Deadly Reflex mod for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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DEADLY REFLEX 4.02 by Skycaptain
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!!!!!!REQUIRES OBLIVION SCRIPT EXTENDER v12!!!!!!!

Two small bug fixes have been relesed for 4.0:
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v4.02:

* fixes mouse locking when player got bashed during failed neck stab attempt

* NPC´s now react accordingly if they notice you attempting a stab, but you happen to fail simply because of being too far away

-> only the targeted NPC, that is within 2x required range assumes you really tried to stab him, instead of just fooling around)

-> guards attack you instantly if you fail at stabbing them

-> failed stab against a friendly NPC gets reported as an attack (note that Reneer´s guard mod hides this kinda bounty if you are not caught by the guards)

* tweaks/fixes to bashing/punching reactions outside combat:

-> normal NPC´s like you less, and may report a crime corresponding to tresspassing if they get angry enough (they know better than to attack you)

-> bashing guards gives you instant bounty (30), and if the guard likes you little enough/is aggressive, he attacks you

-> again, guard overhauls may hide the bounties and deal with them according to their own way

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V4.01:

-fixes the freeze/slow motion bug, when neck stab was used without a weapon
-fixes the Convulcive Combustion crash, when Oblivion was installed to other than the default location
-other stability fixes, just in case

-README UPDATED FOR BETTER DIRECTIONS ON INSTALLING/UPDATING!!!

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If you don´t have version 4.0 or 4.01 running, follow the instructions in the readme.

If you do, just install this fix on top of the 4.0 or 4.01, and continue playing like there never were any problems.
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- - - ATTENTION! *** NEW *** SPECIAL NOTICE! - - -

ANY users, new or old, having problems with save games after enabling this mod:

Delete your Archive Invalidation file, and use Oblivion Mod Manager´s BSA redirection method instead.

Users updating from a versions before 4.0 need to wait for a CELL RESET - details and tips below. And keep in mind the tip above as well.

ALSO - THE NAMES OF THE ESP´s ARE CHANGED FROM VERSIONS BEFORE 4.0, DELETE THE OLD ONES AS THEY WILL NOT GET OVERWRITEN!!!!

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*NEW AND SPECIAL IN v4.0* (a short info package of new content and special actions the old users must take - the actual readme starts after that)
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New Features:
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* Elemental Effects. A new critical hit system for Frost, Shock and Fire Damage. Yes, works with any spell/staff, AND FOR CREATURES, from other mods as well.

-> Fire may set the victim on fire, burning him to a smoking corpse

-> Shock may shoot the victim out of his boots, melting parts of his equipment against his skin and charring parts of his body

-> Frost may actually freeze the victim to an icy statue, which shatters like glass on strike

* Neck Stab. A new, alternative insta-kill sneak attack, with a success rate tied to your sneak and blade skills.

* A piercing shot. A direct bow shot may cause a critical hit that makes your enemy collapse on his knees, gasping his breath for the last time.

* Enemies Explode effect on creatures overhauled - the creatures actually explode to chunks of homogenous meat now. Also has A NEW NAME DUE TO A REQUEST:

-> Combustive Convulsion

* NEW GORE: intestines fall from the middle section, blood shower is smoother, and "plugs" are included for every cut wound.

* A new shield bash animation and sound system. The default sound is "swoosh" now, and the "clang" occurs only on connected bashes.

* A new power attack animation for melee weapons, replacing the basic swing power attack with a quick THRUST - you´ll love it like me and the NPC´s do!

* Substantially upped Horse Combat Damage and smoothed out the speed control system.

-> the damage now takes into account if you use any upped weapon damage mods (like a plugin from this mod)

-> the stationary damage should be about your normal hit damage, and riding at full speed with a fast horse more effective than your power attack.

-> the horse accelerating should not have any weird "jerking"

FIXES:
-----

First of all serious stability issues were found, taken care of and lots of things rewritten. I believe I nailed them all.

I fixed or at least I think I fixed every single thing I have been reported of.

It´s pointless to list them, if you had any problems, it was VERY VERY likely being taken care of.

A few tweaks, that may not have been considered problems, and ones I can actually remember right now:

-Decapitation or cutting in half take place more reliably, as the requirement for aiming towards the NPC while power attacking is now less strict

-BULLET TIME COMPATIBILITY enhanced - punching or decapitating no longer take you out of your original bullet time after the move

-enemies with no weapon or fists out dodge with a jump animation now (they could not play the dodge animation with no weapon or fists out)

-enemies with no weapon or fists out always react to bashing or punching by falling down, unless they dodge (they cannot play stagger animation)

-casting a spell on self does not trigger enemies to dodge

SPECIAL UPDATING INSTRUCTIONS!!! (read only if you are updating from a version before 4.0 of this mod)
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-Before installing (or activating the new Combat Moves plugin), find a location in game that is completely free of NPC´s, like a lonely basement, and save.

-Quit and delete the old Combat Moves Plugin

If you run into trouble loading your game after that, see the POTENTIAL FIXES section in the actual readme

-> you need to end up in your game without the Combat Moves plugin active, old or new

- wait or sleep. As long as it takes for the cells to reset in your game. The default is 3 days, but many mods change this, so it may just as well 12 for you

(always wait an extra day, just in case)

- after that, save the game, quit and activate the new Combat Moves from this package.

- load the save you made after waiting for that cell reset

** A special trick for those that use long cell reset times, use only if you know what you are doing**

You can use a console command to temporarily set the cell respawn time to a low number - it should not get saved to save game according to the CS Wiki.

Write in the console:

SetGameSetting IHoursToRespawnCell 1

That sets the cell reset time globally to one hour. Then, waiting for a few hours only should be more than enough. I used this myself, and it seemed to work.

