Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity Original Sin - Mods {WiP} Tinker, Tailor, Hunter - a Harder mod

Unlike the usual "hard modes" for games this one will not be based on just simply changing HP and damage of any character or creature in the game.

What this will do is basically completely redesign encounters in the game and add new ones.

Redesign will strive to make any encounter tactically more difficult, instead of just increasing stats of enemies - which will also be used - appropriately for every situation.

And most importantly - appropriately for the overall story of the game.


Now, ive been meaning or fantasizing about a mod that would work over the story and quests of the game but i think these two things would work best together.

So, slight changes to the overall story and specific quests will be a part of this Harder mod. There are several smaller sub quests that really need additional solutions and consequences, and the main quest can be made even less linear, overall.


I dont hold this against the devs at all, because i understand they had the whole game to build including the editor i will now use to tinker with their creation - hopefully in a way that will create something they will enjoy playing.



First thing:

There will be only the two Source Hunters in this Harder mod to play with.
No companions.


Second:

There will be no Lone Wolf or Glass cannon talents.


Third:

The gameplay will be pushed more into favoring Jacks of all trades, through the necessity created by playing only with two Source Hunters and through other mechanics and the story itself.

In return, more quests, more non linearity and improved, expanded melee combat skills will make up the balance.


Fourth:

There will be much more new spells, especially for early levels - and much more elemental interaction.


Fifth:

Ill do my best to create dual wielding for rogues or - dagger wielding builds. (Rondel and one dagger will also be a usable combo which will give small deflection bonus)

No other dual wielding will be possible.



Sixth:

Durability will be brought back to where it was earlier in the beta and with it, the importance of blacksmithing and crafting skills - which will be expanded a bit.

Your items will break and when they break down to zero you wont be able to repair them - because they are broken completely.

There will be no unbreakable items.

But there will be more blacksmiths in the game.



*****



All these are non-negotiable things.
My mod, my rules, you dont like it - dont play it - make your own.




This will probably take a year or two to get made.


Any help appreciated and anyone wants to join is welcome.

Ill need modders but also writers, to expand upon old quests that will be changed and create new ones. That will also require knowing how to work with the editor.

Pointless to say you are going to the wrong direction with your choice of goals, taking into account there are many unmoddable things at the moment.
But, as you've mentioned, it's your rules.
Good luck anyway!

That is indeed a pointless post, especially since none of the things i mentioned are "unmoddable" (except dual wielding, for the time being) but i guess you just needed to say you wouldnt like a mod like that and just had to invent a way to splurge what you think about my goals.

thanks!

Great example of pointless posting i dont want to see here.

Think what you will...
It seems like you don't want to see the whole picture of your changes without modding other values, such as primary attributes, etc...
Whether you like it or not I wish you good luck with your mod again... but pretty soon you'll come to my points by yourself.

@ Hiver So, create your own forum, where you could answer to yourself the answers you want. Ain't that gonna be great ? Just go ahead, do it, and leave these forums for ever.

First things first: Tinkering.




A part of the mod will be various adjustments to many sub quests and some parts of the main quest.
Such as this example i will copy here, just as an example for everyone to see what and how im thinking about it:


Main quest path crucial items acquisition:

In Cysael, you have to get an amulet that will let you pass through the barrier for the Braccus Rex fight.

Now, the only way to get it is to defeat Evelyn.
Which forces the player to be pretty linear in how to go about it all.

1. Find Evelyns reveal scroll
2. Get the amulet from Jake after that fight with her

Which is not really right thing to do, in an RPG in general and especially one like this - and it actually does create some problems for various player, because it is so linear.
It forces all players to do the two exact things to move the story forward.

Which create various problems - precisely because it is so strict, limited and those are the only options about it all.

It creates the potential for big problems since - If any of these two things fail for any reason at all - the player is completely locked out from solving those quests. Or even moving main quest forward.


***

But actually, according to the story and how it develops and is arranged and how it plays, he should not be the only one that has that amulet - anyway. Plus its a bit fishy that he even wants to give it to you - but we could suppose he wanted to trick you - thinking Braccus would surely kill your team.

In the church there are some cultists, so at least one of them should have the amulet too.

Additionally, one of them "escapes" by going beneath the altar - but we never see him again. When we go down after him, he is not there.

What happened to that guy, eh? - He just gets deleted when he goes down bellow, thats what.

Wouldn't it be better if that setup was changed so he stays above and fights you together with the rest of the cultists there?

Could he be the same one that you saw in front of the tutorial dungeon?

And he would have another amulet, which would remove the linear path that the player now currently has to complete:
1. Finding Evelyns reveal scroll
2. Getting the amulet from Jake specifically after that fight ends.


