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So the basic issue is that right now it's impossible for a separate module to modify the templates of the Main campaign in a modular way. Sure, I could unpak everything and modify the Main files directly, but that will undoubtedly run into issues later down the line.

All of this leads me to believe that I need to create something new instead. Ideally, I would like to create a talent that requires Lockpicking 1 and has the effect I'm looking for. Does anyone know how I could go about creating a custom talent?

Turns out I failed to set a starting level/menu theme when I tried creating my mod earlier. After setting them appropriately, I tried it out and it works! The lockpick found in the tutorial dungeon has the custom description I made and wasn't consumed on use.

Picture of modded lockpick:
http://imgur.com/4RL1wUg

For the sake of others, here is what I did:
1. In the Divinity Engine, I created a new module with a dependency upon Main in both boxes. I called mine "Unbreakable Lockpicks". Starting scene is Character creation.

2. I copied the Tools.lsb file from the unpacked Main.pak file (in the unpacked files, the location is Public/Main/RootTemplates/Tools.lsb) to a new file I made.

The full file path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Divinity - Original Sin\Data\Public\Unbreakable_Lockpicks_b3d9a065-c492-43f2-b92f-409972047149\RootTemplates\Tools.lsb

3. Using LStools, I removed every Template in the new Tools.lsb file except for the Lockpick entry. I changed the Lockpick entry to the one I want.

4. I loaded my module in the Divinity Engine with administrator priveleges to make sure that the changes were there. This step is probably not needed, but it's effectively what I did because I forgot the Starting scene the first time. I Checked Out the modded lockpick (the Check Out button at the top of the sidebar when viewing the Template) just in case and saved the mod.

5. I went into the game, activated the mod, started a new campaign and found the lockpick in the picture above. I then used it to unlock the chest nearby and saw that it wasn't consumed.

Full disclosure: I haven't tested any further than seeing that the lockpicks were in the Tutorial dungeon. I don't know if there are any unwarranted issues.

Last edited by Rhidian; 08/07/14 12:34 PM.