Byte offset is its position in a file. In hex editor you see a byte as two-digit number, ranged from 00 to FF, as bytes are written not in decimal, but in hexadecimal, which use sixteen digits from 0 through A to F (so A equals decimal 10 and F equals decimal 15). First byte in a file has an offset of 0x00 (you can add more "zeroes", depending on a length of a file, so all bytes can "fit" within the number), second byte 0x01, third 0x02 and so on.

So, a byte with offset 0x1B5240 is a 1B5241st byte in this file. Any hex editor should be able to show an offset of the first byte in the line, it usually looks like this:

00000000: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 <- first sixteen bytes of a file, grouped by four
00000010: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
00000020: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
.
.
.
and so on.

Now, you can find a specific byte manually (by scrolling to the offset number that is less or equal of that you want to find) or use a find offset (or similar) function in the program you use.


In this case, if you find the 0x1B5240 byte, its value should be 07 (it's the maximum number of followers) and you can change it to, let's say, 64 (hexadecimal, which is 100 decimal). Now you can have 100 followers, but not from the beginning! You have to change another byte that holds a minimum (starting) number of followers. So, you have to do the same thing as you did before with byte at offset 0x1B51D0. Save the file.
Now you should be able to have up to one hundred followers, from the beginning of the game.

I hope it can be understood. :) If not - ask again. :)

Here's what the file looks like when open in HxD:

I cannot find anything with "1B5240" or "0x1B5240" in it, whether through ctrl+f or the programs "search" option.

Charisma is actually the easiest stat in the game to raise via items and blessings. It's way too easy, in fact. It takes a lot of the fun out of playing hideously ugly characters (like Troll Offspring).

If your CH is low enough, city guards will view you as a monster and attack you on sight! You have to sneak around Tarant after dark. Unfortunately it's so easy to raise your CH, you have to actively try not to do it.

That doesn't help you to increase the maximum though. I've done that, but it was a long time ago and I can't say I remember definitively. There are a few others, but not many. Not as many as one would hope for. Of course there's one really, really obvious character you can rez, but mentioning him would be a spoiler.

Hint: by the time you get the opportunity to rez him, you'll probably be really sick of his constant whining.

As you can see, byte offset is displayed on the left (in blue). This is a position of a byte, not actual data, so you won't be able to find it in the file (only accidentally it can happen that the same byte sequence occur in the file, but it doesn't matter now). It's like geographical coordinates on the map or in GPS - it allows to tell where specific byte is in the whole set of data.
On your screenshot first visible byte has an offset 0x1B7BA0 and value 75hex = 117dec.

Therefore, to find that byte with offset 0x1B5240 you have to scroll a bit up from this point, until this hexadecimal number shows on the left. First byte in this line will be the one you're looking for. It should have a value 07hex (which is obviously the same in dec). Change it to 64hex and save. Then find, change (from 01hex to 64hex) and save the other one in the same way.

Found it. For future reference, your explanation should start with "offset 0x1B7BA0" isn't exactly displayed like that, but rather is displayed as ...."

It works. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to have Raven and Za'an in the same party.