Okay, so basically I have 5 modding ambitions, some loftier than others, and I was wondering if there was some sort of reference guide to answer my questions or, failing that, if there was a Proficient+ Modder who could just answer these questions of a Dabbling Modder:
(if answered I will post the answer and pink out the question for future generations to view)
1.) I'm unclear on whether or not a new world needs to be generated to add reactions. I'd like to be able to do some minor crafting, i.e. the oft-modded in 'create a backpack' for Outsiders. Does this need a new world?
You must generate a new world if you affect entities. It is possible to make very minor adjustments to an already generated world, but DF has a finicky nature and the results will not necessarily be what you would get with the exact same code in a newly generated world.
2.) Is it within the limitations/scope of a mod to add a new Skill to the game? If so, can it be defined as clearly as the existing skills, i.e. with attribute associations and scaled output for items and effects utilizing it?
You can't add new skills to the game via mods; that would require editing the game code from source. However, you CAN rename existing skills and use them as the basis for crafting skills to create -quality- items!
3.) Failing that, would it be possible to 'import' a Fortress Mode skill into Adventure Mode? If so, can that skill be modified/renamed?
Skills can be renamed and reactions used to reference those skills, so Cheesemaking on a dedicated Adventuring installation could become Fletching. You can call upon Armorsmithing to craft your own customized armor based on skill level, et cetera!
4.) If I create a custom race with appropriate tags, will it be used in world generation and create civilizations alongside the other races? For instance, if I add, say, 'Draconians' and for ease of implementation make them identical to humans, will I encounter Draconian towns?
So long as the custom race has its own non-duplicate ENTITY tags, and a corresponding creature type defined in creature_standard, if it is set to be city-building as with humans it will do so. It can also construct other site types if instructed to do so.
5.) Are shop lists available to be modified in the raws?
Not directly. You can affect what items a civilization has access to, and what materials they are allowed to use, in their respective entities entries. This may or may not show a significant impact on the civilization's shops however.
6.) How about civilization material uses? I do know that if that's available I could create various new pieces of equipment out of various materials to assign to them so...
Indeed! The items will be added to the list of items available to the civilization, created from the materials that civilization can choose from.
7.) Lastly, can I create a custom race which will NOT be available in world-gen but will be available as a playable race sharing the characteristics of the Human Outsider?
INDIV_CONTROLLABLE controls whether or not you can use it as an 'Outsider'.
Thanks in advance!