Rule for interaction
with Non-Player Nations using Influence
In Lords 24 we will not always have a player for
every nation (called non-player nations or NPNs) and the following rules are
used to determine how the resources of these NPNs can be used. NPNs in Lords can provide extra
resources for Player Nations. These NPN positions are available to grant aid,
expend resources, and help to the nations of the same religion through a new
Influence-Based system. Influence may be accrued with the NPNs by various
actions, and then may be bid to gain access to the various aids available.
Lords 24 uses an influence based system, however, you do not have to spend the influence to gain the benefits. Also, once an Operation capability has been taken, it cannot be assigned to another Influencer unless they are successful in taking the benefit.
Gaining
Influence
The
primary way to gain influence with NPN Primacies or Orders is through the
Increase Influence (II) Religious Operation and with Open Empire through Diplomacy.
The difficulty of this operation is increased, but players have ways to augment
their chances on the attempt by undertaking actions on behalf of the NPN or by
granting the NPN its traditional Religious dues. The list is as follows:
Tithes: Players may set a 1% tithe to the NPN.
That percentage of their income is then redirected from them to the NPN's
coffers. That turn they receive a significant bonus to the II/DP operation.
Players may do this again on subsequent turns, increasing the percentage of tithe
by 1% each time. However, once the Tithe is set, it can only be lowered by the
NPN (although Nations can request that the NPN reduce the tithe).
Sites: (Non-Open Empire only) Traditionally, the NPN would able to construct religious
sites within flock nations to increase the NPN's income. In Lords 24 players
may do this on the NPN's behalf by using the standard Site Construction Rules.
Churches and Abbeys may be constructed as well as Houses and Preceptory sites
for Religious Orders. Each site successfully constructed adds a bonus to the
next II action undertaken by the nation. Keep in mind that sites require leader
actions and resources to construct. However, they will produce additional
income for the NPN which in turn is available as aid. These sites do need to
follow normal CCR restrictions. Players are encouraged to name the sites after
historical cathedrals or monastic orders when performing the construction
actions.
Leaders: (Orders and Primates only) Nations may
also grant their Royal Sons to the NPN as leaders. These leaders are then
transferred to the NPN to use internally. Each living leader the nation has
granted the Papacy grants a bonus to II actions undertaken during his tenure.
This bonus is increased if the leader can secure a higher position within the
NPN. The positions are as follows:
Primacy Title |
Order Title |
Position |
Father |
Brother |
Royal Family
Section |
Bishop |
Master |
Lieutenant
Leader |
Cardinal |
Commander |
Prince Leader |
Pope |
Grand
Master/Prelate |
Ruler |
(Obviously,
these have a Roman Catholic bias and if a Primacy/Order of another religion
becomes available I will add those titles in as well)
When
a slot opens up, all leaders below that slot perform a modified Charisma Skill
Check to attempt to win the open position. The leader with the highest level of
success gains the slot and the new title. If no one passes the skill check,
then a new leader is randomly generated.
Gold: Of course, gold spent on the Operation
is always effective. In this case, it represents indulgences bought from the
NPN itself. This money must be linked to a specific II Operation when it is
undertaken, just like any normal operation.
Marriage: (Open Empire or Noble House only) A
Royal Marriage provides a significant bonus to any II or DP action.
Maximum
Influence with Orders and Primacies
The maximum
Influence a Nation can obtain is the lower of it national Religious Strength or
10 modified by the following:
·
Current
Primate/Grandmaster is from the nation’s family +3
·
Current
Cardinal/Commander is from the nation’s family +1 each
·
For
each Cathedral/Estate in the nation +1
·
For
each Holy City/Fortress in the nation +1
A little known
fact is that a high Religious Strength negatively impacts your Tech Point
accrual; the more religious fervour in your nation, the more new discoveries
and advances are distrusted. In return for taking a hit in the Tech Race,
Religious Nations have more maximum pull with their Primate or Orders. This
allows those nations to be very competitive for the more lucrative NPN gifts,
such as Relics. Of course, sites may only be constructed in locations of the
correct religion. Should a location change its religion, any sites of that
religion are lost as well.
Maximum
Influence with Open Empires and Noble Houses
The maximum
Influence possible in a Open
Empire or Noble House NPN is 10. This is shared amongst all possible
influencers.
