Modding on the Spectrum

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 19th of Morning Star and thank the divines the weekend is nigh. It's another chilly predawn here on warm sands, and time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Miami espresso, and the biscuits are Samoas. Yes, Girl Scout cookies are still a thing... and bloody yummy. Checking the hot sheets we have 35 new with lots of jiggle as always. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa...

taj42 released Bond of Matrimony as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109576
"Gives the rings you receive during the vanilla marriage ceremony a unique custom enchantment that effectively gives you and your spouse a shared health pool."

You'll want to read the entire mod page. Ah'vrie has to admit, this is unexpectedly unique and inventive. The ramifications, bit pros and cons are interesting if you're married to your follower vs. leaving your spouse at home and traveling with another... Worth a read and a cookie. The old cat is not sure he would use it, but it's an interesting enchantment concept.

mjbabyface released Remove Screen FX (Blurs and Flashes)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109606
"Removed effects that change Brightness, Tint/Color, Radial Blur, Motion Blur, DoF, HDR, Adaption, and more. A small mod to remove all unwanted screen special effects. ESL Flagged. No Requirements."

The old cat is not a fan of the motion and radial blur effects, so this review may be biased, but Ah'vrie is flagging this for testing in his next build. Have a cookie

And honestly that will do for today. There are plenty of outfits, followers patches and pointy sticks to browse, but not much catches the eye today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 21st of Morning Star. It's quiet at the inn, but not nearly as quiet as yesterday. Ah'vrie was all alone. This made cleaning the inn much quicker, but even his pet smoothskin didn't stay for long. Excuse please while the fires are tended and fresh water put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Stockholm roast, and the biscuits are Apricot Verona. Checking the hot sheets we have 52 new today. But we'll start with the only mad to really catch the eye yesterday.

Remove Screen FX (Blurs and Flashes) by mjbabyface
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109606
"A small mod to remove all unwanted screen special effects. ESL Flagged. Compatible with ALL VERSIONS. Removed effects that change Brightness, Tint/Color, Radial Blur, Motion Blur, DoF, HDR, Adaption, and more."

This one must admit, the screen blur during slow time would not be missed. Have a cookie

Halffaces - Mead barrel
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109695
"A simple replacement of the mead barrel for a slightly attractive model with nicer textures. No esp" Our new 'anti-Lenny' is making Skyrim a little 'too pretty' one common object at a time A bit over the top, but pretty

markuskarttunen1 released Thinner Fishing Net
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109718
"A thinner version of the fishing net, vanilla net looks a bit too loose to my taste." And one out of one old cats agree. Much improved. Have a cookie

Sergg released Pick up the Bones BOS
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109752
"This Mod allows you to collect all the parts of the skeleton (and covered blood skeleton), arms, legs, feet, etc. and not just skulls scattered around the world and grind them into Bone Meal in a Grain Mill"

As featured in better necromancer homes and graveyards Thanks?

And finally HS Markarth - Temple of Dibella
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109605
"Overhauls the Temple of Dibella in Markarth." And does a nice job of it as well. Maybe a few too many statues added, but worth a look and a cookie.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked the kettles scrubbed, the floors are swept and expelliarmes. Ah'vrie does not know this last word, his smoothskin told him to say it. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Morndas the 22nd of Morning Star and another quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons have set and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Venezia, and the biscuits are almond Biscotti. Checking the hot sheets we have 38 new with all the usual suspects. Lots of jiggle and little substance.

Jakemessi released Invisibility affects followers too
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109788
"This ESP-FE will mean that when the player casts the base game invisibility spell, nearby followers will also become invisible" A bit OP at face value, but seeing as Invisibility is an expert level skill it's a reasonable buff. Thanks

bananakillerBRO released Greyskin's Loft
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108804
"The home for the greyskin who has nothing"

Well sort of... it's actually Belyn Hlaalu's house and author didn't care so they altered Belyn's AI package to make them sandbox at their farm... Not sure about this one after reading the mod page. Pass but thanks.

That's about it. tjhm4 made a patch for 'Experience' that lets you buy skill levels for gold which seems like it pretty much taking you back to vanilla Pass I think we'll just let it go right there. The fires are stoked yada yada, We-B-Open!