(note that you can check the number before or afterwards with a command GetGameSetting IHoursToRespawnCell)

The actual readme starts here with more info on new features and installation for users not familiar with this mod.

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Table of contents:

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1. Short Introduction

2. Special Horse Combat Section

3. List of basic combat features and short descriptions (INCLUDES SHORT DESCRIPTIONS AND INFO ON ALL OF THE SPECIAL FEATURES AS WELL)

4. Directions on how to use some of the more special moves

5. Installation and Uninstallation instructions

6. Compatibility, known possible problems and fixes for possible problems

7. Credits
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1. INTRODUCTION:
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NEW Deadly Reflex 3 aims to change Oblivion´s battles into more challenging, gruesome and realistic experience.

No more doing nothing, these fights are up to YOU to take care of!

This means giving you new moves to choose from, and allowing NPC´s to use them too!

You will flip, bash and dodge and jump, and so will they - if they can!

Every NPC has their own skills, compatible with every other mod, so you will never know what to expect.

Time your blocks right, avoid the blows, land your strikes carefully and see their heads fall or crush! :)

Deadly Reflex also features a critical hit system, that grants you a balanced chance to mutilate your enemies, crush their skulls,

stab them to the neck or cause a fatal arrow wound, fry or freeze them with spells, even explode them to pieces and fight from a horse back.

See the whole readme to know how to use all the features.

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2. HORSE COMBAT
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This is a special section that includes everything about horse combat.

Mounting your horse with a weapon:
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NOTE! YOU REALLY NEED THE LATEST OBLIVION PATCH FOR THIS TO WORK!

When the game starts, you are asked to select a horse combat key. Don´t worry, it´s not an extra combat key. Instead you need to press that key once
with your selected blade or blunt weapon in your hand, to be able to mount your horse with that weapon in your hand.

WHEN YOU PRESS THIS KEY THE FIRST TIME, IT TAKES 5 to 10 SECCONDS TO INITIALIZE EVERYTHING - JUST WAIT. After that the transition is always instant.

Technically, your weapon is cloned to a weightless, and worthless one - this clone is automatically switched in your hand. Don´t drop it, or unequip it,
you can only use this cloned weapon to fight from the horseback - on the other hand, this cloned weapon can not be used normally.

The horse combat can only be fought from the 3rd person. I know how you feel, I ALWAYS play from the 1st person as well. But on a horse, I found it actually
more convenient to able to look around etc - and in the end, there is no other option at the moment.

So when you press your Horse Combat key, you are switched in third person, and the weapon in your hand is switched to a special clone of your original weapon.

Your original weapon is never touched, so fear not. When you unmount your horse, or cancel the Horse Combat mode by pressing the Horse Combat key again,
the cloned weapon is removed from you, you are returned to the view you were before entering the mode, and your character´s weapon is returned to his hand,
drawn.

It´s all automatic, so if your horse dies, for example, and you fall down, you will automatically gain back your normal combat weapon, and you are instantly
ready to continue the battle, your weapon drawn.

Attack moves in horse combat
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Press your left mouse button to slash from the right

Hold your left mouse button like when you perform a power attack, and you´ll thrust - convenient for charging at full speed.

Press your block key + left mouse button (simultaneously, OR in that order) to slash from the left.

Press bashkey to shield bash. Works only when the shield is equipped, naturally.

use your cast key to cast spells - targeting works normally if you enter 1st person mode, in 3rd person you´ll be able to control only the vertical direction.

Note: Touch spells will fire two bolts in front of your horse. Also, scripted effect spells wont work, like Combustive Convulsion from this mod.

(Refer to the FlyFightFleas readme, for a full list of features about spell casting Tesnexus.com )

Damage and knock downs in horse combat
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If you look at the cloned weapon in your inventory, you can see it´s damage appears to be less than your original weapon´s.

The value you see is the weapon´s base damage, it doesn´t include any skill or strength modifiers.

On a horse, you can´t full your characters full potential of combat skills. Instead, you can use your horse´s speed to deliver more powerful hits.
The horse´s speed is explained later.

So the faster you ride when you strike, the more damage you deliver. A horse with a speed 50, when rode with full speed, will deliver 1.5x the base damage.

You also have a percentual chance to knock down the target, with a strike or shield bash, equal to your riding speed.

Riding the horse in horse combat
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EVERY CHANGE TO HORSE BEHAVIOUR IS COMPATIBLE WITH ANY HORSE FROM ANY MOD.

When you are in a Horse Combat mode, your horse´s speed is adjusted dynamically by forward and backward keys.

To get going, you press forward, as normal, but you don´t need to hold the key. Instead, pressing forward accelerates the horse, and it will keep running
with a speed you achieved. You can deaccelerate by pressing/tapping the backwards key - holding it will eventually bring your horse to halt.

This dynamic speed adjusting is an important part of the horse combat, as it enables more fluent sweeping attacks and controls two aspects:

Your horse will turn fast when you ride at minimum speed, and slowly (normal Oblivion turning speed) when you ride at full speed. On the other hand, the
damage and knockdowns depend on your riding speed.

So it´s a good strategy to slow down when turning, and accelerate when charging.

The "full speed" means the horse´s default speed in game.

Special Horse Features
----------------------

Your horse will jump higher and longer when you are in horse combat mode - press forward when jumping to get the full range.

Stealing horses for fighting purposes includes an extra modifier:

The horse may not like being in the hands of a stranger, and may manage to shake you off it´s back when you attempt to ride with your weapon out - you are
then unable to focus fully in containing the horse.

