Dynasty

A Dynasty represents an unbroken Noble line descending from the same Landed character who founded the Dynasty. Each Dynasty is made up of multiple Houses and Families working towards bringing Renown upon the Dynasty. A Dynasty can be renamed by the Dynasty Head at any point.

Houses

Each Dynasty will have a Founding House, usually of the same name as the Dynasty, which is the first House of that Dynasty. Ruling Dynasty members of Feudal or Clan Government who are distant by blood to the current House Head may choose to create a Cadet Branch, a new House under the Dynasty. Each House has its own name and motto, usually inspired by the location in which they are founded and the founding character, which can be changed at will by the House Head. They will also have a unique coat of arms that has two quarters copied from the Dynasty coat of arms.

Creating a Cadet Branch has the following requirements:

• The character must be blood-related to their current House Head
• The character must not stand to inherit any of their current House Head's titles
• The character must have sufficient Prestige
• All ancestors of the character are dead

If a House Head demands the religious conversion of a House member and the member refuses, it will result in the creation of a new Cadet Branch.

Each character born from a Marriage will belong to the father's House unless the marriage is Matrilineal.

House Head

The House Head is the leader of a House. House Heads have the power to legitimize bastards, call House members to war at no cost and demand that they convert to their Faith. In addition, House Heads will get a  Weak Hook on all newly born House members and monthly prestige from living and landed members of their house. If a faith has the Must be approved doctrine for divorces but no head of faith, the House Head must approve of divorces.

When a character creates a Cadet Branch, they become its House Head, and free from the direct influence of their old House Head unless he or she was the Dynasty Head.

When a House Head dies, their Primary Heir becomes the next House Head. One exception: The house head at the start of the game is determined differently. If the founder of the house is still alive, the founder will always be the house head. If the founder is not alive, then the house head at game start will be the house member with the largest realm size. This is why Ludwig II is the Karling house head in 867, even though he is not the oldest male child.

Dynasty Head

The most powerful House Head of a Dynasty (as determined by military strength) will be the Dynasty Head. If another House Head becomes 10% stronger than the current Dynasty Head, they will become the new Dynasty Head. The Dynasty Head gains Monthly Prestige from living and landed members of their Dynasty. The Dynasty Head has access to the following interactions with dynasty members of the same faith:

Interaction	Effects	Cost	Limited by Diplomatic Range
Call Dynasty Member To War	Targeted Dynasty Member may join the Dynasty Head's current war	75  Renown
Claim Title	Gain an  Unpressed Claim on the targeted Dynasty Member's Primary Title and a temporary -50  Opinion	150  Renown
Disinherit	Targeted Dynasty Member gains the Disinherited trait and a permanent -75  Opinion	75  Renown and 150  Prestige if Dynasty Member is Unlanded 150  Renown and 300  Prestige if Dynasty Member is Heir to a title 225  Renown and 900  Prestige if Dynasty Member is Landed
Denounce	Targeted Dynasty Member gains the Denounced trait and a permanent -50  Opinion	50  Renown and 150  Prestige if Dynasty Member is Unlanded 100  Renown and 300  Prestige if Dynasty Member is Heir to a title 125  Renown and 500  Prestige if Dynasty Member is Landed
End Dynasty Wars	All wars between members of the same Dynasty end in White Peace	75 Renown
Forgive	Targeted Dynasty Member loses the Denounced trait and the  Opinion malus	25  Renown
Restore Inheritance	Targeted Dynasty Member loses the Disinherited trait and the  Opinion malus	75  Renown

The Claim Title Interaction requires the target to be of the same religion.

If the first Adventure Dynasty Legacy has been unlocked, Dynasty Heads will also gain the Send to the Varangian Guard interaction. Using it costs 350  Prestige, sends an unlanded and unmarried Dynasty Member to the court of the Byzantine Empire and gives them the  Varangian trait. The interaction is not limited to Diplomatic Range but is not available if the Dynasty Head's faith has the Pacifism tenet, the Dynasty Head is at war or truce with the Byzantine Empire or the Byzantine Empire title was destroyed.

Dynasty Legacies

Dynasty Legacies are permanent modifiers and unlocks that can be unlocked by the Dynasty Head and affect every member of a Dynasty. Each Legacy contains five unlocks, and if an AI character becomes Dynasty Head it will only unlock Legacies belonging to the tree with the highest current progress. The first Dynasty Legacy costs 250  Renown to unlock and each one afterwards costs 500 more than the previous one.

