So I've been working on a script that adjusts the player movement speed. The script works fine, got the spell effect to show up in my magic effects and everything. Great!

Except the actual effect does nothing. Why is this? Even with my settings for my spell ability set to match existing spells that do the exact same thing, but with a different maginitude, it still does nothing.

For reference, I'm using the Value Modifier spell effect for "SpeedMult" (the same one used to control Wisp's speed boost and the frostbite speed slow-down). However, when the spell effect is added to me the player, nothing happens in-game. I've tried using multiple characters too, still nothing.

I'm wondering if constant effect applies only to spell effects attached to a piece of gear while equipped.

I have not messed around with spell effects so I cannot be sure.

You might be right, but then again how does the Wisp ability work then? It too is constant effect on self, and it's not an enchantment. Unless it just isn't used, or the Wisp has something special that lets such a thing happen.

I am trying to messa round with this too, I think the argonian waterbreathing and resist disease would be a good place to investigate!

perhaps try adding the wisp ability to the player and see if it gets any results? best idea here is to just remove as many possibilities as you can to find the root issue.

I don't know. I haven't delved into spell effects modding. I just haven't actually seen a constants spell effect in the game that didn't come from something I equipped. Now if I recall from some of the mods that were done for Oblivion, spells with extremely long durations were created.

Hmmm... Maybe a global varriable could be used. SpellActiveOnPlayer == 0 by default. If you cast your spell, it could set it to 1 if it is 0 and to 0 if it is 1. If you can write a spell effect script that applies the condition while SpellActiveOnPlayer == 1, then perhaps you can achieve the goal without having to equip something..

I could be way off base on that though.

The Wisp effect and Argonian racial bonuses are Abilities, which are always active on the actor possessing them. It is not clear in your OP if you want the increased speed to be a permanent ability or to be triggered by something, but in either case you can create an Ability with the 'SpeedMult' effect and have the script apply it to the player.

Alternatively, you can apply said ability to each race individually and bypass the need for a script, but as I said, I don't know the circumstances under which you want the ability to be/not be present, so that method may not work for you.

So I managed to get this to work, I'm not sure how. I used the racial magic effect for Argonians as a baseline, and it works perfect

Only issue is... I'm running into the same problem I had when I was just trying to do this via through scripting alone.

The SpeedMult changes, but the game doesn't register the change until after the player has opened the inventory, crouched, or sprinted. But yet how come enchanted boots of speed can instantly affect speed as soon as they are equipped, or how come frostbite can instantly slow you down when you are hit with it? I'm using the same exact modifier and effects, except in my situation, they ONLY apply when the game decides to look at the value that I changed.

I wonder if the game looks at the value when damage is done as well, so maybe if I deal damage to the player I can cause the effect to happen the instant a player gets the ability (which is how frostbite might work)? Still doesn't explain how boots of speed are different, maybe enchantments run on an entirely different level when it comes to modifiying actor values.

EDIT: Finally got it! I never did get around my above issue, but I learned the game checks what your speedmult is whenever something is added to your inventory. So, when I just have it so my script adds then immediately removes a random misc item to the inventory silently (so there is no noise or message), the game will check my speed and then immediatly apply the correct speed.