The chance for this to happen with any stolen horse, every time you mount (as long as the horse is marked as stolen), depends on

THE AVERAGE OF YOUR PERSONALITY AND SPEECHCRAFT.

If it happens, feel free to try mounting again. This feature only applies when you attempt to mount a stolen horse with a (cloned) weapon equipped.

Other Horse combat features
---------------------------

Enemies will dodge your hits, bash you and your horse, staggering it and sometimes dropping you off saddle.

On the other hand, you can decapitate enemies as normal - with either slashing from the left or from the right.

YOU CAN/WILL HIT MULTIPLE ENEMIES AT ONCE. BEWARE OF HITTING FRIENDLIES - THEY WILL ATTACK YOU AFTER FIRST HIT.

So it´s recommended to assist guards etc on foot, instead of charging down the whole group, enemies and friendlies.

General points about horse combat!!
-----------------------------------

The aim has been to make it as immersive and fun, BUT at the same time balancing as possible:

Your weapon´s reach is a bit more than it "should" according to the animations. But as the animations were not made for horse combat, the reach is tweaked to
be a bit longer, to keep the battles fun - it sucks not to hit anything.

The reach should scale according to the weapon´s proper reach, but it´s optimal and tested with long swords.

Horse combat requires strategy, you are not a tank. You are also not a machine gun, your strikes need to be planned, you cannot hit very quickly in a row.

Use your horse´s agility and speed to fool you enemies and master the riding speed to turn quickly, and accelerate to add force to your strike.

Beware of the Archers - they will go for your horse. It´s better to face them on foot (although you can ALWAYS knock them over) -

you really are not supposed to be that much stronger on horse, it´s an alternative.

Animations may lag when the game loads, causing them to play later than the effect. Rising the shield is also a bit slow, but don´t mind it - should you
get hit, it will strangely enough catch the hit.

All enemies will bleed blood - it´s a custom effect, effecting all NPC´s and creatures in horse combat, at least for now.

At the moment, you can hit enemies like ghosts with a normal weapon, when fighting from the horseback.

Crime detection can´t be done perfectly. You will get a bounty for hitting innocent citizens - no matter if someone sees it or not. I had to make it this way.

Also, while you get the bounty, the guards will attack and kill the citizen if they see him attacking you back. Hopefully, there´s a solution to this later.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU LOAD A SAVE THAT´S IN HORSE COMBAT MODE, THE CLONED WEAPON "RESETS" - YOUR CHARACTER SHEATS IT.

This is known bug at the moment, please just get off from your horse and cancel horse combat mode by horse combat key, and then press it again to get back
to it.

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3. LIST OF BASIC COMBAT FEATURES:
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PLAYER MOVES:
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Elemental Effects:
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-any DIRECT spell or staff hit that includes frost, fire or shock damage may sometimes get boosted by pure divine rage, overwhelming the victim

-> fire burns to charred corpse

-> shock shoots NPC´s out of their boots, burning parts of the body and melting armor through skin (on creatures the effect is more like with fire)

-> frost freezes the victim to an icy statue, that you can break to pieces with a physical hit.

-the spell must cause minimum of 10 points of damage to the victim - note the target may have resistances!

-aim carefully always when shooting spells, pointing at the target when the spell shoots out, and your chances are better

-you can just use any spells and staffs normally, and enjoy the feeling of power when it happens

-critical elemental hit chance is derived from the enemy health, the damage caused by the spell, and the general Critical Chance variable you can choose

NOTES:

- always shatter the frozen enemies, to avoid anything strange happening, just in case

- the shaders used with some effects may fail or flicker in some situations, due to how the shaders work in game, or get overridden by shaders from other mods

-> examples of possible flicker/failure situations are MMM blood and creature effects

-> another one is shattering the frozen NPC in 3 seconds after freezing him

- smoke and fire may not show well on huge corpses like Ogres, once again due to how the shaders work

- THE EFFECTS NEVER WORK FROM HORSE BACK, YET - it requires some extra work due to the fact the Mounted Spell casting is a separate, unfamiliar esp

Neck Stabbing:
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-are you able to sneak behind your victim unnoticed? Stab him to the neck and watch him bleed - if you can!

-performed with the shield bash button while sneaking, and NOT in combat - WORKS WITH NPC´S ONLY

-THE ANIMATION HAPPENS IN THIRD PERSON - THE TRANSITION BACK AND FORTH IS FULLY AUTOMATIC

-the chance of success depends heavily on you sneak skill and blade skill - invisibility may let you try it, but without skill you are likely to fail

-if you happen to be too clumsy, the NPC notices you and may punch or bash you to the ground by suprise, or simply back off shocked

-if the NPC is not "evil", he will call an alert - pure "enemies" naturally attack you

-guards attack you if they catch you attempting to stab them

-attempting to stab a non-hostile NPC and getting caught counts same as attacking them

-Critical Chance you choose in this mod works as a modifier in your success chance

-> sneak and blade skills affect your chance of success exponentially but with a Critical Chance less than 50%, even 100 in both skills
leaves a chance of failure

-> as a point of reference, choosing Critical Chance of 50 means the chance of succesful stab is about the medium of sneak and blade skills

Example chances of success with different skills and selected Critical Chance:

Blade 30, Sneak 30, Critical Chance 20 --> chance of success = 19%

Blade 90, Sneak 90, Critical Chance 20 --> chance of success = 56%

Blade 30, Sneak 30, Critical Chance 30 --> chance of success = 23%

Blade 90, Sneak 90, Critical Chance 30 --> chance of success = 70%

Blade 30, Sneak 30, Critical Chance 40 --> chance of success = 27%

Blade 90, Sneak 90, Critical Chance 40 --> chance of success = 80%

Blade 30, Sneak 30, Critical Chance 100 --> chance of success = 42%

Blade **70**, Sneak **70**, Critical Chance 100 --> chance of success = 99%

NOTES:

-DON´T BE FOOLED BY THE NUMBERS!!! 30% chance of instant kill is well worth the risk, it means you take down every third enemy you stab with a clean sweep!

