Nifft

Overwriting the usability flags is the very idea of bad practice... unless you make it a tweak component instead of a kit (with the inherited item component).

If there are more kits than usability flags, the only options are:

- share

- overwrite

If re-using is a bad idea, please do tell me what a good idea would be.

"Make it a tweak component"... I guess you mean that I would have to do the item mods along with the kit mods?

Yes, of course. That's the plan.

- It looks like the best practice for a shape-changing class ability is to put the abilities in a custom item (a weapon), which applies the transformation effects when wielded. What's the cleanest way to do that? Should the weapon be "stuck" in the character's inventory? What's the best way to upgrade the weapon when the character levels up?

It depends on the item... and what you are trying to archive with it... but usually you put the item to the magical weapon slot and sign it to have the same effects as the rest of the spell.

Using the magical weapon slot (like the existing shape-change effects do) is not at all what I'm talking about. That's not something which can be wielded or unwielded, it's just stuck as wielded until the duration expires.

I mean a special item which takes up a regular weapon slot.

I've seen mods which do things like this, and I'm curious what the current state of the art is.

Thanks for the quick replies!

Here are some specific questions:

- I want to add a bunch of kits, and that means re-using "usability flags". If I want a kit to use the same usability flag as the base class, do I just zero-out the usability flag field?

- Some new kits (Shadowdancer etc.) seem to all have the same usability flag. What's up with that? Is it some new thing I need to watch out for?

- What's the best way to over-write the usability flags on all appropriate items?

- Some of my kits are intended to replace existing kits. What's the best way to do this? The old kits will be broken by the usability flag changes, so it doesn't seem useful to keep them around in any form.

- It looks like the best practice for a shape-changing class ability is to put the abilities in a custom item (a weapon), which applies the transformation effects when wielded. What's the cleanest way to do that? Should the weapon be "stuck" in the character's inventory? What's the best way to upgrade the weapon when the character levels up?

- How do I ensure my new spells are used by monsters?

- Is there anything I can do to make my new spells easy for mods like SCS to find and use?

- What's the best way to remove a spell from the Cleric or Druid's list? For example, I want to remove Animate Dead from the general Cleric list, then give it as a bonus spell to most neutral or evil Clerics, but never to Priests of Lathander, and never to Paladins.

Thanks! -- N