The Elder Souls 3: Gameplay Rebalance is a combat and mechanical overhaul with the goal of creating a more hardcore, less random Morrowind experience. Melee characters will use timed blocks and dodges in combat while closely monitoring their Fatigue bar, lest they become exhausted and vulnerable to additional damage. Magic characters will gain passive abilities as they rank up the different schools of magic, and regenerate Magicka when out of combat. Nearly every weapon in the game has been rebalanced in some fashion, whether it is a change in attack speed, reach, or damage. Your choices, strategies, and character building will be put to the test in...

Ever feel like playing Morrowind is just a race to cheese the game into godhood? Whether it's through super potions, enchantment spamming, or just standing on a rock where Umbra can't get you and firing arrows for 10 minutes, I've grown tired of abusing the denizens of Morrowind and decided to give them a fighting chance against the Nerevarine. This mod is a large collection of changes, mechanical additions, and rebalances affecting combat and beyond. I would HIGHLY recommend you read the full list of changes before diving into this mod, but here are the big takeaways:

• Attacking and casting spells holds your character in place for a moment
• All creatures, the player, and NPCs receive a large Attack bonus and a negative Sound bonus - this greatly increases chance to hit and cast spells successfully
• Blocking is no longer automatic and is triggered using the Sneak key
• Jumping is now dodging - you are invulnerable to damage while in the air
• Jump height and distance has been reduced
• A climbing feature has been added
• Natural Health and Magicka regeneration while at maximum Fatigue
• Fatigue costs and regeneration rebalanced
• Fatigue stops regenerating momentarily after any fatigue draining action
• Drinking multiple healing potions will cause your character to get sick and lose health/magicka/fatigue rather than gain it
• The speed of most melee weapons has been reduced
• Reach values for weapons have been rebalanced
• Weapon skills now grant a Strength bonus when that type of weapon is equipped
• The six schools of magic and Unarmored now give passive bonuses when certain requirements are met
• Casting spells now drains fatigue
• Spell costs have been rebalanced (Restore Health is much more expensive now)
• Magic users can only cast spells up to a limited Magicka cost determined by their magic skill and Willpower
• High tier weapons (Daedric, Ebony, Glass) are now dropped in damaged forms and must be restored at a blacksmith to reach their full potential (for a hefty fee)
• Some lower tier weapons (Dwarvish, Adamantium, etc.) can also be upgraded into high tier weapons
• Armor reduces your Fatigue and Magicka regeneration (wearing no armor increases regeneration)
• Some Birthsigns have been altered to bring them in balance with other Birthsigns
• Miscellaneous skills rank up much slower
  

Thanks so much for checking this mod out! I hope you enjoy it! Please feel free to contact me if you think you have found a bug or just want to say hi.

NOTES:
1) This mod requires that you start a new game. Changes are made to NPCs and creatures that are only applied at the creation of a new game. Any saves that started with this mod active should be compatible with any future updates/releases of this mod.
2) Turn "Use magic item animation" on in the Advanced Settings of the OpenMW launcher.
This is one of the best balance changes brought by OpenMW, as it disallows spamming Cast on Use enchantments. I would also recommend the following settings be turned on:

• Prevent merchant equipping
• Show enchant chance
• Show melee info
• Show projectile damage
  

Version 1.0.7 is here! Now with less screw-ups!
If you used version 1.0.3 or earlier of this mod check your characters Speed stat - the Speed bonus from your Athletics and Acrobatics that is applied while climbing was not being removed properly, unintentionally causing permanent Speed increases. You can reset your Speed value to whatever it was before using the console command "player->setspeed (number goes here)".

