Buffy's Basket of Potpourri, Musings, ask Buffy, etc Options

[Darkness Eternal]

Just checking in on Buffy.... And awaiting an update

[Grits]

I loved your screenies of the month for August and September. It’s neat to see Buffy interacting with her fellow mages and her fellow adventurers. I was amazed by Astronaut practice! That’s how I imagine the College could be. Danger ahead makes my hair stand on end. I’m happy to see that Buffy brought some muscle with her, even if it was just to show the Nords how an elf can handle it!

[mALX]

Just wanted to tell Buffy how much I love her screen of the month! What a great shot!

[Lopov]

A really heartwarming shot for October, Ms Buffy.

[mirocu]

As always a very nice shot of the month


This one really, really feels like home! If Buffy is in my neighbourhood I will never forgive her if she doesn´t come and say hi to me!!

[mALX]

Aaaw, Buffy looks Awesome in this "Screen of the Month" !!!!







This post has been edited by mALX: Nov 2 2015, 07:51 PM

[Grits]

Buffy’s screenie of the month makes the heart beat faster.

[mirocu]

Regarding the pic of the month, I see Skyrim has incorporated some WoW swords...

[Lopov]

Another great shot of the month! The warrior on the left looks much bigger than the other trio and wow, the Dunmer on the right is able to carry a dagger and a sword at one side. I like it how they all look at Buffy, I guess they're waiting for her instructions.

[Acadian]

mirocu- Aww, thanks for your kind words about Buffy – and even being less than happy that her screen of the month didn’t show her face. The action poses you see Buffy in are not poses at all, but simply freezing in game action. The only actual poses she has is crosslegged sit, kneel to pray and lie down.

hazmick- Thank you! I do like the Dawnguard because the questline does not try and force you to be the boss. It also supports Buffy’s more natural role as a helper/sidekick rather than a primary heroine.

SubRosa- Thanks! I agree that the Regal Huntsman armor looks pretty good – kind of an eclectic blend of mage robes, vampire gear and Dragonborn cultist stuff with a strong Assassin’s Creed flavor. In the Soul Cairn, that was Superian – just fully armored up and with a violet aura going. The mare has developed a wardrobe with accessories that almost rivals that of her mistress.

mALX- Thank you so much! Buffy and Serana did look pretty good together, sort of dressed to complement each other. That line up in the Soul Cairn was Buffy on Superian, followed by Kitsune the vixen, then Raiza (Buffy’s flame atronach) and finally, Serana on her flaming horse. After the questline was done, Buffy convinced Serana to change horses, and they picked a black one with red glowing eyes wearing Daedric horse armor. On Buffy’s arctic Moon and Stars screen of the month, that is the back end of Superian’s Nordic armor that you are mistaking for another NPC – easy to do.

Lopov- Thank you! Serana’s a. . . mixed blessing. When she resurrects a deer or bunny it’s of no help of course, and when she resurrects a bandit or vampire it’s very hard not to automatically shoot them dead (again). Buffy actually does well vs dragons. If they ever were to get tooth, claw or tail on her she’d be instadead, but at range her mighty bow and maxed magic resistance let her prevail rather handily. When she stands at distance and shoots right into a dragon’s breath, the dragon loses. And of course the dragon has a shout cool down that does not apply to Buffy’s bow. In December’s screenshot of the month, that is (left to right) Mjoll, Jordis, Buffy and Jenassa. There is some distortion in that items near the edges look bigger that they actually are. Jenassa does dual wield and, like you, found it neat that her weapons actually display as such.

DE- I agree – Serana, despite her dubious resurrection choices and favoring frost magic in a land of frost resistant foes, is indeed pretty potent and a good fighting ally. I’m glad you liked Buffy and Serana’s outfits in that one shot – I did kind of dress them to match there on purpose. Thank you!

Grits- Thanks! Yes, it seems Convenient Horses issues Serana a flaming sword to use with her flaming horse. I agree that the red Regal Huntsman suits Serana even better than her vanilla master vamp outfit. Little Blue Eyes tends to favor the blue variant of course.

* * *

Today’s update is all about the bow.

