Can't live past 30

[Stigandr]

So I'd heard that Reapers Due massively upped the death rate, but I've been away from the game for a while. Got RD, Holy Fury, and Conclave before trying again. Decided to play as Alfred Earl of Dorset in 867. Took a few goes to beat off the vikings, but eventually managed it. I love most of the changes. But in a century of play, only Alfred has lived past 30 (he made it to 40ish). Everyone else lives just long enough to have a kid, who I then have to endure 15 years of regency with.

I thought they'd toned down the deathrate in the initial patches after RD? What am I doing wrong? The causes are all different - cancer, stress, various other illnesses. But I can't explore the new bloodline feature when all of my characters die long before being able to create one. I've started building and upgrading hospitals, but that doesn't seem to be making any difference. Am I just being unlucky, or is this just how CK2 is now - a world of 30 year olds and under? :-s

 

[Greene]

I think it’s just bad luck. I had rulers die in their thirties but I also had rulers die in their seventies. Make sure you have a good court physician around and if you have health reducing traits try to get the Hunting focus for the health bonus.

 

[Castimirr]

You may just be unlucky. I had one of my rulers in this run get over Slow Fever at 92, only to finally die at 94 or so. Most of the rest of mine usually live into their 70s or 80s.

Are you appointing a good Court Physician? They can make a huge difference. It's like Commander and Designated Regent in that it is a minor title that actually does something. A high learning Court Physician with the Renowned Physician trait who likes you can make a big difference in a lot of the diseases. You can look for one with the intrigue menu, which generates a random one. You can also use favors to steal one if they don't have the Loyal Servant modifier.

 

[Stigandr]

Thanks both, I'm glad to know that this is just bad luck - I was beginning to get frustrated, so it's good that this isn't normal! What counts as high learning for a court physician? Most of mine have had in the high 'teens' to low 20s, if that counts? However, I haven't been recruiting them, I've just been appointing from high learning courtiers, so they don't have the Renowned Physician trait - maybe that's why?

 

[Wam]

Low twenty’s is good. Erudite trait helpt. I just appoint my highest learning courtier. Every once in a while you get an event that turns them into renowned physician. Look at the official wiki, I think it’s explained there, what good traite are and what aren’t.

 

[Castimirr]

Renowned Physician makes a big difference. It's often worth a slightly lower learning to have it. I don't remember the exact event modifiers. I do know that their opinion of you also figures in heavily. If you get sick, send them a gift.

 

[Rags17]

A few points to increase your life expectancy.

1. The chance for your physician to give you a good outcome from treatment depends mainly on two things - his Learning attribute and his opinion of you. Find him a wife, give him an honorary title and pay him regularly, having him at +75 opinion at all times REALLY helps.
2. Never take the experimental cure unless your physician is VERY good, ie Learning of 20+. I don't know the actual limit in the code but this seems like a good breakpoint and has worked for me in the past.
3. Always have at least a base level hospital in your capital if you can. It helps with basic diseases and generally keeps lesser health issues at bay.
4. If you worry about your health or have contracted some sort of Health malus (eg Stressed) then take the Hunting option if you can. It gives you extra Health AND has a chance of firing the Hunting Dog event chain which gives you even more health, it also has a chance to remove Stressed and Depressed traits.
5. Family focus also gives you a health bonus, Theology focus can remove negative traits and may help you lose weight (ie lose the Fat and or Gluttonous traits).
6. Keep your wife and your Spymaster happy at all times, you would be surprised how much your life expectancy depends upon these two people !
7. If an epidemic hits your capital then consider going into Seclusion. The peasants and all your vassals will hate you but stuff them - would you reather be well liked and dead or hated and alive ?
8. If you are being hit by a SUPER epidemic (eg the Black Death) then consider getting out of town altogether. Raise the tiniest levy you can or hire a tiny dynamic mercenary band (say 20-30 troops tops) then make yourself commander and put to sea. Find the most remote, isolated and impoverished province you can (preferably an island) and wait it out. Being an island epidemics have problems getting there, the chance is based mainly on the province's prosperity so keeping it poor means that no one will visit there bringing rats and fleas with them. In a recent campaign my Emperor kept Malta to himself and spent absolutely nothing on it so it was still Tribal when the rest of the Empire was all Feudal. At age 60 or so he retired to the island with his personal elite steppe nomad bodyguard to write his memoirs, he Composed a Book and built a laboratory and live to the ripe old age of 86 or so accompanied only by his faithful hunting dog as his wife had died when he was around 75 or so.

 

[Stigandr]

Thanks all for the advice. I've followed as much of it as possible, and upgraded the hospital in my capital of Dorset as much as possible. And promptly died of the Black Death at the age of 31 (no epidemic, this is in early 1000s) leaving the throne to my son who is a leper. Haven't yet decided whether to turn off RD for my next runthrough or not, I like some of the changes, but it is being kind of annoying...

 

[MK1980]

raising your heir with martial education can be useful. gives a small health bonus and one of the associated childhood traits can turn into "brawny" (+1 health).

hunting focus can help (passive health bonus and hunting dog health bonus for as long as the dog lives). family or theology focus also come with the same passive +1 health and they can also help you get rid of some negative health conditions like depression or stress.

there are also some artifacts that have a small bonus to health. always nice to have.

overall it's still luck based, but if you have some health bonuses, chances are that they make the difference between dying in your 30's to some random disease or surviving it and living another decade or two (or more).

 

[Wakizashi]

Characters dying at 30 is indeed a bit extreme and unusual, although I must say I have had a lot of people die around 50, and rarely see many of my characters live long beyond that point.

More often than not it isn't even caused by any disease, just natural causes at 49 and such.

 

[Saphire]

I'm pretty surprised, considering my rulers almost always consistently live to at least 70. I was annoyed when my ruler died of "natural causes" at 49

 

[Castimirr]

And promptly died of the Black Death at the age of 31 (no epidemic, this is in early 1000s) leaving the throne to my son who is a leper.

Put your Chaplin hunting heretics (or get a new one and set him to hunting heretics, your Chaplin might be a member if he isn't hunting them). If that didn't come from an epidemic it was probably a Demon Worshiper using the level 2 ability Tainted Touch.

 

[Matoro_TBS]

My characters usually manage to live 45+, the best ones to their late 70s and even 80s. Basically I just have a hospital, 20+ learning doctor and I generally tend to take at least few health buffs, like hunting or theology focus when I'm afraid of dying. I think genes also affect, as the base health stat is hidden but genetic. Theoretically marrying people whose relatives have lived very long lives and have good genetic traits that could help you live longer, too. Dying at 30s is definitely not normal, not even with Reaper's Due.

 

[Snake_Squeezins]

Can't live past 30