in the 6th post here, a dedicated Enchanting skill does not seem to be necessary.*
Currently not working on this one.
- Aiming with magic missiles
If new skills will be not be able to be modded in, a minimalistic version could be to have this accuracy contingent on Spell Level, some magic-related attributes, aggregate magic skills or a combination of these.
Currently not working on this one.
- Some spell missiles are born faster
Currently not working on this one.
- Rethinking spell creation
This option should only be available to the PC if certain conditions are met (such conditions could involve Intelligence, Willpower, Fatigue, the relevant magic skill or a combination of these)
Currently not working on this one.
- Updated teleporting - discussed in short in the 2nd post, and brought forward in this thread.
(4 August 2019) A thought about adding skills. Even if new skills will not be able to be modded in, the following might work. Merge two language skills, edit the game formulae accordingly, rename the unused skill, add formulae that use this skill the way you intend to use it. Here, what's needed is the ability to change the name of the skill shown to the player and the ability to change game formulae used to calculate things and add new ones.
Will consider moving the following groups to another post in the near future.
GROUP: Will need more game experience and/or study before proceeding:
- Super strong NPCs
Some details in the 2nd post here.
- (More/updated) wizarding quest lines
There could also be quest-givers among the super strong NPCs.
Details in the 2nd post here.
Will return to this one after assessing the quest lines and possibilities that are already there (core+mods). Will be trying to build on those.
- Contact with Daedra and the Daedric realm.
On the other hand, it would also take a lot of effort to implement.
A minimalistic approach would be to improve upon what is already there: more Daedra related quests, editing existing quests etc.
Currently not working on this one. Will return to this one after assessing the quest lines and possibilities that are already there (core+mods). Will be trying to build on those.
GROUP: Rejected, dropped or postponed indefinitely:
- Unlife
Can undead beings exist that are animated not by some external magical force but by their own willpower and a spell they cast on themselves some time ago that binds their soul to their undead body? I say, yes.
Does the game need to accommodate for the PC to transform himself into such a being. At the moment, I say no.
I rejected the idea, but might change my mind in the distant future.
- The Imperius effect
Put the idea on hold because implementing such a thing alone would be out of my reach for the foreseeable future. Might revisit the idea in the distant future.
- Conjuration, necromancy
Summon spells should make a given creature materialize and no further magicka should not be required to keep it there.
Corpses could be reanimated.
After summon/reanimate, Imperius.
Details in this thread.
Will not be working on this idea here. My idea of Conjuration/Necromancy would rely on the Imperius mechanic, but - as indicated above - I put that idea on hold. Will consider helping other people's efforts in this direction though.
On 5 June 2019, I edited the text of the original topic starter post into the second post just below.