Timbo 6 Posted May 18 View File KotOR: Balance in the Force KotOR 1: Balance in the Force V1.3.0 Balance in the force is a gameplay balancing mod that provides a streamlined leveling experience that’s more in line with its sequel with some important departures. I've rebalanced the base weapon types and heavily increased the damage for ranged weapons. Not only does this keep ranged builds competitive with melee builds but it also makes the enemies more difficult. Now, you’ll have an excuse to use those Energy Shields during those early levels on Taris. Powers have been rebalanced so that force point costs scale across power tiers. I've also removed some overpowered force powers that trivialize the difficulty of the game such as Knight Speed, Master Speed, and Improved Energy Resistance. Thanks to offthegridmorty and djh269, Bastila gets the playable Battle Meditation Power from Kotor 2. Balance in the Force also contains a number of quality-of-life features. For example, all of the classes have been modernized to KotOR 2’s feat, power, and attack bonus progression. Persuasion is a class skill for the main character regardless of starting class. Intelligence now rounds up instead of down for gaining skill points during level up. Thanks to MoustacheVerte, Force Buffs have extended durations. All characters have background feats that deepen the immersive roleplaying experience. There are also several optional patches included as well. These include a patch that gives the main character extra force powers, a patch that gives the party extra skills, and patches that revert some of the more controversial changes made by this mod. Full Change List Spoiler General Gameplay Changes The bonus skill points gained at level up formula (Class Base + INT/2) now rounds up. You now gain +1 skill point at 12 INT, +2 at 16 INT, and +3 at 20 INT. It's still not as generous as KotOR 2 but since skills aren't terribly useful in K1, I think it works pretty well. Heavy Weapons no longer exist as a weapon category and Repeating Blasters have been merged with Rifles. All of the relevant feats have been adjusted accordingly. All NPC Characters now join at Level 1. NPC characters and Jedi classes no longer gain selectable feats at level 1 but instead gain them at level 2 in addition to their normal feats. This and the above change were made to allow players greater freedom when leveling their characters. Calrissian’s Utility Belt’s skill bonuses have increased to +4. This change was made to compensate for players want to only invest 12 in INT to take advantage of the new rounding rules listed above but still want to be able to fully repair HK-47. Class Changes All Classes now get Full Base Attack Bonus. Scoundrels get Sneak Attack X at level 19. Expert Droids now gets access to Master Two-Weapon Fighting and the Sniper Shot feat tree. Soldiers and Scouts now gain Persuade as a class skill (only the main character can use it). Jedi Guardians gain Demolitions as a class skill. Jedi Guardians gain 2 selectable feats at level 2, and 1 selectable feat at level 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. Jedi Sentinels gain selectable feats at levels 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13 15, 18, and 19. Jedi Sentinels gain Computer Use, Demolitions, Repair, Security, and Stealth as class skills. Jedi Sentinels gain 3 skill points per level. Jedi Consulars gain Repair as a class kill. Jedi Consulars gain 2 skill points per level. Character Changes The main character gets all six basic active combat feats (Power Attack/Power Blast, Flurry/Rapid Shot, and Critical Strike/Sniper Shot) at level 2. Due to system limitations this is as close as I could get to how it was done in KotOR 2. The main character gains 4 extra powers when gaining their first level of Jedi. This change was made to discourage players from saving levels on Taris to squeeze out extra powers for their build. Bastila gains 4 ranks in computers due to Jedi Sentinel’s increase of skill points. Bastila loses Force Aura and Stun due to level decrease. Bastila’s Battle Meditation feat now grants Battle Meditation as a bonus power. Bastila always recovers her double-bladed lightsaber and a single bladed lightsaber after the battle with Brejik herself and adds them to your inventory when she joins. Her lightsabers are no longer lootable from Brejik’s corpse. This change was made to allow players who want to build her as