3. Learning to mod:
a. I'm no programmer, how can I even hope to mod something?
Contrary to some common belief, modding KotOR is accessible to everyone and no prior experience is required. Just start checking the tutorials at Holowan Labs to get started and don't hesitate to ask questions. Other modders will be happy to help you get started. Don't be afraid of those n00bish questions: everyone has to start somewhere
Of course, if you have never modded anything before, don't start making an intergalactic quest. Start small, such as editing item propertiesto familiarize yourself with the files and the tools and once you are comfortable, move on to something else. Some areas of modding require more specific knowledge but with reasonable efforts and practice pretty much everything is easily accessible.
b. What about modding tools?
First of all, you'll need >>>>>Fred Tetra's KotOR tool<<<<< (found here)
StarWarsKnights.com also has a huge tools library that is continually updated. As soon as a new utility is released, it is added to the library (with the full consent of the authors).