Absolute Scoundrel ability damage should not be gimped as it based on weapon damage, whether it be physical or piercing or elemental (there are other mods for this), and therefore should scale accordingly. It sounds like the issue everyone is having with the piercing damage is that it can't remove physical armor which is preventing them from inflicting statuses. I created the mod while using Divinity Unleashed, which changes the armor system so that physical and magic armor are flat damage reduction instead of a separate "life bars" that must be depleted (this actually makes piercing a WAY more powerful mechanic as it bypasses the damage reduction completely). Divinity Unleashed also makes it so that status effects are not prevented by physical and magic armor. Now, I realize that not everyone uses Divinity Unleashed and that might make my mod less attractive since it is based on those mechanics, and that's alright.

@GaelicGamer and TheOnlyKaz Unfortunately I had to reformat my HDD a while ago and I lost all of the original mod files. Therefore I am unable to make any updates to the mod without completely recreating it. You could download the Divinity Engine and make a made that just changes daggers. Input the values from my spreadsheet but keep the damage type as Physical and then be sure to place it below mine in the mod order so it overwrites. There are lots of guides online to using the Divinity Engine.

Crossbow is the better of the ranged items why does it pierce?

has the piercing been addressed for scoundrel? I dont want to gimp rogue players by utilizing the addon if their ability damage suffers from using daggers.

Love the mod, but I agree with Drakka, the piercing on Daggers makes them hurt the scoundrel abilities that require daggers more than it helps, would be better as a physical damage weapon.

Updated today.
1. Reduced taunt chance to 20%
2. Reduced chance to grant Barbed Wire to 50%
3. Reduced chance to restore Physical and Magical armor to 50% (separate chances).

Thank you for the feedback everyone. Apologies for taking so long to get to it. Please let me know what you think of the changes.

The mod is great and all but when it comes to daggers, I feel like it makes 90% of scroundal ability completely useless because so far every dagger i found does piercing and piercing is good but it feels like my ability's effect aren't counting at all what so ever unless i have another party member doing physical damage to remove armor or magic damage to remove magic armor. Scoundral skills are just useless because i can't use their certain effect. Can you at least try and make it so scoundral can at least be able to remove physical armor? just so it doesn't feel like every skill is useless and i'm just a asassing that can only slap them in the back?

or Guardian Angel isntead of taunt, since a AoE taunt (that surpass amor) is strong

I really like your mod, great job!. Although I find Shield Bash too strong, too much utilty for being a weapon skill (it gives too much buff/utility as a Source skill). It could be a dash + very low damage + taunt + a fraction of the original armor/magic shield recovery from the original version and would be enough. Or just an AoE taunt + a fraction of armor/magic shield recovery from the original version

@Deejerz So I disabled all my mods one by one and none of them allowed your changes afterwards. The issue I found was with Unleashed. As soon as I disabled Unleashed all the daggers became piercing etc. When I had JUST Unleashed and this it made all weapon damage type changes normal again, IE Physical for daggers and elemental for wands etc. Is this intentional?

Also as a side question, the extra abilities (Chance for hasted on hit etc), are they invisible or are they meant to show on the weapon stats?

I absolutely adore the changes to runes and source orbs! You made it so much more interesting to use them!

@Noctis I could not replicate this issue. I would suggest looking at your mod list to determine any conflicts that may be causing this.

@TLBrethren I use DU and CO as well with no conflicts. I do not use the other 2 mods, but they use Norbyte so there shouldn't be a conflict. In any case, I would recommend moving my mod as far down the list as possible without causing conflicts with other mods you are using. Mods at the bottom of the list are loaded last and therefore override previously loaded ones. If this doesn't work, you may also want to begin disabling mods you think might be the issue until you find the one that is conflicting/overriding mine.

For some reason I can't get the weapon effects to work. All the rune and source orb changes work fine so I know the mod is loaded, but daggers still only do physical damage and none of the other weapon changes are functioning at all. I'm using unleashed, crafting overhaul, automatic item levelling and no equipping requirements as the only mods that could alter weapons in some ways. Would that potentially be an issue maybe?