Mod compatibility:
This mod makes a lot of changes to weapons, combat, magic, skills, and items. The following types of mods don't play nicely with mine:

• Other gameplay overhauls and combat mods such as Accurate Attack, Better Balanced Combat, MNEM Gameplay Overhaul
• Mods that add new creatures, or weapons - these new items and actors may not be suited for this mod in terms of balance
• Mods that alter skills, skill gains, or leveling up
• Mods that alter run speed, movement, or Fatigue
• Mods that modify the stats of player characters or NPCs
• New landmasses generally come with new creatures and items, and so I'd discourage people from using mods like Tamriel Rebuilt with this mod
• Bloodmoon and Tribunal Required
  

Full changelog below:

Attacks, Spells, Weapon and Magic Skills:

All playable races, NPCs, and creatures have a 50 point attack buff, greatly increasing chance to hit.

All playable races have a -100 point Sound buff, effectively removing the chance to fail casting a spell. You cannot cast spells above certain Magicka costs based on your skill in that school of magic and your Willpower stat. To check these limits, use the “Magicka Cost Limits” note which should have been added to your inventory when you started the game. The note should place itself back in your inventory if you drop it. If you somehow lose the note, the Mage’s Guild Supply Chest in Balmora always has a copy.

Attacking with a weapon, casting a spell will cause you stand in place for a brief moment (except for Crossbows and throwing weapons). Drawing a bow will cause you to remain in place until the arrow is fired.

Weapon skills now convey a Strength bonus in addition to their usual increases to hit chance while you are wielding that weapon type. The bonus is equal to one quarter of your weapon skill. The Strength bonus comes with a proportional Burden effect, to offset the extra encumbrance gained through this bonus.

All creatures and NPCs have been given a 20 pt Strength bonus to compensate for the Strength bonus the player receives from their weapon skill (from which NPCs do not benefit).

Spells now drain Fatigue equal to 2 times the Magicka cost of the spell.

The speed of magical projectiles has been increased.

The base costs for many spell effects have been adjusted to encourage more varied spell use. Most notably, the cost of Restore Health has been more than doubled, making healing yourself with magic much more costly. The full list of changes is below:

• Water Breathing: 3 -> 2
• Swift Swim: 2 -> 1
• Water Walking: 3 -> 2
• Shield: 2 -> 1
• Fire Shield: 3 -> 2
• Lightning Shield: 3 -> 2
• Frost Shield: 3 -> 2
• Jump: 3 -> 2
• Slow Fall: 3 -> 2
• Lock: 2 -> 1
• Shock Damage: 7 -> 6
• Disintegrate Weapon: 6 -> 4
• Disintegrate Armor: 6 -> 4
• Sanctuary: 1 -> 0.75
• Soultrap: 2 -> 1
• Spell Absorbtion: 10 -> 7
• Reflect: 10 -> 7
• Restore Health: 5 -> 13.5
• Absorb Health: 8 -> 7
• Resist Fire: 2 -> 1
• Resist Frost: 2 -> 1
• Resist Shock: 2 -> 1
• Resist Magicka: 2 -> 1
• Resist Poison: 2 -> 1
  

The soul value of all summoned creatures has been reduced to 0. BRING MORE SOULS!

Bound Weapon spells summon lesser versions of Daedric weapons until you reach 75 Conjuration.

A handful of base spells have been rebalanced to make magical damage more consistent and Magicka costs more in line with the costs of custom spells.

New Destruction spells have been added to spell vendors throughout the world to allow for a more steady progression curve for spellcasters without as much of a reliance on custom spellmaking. Most of these spells can be cast for slightly less Magicka than when created as a custom spell. The following NPCs now offer these new spells:

• Diren Vendu
• Erer Darothil
• Estirdalin
• Felen Maryon
• Fevyn Ralen
• Heem-La
• Leles Birian
• Malven Romori
• Nebia Amphia
• Nelso Salenim
• Salver Lleran
• Urtiso Faryon
• Uveles Berendas
  

Fortify Skill and Drain Skill spells have been removed from the game. They cannot be acquired through normal means, and therefore are not usable for enchanting or custom spellmaking. There are a bunch of exploits possible using this effect, and it also can break the Strength bonus from your weapon skill, setting your base Strength score to an incorrect number in the process. Absorb Skill and Damage Skill are unobtainable through normal gameplay, but have been disabled for use in enchanting and spellmaking anyway :P

The minimum delay between creatures and NPCs attacking has been increased slightly.

