Crusader Kings III Dev Diary 125: The Most Valiant of Them All

Published by 25 Apr, 2023 0 likes

Knights, Accolades and Glory​Hey! We’re CK’s resident gang of big, beefy, vascular knight bannerets and we’re here to talk knights!

Specifically, the brand-new Accolades feature. So slap on your jerkin, grab your bodkin, strap on your slaying-sword, and don’t you dare get distracted by any damsels in distress.

Accolades are about adding depth and flavor to knight management, giving you cause to care about the low-ranked NPCs you’re sending to untimely deaths.

This is a smaller feature, but it’s an excellent tie-in to the new Activity System, particularly Grand Tournaments.

Activities are ideal less-than-lethal reasons to get your knights out of the house, and get them known as the budding warriors and leaders they are. Hey, is this just adding more Knight Effectiveness?

​No. But your knights will probably get a few new things to offer the battlefield.

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What’s an Accolade? ​“In death thy glory in heaven, in victory

thy glory on earth. Arise therefore, Arjuna, with thy soul ready to fight” - The Bhagavad-GitaAn Accolade represents the special honors - the eminent status - a liege affords to a favored knight.

It represents an awe-inspiring reputation passed through generations of fighters; as Accolades improve over time (and as more storied martial deeds are done), they offer more bonuses to the knights who hold them and to their liege (you).

[Image: Accolades reside at the top of the Knights Window]By spending prestige to create an Accolade on a worthy knight, you make the character your Acclaimed Knight.

They serve just as normal knights do, with no additional effects but those provided by their Accolade Attributes (I’ll get to those shortly).

Here’s what creating an Accolade looks like:[Image: Pictured: who you can Acclaim and what’s so very praiseworthy about them]Note that not all your knights are shown as Accolade candidates here.

Only unlanded and baron-rank knights can become Acclaimed Knights. Candidates must also have at least 8 prowess - nobody wants them constantly dying of incompetence.

Finally, they have to be eligible for at least two Accolade Attributes. Accolade Attributes​“He who would tell divers tales must know how to vary the tune. ”

- Marie de FranceAccolade Attributes reflect the traits, skills or other qualities of your knights that make them stand out.

They’re the source of Accolade bonuses, which scale as knights gain Glory (a new stat: Accolade XP). Every Accolade has two Attributes.

The Ranks earned through Glory gain alternately provide one Attributes’ bonus and then the other’s.

So, if your Accolade has a Mentor Attribute, you’ll gain the Mentor’s aid to their fellow knights only with every second increase in Rank.

Some Attributes simply herald an element of a knight’s personality and, while they can be interesting, aren’t particularly impressive.