Adamant - A Perk Overhaul 

Adamant is a complete overhaul of Skyrim’s perk trees designed to balance existing skills and add powerful new perks to the game. It thoroughly overhauls the game’s skill trees in order to provide the player with compelling choices and smooth progression from start to finish. While Adamant does increase the total number of perks in the game by a small amount, it avoids bloat, sprawl, and power creep by balancing its selection of perks around Vanilla perk gains. Like many modern perk overhauls, it provides support for popular gameplay styles that are underutilized in the Vanilla game, such as shouts, staves, and unarmed combat.

In order to build off my previous work, Adamant requires Mysticism - A Magic Overhaul to be installed. This allows me to introduce new perks to support spells such as Viperbolt, Reflective Light, and Silence in the most straightforward way possible.

Adamant can be expanded with the optional Hand to Hand - An Adamant Addon that merges Lockpicking and Pickpocket into a single tree, Security, and then adds a standalone Hand to Hand tree. This addon requires Address Library for SKSE Plugins and is compatible with pre-AE and post-AE versions of Skyrim.

Perks 

Alchemy 

Alchemy is the art of brewing magical potions and deadly poisons.

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Herbalist (10/50): Potions and poisons you make are 25/50% stronger.

Intensity (30/70): Poisons last two/four additional hits.
Solvency (60/90): Poisons you mix are 25/50% stronger.

Concentration (30/70): Potions last 50/100% longer.
Potency (60/90): Potions you mix are 25/50% stronger.

Experimenter (20): Eating an ingredient reveals all of its effects.
Green Thumb (40/80): You gather one/two extra ingredients from plants.

Chemist (100): Create twice as many potions and poisons from the same number of ingredients.

Notes:

• Leveling alchemy generally reduces the tedium involved in using the skill.
• Crafted poisons and potions will be at the same strength as Vanilla.
• Potion duration and poison use perks affect looted potions and poisons as well.
  

Alteration 

The School of Alteration governs the manipulation of the physical world. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Waterbreathing, Feather, and Stoneflesh. 

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Philosopher (10/50): Alteration spells cost 25/50% less Magicka.

Mage Robes (20/60): You have 50/100% extra Magicka Regeneration while wearing robes.
Mage Armor (30/70): Armor spells are 50/100% stronger while wearing robes.
Meditation (80): Spells and enchantments cost 10% less while wearing robes.
Magicka Well (100): Your Magicka regenerates twice as fast when you fall below half Magicka while wearing robes. 

Barrier (40): Protection spells like Oakflesh and Fire Shell last three times as long when dual cast. 
Bastion (70): Protection spells like Oakflesh and Fire Shell affect nearby allies when dual cast.

Balance (30/60): Alteration spells last 50/100% longer.
Stability (40): You resist 50% of incoming stagger while under the effects of an armor spell.
Spell Shield (70): You have 25% Magic Resistance while under the effect of an armor spell.
Spell Sip (90): You have a 25% chance to absorb the Magicka from incoming spells while under the effect of an armor spell.

Notes: 

• Leveling Alteration decreases the cost of Alteration spells by up to 50%.
• Perks that require you to wear robes still work if you are wearing armored boots, gloves, or helmets. 
• Wearing robes disqualifies you from benefiting from most Light and Heavy Armor perks.
• Spells like Oakflesh and Fire Shell last for up to 30 minutes when dual cast, making it easy to manage multiple buffs. 
  

Archery 

The Archery skill governs the use of bows and arrows to attack from range.

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Marksman (10/50): Bows deal 25/50% more damage.

Quick Draw (30/70): You draw your bow 20/40% faster.
Power Shot (40): Bows have a 50% chance to stagger enemies.
Ranger (60): You can move faster with a drawn bow.

Eagle Eye (20/70): Bows have a 10/20% chance of dealing critical damage.
Grim Focus (40/90): Critical hits with bows deal three times/five times damage.
Steady Hand (80): Zooming in with a bow slows down time.

Lethal Shot (100): Your critical chance and critical damage with bows are doubled against enemies who fall below half Health.

Notes: 

• Block while aiming your bow to zoom in, at the cost of Stamina.
• Critical damage is significantly higher than in Vanilla. It no longer depends on your weapon’s base damage.
• All archery perks work for crossbows as well.
  

Block 

The Block skill governs the use of weapons and shields to defend against incoming attacks.

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Gladiator (10/50): Blocking is  25/50% more effective.

Defensive Maneuvers (30): Blocking no longer slows your movement.

Discipline (20): Blocking with a shield reduces incoming arrow damage by 50%.
Deflection (40): Blocking with a shield reduces incoming magic damage by 50%. 
Determination (70): Blocking with a shield has a 50% chance to stagger your attacker. 
Deliverance (90): Blocking with a shield slows down time during an enemy power attack.

