Blender Exporting Model with Textures

[Yo Yo Bobby Joe]

I'm working on this coral model for a map I'm working on. The color is a texture that I'm guessing gets exported alongside the model as the SMD. But the pockmarks, the normals, are procedural, made with nodes. Will Blender export that as a normal map with the rest of it, or do I need to bake it before exporting?

Also, how are models with alternate skins made? Why did they feel the need to make this process so complex? Definitely feels like it might've prohibited lots of creativity in Source fan games and custom content.