Crusader Kings 3 Mods - Confucius says: "Aah! Vampire!" (Patreon)

IT'S...! *double-checks the calendar* August! Yes, it's the middle of August. You know, I never expected moving the Monthly Month Report to the middle of the month to completely mess up my track of time... but I just remembered I never kept track of it in the first place so I guess some things never change!

BUT! There is one thing I have been counting the days to and that's the release of Crusader Kings 3, coming in only two weeks to the intrigue-laden court near you! And so will I, with a couple of modding projects I'm excited to finally announce!

Veiled Realms - Court of Blood (WIP)

Sooooo... I did say when I first hinted at my CK3 plans that I would like to revisit something I did before, albeit in a different format! n_n As some of you may know, before I started modding Stellaris, I used to make Skyrim mods!
My first and biggest project, and unfortunately one that I never managed to bring to a state I could be satisfied with, was Vampiric Thirst - an overhaul of the barebones vanilla vampirism experience that mainly revolved around introducing new ways to nom-nom the red juice and acquire powers strongly inspired by VtM disciplines.
Although the mod turned out way more successful than I'd ever expected it to and worked (relatively) well despite the mess that baby me made of the scripting framework, VT never quite reached its full potential. Between me losing interest in Skyrim and the game's technical and core design limitations constantly getting in the way, I fell woefully short of my big plans for that project. After developing the base framework, I wanted to start working on stories, a social aspect, a "masquerade" system, even integration with vanilla quests. None of that ever materialised and that failure has been haunting me ever since.

But the time has come to fix it!

So what is Court of Blood and, more importantly, how is it going to work in the context of CK3?

To give you a very general idea of what to expect, it is going to be somewhat inspired by Vampire the Masquerade's take on vampires as secretive puppet-masters manipulating the fates of mortals over generations. However, it is NOT directly related to the VtM brand.

The mechanics and narratives of CoB primarily revolve around the struggles that a landed ruler, a pretty public figure, might face as an immortal blood-drinking predator, almost certain to be perceived as unholy and unnatural should their curse be revealed.

• The central mechanic of vampirism in CoB is called Menace. It's an abstract measure of suspicion that the vampire in question has drawn through their inhuman activities and nature.
  The base value is inherent to the vampire in question, but how the effects of it manifest is based on the religious and personal views of the characters interacting with them. A vampire with low Menace will universally be perceived as human and treated no differently, but as their Menace increases, various characters may see them as unnatural or even monstrous based on their individual thresholds.
  For example: a vampire with 50 base Menace (roughly describing a King-tier ruler whose immortality has become public knowledge through an unnaturally long reign, but one who has never been caught drinking blood or exercising supernatural powers) would be seen as unholy (60) by an average follower of Christianity or another religion that frowns on witchcraft, monstrous (70) by a zealous follower, but only perverse (50) by a cynic. By contrast, an average follower of Taoism or another religion that embraces certain forms of mysticism would only factor immortality at half strength (25) when calculating their perception of said vampire's Menace. In fact, a zealous Taoist might even see it as positive trait! But... only as long as the vampire's more unsavoury habits remain hidden ~_n
• The amount of base Menace that a vampire has is based on what the public at large knows about their vampiric qualities (for example, if someone has discovered their blood-drinking Secret and exposed it, if they reigned for far longer than any mortal should, or as the consequence of various events) further multiplied by their primary title's tier. An enigmatic Count secluded in a backwater castle overseeing Transylvania will draw far less attention than an Emperor of Byzantium who hasn't aged a day since last century and whose dungeons are surrounded by the most grisly rumours.

All of that seems like so much trouble! So surely there must be something to counterbalance the constant risk of an unexpected inquisition showing up and dragging one to the nearest stake? Right?