Deadly Bash (20/80): Bashing does five/ten times more damage.
Stunning Strike (40): Bashes also deals damage to Magicka and Stamina.
Disorienting Bash (60): Bashing causes enemies to take 25% extra damage for 10 seconds.
Battering Ram (100): Bashing an enemy below half Health has a chance to knock them to the ground.

Notes 

• Leveling your Block skill increases the effectiveness of blocking and bashing by up to 50%. 
• Deliverance ensures that shield builds have a strong defensive edge over other playstyles.
• High-level bash perks allow Block to synergize with offensive skills such as Two-handed.
  

Conjuration 

The School of Conjuration governs the reanimation of the dead and the summoning of Daedra. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Bound Sword, Revenant, and Soul Trap.


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Summoner (10/50): Conjuration spells cost 25/50% less Magicka.

Dark Oath (20/60): Summoned creatures last 50/100% longer.
Armor of Shadows (30/80): Summoned creatures gain 150/300 Armor Rating and 25/50% Magic Resistance. 
Ritual of Power (40/90): Summoned creatures deal 25/50% more damage. 
Daedric Pact (70): Summoned creatures have 100 extra Health, Magicka, and Stamina.

Undead Servant (20/80): Reanimated zombies last five times longer / until killed. 
False Life (30/70): Reanimated zombies move 25/50% faster. 
Corpse Preparation (40): Reanimated zombies no longer disintegrate when they die.
Necropotence (60/90): Reanimated zombies regenerate Magicka and Stamina / Health, Magicka, and Stamina over time.

Doors of Oblivion (100): You can summon or reanimate one additional minion.

Arcane Binding (20): Bound weapons last five times longer.
Chaos Binding (30/70): Bound weapons have a chance to deal Fire, Frost, and Shock damage / extra Fire, Frost, and Shock damage. 
Mystic Binding (40/80): Bound weapons deal extra damage/ even more damage.
Haunting Curse (90): Bound weapons reduce enemy Magic Resistance by 50% for 10 seconds.

Cultist (30/60): Daedric shrines are twice as strong, / and you receive additional bonuses when you pray at their shrines.

Cultist Blessings 

• Azura - Dawn and Dusk: Your weapon enchantments are 50% stronger, but cost five times as much.
• Boethiah - The Dark Warrior’s Gauntlet: You reduce the Armor Rating of all nearby enemies by 150, but your own Armor Rating is reduced by 300. 
• Mephala - The Eight Shadows of Murder: You deal 50% extra damage to enemies who fall below half Health, but you take double damage when you fall below half Health.
• Nocturnal - Shadow Hide You: You take 50% extra damage from all sources, but once every 10 seconds, you can sneak while in combat to become ethereal for 5 seconds.

Notes 

• Leveling Conjuration decreases the cost of Conjuration spells by up to 50%.
• Summoning perks work on all “summoned” spells, regardless of their type. 
• Dead Thrall now works like other Reanimation spells. Its unique effects have been migrated to the Conjuration skill tree as perks.
• Activate reanimated zombies to interact with their inventory, and give them armor and weapons to equip.
• Bound weapons are competitive with other forms of melee damage, including tempered or enchanted weapons.
• Cultist adds a religion mechanic to Adamant, and gives Conjuration mages access to a set of passives with extremely powerful buffs and debuffs. 
  

Destruction

The School of Destruction governs the harnessing of fire, frost, shock, and other volatile energies. This skill makes it easier to cast Burning Touch, Frost Rune, and Thunderbolt.

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Elementalist (10/50): Destruction spells cost 25/50% less Magicka. 

Spell Surge (20): Destruction spells cost 25% less when dual cast. 
Impact (40): Destruction spells have a 50% chance to stagger enemies when dual cast.

Rune Mage (30/60): You can maintain up to two/three runes at once. 

Augmented Flames (30/70): Fire spells deal 25/50% more damage.
Firebrand (60/90): Fire spells brand enemies for 10 seconds. Branded targets take 25/50% extra damage from fire spells.
Combustion (80): Fire spells ignite enemies, dealing extra damage over 10 seconds.
Wildfire (100): Fire spells have a chance to incinerate targets when they fall below half Health.

Augmented Frost (30/70): Frost spells deal 25/50% more damage.
North Wind (60/90): When you have a frost spell equipped, you reduce the Frost Resistance of all nearby enemies by up to 50/100%. 
Permafrost (80): Frost spells reduce enemy attack damage by 25% for 10 seconds. 
Deep Freeze (100): Frost spells have a chance to freeze targets who fall below half Health.

