Focus on mounted archery and two handed weapons if you want efficiency. You're likely to struggle early on (there's no shame in loading saves - this is a hard game), but by the end you'll be a terrifying monstrosity. Prophesy of Pendor is probably the most famous mod, and for good reason. My favorite feature is the custom backgrounds with an actual story humans can be a stranded merchant or disgraced warrior seeking revenge, and dwarves actually get a really cool mini-dungeon to start out that rewards you with enough gold and renown to start quite well.
Elves, Dwarves, Giants, crazy-ass weapons. Perisno is gonna be the go-to 'fantasy' mod. Getting through mail with a sword is not going to be easy, and I haven't yet seen anything more advanced than a coat of plates - which, by the way, cost as much as a high end enterprise. It's a fair depiction of medieval Europe, and makes weapons and armor feel more authentic. Anno Domini 12-something is my favorite at the minute.
