Creating Custom Units for WH3

Hello! My name is Casualfield, welcome to my guide for creating custom units in WH3. I've done over 40 new units and figured it's time to give the community an updated guide for WH3, it's loooong overdue, not much has change tho.

The guide can alternatively be found here along with other great pages . https://tw-modding.com/wiki/Custom_Units_for_WH3

Requirements

First and foremost you need the latest version of RPFM, which you can download from here https://github.com/Frodo45127/rpfm. Second you need the Total War: Warhammer 3 Assembly Kit, which can be downloaded in your Steam library under the tools section (keep track of where you install it). That's it! Since most people reading this will be beginners, I highly recommend, no, just go do to https://tw-modding.com and reading through the guides and tutorials like RPFM For Dummies so you can get a grasp of the tools.

My Settings for RPFM

At the top left go to PackFile > settings > settings tab in the new window.

Under UI Settings I recommend un-checking "Delete empty folders".
--Delete empty folders when Enabled will automatically delete a folder if it has no contents which in my experience, is a hassle. I want to keep the folder so the file path is correct and later import files. If I wanted to delete a folder well... I'll just delete the folder...

Under Table Settings I recommend enabling Tight Mode.
--Tight Mode will fit the rows to be the size of the text and remove empty space allowing for more rows to be visible at once.

Read the rest of the settings, change what you want, hit save when you are done.

Back to the top left;
View > Toggle Global Search Window. I recommend dragging this window far left and 50/50 splitting it with Pack Contents as this is the bread and butter window which you will be using constantly.
View > Toggle on Dependencies Window, I recommend dragging this window to the left of the Diagnostics window. This gives you access to all the game files and AssKit files if for some reason need those.

The Main Tables

First let's go to PackFile > New Pack to make a new Pack. Now let's save and name it so we don't loose any progress, PackFile > Save PackFile As. The default location should be Total War WARHAMMER III\data folder. If you want, for reasons, save it in another location. This requires that you install it EVERY TIME you want to test the mod in-game, which is done via PackFile > Install, which will install it into the data folder. DO NOT end the name in a number to avoid issues. It's best practice to put your name/initials in front, so cf_new_black_guards.pack.

Find a Base Game Unit to use as a Foundation
So, going into the weeds a little here, I HIGHLY recommend to always use a base game unit for a foundation of a new unit; creating new units from scratch is very time consuming, will leave you with loads of empty columns and a single empty/invalid key won't always trigger diagnostics and your game will CTD with no error leaving you on a horrid needle in a haystack search. You'll need to reference a base unit anyways to see where and how it's added in-game.

Finding a Base Game Unit, or anything really
The main_units table is where you should ideally start but how do I find my unit? Let's say I want to base my unit off the Dark Elves Black Guard. We need find that units' key. USUALLY the units are named after their screen name so we can search black in the search bar at the bottom.
If we can't find the key use Global Search, make sure the source is game files and both DB & loc are checked. We can search in-game text that will connect to .loc files.

In this case "Black Guard of Naggarond" is connected to land_units_onscreen_name_wh2_main_def_inf_black_guard_0. The unit key is wh2_main_def_inf_black_guard_0 so we can Global Search that.

Alternatively we can do a right click > go to ... > definition.

Alternatively again you can use find references.


Importing tables
There's a few methods to do this, the one I use is to import the whole table by right clicking the table tab at the top after opening the table.

I open the new imported table, copy the whole row[s] I want by clicking on the row number and then highlight the whole table using the default shortcut keys [ctrl + a], then delete everything and then paste the copied row[s] back in with another shortcut key ctrl + shft + v.

--NOTE: After you are ready to test the mod you can highlight all the tables by ctrl + left clicking them and then using a default shortcut key [ctrl + r] to rename them all at once. Leaving them named data__ will overwrite the base game files, don't do that unless you know what you are doing.


Tables to Import
db/allied_recruitment_unit_permissions_tables -- Allows the unit to be recruited via Outposts.

db/armed_citizenry_unit_groups_tables -- The main key to add your unit to a garrison.

db/building_level_armed_citizenry_junctions_tables -- Assign your unit to a building to add it to the garrison. MUST use a UNIQUE ID key.

db/battle_set_piece_tables --Ignore, quest battle stuff. Add if you want your unit in quest battles but I'm not going over that in this guide.

db/building_units_allowed_tables -- Adds the unit to a building for local and global recruitment. MUST use a UNIQUE ID key.

db/campaign_map_attrition_unit_immunities_tables -- Give the unit attrition immunity, imagine vampires taking vampire attrition.

db/campaign_rogue_army_group_units_tables --Can Ignore. Adds the unit to Rogue armies, xp is unit rank. MUST use a UNIQUE ID key.

db/cdir_military_generator_unit_qualities_tables --Helps the AI understand the unit's performance and role when recruiting.

db/faction_rebellion_units_junctions_tables --Can Ignore. Adds unit to rebel armies.

db/land_units_tables --The second most important table. Contains the stats and other very import things, will go in-depth later on.

db/land_units_to_unit_abilites_junctions_tables --Add an ability to the unit.

db/loading_screen_tables --Ignore. Add the unit to loading screens, requires a few tables, .locs and proper images. Reference vanilla entries.

db/main_units_tables --The main table for the unit. Messing things up here will cause many issues especially crashes, will go in-depth later on.

