:: Description ::

Adds cloaks to the world of Skyrim, via crafting and levelled-lists. They are lore-friendly and enchantable, and more are being added with every update. The aim of this mod is to provide some variety and flavour to the world, as well as the chance to wear a stylish cloak and quite literally keep the cold out (the cloaks provide defence against the cold in both the Frostfall and Hypothermia mods). You will see NPCs around Skyrim wearing various cloaks, and there are unique and rare variations to stumble across in your travels. The cloaks use slot 46, so can be worn without replacing any other equipment. 

Please feel free to add more screenshots, as I do love seeing them. Especially if you have screenshots of any unique cloaks you wish to share. Very interested to see and hear what people's favourites are! 





:: Updates ::

version 1.1
-more variety added to the Hold guards - they now wear fancy-lookin' capes as well as the old cloaks
-College of Winterhold capes now available
-Markarth cloak world model fixed
-a few other small fixes

version 1.0! 

-Dragon Priest cloaks added. Loot them from Hevnoraak, Volsung & friends. Unnamed Dragon Priests will drop the default colour, while the named Priests drop a variant related to their mask colour. If you have previously killed the named Priests, you'll be able to find their cloak somewhere around their spawn location.
-short capes added. 7 types craftable in the basic colours, in either linen or burlap variants. 
-a handful of unique/rare capes also added to the world
-Stormcloaks also have a new cape variant
-a few texture improvements
-changed naming convention to generally tidy everything up and hopefully make life easier

version 0.9

-more cloaks! Including variants for Imperial, Necromancer and Forsworn factions, along with more Dwemer-flavoured cloaks, and another bunch of unique and rare cloaks to be found around Skyrim
-burlap cloaks (a more detailed, rougher retexture of linen) are craftable at the tanning rack
-minor tweaks and fixes

version 0.8
-10 new cloak styles added. These are unique or rare, and have been hand-placed in the world. See Locations Readme for more information and hints 
-3 new Hold guard cloaks added, to complete the collection
-a few minor tweaks and fixes 

version 0.7
-fixed Player Only.esp so hopefully no-one will be seen wearing cloaks they shouldn't be! Please let me know if you spot any.
-added Thalmor and Greybeard cloaks (hopefully the first of many unique/rare cloaks to collect from locations around Skyrim)
-two more Holds now have cloaks for their guards
-blue cloaks without the Windhelm/Stormcloak symbol available to be crafted again
-changed naming style to avoid issues with the comma
-tweaked/improved a couple of Hold cloaks 

version 0.6
-both cloak styles are now finally available to both genders - a rough hide cloak, and a smoother linen cloak. They are craftable at the tanning rack and have been distributed throughout the levelled lists as before.
-two more Holds now have cloak-wearing guards. 
-couple of minor tweaks to levelled lists.




:: Installation ::

Using this mod on earlier versions of the game may result in a crash at the main menu. Please take a moment to read the FAQ after installation if you have any questions or queries. Common problems are already answered there.

1. Extract the files to a temporary location.
2. Examine the folder structure and make corrections where necessary.
3. Copy files to Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\data
4. Three .esp files are included. Be sure to activate only ONE of these. 
Cloaks.esp - Regular version. Cloaks are distributed throughout levelled lists as well as being craftable.
Cloaks - No Imperial - Cloaks are craftable and distributed throughout the levelled lists, but not amongst Imperial NPCs. This is so that this mod is compatible with Prometheus' excellent Imperial Capes mods.
Cloaks - Player Only - The cloaks are not distributed throughout the levelled lists, no NPCs will be seen wearing them, but some are still hand-placed in the world to find. They are craftable, and therefore unique to the player only.

Winter is Coming now has a patch available for compatibility between the two mods. Be sure to read the description there.






:: FAQ ::

Q- This mod crashes my game before the main menu! Help? 
A- Not 100% sure on this, but I think it is related to your Skyrim version, as this mod uses Update.esm as a master. Try updating your Skyrim to see if you are running the latest version, or double-check to see if Update.esm is activated (though I think it should run automatically)

Q- Why aren't the cloaks showing up in-game or on the tanning rack?
A- The esp possibly hasn't been activated. Double-check your Launcher to make sure the file is ticked. NMM also occasionally has a hiccup when activating a mod, so double-check that too if you use it.

Q- So much clipping! Is this normal?
A- Afraid so. Some clipping is inevitable, as the cloaks can't be made to work flawlessly with every armour/clothing type. Re: clipping of feet - the hide cloaks won't clip, as they are attached to the feet. The linen cloaks will clip with the feet, as they aren't attached. However, if attached, the flowing movements of the cloak would then be lost. I personally prefer the way the linen cloak moves, so the clipping is a minor inconvenience for me. but I can understand if it is a turn-off for you. If it is intolerable, I'd recommend using the hide cloak variants instead. 

Q- If I install this are ALL the NPCs going to be wearing cloaks? 
A- No. I've added the cloaks to the levelled lists in a hopefully (!) immersive way. Not every NPC will be wearing one, some NPC types are more likely to have one than others, etc. The various guards and factions will have their own cloak variants, but again, not every single NPC will wear a cloak. 

Q- Why do the crafting recipes show up 3 times? 
A- All 3 esp files have been activated. Instead, activate only the one of your choice. Read the Installation section. 

Q- Why aren't the crafting recipes showing up on the forge?
A- They are crafted on the tanning rack.

Q- Why has the cloak chopped off my Khajiit/Argonian's tail?
A- Beast-race tails are removed, as people complained about them poking through oddly. Think of them as being hidden under the cloaks, rather than poking through the middle of 'em in a bizarre way. Very simple task anyone can do in the CK to get them back if you are desperate. Just ask if you want the instructions. 

Q- Some of the cloaks have an Enchanted icon in the inventory, but show no magic effects. What's going on?
A- Any cloaks with a flavour description will falsely show an enchanted icon in the inventory. They are still fully enchantable, however. Some of the unique cloaks already have an enchantment, some do not. Any with an enchantment will show it in the Magic Effects menu.





Uninstall
=========

Delete the files/folders associated with the mod.


Known Issues or Bugs
====================
Some inevitable clipping issues
Please let me know of any issues you run into, so I can attempt to fix 'em. 



Credits
=======

Thanks and huge credit to Backsteppo and Zenl for creating the excellent cloak/cape meshes used here and allowing me add them to the levelled lists in a separate mod.
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Skyrim.
Thanks to Hemingwey for permissions to use and play around with his excellent textures.
Thanks to TESNexus for the a one-stop-shop resource for authors and players.
Thanks to LHammonds for the Readme Generator this file was based on.

Licensing/Legal
===============
You'll probably want to let Backsteppo and Zenl know first if you are keen on using their meshes for anything. Let me know also if you do want to use any of the retextured or altered mesh cloaks. 