The Bosmer Archer: modlist and RP

Danae -

Foreword

Time for a new character and class! This time we are looking at the archer. You know I tend to go for less common character builds but this time, for the Archer, we'll stick to the Bosmer. We're adding survival, lore and gameplay elements to make this character more than just another stealthy archer.

Chargen

What can I say, the Bosmers are born Marksmen, they have the Agility, +15 to Marksman, and since they start with only 30 hp, they are super squishy so you'll really want to stay out of reach of your enemies. Luckily, Bosmers also have the Speed to keep their distance.

  • In terms of race, pick your face replacer of choice: Intelligent that covers ALL textures in the gameor Facelift that covers all vanilla and TR faces, to stay true to vanilla style, Mackom's for a more alien look, and Westly for the pretty faces.
    Mel has some very pretty female Bosmers you might like as well. They come with good hairstyles as well. This is NOT a replacer and is available to the player only.

  • Merlord's Character Backgrounds . Pick the Green Pact background, it is exclusive to Bosnmer and lore-friendly.

The Green Pact, also known as the Treaty of Frond and Leaf,[1] is a strict code upheld by many of the Bosmer of Valenwood.[2] It is said to have guided their existence since the beginning of the "great story". Its rules are clear. Do not harm the forests of Valenwood. Do not eat anything made from plant life. Eat only meat. When enemies are conquered, their meat must be eaten, not left to rot. Do not kill wastefully. Do not take on the shape of beasts. (extract from UESP

Archery Mods

Looking The Part

  • All you need is Weapon Sheathing a very sexy mod by Greatness7 that will make every weapon, shield, quiver apparent on you and all other npcs.
  • If you do not use MWSE, the good old pauldron/quiver models from WanderRA, Simple backpack and quiver mod.
  • Falconer Leather by Korana, both male and female armour includes a quiver and a shield.
  • Female Ranger Armor by Plangkye, also with a quiver and a bow.

Fletching and bows

To be an archer, you will want to craft your arrows, especially enchanted ones. The Bosmer Archer will not rely on enchanting but on crafting and using nature's ingredients.

Remember though, that according to the Green Pack you CANNOT pick up plants. Buying or "finding" those already picked up is fine.

Bosmers enjoy a +5 alchemy, so you migh want to use it for poisons.
To see a detailed comparison of poison mods, see my Shadowscale Assassin Guide.
For now, long story short, either use 4NM_Alchemy or if you are very brave and ready for a challenge 4NM_Gameplay_Overhaul. The former lets you brew poisons as you brew potions but also prevents the most common alchemy hacks (fortify intelligent and frink many potions in an instant mid-combat), the later overhaul EVERY aspect of the game. It is very challenging but has some very interesting mechanics. For a lighter option (i.e only poison mechanics) try OEA's Poison Redux-ion.

If you'd rather craft your arrows:

  • Go Fletch by Merlord: lets you craft arrows, bolts and darts, plain or enchanted. Fletching is a skill that contributes to your level. I find the recipes balanced. My favourite.
  • FletcherMod: the classic mod, and probably the best if you don't used MWSE.
  • Morrowind Crafting: this mod lets you craft, well... everything. It is heavily scripted and includes various skills allowing you to gather raw material and then craft items. It will take time and practice to reliably be able to chop wood, stitch pants, etc. Great if your archer is more of a hunter. You may also find the alpha version for Morrowind Crafting 3.0 MWSE in the Morrowind Modding Discord.

If you don't feel like crafting your gear, you try one of these:

  • Suran Archery Tradehouse: The classic, great choice.
  • Hunter's mark - a marksman mod by Remiros: gorgeous models for bows, crossbows, and throwing knives.
  • Arrow Diversity by Turelek: because the more the better.
  • Helluva: wicked weapons, bows and crossbows. Huge collection, balance not guaranteed. Bright colours included. Together woth Cognatogen, we are currently working on yet another improvement of Helluva: we are thouroughly checking every model, balancing their stats better, and the best items will not be available in shops but hamd-placed in the world as unique items normally are.

Gameplay and Quest mods

  • It is no secret that I love Ashfall by Merlord.
    With Ashfall, you get hunger, thirst, tiredness, cooking, camping and temperature mechanics.
  • Here is an article with in-depth comparison of the major survival mods. There's even a quiz! I promise, I won't be mad if you do not choose Ashfall afterall.
  • Ascadian Tree House by Kursan, ideal if you want an actual house but stay close to nature.
  • Cannibals of Morrowind to always have a tasty morsel of choice. Adds body parts to npcs. The MWSE version will work with ANY mod that adds npcs.
  • Cast on strike bows: because bows can also be enchanted
  • Marksman rebalanced by Merlord: do more damage while sneaking, hit chance based on your marksman skill and distance from target. Fully customisable in-game. OR...
  • Projectile Overhaul - Modular. Essentially makes projectiles faster and increases the chance to recover yout arrows.
  • Automated ammo equip by Merlord or Abot's Smart Ammo that offers more in-game options. Both mods will auto-equip bows or bolts when you equip a bow or crossbow.
  • Area Effect Arrows Plugin Offical Bethesda plugin.
  • Skyrim Crosshair: Don't get me wrong, I like my moon and star crosshair but when shooting an arrow, I want to see where I am aiming at.
  • pincushion : We don't have kill cams (yet...) but we get to see the bodies of our enemies riddled with arrows. Good times.
  • LGNPC - secret masters Do a quest for the Marskman Secret Master.
  • The Stormwall Archer by Gavrilo93 adds a book with valuable lore for the archer.

Landscape mods

Since you are a Bosmer, nature, trees and the great outdoors are important. Here is a selection of mods that enhance the landscape and add landmarks. City and dungeons have been left out.