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Introducing CK3 #07 - Money. Havoc teaches you how to get more money in CK3!

There are four important resources which are necessary for most actions in the game: gold, prestige, piety and renown. Each resource can be spent on different things and all of them can be spent or gained through events. With the exception of gold, each resource also accrues towards a secondary resource— fame, devotion and splendor, respectively—which rarely decreases and provides smaller passive benefits.

Gold[edit | edit source]

Gold is a measure of a character's liquid wealth reserves. Most rulers start the game with gold equal to 18 months of income. When a ruler dies or abdicates, all of their gold is passed onto their heir.

Gold can be gained from:	Gold can be spent on:
Your holdings (and their buildings)	Buildings
Vassals	Recruiting men-at-arms
Ransoming prisoners	Creating titles
Raiding	Paying raised troops and hiring mercenaries
Inheriting	Hosting feasts and hunts
Asking spiritual head of faith	Bribing characters
Events	Events

(The table is not exhaustive.)

Debt[edit | edit source]

Debt occurs when a character has negative gold. During debt, characters cannot declare war, their counties can always acquire corruption, their men-at-arms cannot reinforce, and they can experience various negative events. In addition, debt grants increasingly negative modifiers the longer it goes on. Debt cannot be inherited, providing the player with a way out by abdicating or dying should they find themselves in more debt than they can repay.

Years in debt	Levy size	Levy reinforcement rate	Development growth	Vassal opinion	Popular opinion	Advantage	Join faction acceptance
0	−10%	−10%	−10%	−5	−5	−5	+10
1	−20%	−20%	−20%	−10	−10	−10	+20
2	−30%	−30%	−30%	−15	−15	−15	+30
3	−40%	−40%	−40%	−20	−20	−20	+40
4	−50%	−50%	−50%	−25	−25	−25	+50
5	−50%	−50%	−50%	−30	−30	−30	+60
10	−90%	−90%	−90%	−50	−50	−50	+70

Income[edit | edit source]

Monthly gold income comes from two main sources.

Domain tax is generated by a character's personal holdings. The holder of the barony receives all of the barony's domain tax. It can be increased by the following:

Character's stewardship skill (+2% per level)
Buildings
Collect Taxes council task (+0.5% per stewardship level)
County development (+0.5% per level)
Absolute Control (+10%)

Vassal tax is given to a title holder's direct liege. The amount given depends on the vassal's obligations:

Castles are limited to normal obligations, giving 10% of their domain tax to the liege.
Cities are held by republics, who provide 20% taxes.
Vassal feudal counts, dukes and kings provide tax based on their individual vassal contracts.
Vassal clan counts, dukes and kings provide tax based on their opinion, with the minimum amount determined by crown authority.
Vassal tribal counts, dukes and kings provide tax based on their liege's level of fame.
Churches are taxed according to the Clerical Tradition doctrine of the faith.
- Lay Clergy: churches function identically to castles.
- Theocratic: churches are held directly by a Realm Priest and are taxed under the following system: Realm Priests receive vassal income at a rate of 25% from Realm Priests belonging to their liege's direct vassals. They also provide up to 50% of their income from directly-controlled churches and their vassal priests to their feudal liege, scaled based on opinion.

The taxable income of feudal vassals (count/duke/king) is their own domain tax, as well as vassal tax from their own vassals. If the vassal receives income from a Realm Priest, this income is not included as taxable income.^[1]

The following affect monthly income:

Source	Effect
Greedy trait	+5% base +10% per Stress level
Generous trait	−10%
Improvident trait	−15%
Profligate trait	−10%
Wealth focus	+10%
War Profiteer perk (Avaricious tree)	+10% while at war
Golden Aplomb perk (Avaricious tree)	+10% per Stress level
Overextension	−5% per county over limit
Vow of Poverty modifier (from Take Vow of Poverty decision)	−20%

Expenses[edit | edit source]

In addition to income, rulers also have monthly expenses. There are three of them.

Army expenses is the monthly cost required to maintain the realm's military force. When unraised, men-at-arms have a monthly maintenance cost while levies do not. It can be reduced with the following:

Raising armies only when necessary
Organize Army council task (-1% maintenance per martial level)
Prepared Conscription (-15% maintenance)
Fearful Troops (-0.5% men-at-arms maintenance per Dread)

Court position expenses are monthly salaries paid to courtiers and vassals in a ruler's court who hold court positions.

Court amenity expenses is the monthly cost needed to maintain a set standard of living in a ruler's court.

Prestige[edit | edit source]

Prestige represents the amount of political capital, social influence and goodwill a character is able make use of at any given time. Holding titles, especially of higher rank, as well as the diplomacy skill are the main continuous sources of prestige, but many events can generate it on occasion as well. Prestige can be spent on most secular matters of realm of management, such as vassal interactions, decisions and declarations of non-holy war. For tribal rulers, Prestige is also used for men-at-arms payment and upkeep, as well as constructing buildings.

Fame[edit | edit source]

Prestige's secondary resource is fame, which represents the character's general reputation over their entire life. Each time a character gains prestige, they gain the same amount of fame; battles fought in secular wars, as well as winning certain wars as war leader, will also net fame, while losing certain wars as war leader will lose fame. As fame accrues, it will increase progress towards the character's next level of fame, which grants various benefits, such as enabling decisions or certain types of casus belli. Fame also affects the amount of taxes and levies received from tribal vassals. Since fame is meant to merely accumulate, not be spent, it rarely decreases, but particularly dishonorable acts can cost levels of fame. A character who lacks the prestige to declare a secular war can also opt to spend fame, at an inflated price.

