Computed · Crusader Kings III 1.20.1.2

Best ruler designer builds

The best Crusader Kings III custom character within the 400-point achievements limit for each goal — highest stewardship, diplomacy, martial, intrigue, learning, all-rounder, warrior — found by searching every allowed slider and trait combination, with a link to open each build.

The best 400-point ruler designer builds at age 16 in Crusader Kings III 1.20.1.2 are Highest stewardship (33 Stewardship for 384 points: Fortune Builder, Stubborn, Diligent, Administrator), Highest diplomacy (40 Diplomacy for 390 points: Improvident, Trusting, Compassionate, Charismatic Negotiator, Generous, Honest, Follower, Fickle, Forgiving, Gregarious, Confider) and Highest martial (34 Martial for 389 points: Skilled Tactician, Wrathful, Raider, Shieldmaiden, Zealous); every allowed combination of skill sliders and traits within the point limit searched exactly, skills only. Patch 1.20.1.2, from game/common/script_values/02_ruler_designer_values.txt.

The best 400-point ruler for each goal

At age 16, the best all-round ruler reaches 85 skill points in all; insisting on Genius brings that to 71.

Highest stewardship

33 Stewardship

Age 16, 384 of 400 points

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Highest diplomacy

40 Diplomacy

Age 16, 390 of 400 points

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Highest martial

34 Martial

Age 16, 389 of 400 points

Open in the calculator →

Highest intrigue

48 Intrigue

Age 16, 395 of 400 points

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Highest learning

38 Learning

Age 16, 400 of 400 points

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Best all-rounder

85 skills in all (diplomacy to learning)

Age 16, 394 of 400 points

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Warrior: martial + prowess

64 martial + prowess

Age 16, 391 of 400 points

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All-rounder with Genius

71 skills in all, Genius included

Age 16, 398 of 400 points

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Find the best build for your own settings

GoalAge 16 (40 points)Keep every skill slider at leastPersonality traits at mostMust have GeniusAlso traits that give points back without adding these skills

33 stewardship for 384 of 400 points

Diplomacy 8 (slider 5)
Martial 5 (slider 5)
Stewardship 33 (slider 18)
Intrigue 5 (slider 5)
Learning 8 (slider 5)
Prowess 5 (slider 5)

Fortune Builder 40
Stubborn 30
Diligent 40
Administrator 50

Open this build in the calculator →

Computed ranking

The goal gives each skill a weight (1 for the skills it names); a build's score = Σ weight × skill as the game shows it (slider + traits). Every build within 400 points (age + sliders + traits, the calculator's sums) is searched: the sliders exactly by dynamic programming over points (each from 0 to 100), the traits by branch and bound over every combination the designer allows — one level per trait group, one education, no opposite pairs, the traits' age limits, any number of personality traits. Ties go to the build that costs fewer points.

Read from the game files of Crusader Kings III 1.20.1.2: common/script_values/02_ruler_designer_values.txt, common/defines/00_defines.txt, common/defines/00_defines.txt (NCharacter, NDomain, NProvince, NChildbirth), common/traits/00_traits.txt. Base values: no culture, faith, era, terrain or character modifiers unless a line says so.

Assumptions

Only skills count. A trait's other effects (lifestyle experience, inheritance, opinions) are ignored, so Genius or Intelligent come in only where their skills pay.
Personality traits: as many as pay, no two opposites. The designer counts none — in ck3.exe 1.20.1.2 its trait check refuses only a duplicate, an opposite, a second trait of one group, a trait the character can't have, the age limits and the sex, and the personality row's add button has no condition (gui/window_ruler_designer.gui). Read in the game's code, not tried in the game. A generated character gets 3 (NCharacter RANDOM_PERSONALITY_TRAITS_BASE), and more than INTENDED_MAX_PERSONALITY_TRAITS = 6 makes the game log an error (the define's comment); the tool can hold the builds to either.
Skill sliders stay at 5 or more (the game's default) unless the tool says otherwise; lowering them would free points.
Age 16: 40 points, less than every age up to 42. Traits that give points back (a negative cost) are used when they add the goal's skills; the tool's box also lets in those that add none.
Whether the default skill value 5 costs points in the game is not verified; the calculator and this search charge the script value.

What a must-have congenital trait costs the best all-rounder

The best all-round build with each congenital trait required, against 85 skills in all without: what that trait costs in skills once its points can't go to sliders and other traits.


Giant	20	83	-2
Comely	40	81	-4
Quick	80	79	-6
Fecund	50	78	-7
Hale	60	77	-8
Intelligent	160	77	-8
Handsome	80	76	-9
Beautiful	120	71	-14
Genius	240	71	-14
Robust	120	68	-17
Herculean	180	57	-28

Which traits are worth their points · Ruler designer calculator