Husbando-fu (aka How To Create Husbandos)

WORK IN PROGRESS.

Because every waif needs a bando. Or another waif. I won’t judge.

Have you created a cutie waifu, but realized that you don’t have counterpart for her? Or you just want some good looks for your males? Have no fear! This guide will have the important mods for you to make that good looking character. As always, Guardly has no affiliations with this guide. -Hedgehog

This part is explained well in Wai-fu guide. Be sure to grab one of those!

Let the beefcakes come.

Since the semi-demise of SoS in SE (which will be explained why) players have migrated to different options nowadays. Here are most of them. Click to the images for modpages!

One of the most popular body mods out there. Don’t let the word “lite” worry you, it has very good features for a male body replacer.

Pros:

• The best male body mesh for Skyrim by default, period. With its high poly addon you won’t get almost any mesh distortions while posing characters.
• Penis mesh is embedded on the body mesh itself and works with no need of any DLL.
• Texture Addon is most enough for most players, though you’ll find many other skins patched for it.
• If you use RaceMenu Morphs for it you can customize the body even further. Player only (unless you use some morph editing mod for NPCs).

Cons:

• Given said that there are other skins, they are not that many.
• Penis texture is embedded in body texture and very low-res compared to SoS variants.
• You may find armor conversions for it a bit scarce.
• VectorPlexus is VERY strict about permissions so be careful if you want to do some conversions or such.
• Most files are in VectorPlexus site which is known for its servers being wonky. Also I am already putting two links for convenience but if main one doesn’t work swallow your damn manly pride and get the files from the site. It’s not that hard.

A new way of DLL-based schlong mod. Works with SE flawlessly but it has many drawbacks - which can be surpassed if you’re willing enough.

Pros:

• Specifically designed for and built in SE so there won’t be any setbacks from DLL unlike SoS Full.
• Schlongs are the part of SkinNaked (naked body mesh itself) and DLL makes sure that schlong texture is not applied wrongly. In a DLL-less scenario schlong texture would not have been applied properly because of engine limits.
• With newer updates you can add custom schlongs like TRX.
• The body that comes with the mod is compatible with SoS-based texturesets. Also mesh is very similar with FavoredSoul's Better Males - which SoS originated.

Cons:

• The way DLL handles doesn’t work with custom races with custom skeletons - and this includes custom races of followers as well. So if you have a big follower archive with custom races you will have to patch them.
• Slot 52 armors (the same slot that schlongs use) will clash with armor mods because of DLL handling schlong. The feature can be disabled for those armors in MCM.
• Adjusting penis size is not as advanced as SoS. This doesn’t apply to player if you use XPMSE’s SoS RaceMenu morphs.

Not a full body mod itself (unless you don’t want to tussle with benors and stay on its vanilla side), but it’s a mesh replacer with BodySlide and has good support.

Pros:

• Armor conversions galore - there are many armors supporting it.
• Fully compatible with TNG or SoS Full.
• You can make your dream man almost any kind of body you want: chubster, beefcake, even that skinny crackhead fella from back alley who really needs to find something to eat, you call it.
• It has physics. Yes, you heard right. Bouncing manboobas and jiggly butts all the way. You can opt out of it if that’s not your preference.

Cons:

• Even with v5, mesh distorts on pubic region. You can see it clearly on some poses and camera angles.
• Base shape is weird, to put it in a word. Some may especially find the chest shape too alien but it can be customized as well. To some extent.

Alright, since practically everybody already knows the mod only one thing will be mentioned here: DLL is fucked up in SE. It can’t detect ESLs or ESPFEs properly and if you install one of these or change their load order game CTDs at the first save load. And since the creators stopped updating the mod it is not advised to use - as it is, at least. If you are really, really intent on using SoS:

• First choice: Use No DLL version and install SoS Uncloaked afterwards. Requires SPID.
• Second choice: Install SoSAM. It brings the customization of SoS with SAM Lite. However it’s kinda complicated to set it up. OStim Discord server has the instructions if you’re up for it.
• Last choice: Use it as it is (AE not supported), but in case of CTDs happening after load order changes or installing ESL flagged mods you will have to:
  • Move SoS DLL from its folder to somewhere else.
  • Load the game and make a new save without DLL. It will give warnings, it’s normal.
  • Put DLL back in its original folder.

Having a custom body will not be enough by itself - if you don't have custom textures for them (and the face), they'll still look horrendous. Here are some good textures you can use and even mix n' match!

Skysight Skin	A very old, yet still solid textureset for males. Highly in OG Skyrim aesthetic yet less rugged (still rougher than most) and more detailed. Good choice if you’re clueless or just don’t want too much for your males. Many of the old /tesg/ male followers use it by default thanks to Eiries' old patch but there’s also an official SoS patch now.
BnP	Male equivalent of BnP, d'uh. This texture pack has almost everything: different textures for different races (which can be distributed to races via RSV optionally), realistic touches, from chubby to muscled looks, old and edged facial features and so on. It is not everyone’s cup of a tea though. Especially on male version, face normalmaps may look a bit strange to many’s tastes. Diffuses vary between good to great, nevertheless.
ALT1	An all-around, smoother textureset compared to those mentioned above. If you want something cleaner and smoother than Skysight (e.g.) this may be for you. Personally this has very good face normalmaps compared to many others.
Loverboy Males	You want a twink? Or do you just want to create a younger man? Welp, you are in luck: this mod probably has one of the most soft textures you’ll ever see in a male text - wait WTF IS THAT ASTARION?!?
Vitruvia Skin	One of the most popular skin set back when Skysight SoS patch wasn’t officially in Nexus. Highly comparable with Skysight, except it doesn’t have much ruggedness. Only has vanilla and SoS Light version, sadly.
Realore Men’s Skin Texture	Practically suits to a very young character, and it also has customizable muscle texture sets. Looks way smoother than Loverboy on certain husbandos.
Tempered Skins for Females	For the most incorrigible purists out there. This is what you'd call “vanilla plus” for a body texture. Better details, cleaner than vanilla but still maintaining that good ole' Skyrim roughness.