I *sincerely* advise against using mods on your first run. There is no point in changing things that you do not know or understand. If you want to feel super empowered, just turn the difficulty down to Story mode. There is no shame in this.
There are *many, many* games like this, the vast majority of them being *waaay* harder. It's just your first.
A level three Astarion in the hands of a careful player will murder that entire spider cave solo without ever taking a hit. Yes.
