So I went about it a different way. I have a mod I created that allows me to completely edit the nodes in any of the crystariums (It's posted on Nexusmods). I have a convenient save in Lake Bresha just after they become l'Cie so when I want to try something out, like this, I just edit one of the early crystarium nodes putting in whatever I want to try, then just start the game and acquire the ability or whatever. For reference, the MLRS Volley is m140_ac100. There is also a mod there where I've documented what I've found about the game files so far (at least the .wdb ones) and one of the appendices has the enemy list. m140 is the PSICOM Aerial Recon enemy. It also includes an Excel spreadsheet where you can load the ability file (bt_ability.wdb) to see the valid abilities for each enemy (and characters), but there is no description with them. Just the codes.

Thanks for locating the ability code. I can add this to my crystarium mod. It got me to wondering if I could add some of the enemy attack abilities so I tried it out on the MLRS Volley. I could get it to show up in the character ability list, but unfortunately I couldn't select it in combat as it wasn't there. More investigation needed...

Weapons still have the damage cap, however, you can give them the break damage limit ability that the Genji Gloves have. "S Limit" was what the game called the ability that these unused weapon slots have. I put it on once, and IIRC it's a combination of the break damage limit as well as a break HP limit (which I'm not sure does anything in this game). I don't think it's anything else, but I'm not 100% positive.

Auto Abilities all have 0 for their values. These abilities are pre-defined in what they do and how long they last in other files, so other than just selecting the ability, there are no parameters.

Correction - most do not have any parameters. There are a couple that do, like Evade. I tried to duplicate what I found in the game files as much as possible to provide as much flexibility as I could, without breaking anything (and not spending many hours testing)

Originally posted by Drinkie:

What about ability limits?

I'll reply to this in two parts...

First - Any ability I found defined in the game can be chosen for the weapon. That includes abilities that are not normally associated with weapons (+HP for Bangles), as well as abilities that are only available to specific characters (Quick Stagger). I don't guarantee they will all work, but you can choose them.

Second - the limit of the ability depends on the ability. For resistances, the value at maximum weapon level needs to be 100 or less. Therefore, if you have a weapon with a max level of 110, you can only define a base value for the resistance (the default amount you get at level 1), as even a level increment of 1 will put you over the 100% limit (110% in this case). For an ability like "Paper Tiger", you can only have a HP decrease of 99% as I expect a 100% decrease (e.g. 0 HP) would not work well in the game. +HP on the other hand has a limit of 32767 as the base amount needs to be stored in a 16 bit integer and I didn't know if it was signed or unsigned (and I didn't bother to try various values out just to see)

I did a small amount of testing and what I tested seemed to work fine, such as I made a weapon with Auto-Haste (think Sprint Shoes)

The base starting strength/magic can be in the range of 0-5,000 with level increases selectable between 0-200 up to a maximum level of 126. This allows you to have a stat range of 0-30,000 for each. While these limits are arbitrary, I can't believe anyone would need more than that!

Although the thread is old, if anyone is still interested, I've uploaded a mod to Nexusmods that allows you to create your own weapon, including stats, abilities, maximum level, etc. It overwrites the 6 unused weapons so each character can have their own unique custom designed weapon.

You can post your progress on either site as I'm monitoring both of them. I did a little play through on several of the chapters, but that was with old save files where the characters usually had maxed crystariums (for the chapter), so I'm not sure how balanced things are. I also didn't do any of the boss fights.

One thing to keep in mind is that if there is a problem with a particular monster type or boss, I can change either the HP or the Str/Mag for just that one enemy (as opposed to the general ATB recovery rate, for example).

You should be able to see a difficulty increase right at the first battle as long as the mods installed correctly. Some of the early ones may only seem like they last a bit longer, or you have to use a potion or two where you didn't before. One way to do a quick check is to look at the enemy intel to see if the HP has been increased from normal (as long as you installed that mod). I really should do some verification after the install to make sure it went OK and put some sort of confirmation up.

Update: I've uploaded an installation document to nexusmods. It includes some sample output that shows what a successful installation should look like for a mod.

I've posted a mod on Nexusmods that implements a "Hard Mode" (sort of). There are multiple options you can select to make combat more difficult such as higher enemy HP, increased stats, faster attacks, reduced stagger damage, etc. If you decide to use it, please provide feedback on the options you used, how it affected gameplay and your general thoughts so I can improve upon it. Also, if you have any suggestions on other ways to change the game, I'd appreciate the ideas.