Balanced Magic
Magic system overhaul – Spells become more powerful as your skill increases. You don\’t have to rely on gimmicks to play a mage anymore – choose a playstyle that suits your character!
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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Balanced Magic v3.05
by mysty
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Included Files
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Balanced_Magic.esp
Balanced_Magic.bsa
OPTIONAL: Balanced_Magic_Dawnguard.esp – scales the conjured boneman, mistman, and wrathman from Dawnguard.
I’ve also attached an excel spreadsheet with data on specific numbers used. You may fill in the yellow boxes to see what sort of numbers to expect.
Installation
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1- Extract this archive to your “Skyrim/Data” folder
2- Launch Skyrim
*Note: If you have a previous version of this mod installed, be sure to uncheck it in your Data Files, and that only Balanced_Magic.esp is running!
Purpose
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This mod is intended to provide greater flexibility when playing as a mage. Instead of relying on a few overpowered gimmicks, mages should be able to experiment with different techniques in different situations, and still have a reasonable chance of overcoming their opponent. I have attempted to make each school of magic uniquely powerful while staying pure to Elder Scrolls lore.
What It Does
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Magicka Management
– Magicka regenerates faster in combat (60% instead of 33%)
– Dual Casting costs less (2.4x instead of 2.8x) and is more effective (2.6x instead of 2.2x)
– Spell costs have been calculated so that they no longer decrease as your skill improves; instead your spells will get more powerful as skill increases.
– Neither light nor heavy armor increase spell costs, however, costs are reduced if armor is removed since movements are less restricted, making it easier to cast spells. Each slot (head, body, hands, and feet) that is unarmored will reduce casting cost by 8%.
Alteration
– Alteration spells with a magnitude become more powerful as your skill increases (automatically)
– The Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Alteration perks increase the duration of corresponding level spells based on your skill. At skill level 100, duration will have doubled.
– Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
– Paralyze has been reduced to 6 seconds (was 10)
– Mass Paralysis has been reduced to 10 seconds (was 15)
– With scaling, higher level protection spells became redundant, so I have altered them so that each is the embodiment of a particular element. Stoneskin increases your armor (much as the original *flesh spells did), and Flameskin, Frostskin, and Stormskin provide less bonus armor, but also offer some resistance to the associated elemental damage.
– Casting a *skin spell will dispel any other active *skin spell so you can switch at will
– Dragonhide stacks with the *skin spells
– Mage Armor Perk Rank 1: *skin spells provide additional armor if you are not wearing physical armor (calculated for each armor slot)
– Mage Armor Perk Rank 2: *skin spells provide additional armor if you are not wearing physical armor (calculated for each armor slot)
– Mage Armor Perk Rank 3: *skin spells provide additional armor if you are not wearing physical armor (calculated for each armor slot). Also increases the duration of *skin spells and Dragonhide by 50%
– Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
Conjuration
– Spell duration increases with skill (automatically). Spells may be a few seconds shorter initially, but will increase to 150% of vanilla duration by the time you max your skill.
– The Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Conjuration perks increase damage of bound weapons (sword, battleaxe, and bow), increase the level of summoned Daedra, and allow necromancers to reanimate higher level corpses
– Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
– The base damage of the bound bow was reduced, and the base damage of the bound battleaxe was increased
– Fixed “Storm Thrall” spell so that it actually summons a Storm Thrall instead of Storm Atronach. It is now a ritual spell as well.
– Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
Destruction
– Destruction spells become more powerful as your skill increases (automatically)
– The Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Destruction perks increase damage of corresponding level AND ALL LOWER LEVEL spells by 10% in addition to reducing spell costs
– To keep damage to magicka cost ratios balanced, I had to scale cost up along with the extra damage. I also reduced the cost of Adept, Expert, and Master spells more than the 25% stated.
– Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
– Incinerate, Icy Spear, and Thunderbolt do lingering damage for 3 seconds. (Tapered, in all damage is roughly doubled)
– The impact perk causes stagger to occur 25% of the time in apprentice spells, 50% of the time in adept spells, and 75% of the time in expert spells.
– The Rune Master perk now allows the placement of multiple runes (up to 4)
– Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
Enchanting
– Capped Fortify enchantments for Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, and Restoration. You can no longer enchant away spell costs completely. Soft cap is 50%, hard cap is 72% (depending on strength of enchantments and order in which you equip items.)
Illusion
– Illusion spells influence higher level creatures based on skill (automatically)
– The Aspect of Terror Perk no longer increases the damage of Destruction Fire spells
– Hypnotic Gaze, Aspect of Terror, and Rage increase level of controlled opponents based on illusion skill (+.2*skill)
– Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
– Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
Restoration
– Restoration spells become more powerful as your skill increases (automatically)
– Wards charge more quickly and provide experience each time they successfully protect the caster. They are free to maintain but drain magicka when hit.
– The shield effect from the wards (bonus armor) has been set to 40 for all 3 wards. This scales up as your Restoration skill increases so that at skill level 100, you will gain 80 armor.
– Each perk reduces the magicka cost by 25% instead of 50%
– Reduced casting time for Ritual Spells to 2 seconds