The minimum delay between creatures and NPCs casting spells has been decreased slightly.

Each magic school and the Unarmored skill convey passive bonuses if the player has at least 100 points between their Intelligence and Willpower stats, and at least 25 points in that skill. The bonuses for each skill are:

• Every 10 points of Destruction gives Fortify Maximum Magicka 1 pt (each point increases your total Magicka by 10% of your Intelligence).
• Every 4 points of Illusion gives Night Eye and Chameleon 1 pt each.
• Every 4 points of Mysticism gives Reflect 1 pt.
• Every 4 points of Alteration gives Shield 1 pt.
• Every 25 points of Conjuration gives a different set of Conjuration spells that have greatly increased duration.
• Every 25 points of Restoration gives a different set of Restoration spells that have no Magicka cost, and every 10 points of Restoration gives Fortify All Attributes 1 pt (except Luck).
• Every 2 points of Unarmored gives Shield 1 pt. A character at 100 Unarmored will have an armor rating of 115 while wearing no armor.
  

Weapons:

Nearly all weapon types have had their attack speeds reduced. Melee combat moves a bit slower now. This makes creatures who do not use weapons, archers, and spellcasters relatively more dangerous.

Most high tier weapons are no longer dropped at their full strength (daedric, ebony, glass) - you will recover rusted or damaged version of them that must be restored at a blacksmith in exchange for gold and rare resources. These weapons will appear normally when they are being looted, but will be swapped to the damaged versions upon entering your inventory. Glass, Adamantium, Nordic Silver, Dwarven, Orcish, and Ebony weapons can be upgraded nearly to the strength of Daedric weapons, and are viable end game weapons in their upgraded states.

Adamantium and Nordic Silver weapons have been added to levelled lists in the base game, making them randomly available as loot outside of the expansions.

Damage values for upgraded weapons have been re-balanced with the goal of further differentiating the feel and utility of the different weapon types and the 3 different attacks. Chops have the lowest low end damage and the highest high end damage. Slashes have moderate low end damage and moderate high end damage. Thrusts use a single damage value or a tight range of values, making them ideal for spamming. Some weapons do not fall perfectly into these conventions as it matches their weapon types thematically.

The enchant values of all staves (except the Ebony Staff) have been increased. Wooden, Steel, Silver, and Dreugh staves all now have 50 pts, Glass and Daedric staves have 90 pts (same as the Ebony Staff). Putting Cast on Use spells on these is now a great way for low level characters to start grinding Enchant and save on Magicka costs.

The unused Daedric and Dwarven Longspears present in the games files have been added into the game via levelled lists.

Fatigue:

Running and swimming no longer drain Fatigue.

All other Fatigue costs have been greatly increased, and performing Fatigue draining actions such as attacking, jumping, or blocking will stop your Fatigue regeneration for a moment (does not apply to crossbows and throwing weapons).

Your Fatigue regeneration is now determined by your Agility stat, whether or not you are wearing armor, and the weight class of the armor you have equipped. You regenerate an amount of Fatigue equal to your Agility multiplied by your armor modifier per second. How your armor modifier is calculated is detailed below, in the "Healing and Regeneration" section.

If your Fatigue is reduced to 0, your Fatigue regeneration will be delayed by an additional 0.5 seconds, and you will become more vulnerable to all damage until your Fatigue begins regenerating. If this happens as the result of a block, you will be knocked down in addition to the above effects. If this happens as the result of swinging your weapon or casting a spell, you will become more vulnerable to damage but you will not be knocked down. While your Fatigue is at 0, performing another Fatigue draining action before your Fatigue begins regenerating will always result in being knocked down.