Augmented Shock (30/70): Shock spells deal 25/50% more damage.
Unstable Current (60/90): Shock spells have a 25/50% chance to deal double damage.
Static Field (80): Shock spells prevent their targets from regenerating Magicka for 10 seconds. 
Power Surge (100): Shock spells have a chance to overload targets who fall below half Health.

Notes 

• Leveling Destruction decreases the cost of Destruction spells by up to 50%.
• Fire spells deal high damage over time and spread fiery hazards across the battlefield.
• North Wind reduces the Frost Resistance of all nearby enemies by 25/50%. If the enemy has very high Frost Resistance, North Wind automatically doubles in strength. This allows frost mages to remain competitive without overtaking either fire or shock mages. 
• For the purposes of North Wind, Weakness to Frost counts as a frost spell. Additionally, having an active Frost Cloak also triggers the perk.
• Static Field compensates for the high Magicka regeneration of most NPCs and allows shock mages to debilitate enemy casters. 
  

Enchanting 

Enchanting is the art of binding magical spells to weapons and armor. 

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Artificer (10/50): New enchantments are 25/50% stronger.

Seeker (20/70): Scrolls last three/five times as long.
Scribe (40/90): Scrolls are 50/100% stronger.

Resonance (30): Weapon enchantments consume 50% less charge.
Soul Siphon (60): Enchanted weapons regenerate some of their lost charge when they deal a killing blow.

Conduit (40): Staff enchantments consume 50% less charge.
Channeler (70): Staves now regenerate some of their lost charge over time.

Jewelry Enchanter (30): New enchantments on jewelry are 25% stronger.
Armor Enchanter (40): New enchantments on armor are 25% stronger.

Corpus Enchanter (60): Health, Magicka, and Stamina enchantments are 25% stronger.
Elemental Enchanter (70): Elemental enchantments are 25% stronger. 
Insightful Enchanter (80): Skill enchantments are 25% stronger.

Twin Secrets (100): You can place two enchantments on a single item.

Notes

• Weapon enchantments are significantly more balanced than Vanilla. Armor enchantments will be at the same strength as Vanilla.
• Perks such as Resonance, Conduit, and Soul Siphon reduce the tedium involved in using enchanted items.
• Channeler makes staves less annoying to use. Scrambled Bugs is recommended for the best experience.
  

Heavy Armor 

The Heavy Armor skill governs the use of thick, protective armors like Steel, Orcish, Dwarven, Ebony, and Daedric. 

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Defender (10/50): Heavy armor is 25/50% more effective. 

Juggernaut (30): You receive a 25% bonus to armor rating when wearing three pieces of heavy armor.
Unstoppable (40): Your Armor weighs nothing and doesn’t slow you down when wearing three pieces of heavy armor. 
Perfect Fit (70): You receive a 25% bonus to armor rating when wearing three matching pieces of heavy armor.
Defiance (80): You take 25% less damage when you fall below half Health while wearing three pieces of heavy armor.

Conditioning (20/60): You gain 50/100% Health Regeneration when wearing three pieces of heavy armor.
Immovable (40):  You resist 50% of incoming stagger when wearing three pieces of heavy armor.
Constitution (60/90): You take 25/50% less damage while power attacking, drawing a bow, or casting a spell while wearing three pieces of heavy armor.
Invincible (100): Your Health regenerates twice as fast when you fall below half Health while wearing three pieces of heavy armor.

Fists of Steel (20/60): You deal 25/50% unarmed damage while wearing heavy gauntlets. 
Fists of War (30/70): Unarmed power attacks deal 25/50% more damage while wearing heavy gauntlets.
Fists of Fury (40/90): Unarmed attacks deal Stamina damage / and prevent enemies from regenerating Stamina for 10 seconds. 
Brace (70): You resist 25% of incoming damage while unarmed and wearing heavy gauntlets.
Overwhelm (80): Unarmed power attacks deal 50% extra damage to targets who fall below half Health.
Knockout Punch (100): Unarmed power attacks have a chance to knock enemies down when they fall below half Health.

Notes 

• Entering combat while wearing three pieces of heavy armor gives Heavy Armor experience.
• Perks such as Constitution work for both physical damage and magical damage. In addition, Constitution triggers while casting wards.
• Wearing robes disqualifies you from benefiting from heavy armor perks. However, wearing one piece of light armor does not. 
• The percentage-based increase to unarmed damage in Fists of Steel affects all sources of unarmed damage.
• Unarmed blows give Heavy Armor experience, and unarmed damage scales based on your skill in Heavy Armor. 
• You can combine heavy gauntlets with robes or three pieces of light armor and still benefit from unarmed perks.
• Unarmed perks require two free hands.
  