Elf 2h attack animations swap to kicking instead of swinging its blade

@RhazUIGuil This mod is compatible with other overhauls. Mine simply overrides the base weapon types and so any changes to those by other mods will add to my adjustments. Just make sure to place mine below those on the mod list. I use dozens of mods myself, including Divinity Unleashed.

This mod seems very new. Reading the docs, it looks only compatible with base game Divinity. Simply wondering, is it compatible with such mods like Divine War?

@CasualGamingInc Random Encounters adds random permanent buffs to enemies as well as gives the option to randomly duplicate enemies. Feenex's mods have an difficulty settings, and the Gravewalker class NPC gives the option of doubling vitality of all enemies upon entering combat. Those are just a few and there are many others.

@DontBlinkX Thank you for the feedback. I have found this to be true myself and have also heard it from others. I have updated the Shield Rush skill. Please see the patch notes.

only issue, Shield bash is too strong.

@Deejerz Also, maybe out of topic, but you mentioned other mods that 'increase the game's difficulty'. Can you suggest a few?

Thank you! Really liked this mode. Add the game a nice flavor.

So you think it's the interaction between taunt and the shield stun? Wouldn't the same be true for things like deflection, reflection, poison on contact, etc.? Either way, I created a version of the mod w/o the shield stun for you to try out. Download it here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iFO9_fmoW6CTcbmAhzU5YwwDrdmEEbhN/view?usp=sharing

Unsubscribe from my mod and copy that pak file into your mods folder to see if it helps. Let me know. Thanks.

@Deejerz, I'm not even sure whats going on with this anymore, but after a completely fresh install it still seems to happen with certain enemies, but it's ultimately seems to be pretty minimized. Though having done research I am wondering if part of the issue might have to do with the janky taunt status mechanic as much as anything else.

Overall, I'm going to say that my initial issue where it was happening with everyone probably had to do with versioning issues on some of my stuff and the later stuff is probably an artifact of the AI being weird and knowing to avoid a situation where it will get a reactionary stun along with the weirdness of the taunt mechanic. Either way, no more concerns about the mod itself.

Good job on a good mod :)

Well, this is weird. When I'd tested before I made sure that I'd disabled everything except for your mod and CO and still got the same issue. Your message made me examine things and discovered that I apparently had an old version of CO installed, not sure how considering I got it from the workshop. Anyway, I force deleted and re-downloaded CO and now it works a little better? I tested it and now it only seems to happen part of the time?

Given that you say it should be working and the fact that versioning on my mods apparently might be an issue I'm going to go for the nuclear option and fresh install everything. Maybe that will clear things up.

I'll let you know if that fixes the issue.

@BinaryScrub, I have been using CO with my mod below it in order with no issues. In fact, I am using his crafted Divine Order Shield with all of the upgrades crafted on it with no issues. What specific shield are you using, a unique one or a random one? What are the other stats on it? Looking at our stat changes, he did not make any changes to the parent shield. The only difference between his parent shield and mine are the additions that I made. All he did was add his unique shields. Placing my mod below his essentially would just cause his uniques to also have my additions, which is what happens in my game. Did you disable all other mods but these two for your testing?

You were right, it's a conflict with another mod. Specifically, with Crafting Overhaul by Elvasat.

Tests showed that when I put your mod higher in load order than CO that Shield Rush worked perfectly and enemies didn't bug out, though I lose all of the weapon changes in your mod. Additionally, I dug into the files and near as I can tell the stun isn't at fault either since CO uses the same method that you use to create the reactive stun to do something similar.

The best I can tell is that by having your mod located lower in load order than CO I overrode the _Shields category from CO and your version lacks certain data that CO is looking for, thus causing the error.

Not really sure how and there could be other interactions between the two that I didn't notice. Anyway, at this point my only real option is hoping that you can find it in the kindness of your heart to make a compatibility patch of some kind I suppose.