Blocking:

Blocking is no longer automatic. Holding the Sneak button will put you into a blocking “state”. If you are wielding a shield you will block any melee attack that strikes your front while in this state.

Holding Sneak will pause your Fatigue regeneration.

The Fatigue cost of blocking has been greatly increased.

Your Block skill will lower the amount of Fatigue consumed by your Blocks.

Currently the armor value of your shield is not factored into your blocking ability, this may change if I find a good way of implementing it.

Jumping and Climbing:

Jump height and distance has been greatly reduced.

Jumping now triggers invulnerability frames which cause you to be shielded from all damage for a moment. If your Fatigue is less than the full cost of the jump, you can still jump but will gain no invulnerability (you will actually be more vulnerable to damage for a moment).

Increasing your Acrobatics skill will increase the time you can spend in the air, which increases how much time you are invulnerable to damage.

Climbing has been added to compensate for not being able to jump up mountains quite so well.

To climb, you’ll first have to buy and equip a Climbing Tool. Ra’virr the trader in Balmora sells a restocking supply of them. Walking (as in having run toggled off) at a wall for a moment while the climbing tool is equipped will cause you to begin “climbing” it (by means of a weak levitation spell). Climbing quickly drains your Fatigue. If your Fatigue reaches 0 while you are climbing, you will fall. You will receive a Speed buff while climbing that scales with both your Acrobatics and Athletics skill, allowing you to climb faster. Turning away from the wall will cause you to fall, you must be facing a solid surface to continue climbing.

Healing and Regeneration:

Limits have been placed on the use of potions with Restoration-based effects. Drinking more then 1 potion with a Restoration-based effect will cause Potion Sickness, causing you to lose a small, random amount of Health, Magicka, and Fatigue (1-20 pts), and removing all effects that Restore Health, Magicka, or Fatigue from you.

Drinking a potion also will cause your character to be unable to move or act for 1 second (it’ll also close the inventory menu if it’s open, unpausing the game - be warned).

Natural Health and Magicka regeneration has been implemented to offset the penalties that have been applied to healing. Health and Magicka regen are each determined by two stats, one setting a base amount of regeneration, and the other determining what portion of that regeneration is applied. For Health regen, the base is determined by your Strength and the percentage applied is determined by your Endurance. For Magicka regen, the base is determined by your Intelligence and the percentage applied is determined by your Willpower. Your Health and Magicka will only begin regenerating after you have been at your maximum Fatigue for at least 10 seconds.

Magicka and Fatigue regeneration are impeded by wearing armor. The weight class of all of your armor pieces are averaged and then a penalty is applied to your Magicka and Fatigue regeneration. Light armor imposes the smallest penalty, heavy imposes the largest. Raising your skill in a type of armor will reduce the penalty that type of armor has on your regeneration. Additionally your Magicka and Fatigue regeneration are increased above normal for every empty armor slot. The regeneration penalties (and bonus) are as follows:

• Unarmored: 20% increase if wearing no armor (does not include shield)
• Light Armor: 20% reduction @ 0 Light Armor Skill, 10 % reduction @ 100 Light Armor Skill
• Medium Armor: 40% reduction @ 0 Medium Armor Skill, 20% reduction @ 100 Medium Armor Skill
• Heavy Armor: 60% reduction @ 0 Heavy Armor Skill, 30% reduction @ 100 Heavy Armor Skill
  

Encumbrance:

As long as you are not overencumbered, your characters movement speed is no longer affected by your current encumbrance. So a character with 200 points of encumbrance will move at the same speed whether they are carrying 1 point or 199 points of weight. When you are overencumbered you cannot move, as normal.

The overencumbered notification has been removed because the slowdown after attacks and spells is achieved through overencumbering the player, meaning you’d be seeing it a whole lot otherwise.