Illusion

The School of Illusion governs the manipulation of the mind. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Silence, Invisibility, and Night Eye.

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Illusionist (10/50): Illusion spells cost 25/50% less Magicka.

Captivating Presence (20/60): Your Illusion spells last 50/100% longer.
Indomitable Will (40/80): Your Illusion spells are 50/100% stronger.
Master of the Mind (60/100): Your Illusion spells affect the undead / undead, Daedra, and Dwarven automatons. 

Guidance (30): Courage spells last three times longer.

Serenity (30): Calm spells persist through one additional hit.
Tranquility (60): Silence spells dispel any magical effects on the target.
Stasis (80): Paralysis spells last three times longer.

Howl of Rage (40): Frenzy spells increase the target’s weapon damage by 50% against everyone except the caster.
Cry of Terror (70): Fear spells reduce the target’s Armor Rating by 150 and their Magic Resistance by 25%.
Voice of Authority (90): Command spells increase the target’s Armor Rating by 150 and their Magic Resistance by 25%.

Notes 

• Leveling Illusion decreases the cost of Illusion spells by up to 50%.
• Silent Casting has been moved to Sneak, so Destruction mages aren’t required to invest in both Illusion and sneak to benefit from Shadow Casting.
• Indomitable Will has a high magnitude to account for way that the game distributes enemies through leveled lists. 
• Dual casting ensures Illusion spells can work against almost any target, as long as players can afford to spend enough Magicka.
  

Light Armor 

The Light Armor skill governs the use of light, flexible armors like Leather, Scaled, Elven, and Glass.

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Scout (10/50): Light armor is 25/50% more effective.

Specialist (30): You receive a 25% armor bonus when wearing three pieces of light armor.
Unhindered (40): Your armor weighs nothing and doesn’t slow you down when wearing three pieces of light armor.
Custom Fit (70): You receive a 25% armor bonus when wearing three matching pieces of light armor.
Endurance (80): You spend 20% less Stamina when power attacking or drawing a bow when wearing three pieces of light armor.

Agility (20/60): You gain 50/100% Stamina Regeneration when wearing three pieces of light armor.
Athletics (40/90): You move 10/20% faster when wearing three pieces of light armor.
Adrenaline (60): You move 20% faster when sprinting while wearing three pieces of light armor.
Second Wind (100): Your Stamina regenerates twice as fast when you fall below half Stamina while wearing three pieces of light armor.

Notes 

• Entering combat while wearing three pieces of light armor gives Light Armor experience.
• Light armor supports a high mobility, offensive playstyle, differentiating the skill from heavy armor.
• Wearing robes disqualifies you from benefiting from light armor perks. However, wearing one piece of heavy armor does not. 
• You can combine heavy gauntlets with three pieces of light armor and still benefit from unarmed perks.
  

Lockpicking 

Lockpicking is the art of opening locks and finding hidden treasures. Those who are skilled in lockpicking can open more difficult locks with fewer broken lockpicks.


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Locksmith (10/50): You are 25/50% better at picking locks.

Golden Touch (20): You find more gold on your adventures. 
Quick Hands (30): You can pick locks without being seen. 

Rare Gems (40): You find valuable gems in unexpected places.
Deep Pockets (60/90): Your carrying capacity is increased by 50/100. 

Dungeon Delver (70): You find more rare loot in dungeons.
Tumblerbane (80): Your lockpicks start close to their opening position.

Treasure Hunter (100): You find valuable treasure wherever you go.

Notes

• Lockpicking now functions as a “treasure hunter’s” tree, allowing players to find many new types of loot. 
• The locksmith perk is more effective than its tooltip suggests, in order to match the strength of the Vanilla perks. 
  

One-handed 

The One-handed skill governs the use of smaller weapons such as swords, daggers, war axes, and maces.

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Skirmisher (10/50): One-handed weapons do 25/50% more damage.

Fighter’s Stance (30/60): Power attacks with one-handed weapons deal 25/50% extra damage and have a chance to decapitate your enemies.
Overrun (40): Power attacks with one-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage to targets who are power attacking, drawing a bow, or casting a spell. 
Execute (80): Power Attacks with One-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage against target who fall below half Health.
Onslaught (100): Repeated power attacks against a single target with One-handed weapons deal up to double damage.

Flourish (70): You attack 20% faster with One-handed weapons. 

Quick Slash (20/70): Swords and daggers have a 10/20% chance of dealing critical damage.
Precise Cuts (40/90):  Critical attacks with swords and daggers deal three/five times as much damage.

Hack and Slash (20/70): War axes deal extra damage over 5/10 seconds. 
Carve and Spit (40/90): War axes deal three/five times as much damage over time.