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. If is Middas the 24th of morning Star and the storms have moved on. It's a clear, crisp desert predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons are almost full. Time to hone your silver weapons once again and keep them close for the next few days. Anyway, it's time once again for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Stockholm Lungo, and the biscuits are Dublin shortbread. Checking the hot sheets we have 60 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches an old cat's eye this day over a fresh cuppa...

Likenstien released Old Holds - Clan Names and Titles
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110003
"Restores and extends existing surnames or adds them to the Nords who don't have one." Ah'vrie likes this mod, as the lore is fairly big on lineage, but some of the made up names... maybe not so much. lol. Thanks

Discrepancy released two patches for Sunhelm and static skill leveling
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files
Could be useful for some

elafrosicky released ELAF Dig Treasures
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110001
"You can dig in random-spawned places for treasures using a shovel." An interesting idea, but the execution is a bit lackluster. Randomly swaps a specific rock type for an activator called 'soft ground' there's a small chance of finding fairly lame loot. Not exactly exciting, but could be used as a framework in another mod. Pirates maybe? a better reason and better loot would go a long way. The old cat will pass on this one though.

Artistop released No animated gem of Barenziah
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109971
"Remove the rotating and floating animation to the gem, there is two version one for vanilla meshe users and second for JS Barenziah SE users" Thanks, those floating gems always were a bit over the top LOL. Simple and clean. Have a cookie

Sandman53 released Equipment Durability System NG
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109899
"Weapons and Armor will be degraded when attacking or taking hits. Weapons and Armor will be randomly tempered, and widgets to display equipment health and what you currently have equipped. A great durability system now moved to CommonLib-NG!"

From an RP perspective a good durability system fits in well, but checking the posts this one has a few issues to iron out. This is an edited version of Felisky384's original mod moved to the Commonlib-NG framework. Most values are controlled through a single INI file. Thanks, now fix it

blackmoonx330 released Complexions for CotR
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/95735
"New face textures for CotR race mod, with patches for some of the popular skin mods" Nice, the male texture looks a bit greasy/dirty to an old cat but that might have just been the character in the shot. Thanks

Rally's Spell Tomes
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/80069
"Replacer for the five Spell Tomes including Paper, available in 4K, 2K and 1K." Thanks, clean and simple. Load below any other book cover overhauls obviously.

And finally we'll give the top slot to Xtudo

Divines Prayer Animations - My DAR version SE by Xtudo
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/109935
"DAR version of the amazing mod made by GiraPomba. 15 new randomized animations when praying to a Divine. Unisex. For the Player and NPCs." Thanks, now the old cat might add it into the next build. This one gets a cookie

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed and the floors... Don't drop your food. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-open!

Goooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. it is Turdas the 15th of Morning Star and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons will be full tonight. Don't come in smelling of wet dog or face the old cats silver mace. Ah'vrie has always loved the goddess but not her crazy puppies. It's a cat and dog thing. Anyway, it's time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Istanbul espresso, and the biscuits are almond biscotti. Checking thew hot sheets we have 37 new with mostly jiggle and patches again. Let's see what does catch the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa.

DarthVedda released Ni'Kaur Kasol - An Orc-Themed Starter Home
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110058
"Adds a small orc-themed player hut within the walls of Dushnikh Yal. Created specifically to work with the Strongholds - Dushnikh Yal mod, but does not require it." This is their second Orc themed hut this week. Both in Dushnikh. Will they get it right the third time. Stay tuned.

dabiggieboss released Collectable Firewood - Base Object Swapper
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110032
"This is just an ESP replacer for Wizkid's fantastic Campfire Collectible Deadwood and Branches SSEEdit script and Base Object Swapper" They don't use campfire, but wanted the wood available for CC camping and fletching. Fair enough, thanks

Roonya released Cathedral 3D Mountain Flowers - Snowy Yellow Snowy Red-White
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110037
"Adds new textures for Cathedral 3D Mountain Flowers: yellow (plus snowy version) & red (red-white variant, plus snowy version)" Thanks, very pretty

And finally... elleoellie released a patch for NFF, specifically for use with the SPID version that automatically gives all followers the ignore tokens.