@BinaryScrub did you try disabling all other mods but mine to see if there is a conflict? I have been using it successfully (with ~75 mods active) with a shield user in game and also in the Engine with no other mods active. I have not run into any bugs with the stun effect or Shield Rush causing AI issues in either instance. Unfortunately, there is not much more I can do on my end. Let me know how your testing turns out. Thank you!

Love this mod, save for one issue:

Whenever I'm using a shield, the moment an enemy attacks me and the shield stun come into play, or if I use Shield Rush, the combat AI bugs out and all enemies stop attacking for the rest of the combat. Additionally, the enemies who are within the radius of the Protection Aura stop moving while enemies outside of that radius move to the edge and then stop.

I tested this by starting a combat and in one case Shield Rushing in and in another case just walking in. As soon as either the reactive Shield effects or the Shield Rush skill are put into play the enemies just stand there. I clicked through probably over a hundred turns in both cases to make sure that it wasn't just another effect causing this and it was consistent. And to confirm, I disabled this mod and the combat AI began functioning as normal again.

I'm really enjoying the mod otherwise, but the inability to use shields unless I want this bug to occur is kind of a damper on using it.

Thank you for the quick fix

@joebob @Spazz I have created a recipe that will give you a Shield Rush skillbook using sharp rock + sheet of paper. These ingredients don't get consumed so you can make as many books as you want (the books have 0 value). This will make Shield Rush an inherent skill (no memory cost). This should help bypass the incompatibility issue of items created in other mods. Thanks for the heads up.

Since the buff you made to the shield is almost entirely the skill you gave it, it not being on modded shields is pretty bad as I have only found one shield that has the skill on it.

It seems pretty great so far, will let you know.

Biggest problem now is that the Shield Rush doesn't attach to shields added by other mods - so the cool additions that Feenex made kind of lose out. Nice balance though - I like it.

@Spazz I added a buff to Shield Rush that helps with fulfilling the tank role more effectively, see the change notes for details. For the time being at least, I'm not going to add anymore offensiveness to shields. I think the defensive bonuses plus the reflection (offensive defense) give the shield a good amount of utility. Shield usage is a playstyle choice and your willingness to sacrifice some damage output for the utility is a decision you have to make. There are plenty of mods that provide offensive shield abilities, similar to bouncing shields, plus you can craft decent sized strength and 1h stat bonuses onto shields. Please continue to provide feedback, I really appreciate it. Thank you!

Somewhat, most of my mods are difficulty mods, and honestly its poorly balanced on my end, but since that is the case if I am to tank I need to be able to take most damage for my teammates and constantly hold aggro, or else we can get one shotted, and while using a shield would be nice, I would like to be able to put out some decent damage as well.

I hopped on to complain about your most recent changes, but after playing with them for a couple of fights, I gotta say WELL DONE. These changes are really well thought out and balanced.

@Spazz, not sure if you've tried the Resonator class mod, but adding that really made my tank feel tankier and much more useful. I think with the shield rush additions that this mod brings, it's going to be perfect. I'm not using DU though, so maybe your use case is different than mine.

And as for the shields (It's hard to give shields a decent buff, so I'm just going to throw a couple things out.) Maybe some stat bonuses like initiative or some skill-aura types that are related to buffing allies, things along those lines. Sorry about being so adamant about buffing shields, as I would like to use them, but still feel on-par with my allies.

It restores vitality equal to armor gained, but what I was saying was that it may be too powerful due to that.

I wanted the physical armor restoration to still be available for non-DU players as well since I took away Shields Up. With DU, I was hoping that it would simply restore vitality equal to total armor, not equal to restored (missing) armor. So, as it stands, that part of the skill does nothing for DU users. I'll look into adjusting it tomorrow. Glad you like the weapon changes!