-you need to be able to get very very close to the enemy to try, undetected by him

-the risk of failure is supposed add some sense of danger when assassinating people, so try to enjoy the feeling of risk, and value your skills

-if you dislike the chance of failure, you can see upping the Critical Chance allows you to scale the chance of success higher as you like

-this is an ALTERNATIVE to normal sneak attack - you can choose to use that as well when ever you like, it´s not affected

Critical Piercing Bow Shot:
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- a DIRECT bow shot, aimed and hit to the upper body of the NPC may pierce his lung and cause him to collapse on his knees, drawing his last breath

- an intentional, fairly close quarters shot aimed and released with a direct line of aim to the chest is the key to success

-the actual chance of success then depends on the remaining health of the enemy, the amount of damage done by the hit, and chosen Critical Chance

Combustive Convulsion (Old name was Enemies Explode):
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-this new spell is added to you daily (24h after latest removing), and removed after SUCCESFULL usage (faked greater power)

-it requires that the average of your WILLPOWER and DESTRUCTION is at least 50 - otherwise you´ll not have it.

-makes the enemy to explode in pieces, if his health is lower than yours - otherwise he will fight off your power

-NEW!! The exploding effect works now more properly on creatures too, exploding them to chunks of meat

NOTES:

-some mods seem to overwrite custom added spells. So if you don´t get the spell, and you think you should be entitled to it, report me, I´ll fix this later.

-don´t use this spell on guards that are on their horse. It will trigger a strange physics bug in Oblivion, where the spell is transferred to the horse,
and the guard´s PHYSICAL body falls down, looking dead. But, while the body of the guard lies on the ground, his invisible essence will attack you.

Very odd, I know...

Shield bash:
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-Staggers you opponent or knocks him over, fatigues.

-Always knocks down if player is NOT in combat (in sneak too). Bashing common folk may anger them and gives you a small bounty.

-bashing guards outside combat gives you a bounty, and may cause them to even attack you
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Power hits:
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-three fast strikes can make the enemy to collapse

-power strike can knock the enemy over

-better chance for both, if enemy is staggered by shield bash or punch

-spells ALSO have a chance to knock the enemy down (shield bashing doesn´t affect this)
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Counter Punch:
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-a very quick strike with the hilt of your weapon or open hand

-Basically has the same effects as shield bash has

-a bit lower fatigue effect on enemy

-half the chance to knock the enemy over

-can´t be used outside of combat - it´s quick supprise punch, which belongs in combat and has no purpose outside of it
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Dodge:
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-a very quick, NON-acrobatic avoidance leap, semi-backwards / backwards

-Requires Agility 50

-possible to dodge South-East, South-West or just South

-can be used to dodge a coming blow when staggered or recoiling

-direction of dodge is mouse movement controlled, and can be emphasized during dodge by continuing turning the mouse.
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Forward flip:
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-flip forward, over the obstacles, over the enemies

-requires Acrobatics 50

-wearing heavy armor cuirass, it requires Heavy Armor 50
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Decapitation:
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-a chance to cut enemy´s head off with any blade or axe (IF BLUNT WEAPON, it´s the name has to contain letters "axe")

-uses rotating left or right power attack, so requires Blade or Blunt 50

-the window for a decapitation opens if a chance calculation favors you. It´s calculated EVERY TIME you manage to halve the opponent´s health,

his health reaching mileposts like 1/2, 1/4, 1/8....(etc) health of the original.

-works on NPC´s only
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Cutting enemies in half:
___________________________________________________

-a chance to cut the whole enemy in half

-an alternative to decapitation - same requirements apply. Simply aim waist to do this instead

-doesn´t work with very short weapons (for example Vanilla iron dagger)

-uses the rotating left or right power attack, so requires Blade or blunt 50

-can´t be used against NPC´s wearing Robes or Arena cuirass or similar, whole body clothing. Just aim the head instead.

-works on NPC´s only
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NEW!!! Skull Crushing:
____________________________________________________

- an alternative to decapitation, happens in same conditions if the weapon is a blunt weapon, and doesn´t include "axe" in its name

- can be made with almost any power attack, only power attack forward with 1h blunt and power attack backward with 2h blunt wont work

- the critical attack can be initiated more far away to let you use the running attack better - although it may lead to failure more easily, as a side effect

- the skull pieces and brains are collectable as ingredients

- these are the only differences to decapitation - follow the directions/requirements for that effect on anything else

Wrist cut:
____________________________________________________

-a chance to slice off the opponent´s wrists, if he´s health is less than half of the original

-happens, if you happen to strike the enemy just when he prepares to counter-punch you (counter-punch from THIS mod)

-naturally, this works only with blades or axes - that´s just the nature of mutilations

-instead of dying instantly, the NPC collapses and rises up in shock, whining, unable to think clearly or act

-in this situation, you can always finish him off with decapitation or cut him in half is (if the clothing isn´t an issue)

-bleeding heavily, he will die in 60 seconds

-works on NPC´s only
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Special effects:
____________________________________________________

-decapitation, cutting in half and wrist cut include custom blood effects and sounds

-the victims actually scream in pain, whine, cry, shower blood, bleed, and get all stained in their own blood
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Optional action and realism:
____________________________________________________

Optional 1.
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-option to use an esp which drains temporarily your block skill when block key is held down