Armor Breaker (20/70): Maces reduce enemy armor rating by 150/300 for 10 seconds.
Bell Ringer (40/90): Maces deal 25/50% extra damage to staggered targets.

Dual Focus (20): Dual wield power attacks cost 25% less Stamina.
Dual Frenzy (40/90): Dual wield power attacks deal 25/50% more damage.
Dual Fury (70): You resist 25% of all incoming damage while dual wielding

Notes 

• The scaling of the One-handed skill has been increased to 100%, in order to keep tooltip damage consistent with Vanilla.
• Critical damage is significantly higher than in Vanilla. It no longer depends on your weapon’s base damage.
• The damage over time dealt by axes stacks, and it and works on all types of enemies, instead of only living targets.
• Armor Rating can be reduced below zero, making maces effective against all enemies.
• Power attacking doubles the critical damage dealt by swords and the damage over time dealt by axes. 
• Many Vanilla enemies will benefit from these perks. 
  

Pickpocket

Pickpocketing is the art of stealing from an unsuspecting mark. Those who are skilled in Pickpocketing are more likely to succeed, and can steal items of higher value.

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Cutpurse (10/50): You are 25/50% more likely to succeed at pickpocketing. 

Nimble Fingers (20): You are more likely to succeed when pickpocketing gold or keys.
Practiced Thief (40): You are more likely to succeed when pickpocketing gems or jewelry.
Sleight of Hand (70): You are more likely to succeed against targets who are not detecting you.

Poisoned Fruit (30): You can harm enemies by placing poisons in their pockets.
Fool's Gift (60/80): Poisons that you place in enemy pockets are 50/100% stronger.

Misdirection (90): You can pickpocket equipped weapons.
Perfect Touch (100): You can pickpocket equipped items.

Notes 

• Pickpocketing perks are designed to allow the players to stack conditional buffs while leveling, in order to avoid having to save scum. 
• The pickpocketing cap has been raised to 99%. You still have a tiny chance to fail. Don’t save scum.
• Seriously, pickpocket is just way more fun to play with if you roleplay instead of save scumming.
  

Restoration

The School of Restoration governs the manipulation of life energy. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Fast Healing, Turn Undead, and Poison Bloom.


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Healer (10/50): Restoration spells cost 25/50% less Magicka. 

Recovery (20/70): Healing spells are 50/100% stronger.
Respite (40): Instant healing spells such as Fast Healing and Close Wounds also restore Stamina.
Repose (60): Regeneration, Attunement, and Circle spells last twice as long.
Resolve (80): Healing spells are 50% stronger when the target falls below half Health.
Renewal (100): Once per day, you fully heal yourself when your health drops below 25%.

Illumination (40): Regeneration and Attunement spells last three times as long when dual cast. 

Pilgrim (30/60): Divine shrines are twice as strong, / and you receive additional bonuses when you pray at their shrines.

Empowered Ward (20): Ward spells resist 50% of incoming weapon damage. 
Radiant Ward (40): Ward spells cost 50% less Magicka.
Prismatic Guard (70): Ward spells absorb Magicka from incoming spells. 

Divine Glory (30/70):  Sun spells deal 25/50% more damage.
Power of the Light (60/90): Sun spells deal extra damage / even more damage over time.

Dawn’s Wrath (40/80): Turn Undead spells are 50/100% stronger.
Burning Light (60): Turn Undead spells deal damage over time.

Affliction (30/70): Poison spells deal 25/50% more damage.
Plague (60/90): When you have a Poison spell equipped, you reduce the Poison Resistance of all nearby enemies by up to 50/100%.
Scourge (80/100): Poison spells deal 50/100% extra damage to targets who fall below half Health.

Pilgrim Blessings

• Akatosh - The Roar of Akatosh: You have 25 extra Health, Magicka, and Stamina.
• Arkay - The Light of Arkay: Your Armor Rating is increased by 100.
• Auriel - Bathed in Light: Your sun spells deal damage to the living, Daedra, and automatons.
• Dibella - The Beauty of Dibella: You have 100% Disease Resistance. 
• Julianos - The Wisdom of Julianos: Spells and enchantments cost 10% less.
• Kynareth - The Way of Kynareth: You move 10% faster and take 50% less damage from falling.
• Mara - The Benevolence of Mara: Healing spells cost 25% less.
• Stendarr - The Mercy of Stendarr: You are 25% better at blocking and bashing.
• Talos - The Voice of Talos: Your Shouts deal 50% more damage.
• Zenithar - The Scales of Zenithar: Buying and selling prices are 25% better.

