Since I guess every modder has limited time, I tried to collect some ideas which already exist in some mods. If they allow, you could just copy them. I think the best mod to "raid" for ideas is Sword of Damocles. Most components I list below are in that mod, but of course some are quite common anyway.
General Quality of Life
- Even though I love the shields in the mod, please put back heraldic round shield into shops. It feels an achievement when you get nobility, and all companions paint their shields to your banner
Also, it would be nice if the "generic not noble color" would be brown or grey instead of checkered red+black.
- some more cash (5000?) at shops would be nice. They run out of money if the player defeats a mid-tier enemy force.
- it would be nice to add a "lame old swaybacked donkey" mount with 10 HP to the player. Not suited for battle, but to help the player explore the lovely scenes
- doing the nervous man quest should add +1 relation to the village, instead of a penalty. If you are feeling ambitious, he could be convinced with 3+ persuasion. (or with 10% chance per persuasion point)
- increased income from looting villages, so that it is a valid playstyle to act as a raider.
- increase food stacks, at least double. (30 -> 60).
- no matter what you do, please do not let yourself convinced about expanding the map or changing animations. It is very rare to find a mod with a clear focus as this.
Simple, or copy paste modificaions
- cattle follow you (oh, I so hate this quest). This is in SoD, but very common in mods.
- live training of troops from the camp menu. You get weapon proficiency, they get some experience. I think the value it gives to the selected stack is 50 or 100 XP per trainer level, so it generally works on fresh recruits, but it gets very tiring if you want to level up mid-tiers to elite with this option. Which is a good outcome I think. (SoD)
- if all enemies are fleeing, they surrender instead. Now, this might have an effect on income, if players invest in prisoner management. But I usually don't like fleeing, it takes much game time (sometimes more than the battle did) (SoD)
- when you meet a bandit party, you can not just charge them or pay their toll, but you can also throw even more money on them, so they join up (SoD)
- sell prisoners to the guild master at a discount (say, 20 per head isntead of 32). Slavery was quite common in this period. Maybe to the village elder for relations.
- improve your rusty/chipped/battered gear to normal at shops for money (viking conquest DLC)
- change the color of your equipment at armorer (deeds of arms and chivalry), so you don't have to buy a new one, but you get the one that fits your companions
- spears are not carried at the back (renaissance mod). They are either in your hand, or they are invisible.
- ask the tavern keeper for _currently unknown_ companions, from Blood&Gold. It goes something like "pc: I am gathering men for my ship, do you know someone? tavern: please, try to act like you are interested in some drink, will you? pc: Damn! (buy a drink for 10 silver) tavern: "I know a guy, Juba, beast with the boarding axe. Last time I heard he was travelling to Port Royal". The added value compared to regular "tavern traveller" here is the location of companions (and a word about their speciality), who you didn't meet yet.
- you could add a healer into some villages. Blood&Gold has that (at catholic missions, about 4-5 on the map). You speak with the NPC, pay up, and it heals you. It costs 1 silver/HP for PC and companions, and 1 silver per wounded soldier, and a whole day.
A catholic nun doesn't fit the setting of course, but I think some village völva healer does. I would definietly put them into villages, not taverns, to award players who discover the scenes
From scratch, cannot copy I think
1: there are those books, which give you skill bonuses. Some mods (1866 western, Last days) use not books, but something else for this. These are nice rewards for quests. These only need an icon, since they don't appear in scenes. Examples:
- a group of small children, who follow the gang, and help after battle (+1 looting)
- some camp follower ladies (+1 wound treatment)
- a crate full of manacles, or a slavers lash (+1 prisoner management)
- an arabic spy-glass (+1 spotting)
- hounds (+1 tracking)
- a crippled old veteran, incapable of fighting, but shouts loud (+1 trainer)
2: I think you could borrow some hairstyles from other mods. Fantasy for dwarf beards and elf hair.
Left picture is an example hide armor and fur leggings, right picture is a mohawk which would work. Both from 1755 mod.
3: I really like some mods where the character creation is skipped, an you just choose a cliché to go with.
There is usually a traditional start, but there are other choices, some are hard to brag about them, some are easy for beginngers, some are drastically different. A few examples:
- Traditional start (normal). attributes at 4 with 16 points to spend, 10 skill points, weapons at 50 with 100 more to spend.
- Start as a slave (very hard). rags and a club, zero (0) money. (blood and gold mod)
- Start as a former champion of a kingdom, a lone wolf (easy). 1 balanced or masterwork two handed weapon, minimum money. 21 strength, 21 agility, 5 intelligence, 1 charisma, no free points. High (5+) athletics, weapon master, power strike, iron skins. (blood and steel mod). Very easy early game, but 1 charisma is harsher than it looks.
- Start as elopers (different). Idea from Battle of Hindustan mod. You start with a wife (in Hindustan, she is an overpowered superhealer-amazon), a noble house (wife's father and brothers) who hate your guts. Alternatively you start with a wife + her loyal retinue of 10-20 elite soldiers, but a faction is at war with you, and the ruler personally hates you.
- Start as deserters (from BAttle brothers game, different). You start with a few, 10-12 mid tier soldiers, and a set of mid-tier gear (same stuff the tier 3 soldiers use). A faction - the one you just deserted - hates your guts.
- Start as raiders (from Blood&Steel, different). You have about thirty bandits in your party. You start with 7 inventory management and 7 looting. You start at negative relation with all villages. You can hire bandit units.
- Start as rightful heir to the throne (from Sword of Damocles 1.011, different). Start with medium right to rule, a faction who you are in war with. Also start with 50-60 troops. SoD also has a companion (loyal servant), who can call for loyal lords in exile at start (a random, loyal lord just appears at your court in a few days).
- Trader (easy, from blood and gold). Start with absurdly high trade and persuasion, at least 7 (to make "assess prices" quicker), at least 5000 gold, +1 relation with all cities. Also 8-10 caravan guards, and some trade goods. The drawback is that you start with 0 in all physical skills, 5 or 6 strength/agility, and low weapon skills.
4: in Caribbean: Blood&Gold, you can access your pesonal chest from the camp menu (so you get one earlier than your first castle)
5: some new soldier types as mercs might work. Guys from the british isles. Since we know that saxons often went to exile to scandinavia, I think some irish slaves (with two handed swords :whistle) are not stretching it much. Also, spear+shield+javelin, light horsemen with javelins.
6: some mods neutral villages, where the player can keep his things. Usually these are four ways inn, but a generic village scene works too. (as long you can leave garrison there, and have a chest for items)
7: I think it would be nice to act as a hero who steps in for duels for old ladies, children incapable of defending themselves. It is quite common in icelandic saga's: someone gets the allowance to seek vengence, but is personally not capable of doing it, so he hires to hero. It could be similar to the nervous man quest, but the enemy could be higher (or more than one), and the price would be renown, not gold. Alternatively, PCs with villain tendencies could beat up old widows, silence witnesses and 12 year olds in service of fat merchants and evil nobles. (this is also very common in saga's)
8: I have no idea how to implement this, but family and a wife in general is very important in a norse saga. More often than not the reason for the whole adventure is that the wife calls his husband coward for not taking vengance.