Agent valour

[fuddha]

It took me long time to realize why my emissaries don't gain valour when they should. Apparently, they get a star only once for each action: cease fire, alliance, bribery, marriage. Does anybody know how to pump the emissary further? And what about other agents (priest, inquisitor, assassin, spy)? How they get their valour?

[cutepuppy]

(grand)inquisitors gain valour by burning people, assassins by killing people (generals or other agents), spies gain valour by creating rebellions or opening castle gates. Don't know how bishops gain valor, but i think it is by converting people and make alliances.
You don't get stars for every succesfull action, it goes like this:
1 succes = 1 star
2 successes = 2 stars
4 successes = 3 stars
8 successes = 4 stars
...

[fuddha]

That explains alot. Thanks!

[Procrustes]

Couple other little tidbits -

Spies can also gain valor if they reveal a secret vice for an enemy, or if they successfully frame one of your own generals for treason. A spy can also gain valor if there is a rebellion in the foriegn province he is sitting in.

Spies, assassins and emmisaries who are "counterspying" - ie sitting in one of your provinces doing nothing - may gain a star if they catch a forigen spy. Doesn't happen to me very often because I build border forts.

An assassin may gain more than one star if they kill a very important target. Take out a king with your assassin and he may gain two stars instead of one.

HTH

[ajaxfetish]

The biggest problem I usually run into is the AI loves to assassinate all of my agents, even when protected within my own lands surrounded by border forts and other counterspying agents.

Oftentimes I'll produce several emissaries just to try to reach one enemy king to propose a ceasefire or alliance, and they'll all get shot down on the way, and my preaching alims & bishops also tend to have an incredibly short life expectancy. My assassins tend to do pretty well if I keep them at home or find a less guarded enemy province to hang out in, but my spies never seem to get a chance to foment rebellion before they're captured and executed, even if I build them in VI with several valour to begin with.

Any tips for extending their lives so they can actually do their jobs?

[BAD]

If you can get the assasins in Syria, You can eventually get them out at Valour FOUR!!! Then no-one is safe after they level up. Normally I try to valour up my spies on finding secret vices etc. before trying to create rebellions. And I will hardly ever send them somewhere there is a border fort, unless they are of James Bond skill levels. . .

Emissaries get toasted all the time, you just gotta learn to live with it, same for the preists and alims.

But for Inquistors I normally valour them up by burning the same unit every turn up until valour 4 or 5. Then its time to make for the oppositions royalty and uber Generals, they are pretty safe from assassins then aswell. Tough cookies those Inquisitors!!! :charge:

[ajaxfetish]

Sounds like my best options for reliable agents are gonna be souped up inquisitors and Syrian assassins. The other folks'll just have to live their lives like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory! ~;)

[cutepuppy]

If you can get the assasins in Syria, You can eventually get them out at Valour FOUR!!!

Actually, it is valour 5 (+2 bonus from Syria and +3 from that building.

[BAD]

Actually, it is valour 5 (+2 bonus from Syria and +3 from that building.

O_o Guess I never noticed the last Valour Upgrade building for them. Too busy building troops to smash those damned Spanish B'Tards :@ !!! Also my house mate has his lower valor spies "hangaround" with hi top Spy. Then when he causes a rebellion they all get the bonus. Guess they learn from the best or something.

Also he found out that if you keep some Border provinces WITHOUT a border fort AND put either/both a Spy and Assasin there. They will catch the Spys and other assasins trying to enter your lands through the "easy" way in ie no Border Fort. Also I think one of his SIX star Spy's was uncatchable by a mere Border Fort ^^ .

Hope that adds something to the mix. ~:cheers: