BalrondCharacterCustomization

Overview

BalrondCharacterCustomization expands Valheim's character creation and Barber Station with additional races, body types, full RGB color controls, height adjustment, tattoos, extra hairstyles, appearance randomization, and improved support for characters using non-vanilla proportions.

The mod is designed to let players create more visually distinct characters while keeping the normal Valheim character workflow familiar.

Multiplayer: all players who need to see and preserve the extended appearance correctly should have the mod installed.

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Features

Expanded Character Creation and Editing

• Expanded character creation/editing panel
• Edit an existing character from the character-selection flow
• Expanded Barber Station customization
• RANDOMIZE and RESET appearance controls
• Female characters can use beard styles
• Additional hairstyles
• Custom appearance data is saved with the character

Playable BRC Races

BalrondCharacterCustomization includes four race presets:

• Human
• Alfir
• Dverger
• Fuling

Each race can use its own authored body proportions and visual features. Race-specific elements such as ears are added automatically when the BRC race itself owns the character appearance.

Body Types

In addition to the standard Valheim Male and Female models, the mod includes:

• Male2
• Male3
• Male4
• Male5
• Male6
• Female2
• Female3
• Female4
• Female5
• Female6

Body type and BRC race can normally be selected independently.

RGB Color Customization

The character editor provides separate RGB sliders for:

• Skin Color
• Hair Color
• Eye Color

Changes are previewed directly while editing the character.

Hair and Beard

• Hair and beard styles can be selected independently
• Female characters can use beard styles
• Additional hairstyles are included
• Hair color uses direct RGB controls
• Normal Valheim availability rules for unlocked Barber styles are preserved where applicable

Height

A dedicated Height slider changes the character's stature while preserving the selected BRC race proportions.

Tattoos

The mod includes a tattoo selector with a None option and available tattoo designs.

Tattoo support can be disabled in the configuration without deleting the character's stored tattoo selection.

Randomize Appearance

RANDOMIZE can generate a full appearance using the options available to the current character.

It can randomize:

• BRC race / morphology preset
• Body type
• Skin color
• Hair style
• Beard style
• Hair color
• Eye color
• Height
• Tattoo

RESET restores the editable appearance controls to their default state.

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Barber Station

The Barber Station uses the same extended customization systems as character creation.

Depending on the current character and installed compatibility mods, the Barber interface can provide access to:

• Race / morphology selection
• Body type
• Height
• Skin color
• Hair
• Beard
• Hair color
• Eye color
• Tattoo
• Randomize and Reset

Some appearance options can intentionally defer to another installed race mod when that mod owns the character model.

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Compatibility

BalrondCharacterCustomization uses soft compatibility integrations. The versions listed below are minimum tested compatibility baselines, not exact version requirements. Newer versions are allowed.

Mod	Minimum compatibility baseline	What the integration does
RacesOfValheim	1.5.5	The external race keeps ownership of its model, materials, race extras, equipment handling and special visuals. The BRC Race selector can still be used as a body morphology preset when the external rig is compatible. BRC Height and Skin/Hair RGB remain available. Body Type is supported on a best-effort basis. BRC custom eyes and tattoos are not forced onto incompatible external race models.
LinejaeserasRace	1.0.6	Uses the same coexistence approach: LinejaeserasRace keeps its race appearance, while BRC can add compatible morphology, Height and Skin/Hair RGB customization without replacing the external race. Body Type is best-effort. BRC custom eyes/tattoos are not forced onto the external model.
Windstrides Bow Animations	1.1.1	Windstrides keeps ownership of bow posing and animation. BRC adjusts its custom race/body handling so non-vanilla proportions can coexist with the bow-animation system without taking over Windstrides' animations.
OdinHorse	1.7.9	OdinHorse keeps ownership of mounted animation, rider pose and mounted equipment behavior. BRC avoids fighting those systems and preserves its own appearance/proportion handling where appropriate. When OdinHorse and Windstrides are used together while mounted, OdinHorse is allowed to keep the mounted bow pose.
BetterArchery	2.0.2	BetterArchery keeps ownership of its bow/combat behavior. BRC stays out of its animation/controller state and applies appearance updates in a compatibility-safe order.

