Intrigue focus abduction still immersion-breaking

[dulcamara]

Rather than going after the easy target of Reaper's Due mass disfigurements & cripplings, I just wanted to point out a problem still holding on from earlier DLC/patches. With decent intrigue skill and the associated focus it's still extremely easy to abduct one's king or similar, and the consequences of doing this are close to nil.

I'm playing as duke of Greater Poland right now. I've abducted King Boleslaw II, kept him in jail for a while and ignored his demands that I stop an assassination plot against his 5 year old heir while I ruled as regent and pilfered the coffers, then tiring of that had him castrated & released. He and his close kin hate me, sure, but no one else cares whatsoever. I'm still Steward of the realm and designated Regent. Just for kicks I kidnapped Boleslaw again - maybe I'll chop the eunuch's leg off this time and see if anyone notices.

It all just feels a little too cartoonish. For kidnapping - let alone castrating - one's liege in a fairly centralized state, one should at least get massive diplomatic maluses if not be considered an act of war (preferably the latter IMO). Code-wise it's just an AI blind spot right now.

There are other gamey aspects of the WoL focuses, but this one seems the most glaring now. Hope they're on the list for the next patch...

 

[choffman0710]

Yeah it's one of those situations where you just have to restrain yourself from abusing these systems.

 

[thevmag]

I don't see what the problem is. How will you replace your monarch with an automaton doppelganger if you do not take the effort to arrest her first?

 

[Ternega]

Acting against liege, hell even against others in this manner should definitely have consequences. I mean It'd be cool if game actually recognized what you've done rathe than conducting buisness as usual. Like if you do it to a king who is beloved and you get discovered people should instantly turn on you. On the other hand if you are sneaky, skilled, or the king's a tyrant people should totally welcome you as "Regent" and after a while you can drop the pretense and just grab the chair.

 

[RagingJaws]

Then don't do it?

Falls under the same forgotten bit of the game regarding daughters being captured and made into concubines, with no diplomatic options available. Though at least you, as the player, can decide whether to have intrigue imprisonment be a thing in your games.

 

[Flamestalker]

Acting against liege, hell even against others in this manner should definitely have consequences. I mean It'd be cool if game actually recognized what you've done rathe than conducting buisness as usual. Like if you do it to a king who is beloved and you get discovered people should instantly turn on you. On the other hand if you are sneaky, skilled, or the king's a tyrant people should totally welcome you as "Regent" and after a while you can drop the pretense and just grab the chair.

Sound good, consequences for your actions when you are discovered is definitely something we need for this kind of thing. Unfortunately it will probably never happen, we asked for consequences for Seduction as well but all we ultimately got was ai seduction being toned down a bit and the option to turn it off.

 

[thevmag]

we asked for consequences for Seduction as well but all we ultimately got was ai seduction being toned down a bit and the option to turn it off.

Insta-rival, valid casus belli to be imprisoned and executed without tyranny, major reputation drops in an era when gifts no longer carry so far, the risk of spreading disease, and any combination of which reduce your Attraction enough to reduce your chance at successfully making baby aren't consequences?

I've had more than one wife blinded and put under house arrest, and more than one amorous Duke Oldmannington imprisoned, castrated, imprisoned, blinded, imprisoned, ransomed, imprisoned, executed as a consequence of his seduction

 

[Rags17]

How about kidnapping your liege yields automatic excommunication ? It's not really what would happen but suddenly giving every other character in the game just cause to depose you would seem to fit the bill.

Having to ask the Pope's forgiveness to lose the trait seems about right too . . .

 

[xxdspawnxx]

i had this happen to me as the emperor of scandinavia one of my kings who liked me decided to kidnap me because of the intrigue focus and wouldnt let me out :/ so i had to console command my way out cause it was BS that he wouldnt let me go