Hey, it's great that you have your own ideas and that you've found some inspiration here :>

Dragonscales - I understand your opinion well, and I would have a similar one if I didn't know the context, which is that the idea behind having armour was to make you invincible in 1v1 combat - a bit like a sword that would always give you victory.
Characters usually have prowess in the range of 0-20, but sometimes it can be higher. Therefore, armour had to provide much more. However, winning regular duels is not a key mechanic in the game, so I gave the armour general resistance to various unpleasant effects that you may encounter in the game - so that Dragonscale does not lag behind other magical artifacts in terms of usefulness.
But I'm not entirely satisfied with the result – armour is useful and good to have, but it's not my first choice when looking for artifacts (if I have a choice). I would prefer the player to have a dilemma about which artifact to prioritise (as would be the case in the 'perfect' version of this mod).

Hell Scepeter - It makes sense, although the sceptre already has a lot of modifiers. When there are too many of them, they are less visible. You have to remember about such details when modding :> But the idea itself is good, it would be ideal if the increase in stress did not apply to demons, but I'm not sure if that's possible.

Magic catalyst - This item is ripe for a general rework. I would leave the Power Saturation gain and spell duration extension as they are, but other than that, it would be nice to add something special and more interesting than a stat boost.

Singularity - Well, this is a debatable issue :) It's simply an item for winning wars. It's OP, but difficult to unlock and has its drawbacks (it can sometimes explode). I don't think I would change anything here, but it's worth considering some way to balance this artifact with others. Perhaps there should be a way to counter the Singularity.

Demons - mortal demons? Hm. They have physical bodies, but they are so imbued with magic and so supernatural that their regeneration is faster than the ageing process. Perhaps in the physical world they could one day die of old age (at least the minor demons), but that could take hundreds or thousands of years.
I understand that your main concern here is maintaining game balance, but from a mechanical point of view, demons should be stronger and more durable than mortals ;) If you think that demons are too easy to play (which is possible!), it would be better to come up with some additional obstacles and challenges for demon players than to nerf the trait in a somewhat unnatural way ;)

Witch hunters - Hunters are neglected. They should probably get their own lifestyle, some special items and a few interesting events (plus contracts for adventures). I hope you come up with something cool here :>

AI - I never really liked how AI works. NPCs ‘cheat’ a little when it comes to acquiring artifacts and magic, because they are not as smart as human players (who also sometimes have to work hard to unlock magic). I have already come to terms with the fact that there is not much that can be done here, but perhaps the matter needs a fresh perspective.

BTW how do you feel about modding? Where do you get your knowledge from? Do you have any experience with game modding or programming?

First of all, sorry for the late reply. Was quite busy at work these 2-3 days :)
Nice to see your interest, too!

Regarding your questions: I have some veeery little experience with Python/JavaScript programming and a basic understanding of how computer algorithms work. It's better than nothing, but now I'm learn these topics actively. They are also needed and useful for my current job advancement, so... I combine it with my admiration of gaming and decided to start modding.

Maybe it'll be the first step to the full-scale gamedev, who knows :)


I've never created any mod before; just started to explore Paradox game modding several months ago, namely in CK3 and Victoria 3. First, I only edited minor values, such as modifiers, trait functions, etc., to tweak balance. As I use a lot of mods, including those that change the balance heavily, the result was very interesting - but quite unbalanced, so I decided to edit it myself.

Then, several weeks ago, I started to dive deeper into it. I explored many files in your mode and other mods I like, such as RICE and several religion/tradition-focused ones. I even found a good YouTube channel with modding tips and started to watch it.

And what's about you? Your mod is quite large. Do you participate in modding groups in Discord or cooperate with anyone, or did you learn and do everything yourself?


Regarding your opinions - I see, AI is really quite dumb, but... there should be ways to make it more interesting to compete and cooperate. And from my POV, if AI characters can do magic research, at least, they can become stronger, smarter, and more interesting. And if some of them had the Singularity unlocked.... it would have been a very hard time for the player, I suppose :))) But still, it can be stolen!

Maybe it's possible to make it as game rules, such as whether AI can into magic researches, Singularity unlock, debuffs for "realism," and so on. Although regarding myself, for example, I don't know how to set game rules, and I suppose it would make the mod's code harder?