Using BRC with RacesOfValheim or LinejaeserasRace

When either supported external race overhaul is installed, the two mods divide responsibilities instead of repeatedly overwriting each other:

• the external race mod keeps its race model, textures/materials, special race parts and equipment adaptation;
• the BRC Race selector becomes a morphology/proportion choice where the external skeleton supports it;
• Human means no additional BRC race morphology;
• Alfir, Dverger, and Fuling can contribute their BRC body proportions without adding BRC ears or replacing the external race appearance;
• Height remains available as an additional stature adjustment;
• Skin Color and Hair Color RGB controls remain available while editing;
• Body Type can be requested, but heavily customized external races may override or fall back from some BRC body variants;
• BRC Eye Color and Tattoo are not forced onto external race models that use incompatible visual systems.

This compatibility mode is intentionally conservative: if another race mod owns a visual system, BRC avoids repeatedly fighting it for control.

ValheimEnforcer

If you use ValheimEnforcer, custom character data must be allowed to persist.

You may need to disable custom-data change prevention for existing characters and/or disable newCharacterClearCustomData for characters joining for the first time.

If you use the in-game Barber, the character file is saved with the custom appearance data and it can persist without changing those flags in some setups.

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Configuration

The configuration file is created in the normal BepInEx configuration directory after the mod has been started.

General

[1 - General]
Lock Configuration = true
Enable Custom Races = true
Enable Tattoos = true

Lock Configuration
When enabled, synchronized appearance settings use the server's configuration values in multiplayer.

Enable Custom Races
Shows and enables BRC race selection. When disabled, BRC race controls are hidden and players are rendered as the default Human race without deleting their stored BRC race selection.

Enable Tattoos
Shows and enables the Tattoo selector. Disabling it hides the feature but preserves stored tattoo selections.

Cloth Helmet Uniform Scale

Some cloth or simulation-based helmets need additional fitting room when used with custom BRC head proportions.

[4 - Race Fit]
Cloth Helmet Uniform Scale = 1.0

Default:

1.0

The setting is a uniform multiplier and does not intentionally stretch only one axis.

If a cloth-based helmet needs slightly more clearance, small adjustments such as these can be tried:

1.03
1.05
1.08

Recommended range: 0.75 - 1.50.

Keep the value at 1.0 unless a specific helmet needs adjustment.

Debug Diagnostics

[9 - Diagnostics]
Enable Debug Diagnostics = false

Default:

false

Keep this disabled during normal gameplay. Enable it temporarily when troubleshooting appearance, equipment fitting, animation compatibility, or race-mod compatibility issues.

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Multiplayer Notes

• Install the mod for every player who needs to correctly display or preserve BRC appearance data.
• A player without the mod may not display custom BRC races, body types, colors, tattoos, or proportions correctly.
• Loading a character without the mod can cause unsupported custom appearance options to fall back to vanilla behavior.
• External equipment and character-model mods can still produce clipping when their assets were authored only for vanilla proportions.
• Very unusual helmets, hairstyles, beards, race meshes, or extreme body proportions can still require mod-specific adjustments.

When reporting a visual compatibility problem, include the affected race, body type, equipment or hairstyle name if known, screenshots, relevant BepInEx log output, and whether the issue occurs in single-player, multiplayer, or on a dedicated server.

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Installation

Install the mod with your preferred Valheim mod manager, or place it manually in:

BepInEx/plugins

For multiplayer, install the mod for every player who needs to use or correctly display the extended customization features.

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Credits

Special thanks to AzathothR for sharing valuable modding knowledge and providing some of the model assets used in this project.

Their help made parts of this mod possible and is greatly appreciated.

• Thunderstore profile: AzathothR
• If you are looking for a more extensive race-focused experience with additional features beyond the scope of BalrondCharacterCustomization, check out LinejaeserasRace:
  LinejaeserasRace on Thunderstore

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Support and Feedback

Bug reports and feedback are welcome.

When reporting an issue, include enough information to reproduce it, especially when other character, equipment, animation, or race mods are installed.

• Discord: Balrond's Den
• Support development: Ko-fi