Hey guys, me again.
I'm now having a question about intrigues.
I recently found a plot started by my heir to kill my regent (me). It has a plot strength of 530% but no backers.
Now I know I can and maybe should sent the ungrateful something to jail but woudn't face a penalty but the guy is betrothed to a princess of France so I'm not sure about what to do here.
Also what the frak does Plot Strength mean? I starting to think I'm missing a thick manual here...
Plot strength opens up different options, mainly to kill someone or attempt to enact the plot. There's three 'levels' of the plot that open three successively better options to enact it. At 50% they receive the first option, which is pretty weak, low success high discover. 75% and 100% open up subsequent options(all have the same goal) that are stronger, the 100% one being a 90% success rate with 10% discover rate.
So essentially your heir can make an attempt on your life right now, but probably wont because of the chance for success. Adding members to the plot will raise the strength and thus success chance. You can ask the ploter(s) to knock it off in their diplomacy options, this is usually successful in my experience, especially given the heir I assume is underage as you're the reagent.
As a king, what are the advantages of creating a duchy? Similarly, what is the advantage/disadvantage of granting duchies you hold to other characters? It just doesn't seem to have much effect.
Advantagesrestige, you'll get more prestige from having duke vassals than counts. This is heavily in the favor of dukes, something like 4 dukes will outweigh the prestige of 14 counts.
Management, keeping 4 people happy is much easier(and cheaper) than 14 obviously.
Relations, holding to many duchies(more than 2 in my experience) will lower relations with your counts, also said counts will want the ducal titles. Your essentially shooting yourself in the foot by holding the duchies in this regard.
Voting, tied into 2 and 3, you need vassal approval to raise crown authority or other such laws. Don't expect to get anything passed if you're hoarding duchies.
Du Jure claims. As a king you don't get those claims(unless the ducal title is held by you). This is a easy way to expand your realm w/o having to fabricate claims. It will also improve your relations when you help your dukes out like that(as well as give you more vassal troops)
Disadvantages:Makes those characters more powerful/prestigious.
Can cascade that power into one person, I've had vassals consolidate half my kingdom under themselves from my own poor management via marriage or war.
Larger chucks can be inherited. Depending on crown authority you can lose those duchies via inheritence if you're not paying attention. Losing a duchy is obviously more damaging then losing a county.
Dukes will want the rest of their dukedoms. Be careful when you're handing out those dukedoms if you want to keep the counties it consists of. Best example is Ireland. Most of the Irish de jure dukes are 2-3 counties, but Ulster is 4, I built my powerbase in Ulsters 4 counties and unwisly handed the ducal title to my hier, he wanted the remaining 3 counties of Ulster and sabotaged our own relations and began plotting for the throne early. If I had given him the Duchy if Meath instead he would have taken a -25 relation hit for my holding Dublin instead of the -75 for Holding Ulster, Tyrone, and Oriel of the Ulster duchy.
Theres probably other things I'm missing, but those are some of the highlights.
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