Birthsigns:

The following Birthsigns have been altered in the following ways:

The Tower:

• Modified Power “Tower Key” Open magnitude changed from 50 to 85
• Added Ability "Towers Poise" Fortify Attributes: Agility 10 pts, Speed 10pts, Personality 10pts
  

The Ritual:

• Two new Powers added: “Mara’s Grace” (Dispel 100 pts / Restore Attributes 100 pts / Cure Common Disease / Cure Blight Disease / Cure Poison on Self), and “Mara’s Reason” (Calm Creature and Calm Humanoid 100 pts for 15s in 20 ft on Target)
• One new spell added: “Soul Harvest” (Soultrap 60s on Target), 0 Magicka Cost
  

The Thief:

• Added Ability “Stars Aligned” Fortify Luck 10 pts
  

The Serpent:

• Added Ability “Stars Aligned” Fortify Luck 10 pts
• Modified Spell Star Curse: Self damage reduced, Poison damage changed to Damage Health
  

The Shadow:

• Added Ability “Moonshadow Camoflauge” Chameleon 10 pts
  

The Lord:

• Modified Ability “Trollkin”: Weakness to Fire reduced from 100% to 50%, Added Fortify Strength 20 pts, Added Fortify Health 20 pts
  

The Warrior:

• Modified Ability "Warwyrd": Added Fortify Strength 15 pts, Added Fortify Fatigue 25 pts
  

Enchanted Items:

The chance to successfully enchant an item has been increased.

The cost of enchanting at merchants has been reduced by half (you’re welcome).

Constant Effect enchantments can now be made with souls that have at least 300 value (down from 400).

All Fortify Skill effects that fortify weapon skills and schools of magic on enchanted items have been removed. Certain Fortify Skill enchantments remain unchanged. In most cases, these effects will be replaced with a relevant alternative (such as Fortify Strength/Attack in place of a weapon skill, and Fortify Willpower in place of magic school). I’ve tried to touch all of these items, but there are LOTS of magic items in Morrowind. If you see an enchantment that fortifies a weapon skill or magic school, I would strongly suggest you do not use it (these can break the mods skill bonuses and skew the mods intended balance). If you see an enchanted item with a Fortify Skill effect for a weapon skill or one of the six school of magic, please message me so I can DESTROY IT.

Ingredients:

The following items no longer restock at any merchant:

• Diamonds
• Rubies
• Emeralds
• Pearls
• Daedra’s Heart
  

To make up for taking away restocking Daedra’s Hearts, Restore Magicka has been added to Ash Salts, replacing its duplicate Resist Magicka effect (it normally has two Resist Magicka effects for some odd reason). The value of Ash Salts has been tripled from 25 to 75 gold.

Medium Armor:

Bonemold, Orcish, Imperial Dragonscale, and Adamantium armors, as well as the Imperial Chain Cuirass and the Imperial Chain Coif have all had their armor values increased.

The weight of the Imperial Chain Pauldrons has been adjusted so that they are classified as Medium Armor, rather than Heavy.

Other Game Settings Changes:

The rate at which you gain progress towards your Minor Skills has been increased by 10%.

The rate at which you gain progress towards your Miscellaneous Skills has been decreased by 60%.

The rate at which diseased creatures transfer diseases has been increased.

The effect of the Acrobatics skill has been reduced.

Walking/running speed for players and NPCs slightly increased.

Attribute modifiers at level ups are either x3 or x1. If you would receive any multiplier x2 or above, you will receive x3.

The cost of skill training has been increased by roughly 5 times. Deal with it.

Known Bugs:

Opening the custom Enchantment menu activates the script on the Magicka Cost Limits note. I have no idea why this happens, but it doesn’t seem to break anything. Clicking “Exit” will dismiss the dialogue and allow you to use the Enchantment menu normally.

Climbing can sometimes bug and fail to remove the levitation effect from the player, allowing them to levitate infinitely. Unequipping your Climbing Tool should always remove the effect from you.