• Of course, the main blessing of the vampiric curse is potentially an everlasting life - just think how much a competent ruler could accomplish if they didn't have to entrust their great works to any of their inbred imbecile heirs who have already been excommunicated by the Pope! Even though it is nearly impossible to keep agelessness and unprecedented longevity a secret for long (ironically enough), the suspicion and resentment it will breed may pale in comparison to the feats a smart and ambitious enough individual could accomplish over multiple lifetimes.
• Another benefit of note are various strange and incredibly useful powers a vampire might learn to manifest. Exploring one's supernatural state, studying forbidden lore and supping on purple blood will hasten the development of abilities beyond mortal ken, some represented by passive bonuses to certain attributes and skills, and others offering new tools that can be used to manipulate mortals, remain hidden and otherwise ensure that one's eternal reign does not meet an untimely end.
• All of those powers will be unlockable via a new Lifestyle tree (tentative, depending on how viable implementing one turns out to be, otherwise a variable- and event-driven system will be used). Actively pursuing the Lifestyle will passively generate experience at a slow rate (compared to regular Lifestyles) and offer three paths that an enterprising blood-sucker might greatly benefit from:
  Delving into Forbidden Lore will increase the rate of passive experience generation and increase Learning... but don't let anyone into your library if your religion frowns on witchcraft!
  Focusing on Obfuscation is an option for a vampire who wishes to reduce the impact of their Menace and control their realm from the shadows (increased Intrigue), at the cost of relinquishing some of said control to intermediaries (represented by lowering their Stewardship, Martial and Diplomacy for now as there doesn't seem to be a regency system in CK3 yet).
  The third path, Reign of Blood, is dedicated to those vampire rulers who have no intention of remaining hidden and feel they are strong enough to keep mortals in line by other means. In addition to increasing the vampire's Dread based on their level of Menace, pursuing this path greatly increases the experience rewards from drinking blood and offers various events in which one may gain even more Dread and experience at the cost of increasing Menace.

Speaking of blood, that's sort of a big deal for vampires, right? Their unique diet is an integral part of the trope and typically some sort of bloodthirst mechanic would play a key role in any vampiric RPG.

That said... in the context of CK3, I do not feel it would add much to the actual gameplay. I did consider a resource management system in very early drafts, but eventually decided to cut it out and instead put emphasis on the "masquerade" aspect instead.

• Just as there is no hunger mechanic for humans in the game and no need to micromanage such things as what your character eats and where they get the food from, procuring blood as a vampire is also assumed to be something that happens off-screen and is probably not terribly difficult for a medieval landowner - that's what dungeons and peasants are for. At most, scenes of routine feeding might feature in some events every once in a while.
• However, there is one aspect of blood-sucking that does play a bigger role. In CoB, not all blood is equal. Spoiled nobles are more palatable than malnourished peasantry, and in particular the essence of individuals blessed with extraordinary strength, beauty and genius is the most desirable of all. In game terms, vampires will have the option to feed on human characters within their court or dungeon and their lovers. Depending on the traits possessed by the target and the quality of their Dynasty (in terms of bloodline perks) the vampire will gain some progress towards unlocking new powers. However, doing so is not without risk, for the victim and the vampire both! In the worst case, it might even lead to the vampire's deviant eating habits becoming exposed!

Sounds delicious so far? Do you still think forever is worth the price? Then you must be wondering, how does one become a vampire then, where do they come from and... oh! What about their mortal family?

• Becoming a vampire in CoB will be a... process. I don't want to spoil too much, so let's  just say that I intend to use the Wanderer system in CK3 to its fullest potential. Perhaps a vampire might simply happen to make a home in your court? But whether you can spot one, let alone convince them to share their gift... you'll have to figure that out on your own n_n
• But okay, let's say you have, you are now an immortal monster who will reign forever... and ever... and... eventually that might get a bit boring, possibly even lonely. After all, there is only so long a herd of cattle can offer stimulating company, especially with how brief their little lives are. Or... maybe there's a particularly gifted great-grandchild who happens to be in line to inherit a realm you could use in the long term. In either case, the solution is obvious!
  Beware of who you turn and how large your brood grows, however. NPC vampires can be quite a Menace themselves.
• Hmm... but speaking of great-grandchildren, what if you managed to become a vampire before you had a chance to produce actual children? It would certainly... suck for the dynasty to end with you were your eternity to somehow be cut short. Can vampires still... you know...?
  By default, a vampire becomes infertile upon turning. A miracle might still happen, but praying for one is not the most reliable way of propagating your mortal bloodline... Still, the Blood works in mysterious ways and perhaps pursuing the vampiric Lifestyle might offer a convenient solution! Perhaps...
• If the efforts to conceive a child with a mortal consort were to succeed, the fruit of a such a union would almost certainly be a Dhampire... but who knows what that would mean?

ANYWAYS, I think I'll leave it at that for now! Hopefully this outlines the major points I'm aiming for! Of course, the game isn't out yet, and while I have a good idea of how I could make most of the above work in, say CK2 or Stellaris, CK3 is an as of yet unexplored territory. Aside from putting together design documents and some preliminary script outlines, I have been spending the past couple of weeks reading up on Jomini and trying to get my hands on as much CK3 modding information as I could. The two modding dev diaries Paradox released have been incredibly helpful and filled me with hope that all of my ideas will be doable in one way or another.
Also, unlike with our Stellaris mods, I won't be avoiding modifying vanilla records quite as strictly because I want this experience to be as integrated into the regular gameplay of CK3 as possible.