Notes

• Leveling Restoration decreases the cost of Restoration spells by up to 50%.
• Repose affects spells such as Regeneration, Healing Light, Attunement, Turn Undead, Poison Cloak, and Stendarr’s Aura. It does not affect the duration of spells like Poison Cloud and Viperbolt.
• Ward perks allow wards to protect against both physical and magical damage. Wards are competitive with shields on dedicated builds.
• Plague reduces the Poison Resistance of all nearby enemies by 25/50%. If the enemy has very high Poison Resistance, Plague automatically doubles in strength. This allows poison mages to remain competitive without overtaking Destruction mages.
• For the purposes of Plague, Weakness to Poison counts as a poison spell. Additionally, having an active Poison Cloak also triggers the perk.
• Pilgrim adds a religion mechanic to Adamant, and gives Restoration mages access to a wide array of interesting buffs.
  

Smithing 

Smithing is the art of forging weapons and armor from raw materials.

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Craftsman (10/50): You can temper all items by one/two additional tiers.

Blacksmith (30): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
Armorer (70): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
Forgemaster (90): You can temper all items by one additional tier.

Basic Smithing (20): You can create Steel and Leather items at any forge.
Journeyman Smithing (40): You can create Dwarven, Scaled, and Steel Plate items at any forge.

Rare Smithing (60): You can create Elven items at any forge.
Exotic Smithing (80): You can create Glass items at any forge.

Intermediate Smithing (60): You can create Nordic and Orcish items at any forge.
Advanced Smithing (80): You can create Ebony items at any forge.

Mythic Smithing (100): You can create Daedric and Dragon items at any forge.

Notes 

• Leveling smithing no longer automatically contributes to your ability to temper items.
• Smithing requires more perk investment than Vanilla, but is also more flexible. 
• Tempered weapons and armor will be the same strength as Vanilla.
  

Sneak

Sneaking is the art of moving unseen and unheard, and striking from the shadows. Those who are skilled in Sneak can even hide in plain sight.

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Agent (10/50): You are 25/50% harder to detect while sneaking.

Silent Casting (20): Your spells are silent to others.
Shadow Casting (40/70): Damage-dealing spells are 50/100% stronger while sneaking and undetected.

Deadly Aim (30/60): Sneak attacks with bows deal 50/100% extra damage.

Merciless (20): Sneak attacks with melee weapons deal 50% more damage.
Backstab (40): Sneak attacks with one-handed weapons 50% extra damage.
Assassin’s Blade (70/90): Sneak attacks with daggers deal 50/100% extra damage.

Trespasser (30): You no longer trigger traps, and you can execute a silent roll while sneaking.
Infiltrator (60): You move 25% faster while sneaking. 
Hidden Threat (80): Once every 10 seconds, you can sneak in combat to turn invisible for 5 seconds.  
Living Shadow (100): Once every 10 seconds, sneaking in combat causes enemies to stop searching for you.

Notes 

• Sneak attacks are stronger in power than in Vanilla, but require more perk investments.
• Silent Casting is now a Sneak perk, to support characters who wish to use Shadow Casting without investing in Illusion. 
• Daggers have increased sneak attack damage from the beginning of the game (to fix the Vanilla problem where Maces are the best stealth weapon until the player takes several perks). 
• Shadow Casting does not trigger the “sneak attack” notification. 
• Shadow Warrior has a maximum uptime of 50%. 
  

Speech

Speech is the art of persuasion and bartering. Those who are skilled in Speech receive better prices from merchants and are more likely to convince others to do as they ask.

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Merchant (10/50): You receive 25/50% better prices.

Supply and Demand (30/60): Merchants have extra gold / even more extra gold for bartering.
Investor (80): You can invest in a shopkeeper’s business to increase their available gold.
Entrepreneur (100): You can sell any item to any merchant in Tamriel.

Silver Tongue (20): You are much more likely to succeed at persuasion and intimidation, and you can bribe guards to ignore crimes.

Black Market (40): You can sell stolen items to any merchant.

Deep Breath (30/70): Your Shouts are 50/100% stronger.
Ancient Voice (40): Your Shouts last twice as long.
Stormcrown (60/90): Your Shout cooldown is decreased by 25/50%.
Dragon of the North (80): Your Shouts have a 50% chance to have no cooldown.

Notes 

• Supply and Demand and Investor now significantly increase the gold reserves of merchants, to encourage players to engage with Speech perks instead of simply waiting for the merchants to reset their inventories. 
• You will fail almost all Speech checks without the Persuasion perk. With the Persuasion perk, you will succeed at almost all Speech checks.
• Due to the way the game handles Shout cooldown, it is relatively easy to reach 0% cooldown when using mods from multiple different authors. I recommend that players exercise discretion when combining Stormcrown with other bonuses. I have balanced Shout perks around a maximum cooldown reduction of 75%. In addition, I have provided a plugin that alters the bonus of the Talos Shrine in order to mitigate this concern. 
• Shouting in combat gives Speech experience. 
  