Additionally, I think it would also be much better if that cultists didnt move the altar and so - casually easy reveals the secret passage - but that it should remain unmoved and something the players need to figure out themselves.

That is pretty impossible to miss in that church since by that time probably all players know that paintings are good loot and there isnt much else to manipulate in the church anyway so ... it pretty hard to miss.

A cultist revealing the secret passage right in front of us is unnecessary and a bit too pandering of a move.

Which is also what causes the necessity of just removing - deleting him from the location bellow, which is a bit of a cheap trick in on itself.

So, the solution for all of this is to remove hand-holding script, remove linearity of two necessary steps - and improve the game in the process.


***


I would also suggest adding another way to reveal Evelyns lair entrance.

Arhu is a wizard, right?

He is personally invested into the deal, right? He is personally searching for who did it and talks how they elude his best efforts...

He is supposed to be a powerful wizard, right?

Im sure he could cook up something, some spell, or a item or a contraption - something magical that would also reveal that entrance, once he knows whats the deal - once you tell him so.

And its NOT like that entrance doesnt have pools of blood in and even two burning torches right in front of it.

... if you see what i mean?






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There are other such adjustments i will make but wont post here because spoiling things is not that interesting.

But ive suggested this one openly in general section anyway so... let it serve as an example.

It seems like a bad idea to restrict the player to two heroes, given how strong that makes enemy CC, and how much that limits player strategy.

I agree, two characters is too short due to this lot of CC in the game. Some group with wizard and ranger would be so tidious.

But I think Hiver have planned to balance the game in consquence but the amount of work seems really high.

So, good luck for your project.

I don't think you actually need to kill Baccas Rex to progress the story. You might need to kill him to beat the game, I forget if he drops a starstone or not, but basically, you can choose to not kill him and just go to the next zone if you want to, nothing should be stopping you from that, and I don't think it would stop you from investigating the Immaculates. You could probably do any of the other main starstone quests and then go back to Rex.

The game I think is only linear in that it forces you to collect every single starstone.

You're right, he's not required to progress the main quest, but he does give you a star stone.

You dont need to kill him - theoretically. But that doesnt have any consequence in the game, as far as i know.

Which could be expanded upon too.
And probably will.

Its not about just killing him but expanding and pushing the story forward, by the two steps i mentioned - none of which was specifically killing Braccus.

As for two characters, ive been playing the game like that and it brings a different kind of a feel to it all. Especially in co-op.

Those that dont like that surely dont need to play this - assuming it ever becomes reality, of course.

quick note to myself, a copy of idea from another thread.

changing how dangerous surfaces deal damage;

ah Hiver..
( :cannotbrofistherewtf: )

expecting agreement here, when the new resistance cap makes the game 'hard', or companions functioning properly make the game 'broken'..
i honestly applaud your patience, it is at levels way beyond mine.

looking forward to this mod
should any of my current time constraints be lifted, i would be more than willing to give a hand in the story department.

Be well

This sounds like a great project. Too bad it's gonna take so long to complete, but I hope you will see it through! Good Lucks

Well, thanks guys.

Ill do my best. Very soon my RL job will finish and then ill have the whole winter for tinkering and tailoring. If i dont manage to create anything worthy in that time, youll know this turned into vaporware.

If not, things might become interesting.


***

Er, one thing i mean to do through this mod that i havent clarified above is to remove the high fantasy epic opera story, more or less completely.

I do like the Larian tongue in cheek approach and style so i wont do some grimdark bullshit but i really dont think i can do anything worthwhile with their high fantasy epic stuff. I just dont get along well with saving the universe.

So there wont be any homestead, zixzax and all that jazz. At all.
Star stones will remain but will be used for... other purposes.


- edit -

Basically, i will try to make a game be less epic, less of a save universe from big bad evil thing, and a bit more down to earth investigation of two quite mortal and human, beginner Source Hunters, dealing with things quite over their heads.

In general, this will make the campaign a bit shorter, but thats not such of a problem, if it is good.

Cysael will remain, get improved, Luculla forest with its environs, Silverglen, Phantom forest and Hunters edge... maybe even Hiberheim, although that will need to be heavily edited since its really over the top high-fantasy opera part of the game.


***


From Holland solves how to deal with not having companions or henchmen:


best kind of modding :P


Rhidian gives some good advice on dealing with the Homestead:


- Teleport pyramids arent really needed anyway, except for cheesing.

- plenty of loot in the game anyway.

- the end game will be changed to fit with this new kind of a story.


***


And lastly, for all those interested and those that would wish to help or contribute in any way:

Long way ahead awaits to be crossed.


Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.