db/ui_unit_bullet_point_unit_overrides_tables --Controls the bullet points on the unit card, max of four.

db/unit_attributes_groups_tables --Main key for enabling the adding of attributes to the unit.

db/unit_attributes_to_groups_junctions_tables --Add attributes to the unit.

db/unit_banner_unit_height_offsets_tables --Control the banner above the unit in battles or on the campaign map, usually to avoid clipping.

db/unit_set_to_unit_junctions_tables --Adds the unit to a set, sets are used in effects like Technologies & Skills. New sets can be created.

db/unit_variants_tables --Connects the unit to a variant and unit card. The variant will be a different name and will need to be searched for separately.

db/units_custom_battle_permissions_tables --Add the unit to a faction for custom battles.

db/units_to_groupings_military_permissions_tables --Add the unit to a factions military group which enables it in campaign.

db/variants_tables --Connects the unit variant in unit_variants_tables to a variant mesh definition that controls the model, textures, weapons, ect.

Adding .locs

Just keep importing like before. You can change the name of the unit now if you want.
You only need one .loc file so you can combine them if you want. For organization follow vanilla naming scheme but, DO NOT keep file names the same to prevent issues.

Don't enabled tooltip unless the base game entry does, which for units is never.

Alternately you can right click the packfile name and generate missing .loc data. but, not everything is needed that's generated. This can also help if the mod is crashing as sometimes a .loc is needed but this is rare.

Disclaimer

Different factions have different tables, recruitment methods ect. You'll need to use deductive reasoning to determine if a table I didn't mention should be added or you can create a post/question in the modding discord found here https://discord.gg/moddingden.

Use Global Search to Replace all Keys

A huge reason to import from base game aside from getting less headaches is the replace all feature in the global search window. Paste the unit key in the search box "wh2_main_def_inf_black_guard_0" make the source Packfile, type your custom key into the Replace box, "cf_new_def_inf_black_guard_0" and hit the replace all button which is a page icon with a red page behind it with a small red x on it.

And just like that a huge amount of the work is done, assuming the base unit is good and close to what you want. In this case all I need to do is save the pack (don't forget to rename all the tables and file names, highlight them all and rename, install it if isn't saved to the data folder, and launch the game and enable the mod. Of course the unit will be an exact copy of the Black Guard already in the game but, it's smooth sailing from here, hopefully....

Customizing the main_units_table

For the sake of saving space and time, I'll just refer you to use the tooltips in RPFM (not always correct but close enough) and again just reference vanilla. If there are no tooltips usually that means the name of the row is self explanatory or it's not used. In the case of naval stuff just reference the vanilla table. If literally every single unit has "wh_main_shp_transport" in Naval Unit, yours should too....


If you need help please hop into the discord[discord.gg], only a few people bite....

Customizing the land_unit_table

This table is pretty self explanatory. Use the tooltips in RPFM to see what things do and link to. Global Search stuff to find things like the melee weapon so you can create a new one for the unit and customize the melee damage and weapon stats.

Man Entity references the battle_entities table, which controls things like the unit speed, mass, and hitbox. You can also create a new one if needed.

If you want to change the unit to a different type of weapon style i.e from halberds to dual wield you'll need to look at the Man Animation and you need to match the skeleton or the model will become all stretchy and spaghetti. So Hu1c's have to use Hu1c animations, if they don't have an animation you want you'll need to make a custom one, have fun with that.

Customizing the Unit Card Picture and Variant

The unit_variants_tables references the unit card file which can be found in ui/units/icons/filename.png. Import a vanilla one for easy folder creation to ensure the path is correct. You can export a random one to your desktop and edit it to your liking and then right click the folder and add file to import it. Make sure you use the correct size and type of file (png) and do not do things like interlace the image.

The unit_variants_tables will reference the variants_tables which links to a variantmeshdefinition. Import a vanilla one to ensure the file path is correct. Inside the variantmeshdefinition you can change things like the model & weapons of the unit. Again if the model doesn't fit the skeleton you'll get a mess in game. Different animations use different weapon slots and some slots require a name. Just always fall back on a vanilla file if you have issues you can create a post/question in the modding discord found here https://discord.gg/moddingden if you need help.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting Steps

Common Issues

If you are crashing to the desktop immediately after opening the game with no error message you likely are missing a table that is being called on by something or you have an empty field/key and RPFM diagnostic didn't catch it.

If you are crashing when loading into a custom battle it's probably something in the main_units table, caste, unit type, voice over stuff or empty fields are likely.

If you you are crashing loading into a NEW campaign it could be any of the above or more invalid keys. Pretty much applies to if you can load into the campaign but crash when it has to load your unit, something like missing permission tables.

If your model is invisible you need to look at the variant and variantmeshdef. They could be missing or broken.

If the weapons are on their back or side and not in the units hand or proper position the meshdefinition will be the cause. If you are trying to make a spearman dual wield that requires changing the animation, animations have their own weapon slots and just changing the variant is not enough.

Troubleshooting Steps

Run RPFM diagnostics AFTER you make sure RPFM & dependencies are updated.

REFERENCE VANILLA, and I personally do this ALL the time, re-read over everything and quadruple check because you probably miss read or just completely missed something.

Ask for help in the modding discord[discord.gg]!

[Oh_Man[TFE]]

Thanks big boss

[_Mar1nk0_]

Nice guide mate. When i started to learn 1.5 years ago i wasnt able to find andything this good explained. tnx