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About this mod
Adds gameplay effects to karma. Perks are awarded for different moral alignments and FO3-style hit squads will hunt you down.
- Requirements
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Translations
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Description
The karma system in New Vegas is lacklustre—even the help screen tells you it means nothing. This mod aims to change that by adding consequences to your karma alignment, in the form of karma-specific perks and Fallout 3-style hit squads. I recommend you use this mod alongside a mod which corrects the game's karma distribution. My mod, JSawyer Ultimate Edition, is the most comprehensive in my opinion but I'm sure there are other alternatives.
My intention is for this mod to fit in seamlessly with the vanilla game. I've gone for a Vegas/Wild West theme, but the writing is ambiguous enough to still be relevant to the Capital Wasteland if you're using Tale of Two Wastelands (in which case no patch is required).
Karma Perks
With this mod, you will be awarded perks depending on your karma level, starting from level 2. There are five different perks, one for each of the alignments: neutral, good, evil, very good, very evil. The good and evil spectrum perks are cumulative - so being very good nets you the good and very good perks, for example. The first time you receive a perk, a message box will display telling you of its effects; after that you will receive un-intrusive corner messages to notify you which perks are gained and lost. The Perks are:
- Neutral: "Drifter" - bonus movement speed and reduced weapon spread;
- Good: "Protector" - bonus to Speech and Barter, large discount on small items from merchants;
- Very Good: "Lawman" - bonus to damage resistance, slowly lose infamy if you're the friend of a faction;
- Evil: "Desperado" - chance of additional money on civilians you kill;
- Very Evil: "Crimelord" - damage bonus and moderate discount from merchants.
One interesting feature of the "Lawman" perk is that you now have a route to redemption with the Mojave's major factions. Previously, there was no way to remove infamy except in a few scripted instances (such as Vulpes' invitation or paying off James Garrett), meaning you could be permanently locked out of some aspects of gameplay. Now if you want to work your way back into a faction's good books, you can simply maintain a very good karma alignment and they'll slowly forget about that time you accidentally capped one of their guys.
Hit Squads
Much like in Fallout 3, straying from neutral gains the attention of certain parties. They will only attack after level 4, and you will receive a notification hinting at this. If you are on the good karma spectrum, Mobsters from a Vegas crime syndicate will try to kill you, and if you're evil, Bounty Hunters will attempt to claim the bounty on your head.
These enemies are intended to be a challenge; they level with your character and select their equipment from tiered, level-dependent lists. In my opinion this is a much needed departure from New Vegas' standard, where combat is mostly woefully easy. That said, stay well equipped and use the proper ammo and you'll be fine. However, difficulty is a difficult thing to get right, so I'll welcome feedback on this.
Hit squads will attack at least every three days (vanilla respawn time), but are more likely to take longer. They will only attack in the Mojave or Freeside, so your immersion will not be broken by them attacking in the Capital Wasteland or some other similar location where they wouldn't logically be able to reach.
The method I have used for the encounters is somewhat crude; it's the same method that was used for the Spell Tomes DLC Conjurer in Oblivion. However, I really like it because of its simplicity and reliability. If you notice anything overly dodgy, feel free to mention it and I'll consider changes.
Installation
This mod requires:
Please ensure you have the latest version of all the above before reporting an issue. It's best to update plugins as and when the authors release updates.
Uninstallation
This mod can be safety uninstalled at any time and will have no permanent effects on your game.
My Mods
I spend a lot of time creating and supporting my mods, so any donations are gratefully received.