Nether's Follower Framework - Invisible Ignore Tokens for Custom AI Followers
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110040
"Hides the ignore token from follower's inventory, as well as disabling the recipe to craft them. Intended for usage with the SPID add-on to automatically distribute them!"

Make sure to read the mod page, this is intended for use alongside 'SPID - NFF - Add Ignore Token to CustomAI Followers'

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 26th of Morning Star and thanks the divines the weekend is nigh. The blessed moons are gibbous tonight so keep those silver weapons close for another day or two. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is classic Ristretto and the biscuits are Dublin shortbread. Checking the hot sheets we have 44 new with lots of jiggles, dangles, accessories, patches and pointy sticks, but not much substance.

Pristine Potato Plants by LeucisticDinosaur takes the only spot today
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110134
"Just a potato plant texture replacer, that's it." is 1, 2, and 4k. Taken from pics of the author's garden. Much nicer than vanilla and includes patches for Sowables of Skyrim.

Thanks, have a cookie or two

And that's all folks. The fires are stoked yada, yada. We-B-open!

Goooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 27th of Morning Star and wage slaves rejoice the weekend has arrived. The blessed moons are beginning to wane so you should now be safe from the goddess' crazy puppies for another cycle. For now, the blessed moons have set and it is once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the ash pits are emptied, and the fires are rebuilt. Ah'vrie always likes to start the weekend off with happy fires. You might wish to cover your tankards for a bit though, this can get a tad dusty... There, much better no? Warms more than the room as Ah'vrie's mother often liked to say. Now to scrub the kettles, put fresh water to the boil, and see what's ready to harvest in the garden.

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli, and the biscuits are Zurich. Checking the hot sheets we have 45 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa... Maybe two.

m3ttwur5t self ported Scroll Scribe 2024 - Scroll Crafting and More as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110190
"Introduces a simple scroll crafting system, and an entire skill tree to support a scroll-centric playstyle with powerful toys for those who specialize into it." This is SKSE based and will make available every spell you've learned including mod added spells. The upside is you don't need manna to cast. Good for a paladin or cleric character. Thanks.

Tenz81 released tundrascrub and floramountainflower vanilla meshes better lighting (ENB)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110139
Loses the ENB enduced glow in the vanilla meshes. A first mod so welcome, but not the first to fix this issue. Thanks

nesslowland released three first mods today
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files
A couple of patches, and an interesting take on standing stones that changes the powers so they stack, and allows you to collect/add all of the powers at the same time. The old cat is not thrilled with some of the changes to the stones, but certainly worth a look.

digitalApple released Simple Training Overhaul
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110061
"Training sessions no longer increases a skill base level, but fortifies it instead."

This one confuses an old cat. Training adds and buffs a multiplier without affecting the base XP level in the skill. So if your Alchemy is 5 and you train 5 levels, your alchemy is still 5 but it's 'fortified' by 5 points. Oh goody, skill training that doubles the grind. The old cat will Pass, but thanks all the same.

Discrepancy released Double Mane Remover
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110235
"In AE, horse manes are in a separate mesh file from the body of the horse. Some horse replacers (such as SC Horses) use meshes that already include manes, leading to a double-mane situation. This patch removes the reference to external manes from the vanilla records." If the old cat is reading this correctly it should also work well with CH, and IH as well as the CC and SC mods. Thanks, have a cookie. The old cat will be testing this.

Riton Mountain
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110197
"Just share my mountain retexture." Interesting weathered slate texture, but it does have noticeable seams even in the few pictures included. Worth a look though.

Vaiula released Nirnroot
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110177
"Nirnroot retexture" Yeesh... Way too shiny LOL, This one needs a new cube map. they honestly actually look like cheap plastic fakes LOL. Well they can't all be gems. Pass

And finally, Not a mod of the day...

Leodoidao released Brigands of Skyrim
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110224
"A new faction of bandits with unique armors and pets, new dungeons and new ships."

