Of the many mechanics in Crusader Kings 3, Attributes are the core of a character. They govern the greatest aspects of both a player character and NPC's proficiency in the different playstyles available in this complex game. These stats are used in calculating the success (or failure) of taking certain actions in Crusader Kings 3.
The physical, mental, and emotional factors that can influence Attributes (or vice versa) are numerous and varied, though can be classified and organized to help players make sense of all the game's cogs and gears.
Updated on August 31, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: One immense important factor regarding the player character's mental health is Stress, which can be accumulated and lost in many different ways. Stress influences a ton of other variables in the game, such as a character's fertility, traits, as well as their overall health. Players should be wary not to allow Stress to pile up for too long, as high enough levels of it can trigger an event that will outright kill the player's current character in a usually unpleasant and untimely fashion. There are thankfully many ways to relieve Stress in CK3, which players should explore in order to keep their mental health under control.
Skills
There are 6 main Skills in CK3 and each determines one's ability to succeed when taking various types of actions. It is better to focus on increasing 1 Skill at a time in order to achieve greater and more significant feats. There are numerous other benefits that can be gained by increasing specific Skills, which will help the player in a variety of ways.
Diplomacy
- +1 General Opinion per level over 8 & -1 per each level below 8
- +1% Monthly prestige per level (starting from −8 at level 0)
- Determines the Opinion gained from specific events
- Determines the effectiveness of diplomacy actions
Martial
- +2% Levy size per level
- +2% Levy reinforcement rate per level
- +1 Advantage per level
Stewardship
- +2% Domain taxes per level over 8 & -2% Domain taxes per level under 8
- +1 Domain limit per 5 levels
Intrigue
- +1% Scheme discovery chance per level
- +1% Hostile scheme success chance per level
- Determines the effectiveness of intrigue actions
- Determines success chance of imprisonment actions
Learning
- +0.1 Monthly piety per level
- -1% Conversion cost per level
- +1% Cultural fascination bonus if the player is the cultural head of a Faith
- Determines the prestige cost of increasing the crown authority
- Determines the success chance of Demand Conversion actions
Prowess
- Determines the effectiveness of a character in duels
- +10 Toughness per level
- +100 Damage per level
Dread
Dread is how afraid everyone is of a ruler, and the higher this stat is, the easier one can diplomatically bully others into submission without having to go to war or begin assassinating people. Dread can be gained or lost through acts of intimidation and terror, as an effect of various Attributes, and naturally through many traits. It will also slowly decrease over time, so players seeking to permanently cast a shadow of fear over the world should keep lots of prisoners handy.
Intimidation & Terror
If one's Dread is high enough, other characters will become Intimidated or Terrified of them, both of which affect how they will react to certain actions taken or proposed by the player.
Bonuses To Actions Gained If Character Is Intimidated
- Arrange marriage +75
- Blackmail +50
- Negotiate alliance +50
- Offer guardianship +50
- Offer ward +50
- Ransom +40
- Ask to take vows +25
- Imprison +25
- Retract vassal +25
- Revoke title +25
- Demand conversion +10
- Offer vassalage +10
- Marry -50
Bonuses To Actions Gained If Character Is Terrified
- Arrange marriage +150
- Blackmail +100
- Negotiate alliance +100
- Offer guardianship +100
- Offer ward +100
- Ransom +100
- Ask to take vows +50
- Imprison +50
- Retract vassal +50
- Revoke title +50
- Demand conversion +20
- Offer vassalage +20
- Marry -75
General Dread Gain
Dread will get affected by a plethora of different modifiers from a ton of different sources.
- Building The Tower of London (a special structure) +30%
- The first perk of the Guile dynasty legacy +20%
- The Authority focus +20%
- Dreadful perk in Torturer tree (Intrigue lifestyle) +30%
- Hard Rule perk in Overseer tree (Martial lifestyle) +20%
- Public Display of Ruthlessness modifier (Host Feast) +25%
- Suspicious Reputation modifier (Learning lifestyle event) +20%
- Dangerous to Know modifier (Learning lifestyle event) +20%
- Wind Spirits' Blessing modifier (Seek Aid of the Spirits decision) +25%
- Torturer trait +50%
- Paranoid trait +25%
- Callous trait +25%
- Vengeful trait +15%
- Irritable trait +10%
Natural Dread
Focuses, perks, and traits of many kinds will affect one's passive increase and decrease in Dread.