Deflecting gives a physical armor bonus while obviously also deflecting projectiles and magic shell gives a magic armor bonus while cleansing many negative status effects. Barbed Coat reflects 50% of melee damage back as piercing damage (bypassing their armor). Add that to the 10% blocking (complete damage negation that stacks on top of any random additions), 15% reflection (again stacking), and stun on contact and you've got a pretty decent buff. My goal was the maintain the defensive theme of shields without overdoing it. You obviously sacrifice damage by using them, but hopefully the gains in survivability, crowd control (taunting from Shield Rush), and offense through defense (reflection) make them a viable option.

(Love the hasted idea by the way)

The changes to the weapons are incredible, but a few notes on the shield; the part where it completely restores physical and magic armor would be good in theory, but for Divinity Unleash user (Lots) this would restore health equal to the amount of armor restored, so maybe it just gives an armor bonus equal to enemies hit, or something like that. And another thing to add to the shield, since all weapons get a buff, It feels dual wielding would be the more rewarding option when compared to using a shield, so maybe if they had a slight better buff?

@Spazz, I've made some updates to balance daggers, spears, and bows as well as made some changes to shields (created a new inherent skill). Check out the change notes. Try them out and let me know what you think!

For daggers it's the double AP bonus + Piercing (I am using Divinity Unleash), and as for the bow an extra AP means life or death with the mods I am using, and I would always choose that over extra damage, but maybe you're right on that one for vanilla-ish. What do you think about the shield part?

@Spazz I am using the crossbow however and I would have a hard time trading it in for a regular bow. The higher base damage + piercing + crit multi (my ranger has nearly 100% crit chance with all buffs) shreds enemies pretty quickly. You don't run into the same dual-wielding AP recovery problem with daggers. I was aiming for bows to be similar to daggers in that they're quicker and lighter, therefore affording more action. 1 AP is enough to adjust position, apply a buff, drink a potion, or save it for your next turn so you can make 3 attacks, but doesn't seem game changing to me. Could you tell me what feels OP about bows to you?

@Spazz, is there an aspect that feels most overpowered? Piercing, AP recovery, silence, crit chance, etc? My goal was to make dagger users feel quick and nimble, focusing on preemptive attacks & positioning, damage avoidance, etc. I lowered the base damage of daggers to 66% of 1h swords and 57% of 1h clubs, plus the the other weapon bases have higher crit multi which is tougher to come by, & base cleave damage. I looked at the starting AP and AP recovery as ~25% buff (4 AP to 5 AP = 25% increase). I thought dual wielding might be a little OP, but wasn't sure. I'm not using daggers this playthrough so it's tough for me to judge and I appreciate your feedback. I'll look into trying to balance them a little better while keeping with the theme.

Also.... shields.. please

Due to the buff daggers get, they feel so much more powerful than any other melee, and it's the same for the bow, there's no reason to switch to a crossbow.

The conflict I found was with a mod called "Weapon Choice V2 DE", which actually does a lot of similar types of tweaks that yours does. I missed it when I was cleaning up my mods for this playthrough. Even with yours below it in the order, there's a conflict...no crashes, but the functionality isn't working all the way. I removed it and have made it out of Fort Joy and am having a blast!

@joebob yeah I know, I don't use daggers on this playthrough, but I was using spears and it was fun with RT. I hadn't hit any barrels or anything so I wasn't running into the bug, but I'm glad you and lost_souls found it for me. I am working on some other fun additions, so keep on the lookout for those.

Also, if you want my mod changes to override that one, just put mine below it on the mod list.

Ruptured tendons would have been awesome, but silenced is cool and the fix worked! I have a conflicting mod that must overwrite your changes to crossbows and spears, but I'll figure that out myself. Thanks so much for your contribution! Makes the isolation a little easier to handle with a totally new playstyle to try!

@lost_soul @joebob I was able to confirm that the cause was from attempting to apply Ruptured Tendons to non-living items. I changed the status effect for daggers and spears to silenced. Seems to have solved the problem, at least for basic attacks. Let me know if the issue persists.

Thank you.