Level of fame	Feudal secular opinion	Tribal secular opinion	Knights	Tribal vassal tax	Tribal vassal levies	Max conquest CB rank	Fame
Disgraced	−10	−10	−1	0%	0%	None	0
Established	0	0	0	8%	15%	County	1000
Distinguished	+5	+3	+1	16%	30%	County	2000
Illustrious	+10	+5	+2	24%	45%	Duchy	5000
Exalted among Men	+20	+10	+3	32%	60%	Kingdom	10000
The Living Legend	+30	+20	+4	40%	75%	Kingdom	25000

Piety[edit | edit source]

Piety is a measure of how virtuous a character is in the eye of others of their religion. It is gained primarily from religious relations, the character's learning skill, and traits that its faith considers virtuous. Piety is spent when interacting with the church and declaring holy wars. The icon displayed for representing piety depends on the character's religion.

Monthly piety[edit | edit source]

The table below shows available sources of monthly piety. Note that these are value gains; for percentage effects, see the table on factors.

Source

Monthly piety

Learning skill

+0.1

Reincarnation trait

+1

Humble trait

+0.5

Celibate trait

+1

Devoted trait

+0.3

trait (unobtainable)

+2

Is court chaplain

Dependent on liege's rank:

Count
Duke	+0.5+1
King	+2
Emperor	+3

Religious Relations council task

+0.05 per Learning skill

Theology focus

+1

Has a virtuous trait

+1 Monthly piety times the virtue's multiplier per virtue

Has a sinful trait

-1 Monthly piety times the sin's multiplier per sin

+0.25

+0.25

+1

+1

Great Mosque of Mecca

+1

Great Mosque of Cordoba

+0.5

Great Mosque of Djenne

+1

Great Mosque of Samarra

+0.3

Canterbury Cathedral

+0.3 base
+0.2 per powerful vassal on the council

Prophetic Mosque

+0.5

Notre Dame

+1

Brihadeeswarar Temple

+0.2

+0.5

+0.1

Ritual Hospitality tenet

+0.3 per powerful vassal on the council

Braslau holy site

+0.1 per knight

Is head of faith

+1

Polygamous marriage doctrine

Prophetic Visions modifier
(

Possessed trait)

Steward of the Sacred River modifier
(

Take Stewardship of the Sacred River decision)

Cologne Cathedral

+0.1 per knight

Halq modifier (

Undertake the Hajj)

+5

Various events

Varies

Factors affecting monthly piety[edit | edit source]

The following table shows factors affecting the gain of monthly piety as a percentage effect. For value additions to monthly piety, see the table above

Source	Monthly piety
Cologne Cathedral	+15%
Buddhas of Bamiyan	+10%
Ananda Temple	+5%
Temple City	+5% per powerful vassal on the council
The Third Temple / Dome of the Rock
Reconquista innovation	+10%
Divine Right innovation	+10%
Ordained Rulership (second tier of Erudition legacy)	+10%
Prophet perk (Theologian tree)	+1% per knight
Defender of Faith perk (Theologian tree)	+20% if faith is Pluralist
Sculptor's Workshop Investment modifier (A Word of Advice event)
Great Sculptor's Workshop Investment modifier (A Word of Advice event)
Earthly Focus modifier (Scholarship lifestyle event)
Clerical Guidance modifier (Commision Epic decision)
Related to Wisdom modifier (Sell Minor Titles decision)
Excommunication Recently Lifted
Crusading House modifier (house beneficiary won crusade)
House of the Mujahid modifier (house beneficiary won jihad)
Holy Warriors modifier (house beneficiary won great holy war)
Saoshyant Resurgent modifier (Become the Saoshyant decision)
Devotee of Hayagriva modifier (Determine Bhakti decision)
Jerusalem holy site	+20%
Dwin holy site	+5%
Armagh holy site	+5%+5%
Mecca holy site	+2% per knight
Lalish holy site	+20%
Ayodhya holy site	+1% per knight
Palitana holy site	+10%
Maowün holy site	+1% per knight
Rebgong holy site	+2% per powerful vassal on the council
Takht-e Soleyman holy site	+10%
Uppsala holy site	+1% per knight
Raivola holy site	+2% per powerful vassal on the council
Kyiv holy site	+10%
Olvia holy site	+10%
Kabul holy site	+5%
Multan holy site	+5%
Lhasa holy site	+20%
Kukiya holy site	+1% per knight
Ife holy site	+20%
Harar holy site	+10%
Theologian trait	+20%
Cynical trait	−20%
Zealous trait	+20%
Pilgrim trait	+10%
Excommunicated trait	−50%
Stuffed Corpse modifier (Mental break event)
Church and State perk (Theologian tree)	+100% from buildings if faith has Lay Clergy
Divine Protection modifier ( Go on a Pilgrimage)	+5%
Dedicated Pilgrim modifier ( Go on a Pilgrimage)	+10%
Determined Pilgrim modifier ( Go on a Pilgrimage)	+2.5% per knight

Level of devotion[edit | edit source]

Each time a character gains piety, they will also gain devotion, which gives progress towards their next level of devotion. Like the levels of fame above, each level of devotion grants various benefits. A character will lose a level of devotion if they are caught doing something their faith doctrines consider shunned. A character can pay a piety cost with devotion if they don't have enough piety. Generated characters and those at the game start begin with the Dutiful level.

Level of devotion	Clergy opinion (Theocracy)	Same faith opinion (Lay Clergy)	Theocracy vassal tax	Theocracy vassal levies	Max holy war objective rank	Required piety
Sinner	−10		0%	0%	None	0
Dutiful	0	0	15%	10%	County	1000
Faithful	+5	+3	25%	20%	Duchy	1500
Devoted Servant	+10	+5	35%	30%	Duchy	2500
Paragon of Virtue	+20	+10	45%	40%	Kingdom	4500
Religious Icon	+30	+15	55%	50%	Kingdom	8500