Computed · Crusader Kings III 1.20.1.2

Life expectancy by trait

How long a Crusader Kings III character lives on average from the game's own aging and death rules, and how many years each lasting health trait — Herculean, Whole of Body, Bleeder, Infirm… — adds or takes away.

A healthy adult lives to 67.6 on average; the lasting traits that change that most in Crusader Kings III 1.20.1.2 are Herculean (+8.1 years), Fecund (+5 years) and Robust (+4.1 years); years = expected age at death with the trait minus without, from the game's yearly aging roll (taken as many years younger as the traits' life expectancy) and monthly death check (NOldAge), with Infirm, Clouded Eyes and Fragile Bones growing every year as the yearly health pulse adds XP. Patch 1.20.1.2, from game/common/defines/00_defines.txt, game/common/traits/00_traits.txt and game/common/on_action/health_on_actions.txt.

How long a character lives

A healthy adult with no health traits lives to 67.6 on average; half are dead by 67.8. The healthiest set a ruler designer character can start with pushes that to 94.8:

Traits that add the most years

1
HerculeanHealth +1+8.1years of life
- Lives to 75.8 on average
- Half dead by 75.8
2
FecundLife expectancy +5+5years of life
- Lives to 72.6 on average
- Half dead by 72.8
3
RobustHealth +0.5+4.1years of life
- Lives to 71.7 on average
- Half dead by 71.8

4StrongHealth +0.5+4.1years of life
5Whole of BodyHealth +0.5+4.1years of life
6AthleticHealth +0.25+2.1years of life
7HaleHealth +0.25+2.1years of life
8Historical CharacterHealth +0.25+2.1years of life
9Pure-bloodedHealth +0.25+2.1years of life

Traits that cost the most years

1
IncapableHealth -2-23.7years of life
- Lives to 44 on average
- Half dead by 44.2
2
BleederHealth -1.5-15.5years of life
- Lives to 52.1 on average
- Half dead by 52.3
3
InbredHealth -1.5-15.5years of life
- Lives to 52.1 on average
- Half dead by 52.3

4Fragile BonesLife expectancy -3, -24 at the top of its track-14years of life
5InfirmHealth -0.25, -1.25 at the top of its track-12.3years of life
6FeebleHealth -1-9.5years of life
7FrailHealth -0.5-4.4years of life
8MelancholicHealth -0.5-4.4years of life
9Melancholic (congenital)Health -0.5-4.4years of life
10PossessedHealth -0.5-4.4years of life
11Possessed (congenital)Health -0.5-4.4years of life
12WeakHealth -0.5-4.4years of life

Computed ranking

A chain over the health a character has lost to age and the XP of its tracks: each year from 25 it loses 0.125 health with chance 0.075 + 0.022 × (age − life expectancy − 25), where life expectancy is the traits' life_expectancy rounded to whole years (none while age − life expectancy is under 25: ck3.exe takes it off the age before this roll); each month with health below 3 it dies with chance 0.25 × ((3 − health) ÷ 3)² (NOldAge). Health = 5 + the traits' health (elderly health from 50). Each year the yearly health pulse adds XP to a track — Infirm 8, 4 or 12; Clouded Eyes 15, 9 or 3; Fragile Bones 3 or 6 — picked by weights that change with age, health and Athletic (yearly_health_pulse); every level reached (25, 50, 75, 100 XP) adds its penalty, and the levels add up (the game's tooltip: “All previous levels also apply”). Years of life = expected age at death with the trait − without it, for a character alive at 16; a track trait is held from 16 with no XP.

Read from the game files of Crusader Kings III 1.20.1.2: common/defines/00_defines.txt (NCharacter, NOldAge, NRulerDesigner), common/traits/00_traits.txt (health, elderly_health, child_health, life_expectancy, tracks), common/on_action/health_on_actions.txt (yearly_health_pulse). Base values: no culture, faith, era, terrain or character modifiers unless a line says so.

Assumptions

Death from age and these traits only: no illnesses, wounds, battles, duels, murders, stress or events — real characters die sooner.
The monthly death curve is our reading of the defines' comment ("used with a quadratic chance").
Lasting traits only: illnesses (flag illness) and wounds heal or kill on their own schedule and are left out. Court physicians, buildings, perks and the Octogenarians legacy are not counted.
Infirm, Clouded Eyes and Fragile Bones gain XP as for a character never ill, travelling, in an activity or with an army, nor in winter or a desert, with prowess 5 (the ruler designer's default skill); an illness speeds Infirm up, which is not counted.
Withering Mind is left out: its yearly XP depends on friends, lovers, wards and stress, and at the top of its track the game adds Incapable (health -2).
Faltering Heart counts at its first level only: the yearly health pulse doesn't grow its track (stress and events do), and at its top health -100.

All 33 lasting traits that change health or life expectancy


Herculean	1	0	—	8.10	75.80	75.80
Fecund	0	5	—	5	72.60	72.80
Robust	0.50	0	—	4.10	71.70	71.80
Strong	0.50	0	—	4.10	71.70	71.80
Whole of Body	0.50	0	—	4.10	71.70	71.80
Athletic	0.25	0	—	2.10	69.70	69.80
Hale	0.25	0	—	2.10	69.70	69.80
Historical Character	0.25	0	—	2.10	69.70	69.80
Pure-blooded	0.25	0	—	2.10	69.70	69.80
Temperate	0.25	0	—	2.10	69.70	69.80
Faltering Heart	-0.10	0	—	-0.90	66.80	66.90
Drunkard	-0.15	0	—	-1.30	66.30	66.40
Flagellant	-0.15	0	—	-1.30	66.30	66.40
Wheezing	-0.15	0	—	-1.30	66.30	66.40
Clouded Eyes	0	0	health -0.25 (Blind)	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Blind	-0.25	0	—	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Delicate	-0.25	0	—	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Giant	-0.25	0	—	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Lunatic	-0.25	0	—	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Lunatic (congenital)	-0.25	0	—	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Spindly	-0.25	0	—	-2.20	65.40	65.60
Frail	-0.50	0	—	-4.40	63.20	63.30
Melancholic	-0.50	0	—	-4.40	63.20	63.30
Melancholic (congenital)	-0.50	0	—	-4.40	63.20	63.30
Possessed	-0.50	0	—	-4.40	63.20	63.30
Possessed (congenital)	-0.50	0	—	-4.40	63.20	63.30
Weak	-0.50	0	—	-4.40	63.20	63.30
Feeble	-1	0	—	-9.50	58.10	58.30
Infirm	-0.25	0	health -1.25	-12.30	55.30	55.40
Fragile Bones	0	-3	life exp. -24	-14	53.60	53.60
Bleeder	-1.50	0	—	-15.50	52.10	52.30
Inbred	-1.50	0	—	-15.50	52.10	52.30
Incapable	-2	0	—	-23.70	44	44.20

Health calculator (life expectancy for any mix of traits) · Genetics calculator