Tree	Legacy 1 effects	Legacy 2 effects	Legacy 3 effects	Legacy 4 effects	Legacy 5 effects
Warfare	+2 Prowess +15% Knight Effectiveness	+15% Pursuit Efficiency -15% Retreat Losses -20% Casus Belli Cost	+10% Monthly Martial Experience +50% Chance to gain Prowess as Knight -25% Chance to die in battle -25% Chance to get wounded in battle	-15% Men-At-Arms Counter Efficiency +5 Advantage	+1 Max number of Men-at-Arms Regiments Can recruit House Guard Men-at-Arms
Law	+5 Popular Opinion -30% Hunt and Feast cost	-20% Title Creation Cost +0.2 Monthly Control Growth	+10% Monthly Stewardship Experience -5% Building Construction Cost -5% Holding Construction Cost	+5 Powerful Vassal Opinion +10% Powerful Vassal Councilor Contribution	+1 Domain Limit +5 Controlled Territory Defender Advantage
Guile	+20% Dread Gain +15 Natural Dread	+10 Hostile Scheme Success Chance -50% Agent Bribe Cost	+10% Monthly Intrigue Experience +15% Scheme Secrecy	-0.05 Monthly Tyranny +10% Intimidated Vassal Tax Contribution +20% Terrified Vassal Tax Contribution	77% chance to prevent one Murder of each Dynasty member +100% Interaction Acceptance if Intimidated or Terrified
Blood	+30% Chance to inherit positive traits +30% Chance of new good congenital traits	+30% Chance to reinforce congenital traits	-30% Chance to inherit negative traits -30% Chance of new bad congenital traits	Select a trait to become more common to Dynasty children: Comely, Quick, Hale, Fecund, Albino, Giant, Dwarf, Scaly The trait has a 5% chance of appearing at birth Double chance if player character is the parent	+5 Years Life Expectancy
Erudition	+10 Courtier and Guest Opinion -30% Guest Recruitment Cost Better Guests are attracted	+10% Monthly piety +5 Clergy Opinion if Theocratic +3 Same Faith Opinion if Lay Clergy	+10% Monthly Learning Experience +20% Development Growth	+15 Head of Faith Opinion if Spiritual Head of Faith +5 Faith Hostility Advantage if Temporal Head of Faith +5% Domain Taxes if No Head of Faith -20% Faith Creation and Reformation Cost +30% Piety from Pilgrimages	+10% Effectiveness of Councilor Tasks
Glory	+30 Marriage Acceptance	+10% Monthly Prestige +1 Number of Knights -10% Mercenary Hire Cost	+10% Monthly Diplomacy Experience +25% Personal Scheme Power	+10 Vassal Limit -20% Short Reign Duration -20 Claimant Faction Acceptance for own Vassals -20 Liberty Faction Acceptance for own Vassals	+10 General Opinion +1 Max Sway Schemes
Kin	+10% Fertility +5 Attraction Opinion	+10 Child Opinion +2-3 Education Score	+10 Spouse Opinion -25% Pregnancy Complication Chance Medium Disease Resistance Health Boost	+10 Close Family Opinion +5 Dynasty Opinion +30% Personal Scheme Success on Dynasty members	+1 Random skill point every 5 years after 30 No Prowess Loss from Age Dynasty members visibly age at a slower rate

Norse Legacies

If the Northern Lords DLC is installed, Dynasties whose Dynasty Head's culture is Norse have two additional Legacy trees available. Once the first Legacy of a tree has been unlocked, the rest of the tree will remain available even if the Dynasty Head is no longer eligible.

Tree	Legacy 1 effects	Legacy 2 effects	Legacy 3 effects	Legacy 4 effects	Legacy 5 effects
Adventure	+30% Diplomatic Range Send to Varangian Guard Dynasty Head Interaction Additional troops when using the Varangian Adventure casus belli Increased ai_boldness and ai_energy	-50% Send Gift Cost +15% Seduction Scheme Success Chance Successful Seduction Schemes give Prestige	+15 Different Faith Opinion -50% Different Faith Popular Opinion -50% Faith Conversion Cost +50% Dynasty Member Demand Conversion Acceptance	-15% Enemy Hostile Scheme Success Chance +10% Movement Speed +100% Supply Duration	+3 Vassal Opinion per Friend (max 5) +2 Popular Opinion per Friend (max 5) +1% Vassal Tax Collection per Friend (max 5) Can use the Befriend Scheme on Vassals
Pillage	+1 Prowess +20% Naval Speed +100% Prestige and Fame from Battles	+50% Army Loot Capacity +5 Defender Advantage +2 Max Size of Heavy Infantry Regiments	+20% Chance to gain Prisoners after a Siege or Raid +50% Gold from Ransoms Ransoms give Prestige	+10% Enemy Fatal Casualties +5 Gold per 100 Fatal Casualties	+25% Daily Siege Progress -40 Enemy Control from Occupation -20 Enemy Control from Raiding

Tips

• Give titles to dynastic members: Landing Dynasty members allows them to have their own Court, allowing them to better procreate. Under partition type succession, giving titles to junior heirs reduces the number of claims they receive, reducing infighting.
• Allow landed dynastic members to be independent of you: Dynastic members who are your Vassals (direct or otherwise) do not increase Renown.
• Interests of the Dynasty come first: Consider alliances with dynastic members, and help them with their wars, especially those which would cause them rank demotion due to the loss of their top-tiered title, or allow them to advance in rank. On the other hand, they only need one title to increase their Renown contribution...
  • With dynastic vassals, consider revoking their titles as a last resort.
  • Disgruntled dynastic vassals can be given independence (or granted to your liege as their vassal) so that they don't add power to factions. This has the added advantage of increasing Renown gain.
  • Dynastic wars should be avoided as much as possible.

References

Mechanics