-this means that you should only press block briefly at just the right time to counter the blow with your full skill

-it´s a whole new fight, you can´t just sit on that block, you have to REACT

-block effectiveness drains little by little to 25% percent in three seconds, but not lower, you get SOME protection anyway

-you get a small bonus to your effectiveness if you are JUST in time

-the skill is restored to full the moment you release the key, you can instantly block again with full effectiveness

Optional 2
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-higher weapon damage, affects all physical weapons in game, also mod-added ones

-using higher damage puts more weight on YOUR skills as a player, making the combat more deadly

-goods blocks, dodges and clean hits count more, you can defeat enemies with skill, rather than outlasting them

-also makes armor and weapons a bit more durable, simply to compensate the change

-you can choose between 1.5 * normal damage (similar to OOO, MMM Damage and durability, Frans..), or 2.5 times normal

-I use the 2.5 * damage myself, with FRANOOOMMM, it only changes the damage, so it can be loaded after such big mod

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NPC MOVES AND FEATURES:
-----------------------

Custom added "skills":
____________________________________________________

-NPC´s all have 3 special skills, all added in real time by this mod

-this means compatibility with all NPC´s from other mods

-the skills determine:

****
1. How acrobatic the NPC is; how much he dodges acrobatically, whether he can forward flip, and how much he flips over you.
NPC´s armor affects this greatly, the lighter the armor, the higher the chance the NPC can use acrobatics well.

2. How skillful dodger the NPC is. So there can be non-acrobatic master dodgers, or non-dodging master acrobats.

3. How much the NPC shield bashes you or punches you
****

-All skills CAN be zero, but they have an upper limit

-Combined with the NPC moves, there´s huge amount of different NPC play styles, so you´ll never know your enemy´s strengths

_____________________________________________________

Dodging:
_____________________________________________________

-NPC´s can dodge your attacs

-this means especially melee attacs, but they have a smaller chance to dodge spells and arrows as well

-Note that NPC´s don´t know what spell is coming, so they may react when you just heal yourself

-as described, the their "skills" play a big role in this

-they can mix and match acrobatics and "normal" dodges, or use heavily either one, and dodge much, or dodge less.
_____________________________________________________

Recovery dodging:
_____________________________________________________

-NPC´s will try to brake free from staggers, by dodging, to avoid possible hits

-Their dodging skill affects how often they succeed in this
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Flipping or jumping over obstacles:
______________________________________________________

-NPC´s can flip forward now too, or jump normally if not acrobatic enough

-they will use these skills to follow you over walls, beds, barrels, ledges, rocks, as they can identify an obstacle

-acrobatic NPC´s may sometimes use the flip to flip over you, getting behind you by suprise
______________________________________________________

Counter punch and shield bash:
______________________________________________________

-NPC´s can shield bash you, or if without a shield, counter punch you

-this is TOTALLY spontaneous from them

-staggers and has a chance to knock YOU over

-once again, their specific skill determines how much they use this

-punching NPC gathers his hands close to his chest just before the strike, this is the window for your wrist cut
______________________________________________________

********************************************
4. Some basic directions on player moves
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DODGE and FLIP:
---------------
_______________________________________________________

-use by pressing the FlipKey you chose when starting using this mod

-turning left while pressing the Flipkey once makes you dodge South-East

-turning right while pressing the Flipkey once makes you dodge South-West

-NOT turning and pressing the Flipkey, or pressing Flip + Backwards makes you dodge South

-While the dodge is fast, you can GUIDE IT DURING THE DODGE by turning the mouse

-For example, if you dodge South-East, and continue turning left while dodging, you end up moving more East than South.

-You can´t dodge fully against a wall, as my collision detection has to play it safe

-Dodging is most effective when

1. Enemy has short weapon

2. Enemy is already striking at you

3. Enemy has a slow weapon

-Pressing FORWARD + FLIP makes you Flip Forward

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DECAPITATION AND CUTTING IN HALF
--------------------------------
_______________________________________________________

-after you have reduced the enemy´s health to half from what it first was, a chance is calculated, and a window for a critical hit may open

-it´s possible that your next ROTATING POWER ATTACK can decapitate the enemy or cut him in half

-there is no message to you about this, so IT`S RECOMMENDED TO JUST PLAY NORMALLY, and let it happen if it happens

-Every time the enemy´s health reaches milestone like 1/2 health, 1/4 health etc, a new chance is calculated, incase it hasn´t come true yet

-when you DO get lucky, the time slows down in your eyes DURING the rotation (for 2s or so), and you hear your heart pumping

-this is the moment to make a decision: aim head (really aim high) or aim waist (not chest).

-if your hit connects, your aiming decides whether you cut him in half or decapitate him

-if you miss your chance, you wont get another one against that enemy

-you can miss your chance by strike not connecting, or by trying to cut Robes user in half, for example, or by false aiming.

-also note the 10 points damage requirement - an enemy may block the hit so well that your critical hit fails, or simply resist the damage

-this is a special effect, and so it´s meant to be fairly rare,

-the chance you chose pretty much decides the rate of which you get chances for critical hits, but it´s not the only factor - even with 100% you´ll most
likely get a chance for a critical hit on 80% of the non-creature enemies

-it´s not a good idea to slice summoned creatures in pieces - it may cause strange effects. I have currently no way to detect if the target is summoned,
so it´s up to you avoid it - don´t worry it too much though.

-one hit kills mean that my scripts never take place - add some challenge to your game.
________________________________________________________

----------
WRIST CUT:
----------
________________________________________________________

-this will probably happen more by accident, it doesn´t require anything special, other than a cutting weapon

-it´s simply an unfortunate (for the NPC) incident of battle, as he tries to counter-punch, but loses his wrist

-it happens if you hit him just when he has his hands together, to his body, just before punching.