Two-handed 

The Two-handed skill governs the use of larger weapons such as greatswords, battleaxes, and warhammers.

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Champion (10/50): Two-handed weapons do 25/50% more damage.

Warrior’s Stance (30/60): Power attacks with Two-handed weapons deal 25/50% extra damage  and have a chance to decapitate your enemies.
Overpower (40): Power attacks with Two-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage to targets who are power attacking, drawing a bow, or casting a spell. 
Massacre (80): Power attacks with Two-handed weapons 50% extra damage to targets who fall below half Health.
Rampage (100): Repeated power attacks against a single target with Two-handed weapons deal up to double damage.

Cleave (70): Power attacks with two-handed weapons hit all targets in front of you.

Deep Wounds (20/70): Greatswords have a 10/20% chance of doing critical damage.
Heavy Cuts (40/90):  Critical attacks with greatswords deal three/ five times more damage.

Rip and Tear (20/70): Battleaxes deal damage over time/ more damage over a longer time.
Rend and Rake (40/90): Battleaxes deal three/ five times as much damage over time.

Bone Crusher (20/70): Warhammers reduce enemy armor rating by 150/300 for 10 seconds.
Skull Cracker (40/90): Warhammers deal 25/50% extra damage to staggered targets.

Notes

• The scaling of the Two-handed skill has been increased to 100%, in order to keep tooltip damage consistent with Vanilla.
• Critical damage is significantly higher than in Vanilla. It no longer depends on your weapon’s base damage.
• The damage over time dealt by battleaxes stacks, and it works on all types of enemies, instead of only living targets.
• Armor Rating can be reduced below zero, making warhammers effective against all enemies.
• Power attacking doubles the critical damage dealt by greatswords and the damage over time dealt by battleaxes. 
• Many Vanilla enemies will benefit from these perks. 
  

Adamant - Bard Perks Addon 

Adamant comes with an optional Bard Perks Addon that introduces a small music mechanic and replaces the Shout perks in the Speech tree with a set of Bard-themed perks. This addon requires SKSE and SPID.

Bard Perks 

The Adamant - Bard Perks Addon makes several changes to the Speech tree. All Shout perks have been removed; Shouting no longer grants Speech XP; the second rank of Supply and Demand is now a level 70 perk; and Investor is now a level 90 perk. In addition, five new perks have been added to the Speech tree.

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Bard (30/60): Your bard songs are twice as strong / and grant an additional bonus to you and your allies.
Troubadour (40): Your bard songs last three times as long and affect your summoned or reanimated minions.
Skald (80): Your bard songs are twice as strong on your allies.

Bard Songs 

With the Adamant - Bard Perks Addon installed, whenever you have an instrument in your inventory, you will receive a power that will allow you to play the instrument for a small buff. You can only have one buff at a time; however, if you have multiple instruments in your inventory, you will be able to switch between buffs situationally. Playing an instrument will also grant Speech XP based on the number of nearby allies or NPCs. All of these buffs affect both you and all nearby allies.

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Play Drum: Your Health is increased by 25/50 for 10 minutes. / You resist 10% of all incoming damage.
Play Flute: Your Magicka is increased by 25/50 for 10 minutes / Your spells cost 10% less Magicka.
Play Lute: Your Stamina is increased by 25/50 for 10 minutes. / Your Movement is increased 10%.

Pilgrim Integration

The Adamant - Bard Perks Addon also comes with an optional Pilgrim patch that turns Jephre into a Bard god who gives different bonuses based on your bard song. These bonuses only apply to the player, not to the player’s allies. 

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Play Drum: You resist 25% of all incoming damage when you fall below half Health.
Play Flute:  You move 20% faster while casting a spell
Play Lute: You spend 20% less Stamina while power attacking or drawing a bow.

Other Changes

The Adamant - Bard Perks Addon also normalizes the weight of instruments, increases their value, and adds instruments to the vendor inventories of the General Store merchants in Solitude, Markarth, Whiterun, Windhelm, and Riften. You may need to run a bashed patch or otherwise patch these five merchant chests. In addition, completing the instrument quests in the Bard’s College will double the duration of your bard songs for the corresponding instrument.

