Skills, Dynasty, And Heirs
Skills are long-term ruler progression. Dynasty is succession risk and opportunity. Heirs make marriage and lineage politically meaningful.
King's Points
King's Points, or KP, are scarce progression currency. They should feel earned through meaningful reign progress, not scattered as routine income.
Because KP is scarce, the skill tree should not look like a mostly empty board. The UI should use space to clarify:
- current path
- current level
- available next spend
- locked future levels
- what each spend changes
- how many KP are needed
Skill Paths
The current path families are:
- Warrior
- Diplomat
- Shadow
- Builder
- Divine
Each path should support a different style of rule. The player should be able to understand the next useful spend without memorizing backend names.
Dynasty Purpose
Dynasty turns the campaign from a single ruler story into a lineage story. The player should care who inherits, who marries whom, and how foreign claims enter the bloodline.
The dynasty view should eventually show:
- current ruler
- spouse or active marriage
- eligible heirs
- unborn heirs
- foreign heirs connected by marriage
- claim strength
- succession order
- risk flags
Heirs
Heirs are not just names. They represent continuity, political claims, marriage leverage, and succession danger.
An heir view should show:
- name
- age
- status
- legitimacy or claim strength
- health where exposed
- parentage
- relation to active marriages
- foreign ties
Unborn heirs should not be rendered as normal age-zero heirs. They need their own state.
Marriage
Marriage is a game mechanic. It can provide:
- dowry
- alliance
- trade boost
- foreign relation improvement
- succession complication
- claim risk
A strong marriage UI should show the lineage effect, not just the immediate reward.
Lineage Tree
The ideal lineage tree shows how marriage connects rulers, heirs, and foreign nations. It should help the player see why a politically profitable marriage might create a future claim problem.
Important lineage questions:
- who inherits if the ruler dies?
- which foreign nation gains influence?
- which house feels bypassed?
- does the marriage strengthen trade?
- does the marriage invite a succession dispute?