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CK2 Dev Diary #34: Facts about Artifacts, Real talk about Relics

Hello all, it’s been a while, but it’s my turn to write a Dev Diary again! Today I’m going to tell you about the Treasury system we’re adding in 2.7. This system itself is part of the free patch. However, a lot of the content for it is part of Monks and Mystics.

The Treasury is where characters store their items, such as weapons, artifacts, or holy relics. In many ways items are much like Character Modifiers which you are likely already familiar with, but Character Modifiers are a fairly limited and not entirely clear system. With the new Treasury system we have greater control over how they work and when they are active as well as more UI space to display and explain them. Not only that, this system allows items to be inheritable and stealable.

We hope that seeing your character’s items as physical object rather than just a number on their character sheet will offer greater immersion, especially for player who like to focus on role-playing. Sure, in the past you could find a nice axe to increase your personal combat skill, but it was just another number - now you’ll see a gleaming axe, ready to hew the limbs from your foes!
artifacts_example_isolated.png

this is not quite final artwork, but it should be similar to what we end up with

As an example, say your Character has found the Holy Grail - you will now see the Grail in your Treasury with a picture and a description as well as the effects of owning it. Further, if some Norseman comes along and raids your castle, there’s a chance that he’ll make off with your precious Grail - however, since he’s not a Christian your most holy relic is nothing more than a fancy cup to him.

As mentioned, items are also inheritable, they all go to a character’s primary heir. In the event someone dies without an heir, the items will pass to their liege if they have one, but they have a chance of being lost in the process. If an independant character dies without heirs, their items are lost - although if time permits we have talked about them having a chance to be snapped up by powerful vassals.

For 2.7 we’re converting several character modifiers into items, such as the +1 axe you might find while raiding, the saint’s bones you might find on a pilgrimage, or the trophy you made from the skull of your rival. With Monks and Mystics we’re adding a lot more, such as:
  • Commissioning swords from skilled smiths.
  • Buying fabulous Crown Jewels.
  • Hunting for Holy Artifacts.
As well as the items you can find or make while playing, we have also added a system to place some Artifacts into character’s Treasuries when a new game is started. These are mostly placed at random to keep things interesting, but there are also a few historical artifacts given to famous characters.
Paradox_CK2_TreasureChamber_big_v02.jpg
 
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They always all go to the primary heir? Even with gavelkind? Because that would seem to eventually lead to a huge stacking of e.g. holy relics---especially if you get them more frequently than now. You can already end up with many of them as is.

They do. We can look into splitting them more if artifact pileup becomes a problem, but it might be more that the relic event needs tuned. The idea is they'll stay with the player as your characters die.

Wasn't that a thing which happened sometimes though?
Also Suggestion: when an independent character dies who is christian (maybe other religions as appropriate), holy relics go to religious head is one exists, with chance of loss? Maybe give a moral authority boost of 0.1% per X items in the head's stash? :3)?

Edit: this bonus my not be appropriate for iconoclasts Idk.
 
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Is there any chance these items can stack? so we can have more than one, and if yes can we get them with a working hidden = yes flag? Further, can we give them command_modifier blocks?
 
if some Norseman comes along and raids your castle, there’s a chance that he’ll make off with your precious Grail - however, since he’s not a Christian your most holy relic is nothing more than a fancy cup to him.]

Will there be any prestige benefit for stealing and holding another religion's holy relics, or possibly a chance to convert by spending time in your treasury and having a revelation while viewing one?

Will there be events with the carousing focus to go show off your artifacts during a party, with chances of them being stolen or damaged, or maybe play a game with someone else who has artifacts, winner takes one?

Will the Necronomicon be an artifact? Somewhat related, will there be artifacts with downsides?
 
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Surely the Necronomicon will be made into an item?

Ya know I recently discovered the hard way that immortality + the Necronomicon can be a real wet blanket as a Muslim due to the -2 piety loss that I should have thought about.
 
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Now remember guys, if you come across a rabit guarding the secrets of the location of a certain grail, it's never just an ordinary rabbit. Also in before we meet someone like Tim the Enchanter.

I wonder what would happen if some silly vikings find the Necronomicon from raiding. This should be fun.
 
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As mentioned, items are also inheritable, they all go to a character’s primary heir. In the event someone dies without an heir, the items will pass to their liege if they have one.

So you're saying I should indiscriminately butcher my vassals so I steal their shit?
 
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Charlie definitely needs to get Joyeuse from this. Norse guys could get Ulfberht blades.
 
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@Darkrenown in addendum to my earlier query, can your treasury hold more than one of the same item? So can you get a collection of the same quality sword for instance?
 
I wasn't really expecting this but I already love it.

Will the Necronomicron be added to your vault? If someone steals your stuff can you get it back or is it gone forever? If raiding norsemen can steal your relics does that mean the player as a raider has a chance of taking people's stuff too? I might have to do a Tomb Raider playthrough where I traverse the map stealing people's priceless heirlooms.

EDIT:

Also can you sell artifacts for cash? Or donate them to the church/temple for MA?
 
Nice so will the kings of England finally have Durandal? Also considering that weapon crafting is constantly improved I hope that our characters won't be waving century old sword around the battlefield. That said I hope they carry prestige and such with them, perhaps events, and I hope we can track the chain of owners (though there could perhaps be parts of the ownership chain that is unclear, say Roland falls on the battlefield and someone a few centuries later finds "Durandal".
 
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Would it be possible to add hidden effects to Items? For example, you have a nice jewel that gives you some prestige bonus and all is well. Except that anyone that owns it keep dying, due to a hidden malus to health. The hidden effect could then be revealed in an event after a couple of short generations.
 
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possibly a chance to convert by spending time in your treasury and having a revelation while viewing one?
I really hope not.
Would it be possible to add hidden effects to Items? For example, you have a nice jewel that gives you some prestige bonus and all is well. Except that anyone that owns it keep dying, due to a hidden malus to health. The hidden effect could then be revealed in an event after a couple of short generations.
I even more hope not.
 
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Would it be possible to add hidden effects to Items? For example, you have a nice jewel that gives you some prestige bonus and all is well. Except that anyone that owns it keep dying, due to a hidden malus to health. The hidden effect could then be revealed in an event after a couple of short generations.

That would be very Warehouse 13 :D
 
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What would be wrong with that?
Jewels don't magically kill people in reality. Though I guess they could have some poison applied to them, but that would be worn off with time plus it should give it's effect with a short time (a few months at most).

Cursed jewels, which is what I understood his proposal to be, don't have a place in the game in my opinion---especially not when the devs are reluctant to do the game rules differentiation needed for it not being a question of accepting all ridiculous fantasy stuff or cutting out significant amounts of content which are perfectly explainable without magic or aliens.
 
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Jewels don't magically kill people in reality. Though I guess they could have some poison applied to them, but that would be worn off with time plus it should give it's effect with a short time (a few months at most).

Cursed jewels, which is what I understood his proposal to be, don't have a place in the game in my opinion---especially not when the devs are reluctant to do the game rules differentiation needed for it not being a question of accepting all ridiculous fantasy stuff or cutting out significant amounts of content which are perfectly explainable without magic or aliens.
They were just giving an example. While we can't forget people who like their CKII fantasy content, I'm sure there's ways such a feature could be utilized for more realistic purposes.
 
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