a single blade wielder, the option to do so while still on Taris. Canderous loses 1 point of Strength due to level decrease. Canderous loses 2 ranks of Demolition and 2 ranks of Treat Injury due to level decrease. Canderous’ regeneration ability is now linked to a unique feat called Combat Regeneration that he gains at 1st level. Carth loses 1 point of Dexterity due to level decrease. Carth starts with 4 ranks of Awareness, 4 ranks of Repair, and 4 ranks of Treat Injury due to a combination of level decrease, high Intelligence, and a special feat he now receives at 1st level. Carth gains a new feat at 1st level called Skilled Mechanic that adds 4 ranks of Repair, makes Repair into a class skill, and gives him 1 additional skill point at level ups. Carth’s generic Blaster Pistol is no longer equipped and will instead be added to your inventory when he joins. HK-47 loses 1 point of Dexterity due to level decrease. HK-47 loses 1 rank of Demolitions, 1 rank of Awareness, and 2 ranks of Repair due to level decrease. HK-47 gains a new feat called Combat Protocols at 1st level that Rapid Shot and Improved Rapid Shot at Level 4. Jolee loses 1 point of Dexterity due to level decrease. Jolee gains 4 ranks of Repair due to Jedi Consulars increase of skill points and he loses 1 rank of Awareness due to level decrease. Jolee loses Cure, Disable Droid, Force Aura, Force Valor, Force Push, and Throw Lightsaber due to level decrease Jolee gains a new feat called Psychic Smuggler at 1st level that adds Affect Mind as a bonus power, Empathy as a bonus feat, and Improved Empathy as a bonus feat at 4th level. Jolee adds a suit of basic clothing to your inventory when he joins. Juhani loses 1 point of Dexterity due to level decrease. Juhani loses 4 ranks of Awareness, and 4 ranks of Treat Injury due to level decrease. Juhani loses Burst of Speed, Force Push, Energy Resistance, Stun, and Throw Lightsaber due to level decrease. Juhani’s Camouflage now explains her extra ranks of Stealth and gives her Force Aura as a bonus power. Juhani adds a suit of basic clothing and a red lightsaber crystal to your inventory when she joins. Mission loses 2 ranks of Demolitions, 2 ranks of Stealth, 2 ranks of Awareness, 2 ranks of Security, and 1 rank of Treat Injury due to level decrease. Mission gains a new feat called Rough Crowd that gives her 1 extra VP per level, Caution as a bonus feat, and Improved Caution as a bonus feat at Level 4. T3-M4 gains 1 rank in Demolitions due to high intelligence and loses 2 ranks of Computer Use, 1 rank of Awareness, 2 ranks of Repair, and 2 ranks of Security due to level decrease. T3-M4’s Blaster Integration now grants Weapon Focus: Blaster Pistols and Weapon Specialization Blaster Pistols at level 4. Zaalbar loses 1 point of Strength due to level decrease. Zaalbar loses 2 ranks of Demolitions, 6 ranks of Awareness, and 1 rank of Treat Injury due to level decrease. Zaalbar’s Wookie Toughness now also provides +2 to defense. This increases to +4 at level 6, and +6 at level 12. Power Changes Players can no longer learn Knight Speed, Master Speed. These powers were simply too strong. Now, if you want extra attacks per round, you’ll need to invest in Flurry, Rapid Shot, or Two-Weapon Fighting. Players can no longer learn Energy Resistance or Improved Energy Resistance. These powers can be combined with shields to provide exponential levels of damage reduction that trivialize the difficulty. Players can no longer learn Force Immunity. This seldom used power is actually a bit too strong. Force Aura is now 15 FP at base cost and lasts 40 seconds. Force Shield is now 15 FP at base cost and lasts 40 seconds. Force Armor is now 25 FP at base cost and lasts 40 seconds. Force Valor is now 15 FP at base cost and lasts 40 seconds. Knight Valor is now 20 FP at base cost and lasts 40 seconds. Master Valor is now 25 FP at base cost and lasts 40 seconds. seconds. Stun is now 15 FP at base cost. Stasis Field is now 25 FP at base cost. Disable Droid is now 15 FP at base cost. Destroy Droid is now 20 FP at base cost. Burst of Speed lasts 50 seconds and is compatible with armor. Force Whirlwind is a standalone power and costs 20 FP. Force Wave now costs 25 FP and only has Force Push as a prerequisite. Force Immunity is no longer a player option. Force Breach now costs 30 FP. Death Field is now 25 FP at base cost. Horror is now 15 FP at base cost. Insanity is now 20 FP at base cost. Shock is