As you may recall, Buffy and I were quite unhappy with how Skybows ‘disappear’ (into your inventory) when you cast spells and Buffy is constantly switching between bow and spells. The summoned bow was the perfect solution as it is supposed to disappear. However. . . after a couple thousand hours of watching those waving flames to the point of some irritation, listening to the noise of the bound bow and having to do some roleplaying mental gymnastics to explain why a blue flaming bow would not give away our sneaky bowgirl’s position, an alternative finally struck us.

The simplicity of our solution is actually quite embarrassing: Use a normal bow on a hotkey and simply pretend it is conjured. Hence was born Buffy’s interest in ‘summoned’ bows that appear to be real bows. Numerous mods and countless tweaks later, we have resurrected her living green bow from Cyrodiil – except that, due to the cold climate, the bow now sports ‘thorns’ instead of leaves. The model is a daedric bow with a wood retex that has been enchanted with one second of soul trap and just enough damage stamina to give it a nice green glow when in her hands. When on her back, it appears to simply be made of gray wood. The bow is very appropriate for Buffy’s archery forte of sniping – it is big, slow and powerful. The pretend magic in the bow is that, like its Cyodiilic predecessor, it is ‘alive’ and helps Buffy with its heavy draw. Like her bound bow, the weapon remains summoned via a tiny constant drain of magicka (instead of a timer) and is dispelled when Buffy chooses to do so - or casts a different spell.

The bow uses real arrows that are managed by its ‘enchanted’ quiver. The quiver imparts an armor piercing enchantment to the arrows and both the quiver and its contents summon and unsummon with the bow. This does put Buffy into the position of having to manage and resupply her arrows. Happily, her choice is steel arrows which are easy to acquire and easy to spot on the ground if they miss the target.

Mods in support include a universal quiver that looks like the iron arrow quiver and rides closer on her back, longer arrows, a retex of the daedric bow and a mod that causes the quiver to equip/unequip whenever the bow equips/unequips. The bow was also tweaked so, that like a bound bow, it cannot be disarmed by shouts.

She has been pretty solid with this bow for quite some time now so, like Kitsune her fox familiar, I’d like to hope this is likely a ‘keeper’ and worthy of introducing to her friends.

I do have some screenshots taken over the last few months that showcase her new bow –

Introducing a bow named Thorn.

In action.

Good morning, Bilegulch Mine!

The little sniper was kind enough to cast a candlelight spell to reveal her position after taking out this bandit.

A view to a kill. The bowstring is actually regenerative vine that is part of the living bow - and therefore does not require unstringing/restringing. In fact, the only maintenance the bow requires is, not surprisingly, a bit of sunlight and water.

Using telekinesis to recover a missed arrow – a trick she learned in Cyrodiil. That is Brelyna and Erandur sneaking through White River Watch with Buffy.

[Lopov]

Good to have you two back! An interesting story about Buffy and her bow - I like it that the very essence of the bow is closely tied to nature.

The Thorn looks great, I like its green glow and thorns of course.

Goodness, in the 2nd pic it looks even better and it blends well with the steel arrow. What's the blue magic around Buffy's left boot?

A great pair of sniping shots and a candlelight spell is a nice way to let us know where the Bowgirl is located.

"Let Breylna and Erandur sneak on while I get that arrow back." Was the last pic taken in the White River Watch?

[ghastley]

I've been in the Where Am I? thread too much. I'm not appreciating the pictures of Buffy, so much as thinking "Uttering Hills?" "Lost Knife?" ...

So I was glad that you pre-empted me with "Good Morning, Bilegulch Mine"!

[SubRosa]

Thorn looks really cool. I would not want a Good Morning like that one though!

I would have never been able to tell Buffy was there without that candlelight spell!

Good thing Buffy at Embershard Mine. She can water her bow in the river just down the hill!

Buffy telekesising her arrow back reminds me of a Jedi Knight using the Force to draw back their lightsaber after throwing it.

[hazmick]

Ooh I like Thorn. Suits Buffy down to a T.

Telekinetic arrow retrieval sure seems handy. Better than tying a bit of string to them and reeling them back in, I suppose

[mirocu]

Good morning, Bilegulch Mine!

Eep!



I like her green bow, was it named Thorn in Cyrodiil too?

[Grits]

Oh my goodness, Thorn looks fabulous! I have always admired the spiky shape of the daedric bow, but the daedric colors and source were off-putting. Thorn’s colors bring out the organic nature of the bow’s shape beautifully. Wow!

