Health and drink

[tigger_on_vrb]

Just wanted to be clear exactly how health works. As far as I understand health means your general (the guy with the flag, not the whole unit) gets extra lives so that he needs to be 'killed' multiple times before hes dead.

how much health does a general get without 'great warrior' etc? What about the king and princes - they seem to me to be harder to kill. If a prince becomes a regular general because hes out the blood line does he keep any extra health?

I ask because in my last game my best general (an ex-prince) got 'dead drunk' and -20 health, but I kept him in command of my main army for the rest of the game and he never got killed and kicked ass just as much as ussual in combat.

Do melee and ranged hits affect health in the same way? It seems a bit unfair the guy can be full of arb bolts and still keep fighting!

Finally, do the lives lost in a battle carry over for the rest of the game or do they get refreshed for every fight?

[tigger_on_vrb]

Also do inns and taverns increase the chances of drunken vices? I never build any but I dont ussually destroy ones in privinces I take, maybe I should?

[Armchair Athlete]

Drunken vices are just random, AKAIK Inns and Tavern have no effect.

As for health, 3 health points give +1 hit point. Melee and ranged effect health the same way, however for the larger artilery pieces you can usually kill the strongest king in one shot if you get a direct hit (good luck!). Lives refresh after every battle, although if they lose health without dying they have a chance to develop some vice and virtues (such as hideous scars). Kings and princes do indeed get extra health, kings more so than princes. I am unsure whether they still keep this bonus when they become normal generals, but I think so. Regular generals get a small health increase, not sure of the exact amount though (5 I think? I'm going to say 5). You can really rack up health if you send your king into battle, with the bonus health for being a general, the king bonus, plus and vice and virtues (such as mighty warrior which is common amongst heirs) you can have a truely Jedi general!

[I of the Storm]

Wow! More than 8 years. Impressive necro'ing. And so... not on subject at all...

[LordK9]

It is frustrating at times, though, when an enemy king all alone and fighting 200 chiv spearmen and 60 halbdiers takes five minutes or more to kill while killing scores of his attackers.

I'm told (never tried it) that the easiest way for a king to be taken out is those little Greek-fire pot throwers.

[Gilrandir]

I'm told (never tried it) that the easiest way for a king to be taken out is those little Greek-fire pot throwers.
You gotta have a knack of using 'em. Their range is short and accuracy is wayward and they cannot be employed in a wet weather. Plus only some eastern factions (the byz, the horde and the muslems (perhaps even not all of them)) train Naptha. But you may have luck and kill someone big as well as some of your own soldiers (the throwers themselves included).

[LordK9]

You gotta have a knack of using 'em. Their range is short and accuracy is wayward and they cannot be employed in a wet weather. Plus only some eastern factions (the byz, the horde and the muslems (perhaps even not all of them)) train Naptha. But you may have luck and kill someone big as well as some of your own soldiers (the throwers themselves included).

I built a few early on but decided they weren't so hot for those very reasons so haven't built any in quite a while. They sure do scare my troops though the few times the AI manages to actually have them throw anything. I do remember reading that somewhere, though. Apparently if you can get them to lob in his direction, one boom can kill a king.