- Intimidation focus +30
- Serve the Crown lifestyle perk +15
- Wrathful trait +20
- Arbitrary trait +15
- Sadistic trait +35
- Albino trait +15
- Scaly trait +10
- One-Eyed trait +10
- Cannibal trait +20
- Greatest of Khans trait +50
- Compassionate trait -15
- Wounded trait -10
- Severely Injured trait -15
- Brutally Mauled trait -20
- Sickly trait -20
- Infirm trait -15
- Incapable trait -25
- Maimed trait -15
- Blind trait -10
- Ill trait -10
- Bubonic Plague trait -30
- Cancer trait -20
- Consumption trait -10
- Great Pox trait -20
- Gout-ridden trait -5
- Leper trait -20
- Lover's Pox trait -5
- Pneumonia trait -10
- One-Legged trait -10
- Small Pox trait -15
- Typhus trait -15
Health
As opposed to many games, CK3's Health stat is less of a measure of life and more of a measure for how close one is to death. Male characters are born with a Health stat somewhere between 4.5 and 4.9, while female characters start with between 5 and 5.4. When characters reach 25 years old, they have a small 7.5% chance to lose -0.125 health every year, which increases by 2.2% every following year. There are different ranks of Health, which the game tells the player in sometimes cryptic yet accurate descriptions and titles.
- Dying: "You are at Death's doorstep" - Health near 0
- Near Death: "You are not long for this world..." - Health midway between 0 and 1
- Poor: "You are ailing" - Health between 1 and 3
- Fine: "You are feeling fine" - Health between 3 and 5
- Good: "Your humors are balanced" - Health between 5 and 7
- Excellent: "You are full of vim and vigor!" - Health greater than 7
Health Penalties & Boosts
There are different categories of penalties and boosts that one can gain to their overall Health, each with different values. Here's what they all mean:
Penalties
- Catastrophic Health Penalty: Health decreases by at least 4
- Critical Health Penalty: Health decreases by between 3 and 4
- Severe Health Penalty: Health decreases by between 1 and 3
- Major Health Penalty: Health decreases by between 0.75 and 1
- Moderate Health Penalty: Health decreases by between 0.5 and 0.75
- Minor Health Penalty: Health decreases by between 0.25 and 0.5
- Tiny Health Penalty: Health decreases by between 0 and 0.25
Boosts
- Small Health Boost: Health increase by between 0 and 0.25
- Medium Health Boost: Health increase by between 0.25 and 0.5
- Significant Health Boost: Health increase by between 0.5 and 0.75
- Huge Health Boost: Health increase by between 0.75 and 1
- Massive Health Boost: Health increase by between 1 and 2
- Godlike Health Boost: Health increase by 2 or more
Death
When a character's health drops to nothing, they will die. If they had a title, it will pass onto their heir and the player will take control of them after a grim death screen. There are plenty of ways to die in CK3 and each from varying causes.
- When Health is either Poor, Near Death, or Dying, there is a chance to die upon hidden dice rolls every now and then, which are deadlier the lower a character's Health is
- Upon the success of a murder scheme, the targetted character dies
- The Attempt Suicide action has a high chance for the character to die
- Knights can die in battle or in duels and this chance increases the lower their Prowess is
- Characters can die within a holding that has been sieged
- Characters can die in battle
- Rulers can execute prisoners, which will cause those characters to die
- Random events of all kinds can lead to death, so be wary
Stress
The Stress mechanic in CK3 operates using a meter ranging from 0 to 400, with mental break events occurring every 100 points at which Stress increases.
The Ways Characters Can Gain Stress In Crusader Kings 3
- Death of a close friend or family member
- Being imprisoned in a dungeon (house arrest does not increase Stress)
- Being tortured
- By changing a ward's personality traits while acting as their guardian
- If the player takes an action that is at odds with one of their personality traits (see table below)
All The Stressful Actions For Every Personality Trait
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Personality Trait |
Stressful Action(s) |
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Ambitious |
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Arrogant |
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Callous |
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Compassionate |
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Content |
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Craven |
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Cynical |
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Forgiving |
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Generous |
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Greedy |
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Gregarious |
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Honest |
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Just |
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Lustful |
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Paranoid |
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Sadistic |
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Shy |
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Stubborn |
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Vengeful |
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Zealous |
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