-requires that the NPC´s health is less than half of the original when he attempts to punch

-100% chance to decapitate/cut in half is added when this happens, provided you got the skill
_________________________________________________________

GENERAL TIPS:

Think before you act, don´t try to do 5 things at the same time. Rhythmic, purposeful moves are much more efficient. ;)

Also note that unlike shield bash, punch can´t be initiated if you are blocking.

**********************************
5. INSTALLATION AND UNINSTALLATION
**********************************

-------------
INSTALLATION:
-------------

BEFORE INSTALLING THIS MOD:
---------------------------

!!!!MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST OBSE LOADER INSTALLED!!!!

Get it from here: Obse.silverlock.org

And read the OBSE README - note for example, that in order to use Obse, Oblivion needs to launched by double clicking Obse_loader.exe.

Installing the latest Oblivion patch is required!!!!

*IF* you use Shivering Isles, make sure you PATCHED WITH OFFICIAL 1.2 (or latest) PATCH BEFORE INSTALLING SHIVERING ISLANDS.

If you installed Shivering Islands before 1.2 patch or later, go to the Obse home page to learn how to get obse working.

Ok, then the installation:

1. First, extract the zip package to Oblivion\Data folder. Say yes to everything.

2.Then, you need to activate the following files:

HorsecombatMaster.esm (NOTE! This is NOT the file containing Horse combat, you need it in any case. To not to use Horse Combat, don´t use the key for it.)

MountedSpellcasting.esp

Deadly Reflex - Combat Moves.esp

You can also select ONE of the optional esp´s (recommended) - the optional esp´s are the ones with a "Timed Block" in their name.

Differences in esp´s:
______________________

----------------------------------
DeadlyReflex 3 - Combat Moves.esp:
----------------------------------

Includes all but the optional features. The main esp of this mod. Should be loaded last, after any other mod, NO MATTER IF THEY SHOULD BE LOADED LAST.

This mod will not break any other mods, but other mods may brake this mod.

----------------------------------
Mounted Spellcasting.esp
----------------------------------

This a Mounted Spellcasting mod made by FlyFightFlea, and lets you to cast spells when riding your horse.

This a compatible esp made for Deadly Reflex. It will not function without Deadly Reflex.

DO NOT USE ANY OTHER Mounted Spellcasting esp but this one with one with Deadly Reflex.

---------------------------------------------------
DeadlyReflex 3 - Timed Block + Very High Damage.esp
---------------------------------------------------

Use if you want to time your blocks and use 2.5 times normal weapon damage. Should be loaded after any mod that might also
change damage.

-------------------------------------------------
Deadly Reflex 3 - Timed Block + Higher Damage.esp
-------------------------------------------------

Use if you want to time your blocks and use 1.5 times normal damage. Should be loaded after any mod that might also
change damage.

--------------------------------------------------
Deadly Reflex 3 - Timed Block no other changes.esp
--------------------------------------------------

Use if you want to time your blocks, but want to let some other mod handle the damage changes, or want to use normal damage.

And once again:

DON`T USE ANY PREVIOUS VERSIONs OF THIS MOD!!!!

After enabling the three main files, and possibly one of the optional files, your load order should look like this - IT´S IMPORTANT!:

--------------------------------
Oblivion.esm

[ALL OTHER ESM´s YOU HAVE]

HorseCombatMaster.esm

[ALL ESP´S FROM OTHER MODS - REALLY, *ALL*]

[ONE of the "Timed block esp´s, IF you want to use any]

Mounted Spellcasting.esp

Deadly Reflex - Combat Moves.esp
---------------------------------

WRYE BASH, BASHED PATCH AND DEADLY REFLEX:

Always keep Combat Moves plugin LATER/LOWER in the load order the Bashed patch. Doing otherwise doesn´t give any benefits, but MAY cause problems.

Please understand this point:

There is no harm in loading Combat Moves esp after Bashed patch, in any mod combination, and it guarantees both work as intended.

Always load Combat Moves last in your load order, to play it SAFE.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

3.

When the game starts, you are being asked:

1. For a Bashkey (shield bash and punch)

2. Flipkey (Dodge and Flip)

3. Horse Combat -mode key

4. To select a chance for critical hits.

Just close the first message and press the key want to use as a bashkey.

A new message appears, close it and press the key you want to use as a flipkey.

After that, you are asked for a Horse Combat key. As you get explained, this key is NOT a combat key, and need not to be too easily reachable.

You only need to press this key when you want to use my Horse Combat features, and it can only be pressed BEFORE mounting the horse.

Make sure those keys are free, ALREADY!

After that, you will get one more message, which lets you set the chance to decapitate enemies.

Note, that this chance is calculated EVERY TIME the enemy´s health reaches 50% of the last value.

So it´s calculated when he´s health is 50%, then, when it´s 25%, then when it´s 12,5%....etc. And you can´t cheat by healing the enemy. ;)

It´s recommended to choose a low number like 30 %, but you can use the 100% to test if you want.

After choosing everything, WAIT, DON´T PRESS THE BUTTONS, until after a couple of seconds you will get a message telling you are ready.

You will also be given an Hour glass called Deadly Reflex Reset, which you can cast to get to choose the keys and the chance again.

