Factions are organized groups of vassals, united against their liege for a common purpose.
When a leader thinks the faction is powerful enough, they can issue an ultimatum to their liege. Unless the liege folds to the demands, this results in a civil war, where all faction members revolt together under a temporary title.
Each vassal can lead or join up to two Factions. If a faction leader dies, the most powerful remaining faction member automatically takes over as the new leader.
- For liege strategies, see Distribution of power guide.
- For vassal strategies, see Joining factions.
Who can join factions
Vassals cannot join factions if they are:
- A child
- (trait only)
- Imprisoned
- With liege:
- "Discouraged from Factionalism: -5" opinion modifier (10 years from Spymaster "Scheme" mission, 100 years from Intrigue focus)
- Non-aggression pact (depending on a game rule)
- Truce
- Blood oath (only affects nomads; claim-for-other factions are exempted)
- Subject to a higher liege's crown law that outlaws vassal infighting (only without Conclave?)
- A voter (councilor or regent), when the council is empowered to vote on war declaration, the council is content (no recent tyranny or succession), and the voter is not tribal or nomadic.
Faction strength
Players receive a "Dangerous Factions" alert if a faction reaches 70% strength. AI leaders may issue ultimatums with a minimum of 75%, with large boosts to likelihood at 100% and 150%. As an exception, the Antiking faction can fire as low as 50%, since the Pope may offer to join as a war ally.
List of Factions
Faction | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Install [Character] in [Title] |
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Succession by Primogeniture in [Title] |
| |
Succession by Seniority in [Title] |
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Succession by Gavelkind in [Title] |
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Elective Monarchy in [Title] |
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Oust Ruler |
| |
Lower Crown Authority in [Title] |
| |
Increase Council power |
| |
Independence |
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True Believers |
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Abrahamic Dissidents |
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Factions and Membership Multipliers
The following includes most of the multipliers used by the AI when deciding whether to join a faction. It does not feature the multipliers that the AI considers when initially creating the faction.
Traits
- More likely: (1.5x), (1.5x), (1.5x), (2x), (2x), (2x), (2x), (4x)
- Less likely: (0.01x), (0.01x), (0.1x), (0.1x), (0.2x), (0.5x), (0.5x), (0.5x), (0.75x), (0.75x)
Opinion of Liege
- Succession Factions: >75 (0x, if in faction - to leave)
- Succession: >50 (0x, if not already in faction)
- Succession: >25 (0.2x)
- Crown Authority Faction: >50 (0x, if in faction - to leave)
- Crown Authority: >25 (0x, if not already in faction)
- Crown Authority: >5 (0.2x)
- Crown Authority: <-10 (1.5x)
- Crown Authority: <-50 (2x)
- Crown Authority: <-75 (4x)
- Independence Faction: >80 (0x, if in faction - to leave)
- Independence: >60 (0x, if not already in faction)
- Independence: >40 (0.5x)
- Independence: <0 (1.5x)
- Independence: <-50 (2x)
- Independence: <-75 (4x)
- Claimant Faction: >25 (0.2x)
- Level of Crown Authority:
- Crown Authority: 1 (0.1x)
- Crown Authority: 3 (1.5x), 4 (2.25x)
- Increase Council power: >50 (0x, if not already in faction)
Distance
- Independence: Vassals lower tier than Kings who have the same religion (or religious group, if the vassal shares culture with the liege) and culture (or culture group, if vassal shares religion with the liege) as their liege, and who are less than 200 distance away from the capital (0x)
- Independence: <200 distance (0.1x)
- Independence: >300 distance (1.5x)
- Independence: >400 distance (2x)
Religion or Culture
- Independence: Same Religion and Culture (0.25x)
- Independence: Different Religious Group (2x)
- Independence: Different Cultural Group (1.5x)
Claimant faction membership
The key factors are opinion of liege, and opinion difference between the liege and claimant.
Will not join claimant faction:
- To install women over 40
- To install a parent of the current ruler
- To install someone else who has a claim on their titles (and could thus revoke without penalty)
- To install someone of a different religion
- To install someone who is , , , , or
- To install themselves, if they are the current heir and the title does not use feudal elective succession
- If same religion and culture as liege, will not replace a dynast with a non-dynast
- Against their spouse or child
Claimant factors:
- Women: 0.7x (except when a woman is considering a faction to install herself)
- Children: 0.5x below each of 13, 10, or 5
- Self: 3x
- Same society: 5x (does this include themself?)
- Dynasts: 1.5x
- : 2x for claimant, 0.5x for liege (when the title is Byzantine Empire and the character has byzantine culture)
- If both the current liege and the claimant are Muslim:
dynasty_realm_power
and the title's "conquest culture" (if any) also play a role.