Decreasing
Influence
Instead of
gaining influence, an Influencing Nation can opt to decrease the Influence
another nation has in the NPN. If the nation losing Influence does not have
enough Influence to maintain its benefits they will be removed, paving the way
for their competitors.
The
Benefits of Influence
Influence in an
NPN gains the Influencing Nation two things. Firstly, the Influencing Nation
can Request Aid from the NPN using the RAFN. The rules for these actions are
given below in “Using Influence to Gain Aid”. Secondly, the Influencing Nation
can use their influence to propose Edicts (Papal Bulls) from Primacies
Using
Influence to Gain Aid
Players who
accrue influence with the NPN will have the opportunity to gain benefits from
the NPN in a similar way to NPN nations. Gifts of money and food, grants of
government assistance, use of the NPN Operations etc
are all available.
Benefits are
gained in the form of aid. To obtain this aid a player must assign a leader to
a “Request Aid” action. This action can be carried out at either the player’s
homeland/capital or the NPNs main site. A bonus is applied is the leader
travels to the NPN’s location. All benefits/aid are available the turn AFTER
they have been granted. Each benefit has a “Difficulty” level. This shows the
minimum influence expected to gain the benefit as a guideline. However, it is
possible to gain these benefits at lower levels of influence if the requesting
leader has a high level of Charisma and large amounts of gold are expended.
The benefits
are listed below:
Name |
Effect |
Difficulty |
Gold |
The nation
gains 10% of the NPN's Gold in aid as a tithe. Maximum of 50% |
3 |
NFP |
The nation
gains 10% of NFP in aid as a tithe. This NFP may not be used to recruit
troops. Maximum of 50% |
3 |
Agro |
The nation receives
10% of the NPN's Agro in aid as a tithe. Maximum of 50% |
3 |
Infrastructure
|
For Primacies
and Orders: The nation is granted one Infrastructure from the NPN. This Infrastructure
may go beyond the normal maximums for Tech Level. The Infrastructure point
may be lost if another player uses his influence to pry the clerks away. For Open
Empires and Noble Houses: The nation is granted one Infrastructure from the
NPN. This is removed from the NPN and added to the influencing nation. If
there are differences in Religion and Language, it is reduced to 100 gold investment before the modifiers are applied. A note is
added to the Tithes section and if this is lost, the investment returns to
the NPN. |
3 |
Bureaucracy |
For Primacies
and Orders: The nation is granted one
Bureaucratic Level and a Bishop from the Church. This bid lasts for the
lifetime of the granted Bishop. This BL may go beyond the normal maximums for
Tech Level. The BL point may be lost if another player uses his influence to
pry the clerks away. For Open
Empires and Noble Houses: The nation is granted one Bureaucratic Level from
the NPN. This is removed from the NPN and added to the influencing nation. If
there are differences in Religion and Language, it is reduced to 100 gold investment before the modifiers are applied. A note is
added to the Tithes section and if this is lost, the investment returns to
the NPN. |
3 |
Religious |
The nation is
granted one Religious Operation or Bonus point from the NPN. This is removed
from the NPN and added to the influencing nation. The NPN MUST be of the same religion. A note is
added to the Tithes section and if this is lost, the investment returns to
the NPN |
5 |
Intelligence |
The nation is
granted one Intelligence Operation or Bonus point from the NPN. This is
removed from the NPN and added to the influencing nation. If there are
differences in Religion and Language, it is reduced to 100 gold investment before the modifiers are applied. A note is
added to the Tithes section and if this is lost, the investment returns to
the NPN. |
5 |
Assassin |
The nation is
granted one Assassin Operation or Bonus point from the NPN. This is removed
from the NPN and added to the influencing nation. If there are
differences in Religion and Language, it is reduced to 100 gold investment before the modifiers are applied. A note is
added to the Tithes section and if this is lost, the investment returns to
the NPN. |
5 |
Relic |
The nation
gets to use a Relic and a leader to hold it. Obviously, the NPN must have a
Relic. |
7 |
Military
Support |
The player
gets an Allied Leader and a number of units equal to 50% of the NPNs mobile
force. |
7 |
Alliance |
The player
gets the NPNs statsheet and the ability to direct all its leaders. Does not
control its Economic/Intel/Religious actions. Half turn costs but does not
require H or P leader on Admin Replaces any
Military Support benefit already taken. |
10 |
Free State |
The player
gets the NPNs statsheet and the ability to run the position as if it is a
Player Position including Economic/Intel/Religious actions. Must have an Alliance
in place and replaces the Alliance. Full turn cost and requires a H or P leader to be in the NPNs Capital/Homeland on
Admin. |
10 |
Loss
of Benefits
Benefits are
lost if either influencer or the NPN suffers a DF or if they are taken by
another influencer.