now 15 FP at base cost. Force Storm is now 25 FP at base cost. Slow is now 10 FP at base cost. Plague is now 20 FP at base cost. Wound is now 10 FP at base cost. Kill is now 20 FP at base cost. Battle Medication is a new power that costs 30 FP, grants +2 to attack rolls, +2 to damage, and +2 to Will saves to all party members. It also increases the vitality point regeneration rate of the party. Additionally, any enemies within 10 meters that fail a Will save against a DC of 5 + the attacking character's level + attacking character's Wisdom and Charisma modifiers suffer a -2 to attack rolls, -2 to damage, and -2 to Will saves. This effect lasts for 40 seconds and will not affect any droids in the party. Weapon Changes Stun Batons are now 1d4, 19-20 x2. Short Swords are now 1d8, 19-20 x2. Longswords are now 1d12, 19-20 x2. Gamorrean Axes are now 1d12, 19-20 x2. Quarterstaffs are now 1d8, x2. Gaffi Sticks are now 1d8, x2 Double-Bladed Swords are now 1d10, x2. Vibro Double-Blades are now 1d12, x2. Wookie Warblades are now 1d12, 19-20 x2. Lightsabers are now 2d10, 19-20, x2. Short Lightsabers are now 2d8, 19-20 x2. Double Lightsabers are now 2d8, x2. Blaster Pistols are now 2d8 damage, x2. Heavy Blasters are now 2d8 damage, 19-20 x2. Holdout Blasters are now 2d6 damage, 19-20 x2. Disruptors Pistols are now 2d6 damage, 18-20 x2, Universal Damage. Ion Blasters are now 2d6 damage, x3. Sonic Pistols are now 2d6, 19-20 x2. Blaster Carbines are now 3d6, x2. Blaster Rifles are now 3d6, 19-20 x2. Bowcasters are now 3d6, 19-20 x3. Disruptor Rifles are now 2d8, 18-20, x2, Universal Damage Ion Rifles are now 2d8, x3. Sonic Rifles are now 2d8, 19-20 x2. Repeating Blasters are now 2d10, x2 Heavy Repeating Blasters are now 2d10, 19-20 x2. Difficulty Settings Changes Easy mode (0.5 damage received) has been removed from the difficulty settings. Very Difficult mode (2.0 damage received) has been added to the difficulty settings. Impossible mode (3.0 damage received) has been added to the difficulty settings. Recommendation Settings Changes Priority Lists updated when taking recommendations at level up or when auto-leveling. Recommended Attributes for Soldiers are 14 STR, 14, DEX, 14, CON, 14 WIS, 12 INT, 10 CHA. Recommended Attributes for Scouts are 14 STR, 14, DEX, 14, CON, 14 WIS, 12 INT, 10 CHA. Recommended Attributes for Scoundrels are 10 STR, 14, DEX, 14, CON, 14 WIS, 12 INT, 14 CHA. Recommended Primary Attributes for Zaalbar and Mission changed from Dexterity to Strength at level up. Optional Patches Spoiler Extra Powers v1.0 In the unmodified version of the game, it’s not terribly difficult to stay at level 2 until your main character becomes a Jedi in order to get more Jedi levels and more thus more Jedi powers. This popular playstyle breaks the sense of immersion and the progressive sense of power growth for a very large chunk of the game. It causes you to enter combats expecting your main character to die repeatedly or to use odd metagame strategies to win like leaving them at the beginning of the level while using other characters to clean out enemies. To address this problem, this optional patch adds extra powers when the main character takes their 1st Jedi class level. Effectively refunding the main character the extra powers they would have gained had they stayed at level 2 until taking their 1st Jedi class level. The intention for this patch is for players to take their 1st Jedi class after gaining to level 8 or later as a Soldier, Scout, or Scoundrel. What this patch does not do is penalize players who do decide to save levels before becoming a Jedi. It’s a single player game, play it the way you want and have fun with it. Note: This patch effectively replaces the Radical Jedi Version patch from previous releases but it relies on the honor system instead of penalizing players for level-saving. This mod provides the main character with 6 extra powers when taking their 1st level of Jedi Guardian or Jedi Sentinel or 8 extra powers when taking their 1st level of Jedi Consular. Extra Skills v1.0 One of the major problems that KotOR has is that skills aren’t actually well integrated into the game. KotOR 2 addresses this by making skill checks more meaningful and by making skill points more plentiful by increasing the amount of skill points characters gain by having a high INT score. Unfortunately, these changes aren’t fully implementable in KotOR 1. As mentioned above the closest