Hum, you may try to import the .hws file in Hades Workshop instead. If you have the most recent official update of the game as a basis, it should work.

So, if you have your mod stored within a .hws file, you can safely do this:
1) Open a non-modded game,
2) Import your .hws file,
3) Import the "AlwaysTranceMod" .hws file,
4) Export as Steam Mod.

If you only have your Steam modded files but no .hws for it (I don't recommend it), you can try to open the modded game with HW and then do the steps 3-4 above, but I can't guarantee that the modded game is opened properly by HW.

I don't remember how I did that mod. I'm sure there's nothing very complicated but it's CIL code modding so you always have to know what to do beforehand. I'll check about it if you fail to import my .hws file.

Nothing wrong in the spell sequencing. I don't know where the problem comes from :/
I have tried to reproduce the bug but it works fine for me (Yiazmat uses the Nove Dragon's model, right?).

I have experienced fatal errors from Hades Workshop when copy/pasting some enemy spells but that's still unclear to me where the bug comes from. Maybe both bugs are related and there's something that can go wrong in the copy/paste process. I'll fix that for the next version but that's not even sure that both bugs are related.

By the way, congrats on importing a new field background ;)

Please show that Neutron Ring animation sequence (the one in the enemy's panel). Maybe there is some bad operations in it, like the use of a non-existing camera?

I had a similar request some time ago and I did a quick & dirty mod for that:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ia1epc8iodezg63/PC_AlwaysTranceMod.zip?dl=1

It's not limited to Zidane though ; all the characters use their trance battle model by default.

No, that would be harder because you'd have to store the Max HP value somewhere or it's lost.
What you can do, however, is preventing heals. It will have pretty much the same effect (except that a character could still be 'healed' with spells such as HP Switch or Maëlstrom).

It's in "btl_para::SetRecover". Simply replace the second line "ldc.i4 256" by "ldc.i4 260".
Also, you need to prevent healing from regen in "btl_para::SetRegeneRecover". Replace the 4th line "ldc.i4.1" by "ldc.i4.5".

Yes it is possible (I just tested).

Go to CIL code and search for these 3 methods:
btl_calc::CalcSub_200 (for weapon-based damage)
btl_calc::CalcSub_203 (for spell damage except gravity-based)
btl_calc::CalcSub_208 (for gravity-based damage)

At the end of each method (right before the "return"), add these lines:
Same as always: that code works for the latest Steam version. If you have another one, go in the method btl_calc::CalcSub_202: there are similar lines in there and you can get the hexadecimal codes of "CALC_VAR::target", "FF9.Status::checkCurStat", etc...

Also, you need to change the argument of the two line "brfalse" and "brtrue" and put the corresponding IL position (if the line "return" is at pos "IL_01C4", for instance, write that in the "brfalse" argument).

With that, Zombies will be healed instead of damaged and damaged instead of healed, just like FFXII's reverse. The other effects remain unchanged ("Death" effect can restore party, phoenix downs are invalid while under it etc... as you said).

For Chakra, it's not possible to edit the formula because it's in the method CalcMain :/

@Sacralletius: There are bugs with CIL code modding but I would think that "Auto-Shell" and "Auto-Protect" can be achieved at least. Actually, I tested to implement them one at a time when checking for the additional requirements and it worked nice. You only have to be very careful.
It would be very weird if that was the cause of your bug "cannot skip cutscenes". Cutscenes are not related to battles so that bug comes from something else.
It could be the cause of the bug "screen remaining black at the battle start" though: either a bug from HW or a flawed CIL code modding.

Try that again from a fresh non-modded game and do only the Auto-Protect/Auto-Shell modification (and give those abilities to a wrist or something).

@Dwight: You need to replace the CIL method "EndingMain::HonoStart" by this one:
This code is compatible with the latest Steam update ; verify that the hexadecimal codes are the good ones (you can do it that way: replace the method, hit "Ok", then re-open the method and check that all the specifications after // are still the same).

Sorry but no to both.

1. It would require to tweak all the field/world map scripts that can give you an item (chest scripts, NPC scripts...) and lower the item cap there. That much would be possible although incredibly tedious. However, the items obtained by other means (ie. item dropping and stealing, and I think that's all) are capped by the engine. The hardcoded limits are spread in the CIL Code and in particular in the "btl_calc::CalcMain" method that can't be modded by HW because of crashes.

2. Skill AP requirement is coded on 1 byte and that kind of things would need a rewriting of a big part of the engine's code. Albeoris's Memoria could do such thing with some work, but not HW.

Yes, you must remove these two lines: they are special code needed for Regen to display properly (Note that the "ldarg.0" would also be part of it but you need to keep it for the added part with "STAT_INFO::cur").

And yes: 262144 was Regen and you must change it to 8388608 = Protect.

Updated the dropbox link (dropbox changed its politics about public links):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ac7sr4q3z2cx9vp/AACQDfqXPvn8c3ylXeGUrBKEa?dl=0

It's the mod "PC_OptionalZidane.zip".