Buffy’s outfit with the short skirt is a favorite.

What a great solution to the quiver issue. I love how bright and deadly the steel arrow tips look.

I can barely see the tiny sniper even with her candlelight on! What an amazing shot!!

Telekinesis is my favorite, and not just for Buffy’s generous display of elven thigh. I love the demonstration that she is both archer and mage!

I’m delighted to meet Buffy’s Skyrim bow and learn the story behind it. Buffy continues to be a delight and an inspiration. Skyrim is a warmer place with her in it!

[mALX]

mALX- Thank you so much! Buffy and Serana did look pretty good together, sort of dressed to complement each other. That line up in the Soul Cairn was Buffy on Superian, followed by Kitsune the vixen, then Raiza (Buffy’s flame atronach) and finally, Serana on her flaming horse. After the questline was done, Buffy convinced Serana to change horses, and they picked a black one with red glowing eyes wearing Daedric horse armor. On Buffy’s arctic Moon and Stars screen of the month, that is the back end of Superian’s Nordic armor that you are mistaking for another NPC – easy to do.

* * *

Today’s update is all about the bow.


I do have some screenshots taken over the last few months that showcase her new bow –

Introducing a bow named Thorn.

In action.

Good morning, Bilegulch Mine!

The little sniper was kind enough to cast a candlelight spell to reveal her position after taking out this bandit.

A view to a kill. The bowstring is actually regenerative vine that is part of the living bow - and therefore does not require unstringing/restringing. In fact, the only maintenance the bow requires is, not surprisingly, a bit of sunlight and water.

Using telekinesis to recover a missed arrow – a trick she learned in Cyrodiil. That is Brelyna and Erandur sneaking through White River Watch with Buffy.

Oh, thank you so much for explaining that! How embarrassing that I thought a horse's butt was an NPC!


Buffy's Living Bow is back! I remember it so well from Cyrodiil!

Wow, those arrows are HUGE!


How on Nirn did you get a shot of the arrow coming toward you? Gaaaah - oh wait, is that a TFC1 shot? Why can I never remember to do that? Awesome shot!


I got such a huge kick out of this next shot, because if Buffy hadn't lit the candle (I'd have never seen her in that shot),


In "A View To Kill," I don't see what she is shooting at, but love the closeup of the arrow butt and its feathers! Is that the same type arrow as in the other shots? I didn't see the colored feathers in the other shots!

Also, you must have a great rig to capture the arrows in such detail!!!


Telekinesis - I was never able to do it for some reason; not even in Oblivion. Could never figure out how it worked! I had to use a bow and arrow to knock the high Welkynd stones off their pedestals (didn't know how to toggle clipping back then, lol). Buffy will need to teach Maxical how, lol.

Awesome shots !!!

[Destri Melarg]

I do have some screenshots taken over the last few months that showcase her new bow –

Introducing a bow named Thorn.

In action.

Good morning, Bilegulch Mine!

The little sniper was kind enough to cast a candlelight spell to reveal her position after taking out this bandit.

A view to a kill. The bowstring is actually regenerative vine that is part of the living bow - and therefore does not require unstringing/restringing. In fact, the only maintenance the bow requires is, not surprisingly, a bit of sunlight and water.

Using telekinesis to recover a missed arrow – a trick she learned in Cyrodiil. That is Brelyna and Erandur sneaking through White River Watch with Buffy.

I agree with mALX, every one of these shots (including this month's screenshot… I genuinely feel sorry for any Falmer making that ruin a home) is fantastic. I particularly like 'The little sniper…' shot because it shows just how deadly Buffy is at long (and I mean long) range!

I can't think of two better companions for Buffy than Brelyna and Erandur!

And finally the story behind her new bow is another perfect example of your ingenuity and resourcefulness. May it serve as a guide for any who believe that there is no opportunity for roleplaying in Skyrim.

[mirocu]

And finally the story behind her new bow is another perfect example of your ingenuity and resourcefulness. May it serve as a guide for any who believe that there is no opportunity for roleplaying in Skyrim.

Heh, I can roleplay in Bubble Bobble for the NES!

[mirocu]

Happy New Year to Buffy, Superian and all their friends!!