Sex and Immortality

This is a list of the most important changes to the base game in this mod:

Immortality: Immortal and semi-immortal traits have been added. Either trait can be added in the ruler designer, and immortal characters can be born randomly in the game (though they will not gain the immortal trait until they come of age). The immortal trait halts the aging process, and the semi-immortal trait makes characters live about 50 years longer than normal. All children and grandchildren of an immortal character will be semi-immortal, and after that there is a chance the trait will be inherited if the mother has it.

Events: A few new character events dealing with sex and romance. (More will likely be added in the future.)

Consanguinity doctrines: There are more options in the consanguity doctrine for religions. Aside from the existing ones, there is also half-sibling (everything allowed in avunculate marriage plus half-siblings) and sibling (everything in avunculate marriage plus all siblings) marriage.

In faiths with the sibling marriage consanguinity doctrine or the divine marriage tenet, twins of the opposite sex are only allowed to marry, or have sex, with each other while both are still alive. (Their liege could still, in some cases, marry them off to other characters though.)

Court Familiars: Some religions, depending on their doctrines on sex (adultery being accepted for either gender, the Carnal Exaltation tenet, and the Natural Primitivism tenet), allow a ruler to assign a certain number (how many depends on their tier – 2 for counts, 4 for dukes, and so on… ) of characters that function as a kind of collective concubine, available to both the ruler and any of his/her close or extended family members (cousins or closer) who reside at the same court or are vassals of the ruler (provided sexual relations between them is allowed by their faiths’ doctrines on incest and same-sex relations). The characters in question may accept or decline the assignment (depending on their traits, their religion, if they’re lowborn or not, and how they feel about the ruler). Sex with Familiars happens randomly, in the background, same as with regular concubines. All offspring produced with them are considered legitimate, but cannot inherit. A landed character who is a parent or grandparent of a child of a Court Familiar can, however, grant them their inheritance rights at a smallish cost in prestige (75).

Companions: Rulers who are members of religions that allow polygamy or concubinage can grant adult courtiers who are close or extended family members of theirs ‘companions’ (who are basically like regular concubines/consorts in most aspects). Only unlanded characters can have companions. Just like with concubines, they are only for men in male-dominated religions, only for women in female-dominated religions and for both with equality. the number of companions characters can have depends on the tier of the head of the court (1 for counts, 2 for dukes, etc. )

Fertility rituals: Religions with the Carnal Exaltation tenet have a fertility ritual when a character comes of age. The new adult will pick another character, of the opposite sex, to perform the ritual with. They may (depending on personality traits and sexuality) opt out of the ritual, and the character they pick may refuse. Any offspring that results from the ritual (yes, the ‘fertility ritual’ means they have sex, as part of a religious service) are considered legitimate. Since they are the result of a ‘sacred pregnancy,’ however, the children are ‘devoted’ from birth (they are made nuns/monks/or whatever the terms are in their religion) and thus can never marry or inherit.

Carnal Exaltation clerics: In religions that have the Carnal Exaltation tenet, sex with characters who are clergy (this includes nuns, monks and order members) is not considered to be adultery or fornication for either party, regardless of the religion’s doctrines on adultery. (Incest or same-sex relations could still be an issue though.) It’s not cheating. They’re just worshipping together. It’s religious piety. Resulting offspring will tend to be given to the house of the non-clergy party in these relations, unless they are lowborn.

Same-sex relations: In religions where same-sex relations are accepted but adultery is not, same-sex relations are not considered adulterous (or fornication, for characters who are single). Spouses that are cheated on will still be upset, but nobody else will care. Since, without gay marriage, all same-sex relations are inherently adultery or fornication, it doesn’t make sense otherwise.

Also, in the vanilla game, only same-sex relations between men ("sodomy") is really treated as an issue when same-sex relations are shunned or criminal. I’ve changed it so that when same-sex relations are illegal, they are considered criminal for the dominant gender and shunned for the other (in equal faiths, they’re criminal for both). When they’re shunned, they’re shunned for the dominant gender and accepted for the other.

Love affairs: Sex outside of marriage is more common (than in the base game) among members of religions that have a more liberal attitude towards sex. Rules for when love affairs are secret or not and for when offspring is considered legitimate, have been tweaked.

Wards: A character can be a guardian to up to 3, rather than 2, wards.

Schemes: Characters can have 2 active schemes of the same type.

Divine Marriage: Members of religions with the Divine Marriage tenet are not allowed to marry characters that are not close or extended family members (with the exception of primary spouses of landed characters, because sometimes you just don’t have any relatives). They are also a lot less likely to have sexual relations with non-relatives, or take them as concubines and such. Extra-marital relations with non-relatives are shunned, even if the relationship is otherwise accepted in their religion.

Personality traits: The personality traits a character gains growing up is influenced by the personality of their guardian, the personalities of their parents, by their childhood trait, and by what personality traits are considered virtues or sins in their religion.

Childhood traits: The childhood trait a character gets (at 3) is not completely random, but is influenced (somewhat) by the government type they live under, their parents’ personalities and education, and the childhood traits of their siblings.

Relatives leaving court: Close or extended family members (cousins and closer) of the head of the court will never randomly decide to leave court.

Slavic Polygamy: Slavic pagans have polygamy. Because, come on, there is no reason for them to have monogamy.

Knights: Rulers can have more knights than in the vanilla game. Knights are less deadly in battle, but more difficult to kill.

Shieldmaidens: (this one only applies if you have the relevant dlc, of course) Shieldmaidens/shieldswains are available to all tribal people, of any culture, whose religion is not gender-equal. The prowess requirement is lowered slightly to 10.

Witch Coven Grand Rites: The sex option in the Witch Coven Grand Rite is removed, and instead the event for it will always fire (if it can) after the choice is made of what to do during the Grand Rite. You can still say no to having sex when the event fires, but this means you can have both the sex event and one of the other Grand Rite choices at the same time, if you want. Also, if the participants are openly witches (they have the trait, not a secret) then any sex they have during the Grand Rite is considered ok, and any resulting offspring is considered legitimate, regardless of how those relations would normally have been viewed by their religion. Also, sex events don’t create, or progress, lover relationships. What happens at the Grand Rite, stays at the Grand Rite.

And other, small, stuff…