• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Dev Diary #97: Pagan Pals - Warrior Lodges

Greetings!

This week we want to show you the work we have been doing on the new society type: Warrior Lodges!

(This is where you scroll down to play the sound clip found in this dev diary, for an insight into the background ambiance of the societies, and how the dev team sounds when we hang out)

It's a society perfect for the rowdy pagan or tribal ruler: the one who drinks, fights, and brags about it to your friends. Of course, underneath that rough surface, lies a heart that swells at the thought of camaraderie, and helping you defeat your enemies.

That said, joining isn't for everyone. You have to fight to prove yourself, and duels are not for the faint of heart.

Fleeing_initiation_duel.png


The ones that do make it into the Warrior Lodge can also insist that their children attempt the initiation!

Once a member, you can enjoy special events on the battlefield, and intimidating power. Going up against a member of a warrior lodge is a calculated risk, but only cowards back out of challenge. While you might lose a leg dueling your friend for sport, you could also end up founding a bloodline as a famous warrior hero, having your legacy stay with your dynasty through centuries.

Warrior Bloodline.png




Each playable pagan religion has its own version of a Warrior Lodge, with some unique touches to them. Art is of course one of them.

Society_Menu.png



Then we have things like Create Fetish, a Power exclusive to the African Warrior Lodge. It allows your ruler to order the forging of a special type of artifact, ranging from mere rain-sticks to scare off ghosts, to large totem masks infused with the energy of ancient spirits.


The mask artifacts come in many varieties and shapes, and as they can be equipped to a separate face slot in your Treasury they can appear on your character’s portrait whenever they are worn. Both their shape and effects will depend on investments made during their creation, as well as on the type of spirit you decide to infuse them with. Do you wish to channel the energy of a benevolent river god, or that of a trickster?

WLfetish.jpg



In addition to Powers, and the various missions you can choose to accept, you might also find yourself involved in side activities, such as feasting events and competitions. Make sure to always pick up the challenges from your fellow warriors, or you might lose influence within their circle, be it a drinking contest, an arm-wrestling match, or the Flyting game of patience, where you and your opponent will hurl all sorts of insults at each other, to see who loses his cool first. If that is you, do not fret: even if your character ends up horribly humiliated, nothing is stopping you from being a sore loser and challenging your opponent to real duel in the aftermath…

WLflyting.jpg


Duels are also no longer locked solely the War Focus, but all Warrior Lodge members can enjoy fighting all up close and personal. In general, duels are a large past time for members of these societies, and Personal Combat Rating has been revamped to fit the new system. Outcomes of the duels vary from mere bruises to severe injuries. There is naturally also the chance of one thing leading to another, and you might find yourself making friends (or lovers)...


Thank you for your time. :)
 

Attachments

  • Warrior Lodge Ambiance.wav
    2,7 MB · Views: 6.357
i wanted to play CKII today...
but i realised, that without HF it would be like playing 1.0 vanilla.
OMG, second version of old gods and sons of abraham combined.
And we are still to witness sainthood, coronation and even more map changes!
 
Can we please lose the "boy", "gruffly" and "crossed his arms" cliches in the first screenshot? If a 62 year old crusader veteran wants to join will the flavor text still refer to him as a boy?
 
The Aztecs do not have a Warrior Lodge.
Strange as OP states :
"Each playable pagan religion has its own version of a Warrior Lodge,"
That would mean astecs and generic pagans too (as some event generates pagan characters whom can make you convert) ...
Some formulation in DDs should be more precises. (if the names are not always enough)
I remember that for the republic DLC years ago I tought that one can play, well republics ...
 

Gorgeous! Still, you guys had better get your QA proofreader on the job before release...

There’s been talk in this thread about nomads being able to access warrior lodges regardless of faith. Does this refer exclusively to the Eagle Warriors? Could a pagan nomad (IE Suomenusko) potentially access more than one lodge, or are they simply locked to the Eagle Warriors regardless of faith?
 
Last edited:
I hope so. Would be a perfect way to get Fíanna in game. They also wore wolf pelts.


McCone (Kim R.): "Werewolves, cyclopes, díberga, and Fíanna: juvenile delinquency in early Ireland." Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 12 pp 1-22.
If they add cultural ones the English should have "the knight who say ni", and the French should have "guys like Gaston".
Also will it be possible for woman to join (either regularily or by going through several duels or other tests?)
Shieldmaidens should be able to.
 
Yay, just the DD I was waiting to see.

Thank you for finally changing dueling. I know there will still be some RNG involved, but I was really sick of having characters armed with amazing equipment, and having really high personal combat, losing to someone with either no personal combat or very low personal combat. Again, I don't expect my characters to always win, but it would be nice to see some changes to reflect the real difference between the personal combat of the characters.

Also, is creating artifacts only for Aricans, or do all lodges have the ability to create artifacts?