SPECIAL - HOW TO DISABLE NPC´S JUMPING AND FLIPPING FEATURE:
************************************************************

-type in the console "set skycaptainsSb.noNPCJump to 1" without the quotes

-setting it back to 0 will reset the change

SPECIAL - HOW TO DISABLE ALL THE FEATURES CONTAINING GORE:
**********************************************************

-type in the console "set skycaptainsSb.NoGore to 1" without the quotes

-setting it back to 0 will reset the change

SPECIAL - HOW TO BIND MOUSE KEYS FOR THE MOVES:
***********************************************

Instantly after setting some keyboard keys for the moves (if you have set them earlier, you need to reset the mod and set the keys again first)
----------------------------------------------

type in the console:

set skycaptainsSb.bashkey to xxx

set skycaptainsSb.flipkey to yyy

set skycaptainsSb.horseCombatKey to zzz

where xxx,yyy, and zzz are numbers from 256 to 265.

256 = LMB

257 = RMB

258 = MMB

264 and 265 are for the mouse wheel movement - the rest of the numbers mean other possible mouse buttons you might have, but there is no other way to know

which number is which button than testing one by one.

---------------
UNINSTALLATION:
---------------

Basically, you can disable all the features by simply disabling the esm and esp files.

BUT, from v4.0 onwards, this mod also includes replacement animation files, which you need to delete by hand if you don´t want to use them.

If you want to remove all the mod files, the easiest option is to use a great utility called Oblivion Mod Remover:

Tesnexus.com

It´s easy to use and you will benefit from it later as well.

If you are fine with just disabling the esm and esp files, but want to delete the animation files, the files to delete are the following ones:

Remove the files "onehandskill1attackpower.kf" and "twohandskill1attackpower.kf" and "blockattack.kf" from

BOTH "Oblivion\Data\Meshes\Characters\_male" folder

AND "Oblivion\Data\Meshes\Characters\1stperson" folder

The total number of files to delete is 6.

****************************************************

************************************************************
6. Compatibility, known possible problems and possible fixes
************************************************************

-------------
Compatibility
-------------

-This mod should be compatible with basically almost anything - BUT YOU REALLY REALLY NEED TO LOAD IT LAST.

-Spell Deflection will block (and sometimes "deflect") my silent script spells if you block, and then press the bashkey or attack key

-horsecombat works with any horse, but some saddlebag mods may conflict, if they change the horse´s behavior somehow, for example speed.
The best way to find out is to save your game, and test it out.

-Other combat moves mods are a question mark, only way to know is to test. As long as they don´t add new moves for the NPC´s,

it´s probably fine.

BUT: DON´T use for example a shield bash from another mod, instead of mine, otherwise you will lose much features and balance.

-Deactivate Script Effect icon replacer mods, you will not see those in your game anyway with this mod.

-if you love the icon you have now, you can manually replace mine:

The icon this mod uses, can be found in C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data\Textures\menus\icons\DeadlyReflexData

and it´s called DeadlyReflex_Icon_Replacer.dds.

So you can rename the icon you like similarly, and overwrite my icon with that.

-do NOT use "Horses Turn Faster" type of mods - this mod has it´s own system for that.

-this mod overrides bullet time mod at certain circumstances - it may cut you out of bullet time when the critical hit occurs.

-Spell knockdown and NPC spell dodging should work with FlyFightFleas Hotkey casting mod

-Usage of other Horse Combat mods is not recommended. Balance in Horse Combat is a huge question, and I used hours after hours to get this mod fun

but challenging. Use only the SpellCasting plugin that comes with this mod.

-Some custom meshes (that come with custom NPC´s) may produce odd/funny results, but this really means like 0.001% of the custom meshes, so don´t worry.

Examples:

-Werewolves from Martigen´s Monster Mod can be decapitated properly, but the one´s from Curse of the Hircine produce odd results, like two bodies.

-if you are violent enough to mutilate a palace guard from OOO, the head may have an extra cape.

-very odd body meshes, like, say Werewolves, have so fat necks, that a "plug" used for the neck wound surface may be too small.

-middle body "plugs" always work better or worse differing from form of the body or clothing to other, this cannot be helped

These are the only ones that I know of - so nothing big or game braking. I use this mod myself with FCOM (OOO, Frans, MMM, Warcry, Bob´s Armory),
and ~80 others.

One more time: LOAD THIS MOD LAST. It doesn´t hurt other mods, but other mods have sometimes hurt this one.

---------------------------
Fixes and possible problems
---------------------------

99.9% OF THE REPORTED PROBLEMS EVER HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY NOT READING THIS README AND FAILING TO INSTALL OBSE AND/OR OBLIVION PATCH, NOT USING OBSE,

NOT LOADING MY MOD LAST, NOT CLEAN SAVING, OR MISSING A SKILL OR DAMAGE REQUIREMENT.

HUGE amount of work for 4.0 went into fixing problems that have lurked deep within the system without me knowing about it.

Everything should be fine now, with special new systems to cope with the oddities in the script system, but before the actual user experiences pour in,

I can only hope I found every single small bug.

THAT SAID:

-Mutilations may trigger NVIDIA blackscreen bug. A possible general fix is uploaded here Tesnexus.com

and is recommended for anyone using NVIDIA card - NOTE THAT NEW FIXES ARE MADE ALL THE TIME, SEARCH TESNEXUS WITH "NVIDIA" TO FIND THEM ALL!

-Wrist-cut NPC´s can whine a couple of seconds after you finish them off, as I can´t stop a sound from playing before it ends

-When aiming decapitation, aim as high as possible to decapitate, and at enemy belt when trying to cut him in half

-obstacle detection for NPC´s simply can´t tell other NPC from a rock, so they sometimes flip or jump for nothing - and they also see your horse as
an obstacle. Luckily this only adds to the balance of the horse combat.

-collision detection had to be selfmade, and it works pretty well. Sometimes, when the ceiling or wall is uneven, it
may fail, but this should happen pretty rarely.