And yes, I'll try to design something like a witch hunter trait path, at least for the beginning, and maybe really create something like obstacles for demonic players... (and maybe for "demons by birthright" in general, those who are born from two demons with demonic blood, they are probably supposed to be different from the original Hell demons)

BTW, have you created all the mod pictures by yourself? Backgrounds, like three witches, seem to be AI-generated, and what's about traits/artifact pics?

Anyway, I'm happy to hear your opinions and understand why you did the mod as you did it. It makes sense and I'll certainly consider it myself, although maybe will still tweak something if creating my own submod :) Waiting for your answer, and have a great day!

Anyway, it's cool that you know a thing or two and have the drive to learn. Programming and modding are great - they're a chance to bring your own complete vision to life. On one hand, you can create new mechanics, and on the other, tell a new story. Witchcraft tries to do both.

Paradox designs its games with mod support in mind, which is a beautiful concept. As a result, modding doesn't require specialized tools (though they can be useful at times). I was once amazed to discover that, basically, a simple text editor is enough to modify - or even enhance - the base game.

I gave you the context for why some things are the way they are now, but that doesn't mean your ideas are bad. Some elements deserve a bit of polishing, and others could use better balance. The only thing that feels like heresy to me is the idea of mortal demons :D

Game Rules are something that need to be defined (along with several states, since each rule has at least two), but their actual functionality is defined externally - in other scripts or objects - mainly by using game rules within various triggers. For example: has_game_rule = min_num_of_mages (where min_num_of_mages is one of the states of the 'num_of_mages' game rule, used in the scipt which influence the number of mages in the world).

AI doesn't conduct magical research... at least not in the same way players do. Some generated mages appear already benefiting from certain magical studies. Others have a chance to gain them over time, automatically. But unlocking each subsequent research becomes increasingly unlikely.

The Singularity is indeed blocked for AI (except for good old Abdul), though that wasn't always the case. This artifact has gone through many changes over time. Eventually, it reached its current form, and I decided I didn't want a situation where the AI unlocks the Singularity and the player simply grabs it and reaps all the benefits. I thought it would be more interesting if the player had to do the work to unlock the full power of the Singularity.

Of course, like you, I also saw the potential in having an NPC use it and pose a serious threat. But in the end, that's more or less what happens during one of the endgame crises, so there was no point in repeating that theme. Besides, the code related to the Singularity has become quite complex, and editing it at this stage isn't exactly enjoyable for me ;p

I'm a programmer, and for the past few years I've also been working on Witchcraft. I basically learned modding spontaneously, partly by analyzing other mods, partly by reading Paradox’s modding wiki for CK, and by exploring the game files. Paradox left a lot of helpful hints for modders in those files (*.info files). Everything is doable, as long as you find a good example that does something similar. Files containing key code phrases: effects, modifiers, triggers, and scope, are also useful. You can generate them with the command 'script_docs' in debug mode (they show up in the log dir), and I highly recommend keeping them handy.

The first thing I learned to mod in CK was adding a new decision. A decision is a simple object, so it's great for practice - and even for testing the effects of certain, well, effects ;) My 'practice' abdication decision still exists in the mod to this day (even though it's not directly related to its theme). I kept it for sentimental reasons... and besides, I still use it sometimes ;o

I think about 99% of the graphics and symbols used in the mod were generated by AI, although they often require minor adjustments - like tweaking dimensions and resolution (and converting to *.dds, of course). I'm not fully satisfied with all of the visuals, but some turned out just as I hoped. Unfortunately, graphic design isn't really my strong suit. Sometimes I regret that, for example, demons look like humans - when it would be much more interesting if some had horns, claws, wings, glowing eyes, and so on. But... ck doesn't really focus on graphics anyway, but rather on the story, so I guess there's no point in complaining ;>

