Help with creating a Dex to damage feat

[fearcypher 0]

So I recently had the idea to try and create a Dex to Damage mod for KoTOR 2. 

As a note my KoTOR modding experience consists of changing textures and adding new items from existing templates in templates.bif

So I decided I wanted to lock this behind a feat, to help preserve balance. In my research I learned that custom feats don't really work and can only be used as proficiencies and script triggers.

So I figured my two options were either

A: Make a feat that acts as a script trigger that looks at your dex mod and applies it to damage dealt while also looking at your strength modifier, if positive, and applying that as a penalty to damage dealt.

or

B:Make the feat a proficiency, then tie that proficiency to an upgrade item(most likely grips and emitters) that in addition to requiring that feat to be equipped by the player also has a dexterity requirement. The item would then apply something like -100 strength in order to bring your strength to 3 in all cases, and then add a +4 damage bonus to cancel that out. Then the item would apply a damage bonus equal to the modifier of the dexterity score needed to equip it. 

For example 
 

Finesse grip
Prerequisites 16 dexterity, Advanced finesse(the name of the feat)

-10 Strength
-10 Strength
-10 Strength
-10 Strength
-10 Strength
+4 damage

+3 damage




Obviously the second solution is a lot less elegant and doesn't work with temporary buffs to dex but it also seems significantly easier to do.

So I decided I would try that until I found out how to do the scripting.

However the main problem I am running into is that I cannot get my feat to appear in the feat selection, despite editing the feat.2da and dialog.tlk to have the feat and feat descriptions.

I am going to post my feat.2da here to see if I did something wrong with that. 

As well as request that if anyone has any idea on how I could do this better that they please help me. 
Also if anyone here knows scripting and how to put together a script like that I would be thankful, even if it's just pointing me in the direction of how to do it.

 

Sorry if this isn't very clear

feat.2da

[JCarter426 1,212]

56 minutes ago, fearcypher said:

A: Make a feat that acts as a script trigger that looks at your dex mod and applies it to damage dealt

This could be done, but it wouldn't be all that pleasant a solution. The most effective scripts to use would be k_def_damage01 and k_hen_damage01. Theoretically every character fires one or the other every time they take damage, which means the scripts can be edited to apply additional circumstantial damage. I've used this method before for something else, so I can certainly say it would work. Alternatively, editing k_ai_master would also work, because both damage scripts fire the on damage event in the AI. The problem with all these, though, is mod compatibility. Any edits to them are going to be fundamentally incompatible with any other edits.

But if one were to go with that option, the script could check if the target's last damager has the particular feat, and if so apply extra damage equal to their dexterity modifier minus their strength modifier. in other words, have the damage bonus equal to the dexterity modifier if higher than strength.

1 hour ago, fearcypher said:

B:Make the feat a proficiency, then tie that proficiency to an upgrade item

This sounds too convoluted to be worth it. You have to pick a feat and then make and use a specific upgrade when you could go for another build and have an extra upgrade. Additionally, decreasing strength in this way would have unintended negative consequences. Strength is used for some item proficiencies and checks in dialogue.

Also, either way, I would suggest using the existing finesse feats rather than making new ones. They are next to useless on their own as it is, so if you're going to have to spend a feat, better to spend it on one that does something.

[fearcypher 0]

7 hours ago, JCarter426 said:

 

Also, either way, I would suggest using the existing finesse feats rather than making new ones. They are next to useless on their own as it is, so if you're going to have to spend a feat, better to spend it on one that does something.

Are you suggesting that I modify the existing finesse feats? Or suggesting that I use them over my current idea?
Because what I am trying to implement is a method of gaining dexterity to damage rolls, as an analogue to the numerous ways to do this in D&D 3.X, the issue is that the current finesse only gives dexterity to attack rolls and not damage rolls.

 

Also odds are someone trying to go for a dex build isn't going to have super high strength to begin with, the subtraction to strength is merely there to prevent things like Valor or Stims from being used to enhance damage even further.

[JCarter426 1,212]

13 hours ago, fearcypher said:

Are you suggesting that I modify the existing finesse feats? Or suggesting that I use them over my current idea?

I'm suggesting to use the finesse feats as the check for whether to apply damage based on dexterity in addition to the attack bonus that they already do, rather than making a new feat to do that. The current finesse feats are not worth taking as they are, but might be if they came with more bonuses.