Just what the game needs... More low level bandits to harass you for no reason. Ever notice that there are more bandits in Skyrim than normal NPCs, and there's a never ending supply? This will make it worse. Your game your way. Pass but thanks

And that will do for today. The fresh casks of ale arrived last night and the new batch of mead is ready. We're serving slaughterfish scrambles this morning, and Ale braised Sabrecat with twice baked garlic potatoes as the late meal. And as always we'll have a hearty stew simmering all day so Ah'vrie hopes you brought your appetites. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept and mopped. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Goooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 28th of Morning Star and long past time for a fuzzy headed old cat to tend the inn. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Venezia, the biscuits are Dublin, and the old cat already needs another cuppa. Checking the hot sheets we have 63 new. Mostly patches but plenty of jiggle, accessories, and pointy sticks as well. as well. Let's see what catches the eye this morning over a fresh cuppa... definitely a fresh cuppa

Vazanoir released Every inns need wood as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110285
"Allow the player to sell its firewood to most innkeepers in the game." Nice idea for the early game. Hopefully it doesn't mess with the favor quests. The original upload had a missing master, but that's already been fixed. Thanks

audiogarden21 released Cyan's Class Mod
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110220
"Inspired by Oblivion class flavor, this mod adds 11 "classes" that grant passive effects and spells to provide a new take on the early game that loosely follows the Oblivion class design." Thanks, another for the pile. This one references the Oblivion /elder scrolls pages as a discription, but says 'loosely based' ... Not for old cats but thanks

Quantumyilmaz released Containerize
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110297
"Ever found yourself thinking, "I wish I could leave my items here for a while, inside a bag or something..." Well, now you can! With this SKSE plugin, you can turn any item in the game into a container. No ESP/scripts. Install/Update/Uninstall whenever. Compatible with everything."

Clunky, but inventive ... if silly. Drop anything on the ground, get it's formID, save and exit, edit the mod INI file to specify the formId and when you enter the game again that object is now a container. Uncle Sheo would love this. Store an entire armory in a cheese wheel.

Vicn released Animated Ships
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110260
"NPCs sail their ship through ports, beaches, and sea. Player can ride on them."

As near as I can tell from the supplied videos the ships never dock, they just sail around endlessly in loops... But it looks good. If it makes you happy why not. Have a cookie

Halffaces - simple leg of goat retexture
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110293
"2K leg of goat retexture. No ESP" Thanks, now it doesn't look like a drunken butcher took half the rib cage with the leg

And that's really about it. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, the floors are swept, and the old cat is probably going back to bed for a bit. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Morndas the 29th of Morning Star and a quiet chilly predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it is once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli, and the biscuits are apricot thumbprint. Checking the hot sheets we have 59 new with all the usual suspects. Lets see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa...

PhantomZerov2 released Elder NPCs CBBE 3BA Fix as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110413
"This mod's aim is to fix the busty old ladies to be more realistic in their age and weight as aging causes the body to lose weight. This is mainly for old ladies if that wasn't obvious."

Some assembly required, and even the old cat is nopt sure if this treats older NPCs as a separate race or not. They will now use a separate body mesh... Of note; the author is not sure how to implement this with a mod manager... grain of salt, but welcome

rockstarskippymods released Useful Map Locations
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110354
"There are about 20 locations so far including all major citys and towns." (unlocked for fast travel at game start) A useful cheat, but you could just take the carriage once.

popllllop released DLC Shrines for Hearthfire Homes Updated
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110416
Updates the mod DLC Shrines for Hearthfire Homes SSE to form 44 and makes it an esl flagged esp.

You'll want to read the original mod page as this author did not copy it over. Thanks

inscenique released Skeevers drop Skeever Hide
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110337
"This mod makes skeevers drop skeever hide. Furthermore, it also adds skeever meat to the loot and updates all skeever related items with improved textures and new/updated models (in some cases)."

So you can now make your own charred skeever hide rather than steal it from Giants Why not. Have a cookie

Kraeten released Graywatch
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110402
"A brand new Nordic Outpost for the player to call home, provided they have the gold to restore it!"

A followup to East watch, Square, no kids, comes with 4 NPC guards... blah for 20k gold. Pass

And finally Skyking Soul Gems
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/110303
"Skyking Soul Gems features all new textures, ENB lighting, and parallax effects for all the soul gems and soul gem pieces found throughout Skyrim." Thanks

We love choice, The old cat can't tell if they all glow or just the full ones. Nice work, but the old cat will probably stay with 'Rustic sorted' and the ENB light patch.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!