Scheme
Every character has an ongoing scheme, or ambition, at any time that represents their current objectives and activities apart from any currently held positions. These schemes vary widely, from learning and growing up or investing in existing holdings to increasing
political influence and plotting against other characters. Schemes are generally the main mechanic by which non-ruler characters have agency and interact with other characters and their holdings. While the schemes of most characters are fairly unimportant and can for the most part be ignored, some, particularly those of powerful characters or those otherwise important to the ruler, can matter significantly, whether positively or negatively. Most schemes can be stopped by using the
Persuade to Drop Scheme interaction, which costs
10 political influence.
Basic schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes have no effect and characters will generally default to this if they are ineligible for any other scheme or simply have nothing better to do. Cannot be dropped.
- Growing Up - Used by all children under 12, small chance to increase one of the child's attributes (up to 8) each month
- Content In Life - Default scheme for adults
Ruler schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes are available only to the ruler and usually involve spending a personal attribute to gain a countrywide bonus.
- Influencing Stakeholders - Gain
political power generation in exchange for ruler
popularity, can be started using the associated interaction on the ruler
- Proving Legitimacy - Gain
legitimacy in exchange for ruler
wealth with a small chance of gaining a bloodline trait if the ruler is in the Hellenistic culture group and does not already have one, can be started using the associated interaction on the ruler
- Siphoning Funds - Gain
ruler wealth and
corruption
Education schemes[edit | edit source]
Every child selects one of these when they turn 12, and the education that is chosen will determine the attributes they gain (and lose) during their adolesence and gives a trait and faction conviction when they reach adulthood. The education of the ruler's child can be changed using the Tutor Heir interaction on the
Royal Tutor in monarchies.
- Becoming Great Warrior - Focuses on
martial at the expense of other attributes, gain a
military trait and
democrats or
populares conviction on reaching adulthood
- Becoming Tyrant - Focuses on
martial and
finesse at the expense of other attributes while gaining
corruption, gain a
sociopathic trait and
oligarchs or
optimates conviction on reaching adulthood
- Becoming Bureaucrat - Focuses on
finesse at the expense of other attributes, gain a
rulership trait and
traditionalists or
boni conviction on reaching adulthood
- Becoming Rich - Focuses on
finesse at the expense of other attributes while gaining
corruption, gain a
greed-related trait and
oligarchs or
optimates conviction on reaching adulthood
- Becoming Politician - Focuses on
charisma at the expense of other attributes while gaining
corruption, gain a
oratory trait and
oligarchs or
optimates conviction on reaching adulthood
- Becoming Demagogue - Focuses on
charisma at the expense of other attributes while losing
loyalty, gain a modifier to
corruption and
democrats or
populares conviction on reaching adulthood
- Becoming Zealous - Focuses on
zeal at the expense of other attributes while losing
loyalty, gain a
religion-focused trait and
traditionalists or
boni conviction conviction on reaching adulthood
Plot schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes target another character, possibly even the ruler. Many of these schemes can assisted or
interfered with to either increase (at the cost of ruler
popularity) or decrease (at the cost of
loyalty) the scheme's probability of success, in addition to being persuaded to drop the plot altogether.
- Assassinating - Attempts to kill a rival
- Theft! - Attempts to steal from a wealthy rival
- Claiming Holding - Attempts to take a
holding from another character, costs
popularity
Relationship schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes involve trying to create a new relationship with another character, whether friendly or hostile.
- Provoking - Attempts to make another character into a rival
- Befriending - Attempts to make another character into a friend
- A Royal Proposal - Spends
gold to try to arrange a marriage with the
ruler, used only in monarchies if the ruler is adult and unmarried
- Seeking a Spouse - Spends
gold to try to arrange a marriage with a member of another major family, used only by unmarried adult characters that are notable in some way and can be triggered for the
ruler with the associated character interaction (Scheme: Political Marriage)
Investment schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes usually involve the character either enriching themselves or spending their personal wealth to improve their position in some way.
- Sponsoring Games - Spends personal
wealth to gain
popularity
- Preparing a Grand Festival - Spend a large amount of
gold to give
+5% Integrated Culture Happiness, used only by the
High Priest
- Investing in Opportunities - Gain personal
wealth
- Seeking Patron - Attempts to convince another character to help gain
prominence
- Buying a Holding - Spend
wealth and
popularity to gain a new
holding in a territory with an empty slot, used only by heads of family and will prefer to target territories neighbouring existing holdings
- Expanding Estate - Spend
wealth to increase the
population output of held
holdings but make them unrevokable, used only by heads of family
- Latifundia - Spend a large amount of
gold and gain
corruption to build a
farming settlement in an owned
holding, used only by heads of family
- Expanding Mines - Spend a large amount of
gold and gain
corruption to build a
mine in an owned
holding, used only by heads of family
- Extorting Territory - Increases
wealth and
corruption while decreasing region
output and
loyalty, used only by governors
Political schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes involve trying to increase the character's power and potting against the ruler.
- Buying Troop Loyalty - Spends
gold to gain the
loyalty of commanded cohorts, can be used by
generals
- Demanding a Office - Increases
prominence and when finished fires an event for the ruler to demand an
office, potentially displacing the current holder; only used by characters with high
prominence and
popularity
- Hiring Private Army - Spends a large amount of
gold to gain the
loyal veteran cohorts, costs
gold to abort
- Plotting Quietly - Spends
gold and lowers character
loyalty by 10, cannot be forced to abort
- Inspiring Disloyalty - Spends a large amount of
gold to reduce the
loyalty of a more powerful character by 10, costs
gold to abort
Vice schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes do not do anything particularly productive, but represent characters getting involved in more questionable or problematic behaviours that can be rather costly.
- Gambling - Costs
gold, and has a chance of gaining it back with some return or losing even more once the scheme finishes
- Fighting in the Arena - Decreases
health and
popularity, with a chance of gaining
prominence and
popularity if successful or losing more
health if not
Other schemes[edit | edit source]
These schemes are used only in certain specific situations.
- Seeking Treatment - Increases
health and attempts to heal an healable illness or injury. Can be selected for any eligible character in the country's court through the Seek Treatment interaction at the cost of
200 gold, which comes from personal wealth if selected for the
ruler or the
treasury for all other characters
- Escaping Prison - Attempts to escape imprisonment, costing
health if unsuccessful, and will be frequently taken by prisoners
References[edit | edit source]
Concepts | Attributes • Cognomen • Interactions • Positions • Schemes • Traits |
Domestic policy | State • Attributes • Characters • Civil war • Culture • Government • Heritages • Laws • National ideas • Position • Rebellion • Religion • Technology |
Economic policy | Buildings and Infrastructure • Economy • Food • Great wonders • Population • Trade • Trade goods |
Territories | Region • Province • Territories • Colonization • Holding |
Military | Military traditions • Army • Distinction • Land units • Land warfare • Siege • Naval warfare |
Foreign policy | Treaties • Warfare • Casus belli • Claim • Diplomacy • Subject nations • Barbarians |
Script | Events • Decisions • Missions |
Other | Achievements • Antagonist • Game configuration |