Request Aid from NPN
Charisma,
6AP, Can be conducted by any K, H or P leader either at leaders
homeland/capital or NPN’s Homeland/Capital/Holy City/Fortress/Seat.
The
success chance of the "Request Aid" action is modified by the current
influence the player has in the NPN.
Using
Influence to Propose an Edict
Influence
can also be used to propose an Edict for a Primacy. Orders do not have the power
to enforce Edicts. All Edicts are enforced through the use of the
Excommunication Religious action and should therefore be adhered to whenever
possible. It is possible to get the Primate to declare Edicts outside of the
list given below and there is also a chance that Edicts will appear during the
course of play. The Edicts currently in force are given in the Primates
specific pages. If an Edict directly affects another nation or is unacceptable,
then it can be opposed. Also, if the proposer can gain the support of other
nations, then its chance of success can be increased by their actions. Each
Edict has a minimum Influence cost listed on the table. Obviously, some of
these Edicts will require more than one nation to propose.
Propose Primate Edict
(PPE)
Charisma,
6AP, Can be conducted by any K, H or P leader either at leader’s
homeland/capital or NPN’s
The
success chance of the "Propose Edict" action is modified by the
current influence the player has in the NPN.
Oppose Primate Edict
(OPE)
Charisma,
6AP, Can be conducted by any K, H or P leader either at leader’s
homeland/capital or NPN’s
The
“Oppose Edict” action reduces the chance of a proposed Edicts success.
Support Primate Edict
(SPE)
Charisma,
6AP, Can be conducted by any K, H or P leader either at leader’s
homeland/capital or NPN’s
The
“Support Edict” action increases the chance of a proposed Edicts success.
The
list of Standard Edicts is given below:
Minor Edicts |
|||
Minimum Influence |
Type |
Target |
Effects |
5 |
Marriage |
Single Marriage |
A specific marriage undertaken by a Nation of the same religion is targeted by the Edict. The marriage in question must be considered scandalous. That includes: Marriages to spouses of a different religion, Marriages which have produced no Children, Scandals caused by Random Events, Illegitimate Children or Conceal Fact (Spread Rumour) actions. If the Edict is successful, the marriage is annulled. The marriage effect is cancelled, the spouses return to their separate countries, and any children of the union are considered illegitimate. The spouse may not remarry into the old partner's family. May be blocked by the Marriage Partners. |
5 |
Penance |
Nation of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted Nation must pay a one-turn 10% tithe to a second Nation against whom it has wronged. May be blocked by the Target Nation. |
5 |
Alms |
Nation of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted Nation must pay a one-turn 10% tithe to the Nation with the highest (worst) ESI rating. May be blocked by the Target Nation. |
5 |
Arms |
Nation of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted Nation must pay a one-turn 10% tithe to the Nation with the lowest (worst) MSI rating. May be Blocked by the Target Nation. |
5 |
Order |
Nation and Order of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted Nation must pay a one-turn 10% tithe to the designated Order. May be Blocked by the Target Nation. |
5 |
Consecration |
Location sharing same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted location receives a free Papal Site Construction, either generating a new Church, or upgrading any existing site. The nation calling for the Bull receives the credit for their next II Bonus. The nation hosting the site receives the credit for the increased Papal Influence Maximum. The location must be able to support the new site as per the population requirements. May be Blocked by the Location's Owner. |
10 |
Noble |
Location sharing same Religion |
Used on a Location which is Pacified and is Occupied to another Nation of the same religion, a successful Edict removes the Occupied status and allows the Location to convert to Feudal Ally if a leader is supplied. |
10 |
Disputed |
Location sharing same Religion |
Used on a Location which is Pacified and is Occupied to another Nation of the same religion, a successful Edict removes the Occupied status and allows the Location to convert to Friendly. |
15 |
Bestow Title |
Nation of same Religion (Monarchy) |
The Primate grants a secular title upon a deserving nation. To be eligible
for a new title, the nation in question must possess a minimum number of