In the name of the Horned God, you are incredible! The game really lacks a full-fledged witch hunter branch. This would allow the player to take the other side in their fight and exterminate sorcerers in the name of faith, science (or whatever the hunters' motivation is?)
I will write a few of my ideas below, don't take them too seriously, this is just my vision.
1) The game seems to lack several new religions, primarily for demons. Personally, I find it strange to see a Christian demon who considers himself a sinner.
2) I think it makes sense to expand the opportunities for witches to gain magical abilities. Now they have a very small chance of working (or I'm too stupid to notice them).
3) It would be possible to add small plots related to Merlin and Baba Yaga. This could be a confrontation with them (for the witch hunter) or help (for the sorcerer).
4) More variety from different dates and regions of the game. For example, a new crisis for the late game: with some chance, Genghis Khan can die at the hands of his brother, the shaman Teb-Tengri, and he will launch an apocalyptic invasion.
It is unlikely that any of these ideas will appeal to you, but I hope that you will develop this wonderful mod according to your vision. It's already very good, but it can be even better! Good luck to you!

1) I agree with this view. However, the base mod does not include this, as it breaks compatibility with other mods. Nevertheless, it is something that would fit well with a submod.
2) Perhaps, but the point is that witches' magical powers are very limited – they can make scrying, cast curses and extend their lives once, but that's it. The default goal of true witches is to obtain magic, i.e. unlock and complete the sorcery tree. The witchery tree prepares them somewhat for this task/challenge. The assumption was that witches have knowledge but no power (or at least not much of it). You could say that the witchery tree whets your appetite, while the sorcery tree satisfies it :>
3) There is one event chain that connects these characters, but adding more would be welcome ;)
4) I once thought about something kind of similar - it would be cool if magic, or the approach to it, worked a bit differently depending on the region. Like, maybe one or two lifestyle perks could give slightly different bonuses/effects for witches from Europe, and others for Asia or Africa. The changes wouldn't have to be big, but if the cultural context was captured well, it could add a nice flavor. I just don't have enough cultural or historical knowledge to experiment with that myself ;p

Good luck, and let us know if you manage to create something :]

I might be just weird but, I think minor demons or even greater demons (I haven't seen a birthed greater demon yet) that were born on Earth should be able to have souls, despite them having a minor/greater demon trait. Especially if they had "Demon Blood" at birth and grew into their respective roles.

I do not know if you thought of this and just wanted all demons to be soulless, but just a thought to throw out there c:

Also- are Soul Transfers meant to be countered? How will I return to my own body if I am Chosen One + OP as hell?

@Jaelyn
Demons shouldn't have souls, because it would mess up both the lore and the mechanics of the mod (it would take a lot of work to adjust everything). However, maybe a special possession mechanic - something similar to Soul Transfer - should be available to them.

Soul Transfer should be counterable, otherwise another mage could just take over your body without resistance. When you leave your body, it gets the Incapable trait, which disables spell countering - or at least, it’s supposed to. So either something isn’t working as intended, or you’ve left a court mage in place who's now blocking your return to your old body.

Maybe your old character had access to a regeneration potion? That could have healed the Incapable trait. Let me know if that's the case - if so, I might need to address it somehow.

- I have the Arcane Legacy 4 mod, maxed out.
- I did have a Regeneration Potion
- I do not think I had a court mage employed coming back into my body, it was removed after I switched bodies. (I had one beforehand, Dark Champion was still employed tho)

However, i never ever see the NPCs use the Arcane mod ever, and never see them level up the lifestyle anyways.

I did notice that after a few days of being incapable, my character was able to come back from the incapability (A month or less). But, switching from the husband. He never managed to recover without my interference. (6 months - 1.5 years later)

I'll have to see and get a character that can heal themselves with the Arcane mod and that isn't a witch/mage (WC). (I don't know debug commands so it might take some time....)

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I think that it's either it's the Regen potion or the Arcane Leg. 4 mod


--------- Other Requests ---------

Also please add a "Real Mother" tracker in Aura Reading please!

I don't know how my husband was able to create a child without a mother, even when mind scanning the "child" and the husband for secrets.

I'm guessing it's a clone or something because the "child" (copy) looked very similar to the husband but it was still kinda surprising.

Well, a real mother is always known, if she exists. If she is not displayed, it means that she does not exist in the game world, and the child was generated in a script that was not related to birth. From an RP point of view, the mother is considered unknown - but aura reading will not help here, because you cannot discover a mother who does not exist.

This makes more sense with fathers, because sometimes the father displayed is not the real father, and the spell allows you to verify this.