As a final note, there are several (Vanilla) locations where you can acquire an instrument in the early game, without stealing. Those locations are: 

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Valtheim Towers - Drum
Halted Stream Camp - Flute
White River Watch - Lute

Adamant - Smithing Addon

The Vanilla tempering system frontloads the tempering system's power, causing the player to deal too much damage with too little investment into Smithing. Unfortunately, due to a combination of engine limitations and the constraints of my project, Adamant makes this issue a little worse than Vanilla. To address this, I've added an optional plugin that uses Improvement Names Customized AE (or Improvement Names Customized SSE) to split the Vanilla tempering system from six tiers into ten. These tiers use traditional RPG-style upgrade named (+1, +2, +3, etc). The base damage of a +10 weapon is increased by 10 points (equal to Vanilla Legendary). The base Armor Rating of a +10 non-chest piece of armor is increased by 15 points (50% higher than Vanilla Legendary). The base Armor Rating of a chest piece is increased by 30 points (50% higher than Vanilla Legendary).

You can temper an item to +1 from the beginning of the game. You gain the ability to temper up to one additional tier at 40, 60, 80, and 100 Smithing, for a total of +5. Then, Adamant's five tempering perks each provide one additional tier, allowing you to reach +10. Tempering items also gives significantly more XP. 

Although it is not possible to advance beyond +10 with Apothecary and Thaumaturgy installed (since they close the crafting loop), Adamant - Plus Ten Smithing does support tiers up to +20 for users who keep the crafting loop in their game. Supporting further tiers requires a simple edit to a .json.

Simonrim Attack Speed Fix 

The Simonrim Attack Speed Fix is an ESL-flagged plugin with a simple and clean attack speed fix implemented through SPID and an injected record. This file does not require any individual Simonrim mod, so that it can be used as a "soft requirement" for mods like Thaumaturgy or Apothecary, without forcing users to use Adamant. The mod uses an injected global for patchless compatibility. Feel free use this fix in your own mods (check out the Flourish perk if you need an example of how to use it). 

It shouldn't have to be said, but please don't install this mod along with other attack speed fixes.

Hand to Hand - An Adamant Addon 

In Adamant, I have done my best support unarmed combat within the Heavy Armor tree, and to give Lockpicking and Pickpocketing useful perks without adding unrelated mechanics to the tree. However, my preferred solution for unarmed combat is Hand to Hand - An Adamant Addon. This mod merges Lockpicking and Pickpocket into a single tree, Security, and then adds a standalone Hand to Hand tree. It also makes several changes to Light and Heavy Armor, and comes with several optional addons that make further improvements to those trees. This addon requires Address Library for SKSE Plugins and is compatible with pre-AE and post-AE versions of Skyrim. I strongly recommend this mod to everyone who uses Adamant! 

General Changes

Adamant makes a few changes to general game mechanics in order to support its changes to perks. I have altered several game settings relating to bartering, pickpocket, and magic, including dual casting. In Vanilla, dual casting a spell increases its magnitude or duration by 2.2x, and increases its cost by 2.8x. In Adamant, dual casting a spell increases its magnitude or duration by 2.5x, and increases its cost by 3.0x. 

In addition, I have removed several Vanilla perks and given them to the player automatically. This means that the player starts with access to a few more mechanics than they would in Vanilla. A comprehensive list of these perks is included below.  


Compatibility 

Adamant prioritizes compatibility wherever it can. In a few places, however, conflicts are unavoidable. Notably, some combat overhauls might make changes to the same game settings that Adamant does. In addition, crafting and smithing mods almost inevitably must conflict with Adamant, since many of the most popular mods (including WACCF and CCOR) make direct changes to the perk trees. For my part, I have only touched crafting recipes when I felt it was absolutely necessary to create a coherent progression in the perk tree. 

In addition, Adamant requires Mysticism and thus inherits its compatibility profile. This is largely a non-issue, since magic mods typically require patches for perk mods anyway. I have taken steps to make those compatibility patches as painless as possible: in most cases, they will simply require a keyword to be added to relevant spells. 

The Simonrim Team 

Simon Magus (Nexus / Patreon) 
DeltaRider (Nexus / Patreon)
Oreo (Nexus / Patreon)
Colinswrath (Nexus / Patreon)

The Simonrim Suite

Aetherius - A Race Overhaul
Mundus - A Standing Stone Overhaul
Mysticism - A Magic Overhaul
Adamant - A Perk Overhaul
Hand to Hand - An Adamant Addon
Blade and Blunt - A Combat Overhaul
Arena - An Encounter Zone Overhaul
Scion - A Vampire Overhaul
Manbeast - A Werewolf Overhaul
Stormcrown - A Shout Overhaul
Pilgrim - A Religion Overhaul
Thaumaturgy - An Enchanting Overhaul
Artificer - An Artifact Overhaul
Sorcerer - A Staff and Scroll Overhaul
Apothecary - An Alchemy Overhaul
Gourmet - A Cooking Overhaul
Journeyman - A Fast Travel Overhaul
Candlehearth - An Inn Overhaul
Starfrost - A Survival Overhaul