I could do was to make it so that skill points gained from the formula for high INT round up instead of down. This patch takes things a step further by modestly increasing the amount of skill points each class gains at character when gaining levels. When paired with changes to skill points from high INT scores in the base mod, this results in more satisfying skill interactions with both the main character and the NPC characters. This patch increases the amount of skill points each class gains at character creation by 4 and the amount of skill points each class gains by 1 when gaining levels. The exception to this is T3-M4 who already maxes out his skills with the high INT modifier changes included in the base patch Restore Knight Speed v1.0 I still firmly believe that giving Jedi extra attacks that stack with the extra attack from Two-Weapon Fighting and the extra attack from Flurry is a unbalanced. That said, I’ve received requests to at least include this power so that’s what just what I’ve done but I’ve included some caveats to make it more balanced. This patch restores Knight speed to player use. Knight Speed costs 25 FP, lasts 50 seconds, and is available at level 15. Vanilla BAB v1.0 One of the changes I made in Balance in the Force was to update BAB or Base Attack Bonus growth to its KotOR 2 standards. In Kotor 2 All classes get a +1 Base Attack Bonus with each level up. This patch reverts that back to the KotOR 1 standard of +0.75 Attack bonus per level for all classes except for the Soldier and the Jedi Guardian Scout, Scoundrel, Jedi Sentinel, and Jedi Consular revert to their original +0.75 per level Base Attack Bonus growth. Vanilla Difficulty v1.0 This mod restores the Easy Difficulty settings by removing Impossible Difficulty. It leaves Very Difficult mode in place. This patch is for the faint of heart. Impossible Difficulty (3.0 damage received) removed. Easy Difficulty (0.5 damage received) restored. Vanilla Force Whirlwind v1.0 This mod restores Force Whirlwind to its normal place in the Force Push tree with Force Wave replacing it as normal. Force Push is restored as a prerequisite for Force Whirlwind. Force Whirlwind is restored as a prerequisite for Force Wave. Vanilla Powers v1.0 This patch restores all of the unbalanced cut powers they have been cut from the base mod. This patch restores Knight Speed, Master Speed, Energy Resistance, Improved Energy Resistance, and Force Immunity to player use. Knight Speed costs 25 FP and lasts 50 seconds. Master Speed now costs 50 FP and lasts 50 seconds. Energy Resistance now costs 25 FP. Improved Energy Resistance now costs 30 FP Force Immunity costs 25 FP. Compatibility Balance in the Force was expressly designed to be compatible with the KOTOR 1 Community Patch and I highly recommend using it. It should be compatible with all of the graphics mods as well. It was built with Holopatcher so it should even be compatible with other gameplay mods that use TSLPatcher or Holopatcher as long as you apply them in the right order. That said, Balance in the Force is designed to be its own ecosystem so other gameplay mods aren't recommended. If you want to use other mods I recommend you apply the Community Patch or K1R first then you can install Balance in the Force and the non-gameplay or graphics mods you want in any order. Just make sure you install Balance in the Force before you install any of its included optional patches. Credits Offthegridmorty and djh269: Bastila has TSL Battle Meditation MoustacheVerte: Force Buffs Duration x2 djh269: Separate Force Whirlwind Sdub: Persuade Unlocked Darth_Sapiens: KotOR Tool Fair Strides: TSL Patcher, TLKEd Cortisol: HoloPatcher & Holocron Toolset VarsityPuppet: 2DA Editor Special Thanks… Below is a list of authors’ whose mods inspired the ideas presented in Balance in the Force. MoustacheVerte: K2-like Progression Sdub: Immersive Feats Mod Captain Spoque: Weapon Damages Overhaul TK-664: Weapon Base Stats Re-balanced Elm: Kotor1 balanced force powers Extra Special Thanks These individuals have spent an unreasonable amount of time helping me with this mod. Thor110 for teaching me how to do most of this. I could not have done any of this without him. Offthegrid morty for very patiently helping me incorporate Bastila has TSL Meditation into Balance in the Force. Submitter Timbo Submitted 05/16/2024 Category Mods K1R Compatible Yes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