So, fingers crossed, Veiled Realms - Court of Blood will be coming out as soon as I feel at home in CK3's modding environment!

Confucian Bureaucracy (WIP)

Now for something closer to earth... or... closer to heaven, depending on who you ask, another personal pet-project I've recently started designing is a new take on CK2's "Chinese Imperialism", brought into CK3 but further fleshed out, expanded and made more flavourful.

On release, it has been confirmed there will be no China (whose history, if you've played the Lhuren in Elves of Stellaris, you might have realised holds a special place in my nerdy little heart) and no special government systems for various empires.
As disappointing as that is, I am quite optimistic that CK3, no longer subject to any of the limitations of its predecessor, will do its best to outdo it in terms of government forms and related mechanics eventually! PDS did already say that the Byzantine empire will likely be one of the first to see a revamp, and I suspect that if they manage to come up a more faithful take on bureaucratic imperialism, a proper implementation of China won't be far behind!

That said, no matter how optimistic that prediction may be, I have no doubt that it will still take years to get to that point, and I'm impatient!

So... I've decided to do the thing I always do when I feel a game is missing something - make it myself n_n

This project, without a fancy name as of yet so for now I'll just refer to it as Confucian Bureaucracy, is not yet developed in as much detail as Court of Blood and likely I won't start working on it until CoB is finished. However, here is a vague outline of what I'm hoping to do (and with any luck, the Byzantine rework will be out by that time which might make my job easier ^^):

• The eponymous Confucian Bureaucracy government form, based primarily on the Confucian Revival model from the time of Tang Dynasty
• Mandate of Heaven - a standard by which the ruler and their heirs are judged, and which, if lost, might give strong subjects the opportunity to overthrow the ruler and ascend to the Dragon Throne themselves.
  Maintaining it will be done mainly by acting in accordance with Confucian Virtues, keeping one's council, subjects and general populace happy, as well as capitalising on the symbolism of great achievements such as conquering land within one's de jure domain, commissioning grand works, etc.
  Losing it, on the other hand, will involve allowing rebellions to erupt and remain unanswered for long enough, various acts of tyranny, failing to live up to Confucian Virtues, interfering with the Examination system to put undeserving individuals in positions of power, having the random misfortune of being the Emperor while a natural disaster is ravaging the realm... the conditions aren't always fair or reasonable n_~
• Imperial Examination - a system of meritocratic mobility under which anyone, lowborn or noble, might end up appointed to a position of great influence. Characters will be able to apply to take the exams and will be tested on their adherence to Confucian Virtues as well as scholarly and administrative skills. Upon passing the exam, they will become eligible for appointment, and may either wait for a position to open up or use a Hook to request a specific one from a higher official or even the Emperor.
• Bureaucratic Appointments will, unless I come up with a better idea in the meantime, most likely take form of Council positions, minor titles, generalship and governorships within various administrative areas throughout the empire. The most coveted positions being within the Imperial Court itself, which one might eventually reach if they continue to be promoted to higher and more responsible offices.
• Jiedushi system under which powerful governor-generals might be able to press the Emperor to grant them certain immunities and autonomies, guarantee appointments for their family or even make their posts hereditary. An Emperor who struggles to maintain the Mandate of Heaven will be at the mercy of their Jiedushi, but they might also be the only hope of keeping the realm under control.
• Various optional laws and reforms based on historic features of dynasties and periods, inspired for example by Wu Zetian's reforms, Song reorganisation, Ming isolationism, policies regarding landed nobility, relative focuses on Legalism vs Religion vs Confucianism, etc.
• And probably much more as I continue to research and develop the design!

And with this, I'm starting to see double which probably means I've written another monster post... or possibly the heatwave is actually melting my brain. One way or another, that's a great excuse to end it here for today! ^^

Oh, and don't worry, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled Stellaris programming, with maaaaaaybe some exciting news, next month! In the meantime, thank you, thank you, thank  you a million times for continuing to support us! I hope you will continue to do so as we expand the scope of our ambitions and try new things, but of course, we're not forgetting our ongoing projects and won't be abandoning them anytime soon!

...I SO need another fan. Maybe I could live in a helicopter...