Some more Hook mechanic ideas

[The Founder]

Hooks. They are kinda important, both for Internal and external policy. I think I had some ideas for them.

Burn strong hooks
Strong hooks are both reuseable and Stronger in effect. But I may have already used a hook recently, when I want another useage for something really important.
So please give us the option to "burn" a strong hook. In effect the hook is released and can not be re-aquired but you get one more use now.
The option to burn a hook should not be used for any automatic or notification (like can Demand Payment).

Shorter Strong Hook cooldown if used as weak Hook
Strong hooks that have only been "used as a weak hook" (not for a murder scheme, but only for something a weak hook can do), should go on a shorter cooldown.

Reusable weak hooks
At least one kind of weak hook - the House and Dynasty Leader - sound like they should be re-useable, similar to the Strong hook. But not actually be useable like a Strong hook.
Maybe call those Medium Hooks?

Release Hook
Sometimes what you want is a friend, but you already got a hook. So please give us a way to "forgive" or "release" a hook. This can be a direct action, or could be added as option to a Sway sceme (in case the normal roll fails, the hook will be released for a success instead).

Use Hooks in non-hostile scemes
A extetnsion of Release Hook, allow us to "use" hooks in all kinds of schemes to guarantee a success. Or at least get a serious boost to sucess chance.

 

[Foefaller]

One hook use I was suprised not to find was to negate someone's weak hook on you. Maybe just if you have a Strong Hook on them, but I would think you should be able to weasel out of a potential future favor that way.

 

[The Founder]

One hook use I was suprised not to find was to negate someone's weak hook on you. Maybe just if you have a Strong Hook on them, but I would think you should be able to weasel out of a potential future favor that way.

There is one event, where a person you got a hook on approaches you wirth a secret for a person in your court. But afaik it only works from the AI side and purely random.

 

[Trinculo]

Not sure if this is entirely related, but I led a claimant faction war to put myself on the throne, resulting with several powerful vassals who had hooks on me. One of them soon used that hook to grab a council position (I think Marshal). Okay, fine. But then a couple of months later I had a different vassal use their hook for the same council position, which now gave me something like a -90 opinion penalty with the first vassal -- not just the standard "powerful vassal wants council position" one, but now also a penalty for being fired from the council, which I had no say in! Adding insult to injury, the first vassal was really good at the appropriate skill, while the second one had a skill of like 2, and I couldn't fire them for 25 years. Argh...

A more robust hook system could prevent unfun occurrences like this, or at least flavorize them so that it doesn't feel like I just randomly got screwed by the game. Maybe claimant faction hooks, if used to demand council positions, can't be used to fill another council position that's already being held through a hook. Or maybe Vassal #1 would resent Vassal #2 instead of me. Alternatively, there could still be a "fired" opinion penalty with me, but also with Vassal #2, and have an event portraying this sequence of events as some sort of vassal infighting/court drama! (I think I actually like this last one best, although it would probably take more work to implement than the others.)

I like the ideas you suggested; a breakdown of separate hook types could also potentially be extended to different categories like blackmail or a simple favor... and whatever catchy name you could come up with for the claimant supporters' hooks. (I assume they're supposed to represent the supporters wanting favors in return for backing me? That would make sense for requesting council positions or favorable vassal contracts)

That would also be relevant for your suggestion of using hooks in non-hostile schemes: blackmailing someone probably isn't the best way to make friends or get someone into bed with you (at least I think... I've never tried), but I really like the idea of being able to use the "saved my life" hook that you get through fabricating hooks to seduce someone! That would be so deviously clever, I love it

 

[The Founder]

But then a couple of months later I had a different vassal use their hook for the same council position, which now gave me something like a -90 opinion penalty with the first vassal -- not just the standard "powerful vassal wants council position" one, but now also a penalty for being fired from the council, which I had no say in!

That just sounds plain like a bug. Please report it.

Note that it is not nessesarily related to the hooks. Apparently powerfull vassals can start a "Demand Council Position" scheme. But it is possible the hook shortcuts that processs.

 

[Trinculo]

That just sounds plain like a bug. Please report it.

Note that it is not nessesarily related to the hooks. Apparently powerfull vassals can start a "Demand Council Position" scheme. But it is possible the hook shortcuts that processs.

I wasn't sure if this was a bug or not, but I've reported it now, thanks