Spell Sneak Attacks 2
Spellthiefs rejoice, this mod makes all Destruction projectile spells able to benefit from sneak attack and the Dark Brotherhood gloves. Strike with a fireball from the shadows or impale that guard with a ice spike from the shadows.
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IF YOU USE AN OLDER VERSION OF THIS MOD PLEASE FOLLOW THE FAQ(#1) BELOW FOR PROPER INSTRUCTIONS.
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NEW FEATURES IN 2.31+2.32+2.33:
-Completely fixed rare killmove bug(As of 2.33).
-Fixed beginning of the game bug that caused the execution scene to not work.
-Slight optimizations.
NEW FEATURES IN 2.30:
-Fixed Brawl Bug and other optimizations for low end computers
-Fixed all synchronization issues with quests users were experiencing. Made optimizations, espeically on lower end systems. Fixed(or should have) rare Kill Cam Bug
2.0BETA:
-Completely re-wrote how spell sneak attacking is handeled which has fixed a plethora of timing bugs and slowdown related issues some users were having.
OVERVIEW OF MOD:
A new and interesting playstyle opens with the ability to sneak attack with spells in the same way you already sneak attack with bows and swords. A message will appear in the upper left hand corner any time you successfully cast a spell while being undetected. A successful spell sneak attack takes the light from the spell, sound generated and whether or not your are in plain sight of an enemy into account. Spell sneak attacking at an early level is difficult because of the sound generated but gets much easier with advancement in the Sneak skill. You can sneak attack people who are in combat, and cannot see you (fighting something else), but cannot sneak attack someone while standing in front of them(Without high sneak and perks). This iteration of spell sneak attack feels almost exactly like bows. Utilizing the Silent casting perk (from illussion) or the enchantment added by this mod will substantially increase the ease of Spell Sneak attacking. At 100 Sneak without silent casting you will still be able to Spell Sneak attack from a relativly close distance, but it will be significantly harder(Spell are loud after all).
FEATURES ADDED:
Perk added to the sneak attack tree(Side grade to bows) that make it possible to Sneak attack with spells. Sneak attack is initially 1.5x damage when you get the perk located in the Sneak Skill tree, 3.0x with Dark Brotherhood Gloves. Spell traps deal 3.0x base and 6.0x with backstab perk(gloves)
Spell sneak attacks also grant experience! (Added in v1.30)
Choose how you unlock this ability: You can gain the perk from the sneak spell tree like any other normal perk(Recommended) or you can read “A fireball from the Shadows” a book located on Farengars desk in Dragonsreach OR at the begining of the game on the table next to the dead stormcloak(right next to you when you get your handcuffs off) OR in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary and you will automatically learn the perk(If you don’t want to spend those precious skill points). You can also read “Aertyrs note” (Located on top of the previously mentioned book in both locations) that will remove the perk if you know it(In case you accidently learn it and didn’t intend to).
PERK CHANGES:
Stealth perk now gives 20% less sound AND light to all spells when sneaking(40% max rank). At 5 ranks with silent casting perk (or the ones from the custom glove enchantment I added), spells will be almost indistinguishible from bows in terms of an enemies ability to detect you.
GAMEPLAY CHANGES:
-All Apprentice and Novice spells are slightly easier to cast(is now “normal” instead of “loud”). Higher level spells still cause as much sound and alert enemies as normal. This makes it easier for players to level up spell sneak attack and pull them off in the early game but still makes you want to grab Silent Casting perk/enchantment for late game spells that do considerably more damage. Sneak perk “Stealth” now makes spells 10% quieter per rank (up to 40%)
-All Dark Brotherhood gloves can be disenchanted(For those of you who use this mod but don’t use my Enchantment balance overhaul) (Added in v1.40)
-All spells can now sneak attack that are NOT cloaks, or ritual spells (e.g. Two handed).
-Now Supports ALL spell mods (Midas, Magic Evolved etc) with proper damage and spell sneak attack indicators! (Added in v1.30)
In some cases spell mods do not properly categorize spells as being in the same school as they show in-game. This is not something I can personally change. (A spell might display in Destruction but be made up of Alteration effects for example).
-Tooltips on Dark Brotherhood gloves updated to reflect ability for spells to sneak attack.
-Loading screens updated to reflect ability for spells to sneak attack.
-Spell Sneak attack indicators at the top left of your screen telling you when you properly execute a spell sneak attack (Just like normal sneak attacks!)
*You have to get really close with some spells like Ice Storm to sneak attack with it because of how slowly the projecticle moves.
NEW ENCHANTMENT/ITEM:
-Added “Silent Casting” enchantment
Can be bought in clothing or light armor form from Enthir (Mage guild fence) or from Babette(Dark Brotherhood merchant). 2 legendary forms of the gloves exist both sold by Babette(These cannot be disenchanted, only base gloves can).
Enchantment can only be placed on gloves
COMPATIBILITY:
-Works with ALL Destruction projectile spells from other mods (Like Midas magic and Magic Evolved). Spell sneak attack indicators now work as you would expect! (Updated in v1.30)
-Should work with all but the craziest of perk overhauls(and if it doesn’t you can learn the perk through “A fireball from the shadows” on Farengars desk even if the perk is not displayed in game). New Stealth Perk will not work with another mod that changes it unless you load this one last.
-Sneak attack perk will work with all mods, Dark Brotherhood sneak attack will NOT work with mods that change the enchantment “DBEnchant”.
FAQ:
#1: What if I used an older version of this mod?:
Load the game you want WITHOUT spell sneak attacks, SAVE the game and THEN re-enable the mod. Use the book for the perk if you had it previously.
Where should I contact you with a major bug?
Please send me a private message on the Skyrim Nexus forums or on the Steam Workshop page, NOT in the comments below and I will fix it as soon as possible.
This mod doesn’t work with X!:
Chances are that it’s just a load order issue especially now that I’ve further edited entries of what the mod changes. This mod will NOT affect anything in Vanilla Skyrim OTHER THAN the Stealth perk. Everything else is custom scripts/quests.
My character runs slower now!:
This has been reported before and is related to a mod-conflict with another mod and NOT related to mine. Try messing around with the load order and disabling/re-enabling mods. Things like ACE – Combat evolved should be diabled and re-enabled after this mod is installed.
RATIONALIZATION:
-Spellthiefs receive so little love. Why shouldn’t a good ice spike to the kidney do more damage than an ice spike to the knee? Admittedly, a sneak attacking fireball is a little harder to rationalize but I feel like it’s a good option that really makes players who like to walk the line between thief and mage happy. I’ve been wanting to play a true spell thief since Morrowind and thats why I made this mod!
