Questions/Discussion: (Managing) Family Members

[PriestLizard]

Hi there.

Again I got several questions on my mind. I already tried to use the Search but I didnt find the info I need. So I hope its OK to start a new thread.

Family Members
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1. Every FM or betrothed character gains a ethnicity trait. I.e. for Baktria I recognized ethnic traits like "Hellen", "Macedon" or "Persian" (in EB 0.8. there was also "Sogdian", I'm not sure if this trait still exists). Now my question is: Are these ethnicity/regional traits fix for each faction, or does it depend on the regions my faction is controlling?

Lets say I play Epirote (who I'm actually playing currently) and I conquer the lands of Baktria (just an example). Will I get FMs with the "Persian" trait too? Or "Indian"?

I'm just wondering because it will lead to some interesting role-play-possibilities if a possible heir comes from a very different ethnicity than the origin of the royal family. There could be a "barbarian" sweboz character ruling your epirote kingdom and so on...

The longest campaign I ever played was Baktria in 0.8. and I didnt expand very far to the west, thats why I didnt find out the answer to this question by myself.

2. If I want to force the situation I mentioned above -- is it possible to "overwrite" the existing ethnicity trait with the give_trait command without damaging the save game?

3. I some threads I read that you can "hire" generals (=characters). Is it possible with every faction? Does it depend on the region? I think I remember some info that its only possible with Romani - is that right? Or is this about the TypeIV Gov where you get a client ruler?

DISCUSSION
I wonder how to manage or role-play your FMs in a good way to give them nice traits. I remember in Vanilla it was enough to just let them win battles in order to get some nice command-traits and to make them good generals. In EB though, I cant figure out how to get them general-stars or how to make them good characters in general.

The starting FMs are usually quite "good" and develop in a good way too. My Pyrrhos was a 10-star attacking-general when he died in the streets of athens... but all new FMs who came into the game AFTER my campaign started are just "plain"... they are like 1-0-0 or 0-1-2 (command-management-influence) even though I DID repeatedly win battles.

So what do you do to develop your characters?

Bye Priesty

[Foot]

1. Its a combination of both. Epeiros won't get anyone with the germanic ethnicity trait because they would never allow such a barbarian to reach the heights of power in their kingdom.

2. Yes that is possible.

3. Build a type IV and L5 of the Regional MIC and that will allow you to recruit a general.

Foot

[Aemilius Paulus]

1. Fixed

2. I am not sure if the "give trait" command still works in EB. Many of the RTW console commands are not EB-compatible.

3. You can hire mercenary generals once you have level 5 Regional MIC. To get a Client Ruler, you have to build the type IV government, but you don't want to use those for battle. The mercenary generals themselves are great heavy cavalry with amazing regeneration abilities (you can sustain 70% casualties and all of the losses will be replenished the next turn). I would not however use them as generals. Well, I do have a couple of very high influence/command/management merc. generals but those were a fluke. The merc. generals start out with numerous negative triats often times, especially if you are playing the Romani, which is when those generals get the -3 infl. "plebeian" trait.

Here is an example from my previous post of my best mercenary general:

My most notable one, a 6 command (9 when attacking), 10 influence (it is actually more like 16, but only 10 show up) and 10 management started out as a Mercenary Italic General with a couple of negative traits as well as with Plebeian, Dull/Charismatic/Vigorous, Unselfish/Pessimistic(!)/Loyal base traits. By now he is a Plebeian Tribune, Plebeian Aedile, Censor, Aedile, Praetor, Quaestor, and even a Consul. He is also nobile, senatore, novitas, and novos homo and a member of the eques (he also has the very wealthy trait). And it has been only 5 years since I have adopted him!

I pick the Sharp, Charismatic, Optimistic generals, put them in a city with academies and high-tier markets, wait for the guy to gain some good traits for about two-three years and in the end most of the time get a 4-7 management/7-10 influence just for sitting around! Alternatively I let the general sit in a city for only one year (4 turns) and then send him off to war. After ten years that guy almost always has 10 influence/management and no less than 6 command.

Remember, influence is ridiculously easy to gain in EB. Even with quite a bit of negative traits, 10 influence is the norm. Management is the difficult one. It is also the one that really matters, as, in EB, money is hard to come buy and you always need it. Command is even more difficult, but then again, you do not really need it. All command is, is some morale bonus in the radius of your general, an AutoCalc bonus, and some shiny, pretty, yellow stars!

EDIT: Foot beat me to the first post, but is it really true that the ethnicity trait is influenced by what your faction has conquered? I though those traits were mostly random. I looked at the triggers in export_desc_character_traits and the ethnicity traits seemed to be randomly determined to me...

[Lysimachos]

2. I am not sure if the "give trait" command still works in EB. Many of the RTW console commands are not EB-compatible.

Some original commands were disabled with later patches for RTW, this has nothing to do with EB.
However, "give_trait" definitely works.

1. Its a combination of both. Epeiros won't get anyone with the germanic ethnicity trait because they would never allow such a barbarian to reach the heights of power in their kingdom.

EDIT: Foot beat me to the first post, but is it really true that the ethnicity trait is influenced by what your faction has conquered? I though those traits were mostly random. I looked at the triggers in export_desc_character_traits and the ethnicity traits seemed to be randomly determined to me...

I thought every faction had a pre-set pool of ethnicities. For me this is very interesting news, too

[Foot]

Every faction has a pre-set pool, but whether that faction has a chance of adopting a family member of one of these pre-set ethnicities mostly requires the faction to hold onto a certain province or group of provinces. Some ethnicities are available for the faction regardless of what province's they hold. That is why I said both, in answer to the OPs question.

Foot

[Lysimachos]

Every faction has a pre-set pool, but whether that faction has a chance of adopting a family member of one of these pre-set ethnicities mostly requires the faction to hold onto a certain province or group of provinces. Some ethnicities are available for the faction regardless of what province's they hold. That is why I said both, in answer to the OPs question.

Foot

Thank you for the clarification!