friendly or pacified territories. In addition to the title, the Primate will
gift the nation with some sort of national construction (PWB, City
Expansions, Projects, etc). The higher the title, the better the
construction. |
15 |
Revoke Title |
Nation of same Religion (Monarchy) |
The Primate rescinds a title from a nation which no longer qualifies (as per the Bestow Title requirements) for the honour. If the Primate had granted a gift to the nation during the bestowment of the title, that gift might be rescinded. May be blocked by the Target Nation. |
Major Edicts |
|||
Cost |
Type |
Target |
Effects |
15 |
Cardinal |
Leader of same Religion |
The Edict must target a
non-active, unmarried leader of the same religion from the nation’s royal
family. If the Edict is successful, the leader will become a Cardinal of the
religion. |
15 |
Excommunicate Leader |
Leader of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted leader is ousted from the Church. He is eliminated from the owning nation's stat sheet. The leader must have undertaken an aggressive action against another Nation’s of the same religion, or at least been framed of one through Conceal Fact actions. May not be used against H or K/Q leaders. May be blocked by the Leader's Owner. |
15 |
Beautification |
Deceased Leader of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted leader is declared a Saint by the Primate. A Relic is created for the new saint and put up for Bid. The more influence spent on the Edict, the more potent the Relic. The leader in question must have accomplished something for the greater good. |
20 |
Trade |
Nation |
If the Edict is successful, all Trade Routes between the target and any Nations of the same religion as the Primate are shut down for a period of three turns (15 years). If the target is a nation of the same religion, they must have a history of aggression against other nations of that religion. May be blocked by the Target Nation. |
25 |
Excommunicate |
Ruler of same Religion |
If successful, the Edict ejects the targeted Ruler from the Church. All non-friendly/homeland Locations held by the nation immediately check for revolt and remain as such for the duration of the Excommunication. When the Ruler Dies, there is an increased probability of Dynastic Failure. The Ruler must show a history of aggression against other nations of the same religion. May be blocked by the Target Nation. |
25 |
Noble |
Excommunicated |
If successful, the Edict revokes the excommunication of the Ruler. Revolt checks are no longer carried out each turn. |
25 |
Religious Reconciliation |
Nation of same Religion |
If the Edict is successful, the targeted Nation will have an easier time of converting to the Primates religion. If the nation converts on the following turn, the Homeland and Capital will automatically convert, and other locations will receive a bonus conversion check. The targeted Nation is under no obligation to make the conversion whatsoever. |
40 |
Interdiction |
Nation of same Religion |
A severe form of Excommunication, success of this Edict condemns every citizen in the targeted nation. The effects listed under Excommunicate Ruler and Trade Embargo both apply to the realm for the duration. In addition, every location but the capital must pass a revolt check each turn or degrade one level. The Nation must show a significant history of aggression against other nations of the same religion. May be blocked by the Target Nation. |
40 |
National |
Interdicted Nation |
If successful, the Edict revokes the Interdiction of a Nation. |
Order
Status
If a player run
Order has a level of status in a NPN it can "Request Aid" in much the
same way as a player run nation can request aid. In this case the level of
Status the player run order has in the NPN effects the chance of success. Only
Military aid can be requested in this way unless the Order has a Status
of 6 or greater in the NPN.
Request Aid by Order
(RABO)
Charisma,
6AP, Can be conducted by any K, H or P leader either at leaders Fortress or
NPN’s homeland/capital.
The
success chance of the "Request Aid" action is modified by the current
status the player has in the NPN.
Requesting
Royal Sons
A player run
Primacy or Order can request that NPN nations send them a royal son to swell
their ranks. This is done using the "Request Royal Son" action
Request Royal Son (RRS)
Charisma, 6AP,
Conducted by a K leader only. This can be carried out at the Primate's or
Order's court. If successful a Royal Son is added the Primate's leaders or
family lists