- should you get stuck in slow motion, pressing ESC clears it (this should NEVER EVER HAPPEN)

- should your shield bash of flip stop working or something like that, use the Keyconfig spell
to "reset" the mod.

-shaders may always act up a bit, that´s just the nature of forcing them, and having other shaders around trying to play as well

- - - IF THE GAME DOES NOT LOAD WITHOUT THE COMBAT MOVES ESP - - -
--------------------------------------------------------------------

When updating from a version before v4.0:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you already have a save in place with no NPC´s, Delete the old Deadly Reflex 3 - Combat Moves.esp from your Oblivion\data, if you haven´t already.

Open the folder called "Contains clean save esp", that should now be as well in your Oblivion\data directory.

NOTE THAT THIS IS THE "Contains Clean Save esp" FOLDER FROM THE VERSION BEFORE 4.0!!!

Right click the "DeadlyReflex 3 - Combat moves.esp" inside it. Note the "3" in the file name, just like in the old Combat Moves file.

Select "copy".

Return to your Oblivion\data folder, and right click, and select paste. The esp you copied should now appear there.

Activate that esp. The esp is totally empty, but has the same name as the old Combat moves esp HAD before you deleted it, so it will now "fool" Oblivion.

You should now be able to load your save normally.

IF YOU CAN`T:
-------------

-are you sure the empty esp has the same name as the old Combat Moves esp, like the one from for example 3.331 version?

-try leaving the old Horse Combat Master.esm and Mounted Spell Casting.esp (if you used it) active

-DELETE YOUR ARCHIVE INVALIDATION file. This has helped a lot of people, for some reason. Nowadays, you shouldn´t even have one:

- > use the Oblivion Mod Manager, it has a different and better feature to make sure texture replacers work, called BSA Redirection.

Now, *follow closely each step*.

Launch game. Load your latest/desired save. Save game. Quit. Deactivate the "false" Combat moves.esp. Load the save you just made. SAVE GAME. Quit.

You can now delete or rename the empty Combat Moves.esp we just used to make the clean save.

Just remember to load the save we made last during the previous steps when continuing to follow the update instructions.

If you are asked to "clean save" the v4.0 or later (you have already updated earlier and used the v4.0)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Make the clean save just like instructed above, but don´t delete the Deadly Reflex - Combat Moves.eps. Just rename it, to for example

"XXXDeadly Reflex - Combat Moves.eps".

Deactivate it, and follow the procedure like above, copying the "empty" esp with the name "Deadly Reflex - Combat Moves.eps" into Oblivion data and

activating it, and use it to load up your game, and save.

After that you need to delete the empty esp, again like instructed above as well, and load the game once more, with no Combat Moves esp, to gain a real

clean save.

After that, you can rename the Original, functional Combat Moves esp back to normal, activate it and use the mod again.

JUST INCASE (you should not do this unless the previous step failed):

IF the previous step fails, for some unearthly reason (DID YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER?), you can use the Reset Hourglass that came with

my mod, to reset all the features - then you naturally need to keep the Combat Moves named as it came and active.

IF you don´t have the Reset Hourglass, you can type in the console "startquest SkycaptainsKeyCustomisingQuest" without the quotes - AFTER installing.

******************************

IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU REALLY HAVE READ EVERYTHING IN THIS README, THEN CONTACT ME.

Refer to the actions you did while setting the mod up, tell which other mods you are using, and tell me what was happening
when the problem occurred. This is the only way I can possibly figure out your problem and help you. :)

********************
C--R--E--D--I--T--S!
********************

1. To the MAKERS OF OBSE!!!!!! There are no words, those guys are unbelievable, they are the *SOLE* reason this mod exists.

2. To WOLVE, who worked as my modeler and texturer for the 4.0 update!!!

Almost every new model and texture in v4.0 was created by him, and he was always ready to try new things and help me solve related problem - THANKS MAN!!!

3. To Keter Sephiroth, who created the Neck Stabbing animation for me even though he had his own projects under way!!!

4. To SMOOTHY, who gave us the THREE wonderful alternative cut wounds, PLUS THE SKULL PIECES AND BRAINS!!!

5. To dDefinder, GREAT THANKS FOR LETTING ME USE YOUR BLOOD TEXTURES!!!!!! :)

6. HUGE thanks for FlyFightFlea for making the Mounted Spellcasting plugin - and letting me use it!!!!

7. To JazzR and Koldorn, who I believe made the bloody skeleton textures for MMM - I was directed to just use them and credit according to the MMM readme,

so I hope this address is correct - in any case outstanding work, and thank you so much for letting me use them!

8. To Demoncleaner, whose Zombie meshes from MMM I think I used with Martigen´s old permission - let me know if I´ve understood him wrong!

9. To Martigen, who allowed me to use those textures made originally for his mod!

10. To yarharhar, who I was told originally rigged differently the vanilla Oblivion skeleton mesh I´m using here - I was told he hasn´t been around in a while,

so I made my choice. I hope he gets a chance to see his tweak in good use and enjoy it, or lets me know if he disapproves me taking advantage of it.

11. To Walther, who made an alternative sound set for my mod. Unable to contact you privately, I used 50% of ONE sound for the Skull Crush.

I hope I didn´t do anything wrong - as you made a whole set that only works with my mod, I had to assume it´s ok to use it to enhance this mod further. :)

12. To Bethesda, for a great game, the tools to mod it, and the animations I tweaked to create those different ones seen in this mod.

13. To ALL THE NICE PEOPLE WHO KEPT ME MOTIVATED! This mod is for you. :)

*********************************************************

HAVE FUN!!! -Skycaptain :)