How does game decide heir?

[Stray952]

I'm dumb I guess. I cant figure out how it chooses.

There are times where it will switch back and forth from a young person to a random 50 year old. Is there a mod where I can just pick?

[TheDogeOfSwabia]

https://ck3.paradoxwikis.com/Succession

[myperfectvictory]

Originally posted by Stevo:

https://ck3.paradoxwikis.com/Succession

This isn't helpful. Some people need layman's definitions to understand the material.

Anyway, if you are starting a kingdom, it's most likely elective succession. This means the dukes/duchesses and count/countesses that own the titles within the kingdom are able to vote on your heir. Keep in mind, they do not have to be a part of your realm to vote. The independent rulers that may exist in the de jure land of your kingdom are able to cast a vote.

The game decides your heir from whoever assumes your primary title after death. So since your kingdom is elective, the heir is whoever has the most voting power in the elective succession of your primary empire/kingdom title.

[TheDogeOfSwabia]

Originally posted by Mr. A:

Originally posted by Stevo:

https://ck3.paradoxwikis.com/Succession

This isn't helpful. Some people need layman's definitions to understand the material.

Lol, since he didnt gave ANY information on who or where he is playing you just CANT give him an explaination how his heir is chosen. You cant explain it more simple than the wiki already does.
Also helpful for OP
https://ck3.paradoxwikis.com/Laws#Realm_Succession

[Stray952]

It isn’t helpful because it’s in the game wiki and doesn’t explain anything. Sorry for being light on details the games culture and authority progression are linear, so I assumed everyone would know what I was talking about, but shouldn’t have.

I chose Scandinavian elective, as prompted by the game to do after a few generations. I’m aware there is an election and that others vote.

I’m wondering how the game decides who I play as. And how the other rulers choose.

As soon as I institute elective, I usually lose all of my lands within a generation. The other rulers will elect a relative other than the one I want, then immediately rebel against them. For example I recently had two kingdoms, I voted for my grandson who I trained, they elected my illegitimate son. The son got one kingdom, the grandson the other. So I was forced to play as the son, already lost 60% of my land, then the vassals in my kingdom rebelled and I was reduced to a single county.

First off, why was I forced to play as the heir with the smaller kingdom? Is there a discrepancy between who inherits your title and who you play as? Secondly, is the elective voting cynically to break up the kingdom? If so I’m not sure what the point of ever doing an elective is. If not, why would they rebel against the guy THEY just put into place?

[Stray952]

I’m aware of the partition rules and why one heir got one kingdom title and the other another. I do not understand why the #1 heir I was forced to play as got the one with like 5 counties under it while the #2 heir got the kingdom with like 30

[Half-lidded Bruiser]

You might get better responses if you made it clear you were talking about "player heir"., instead of just "heir".
I'm not entirely sure exactly what determines the player heir. It definitely needs to be a landed member of your dynasty. I think the game prioritizes close family of your current character, and from there the "most powerful", ie, rank and realm size. Not entirely certain myself, though.
From your posts, it sounds like you don't fully understand realm succession laws. I strongly suggest you read the Wiki page, or at least the in-game Realm Succession tab's descriptions. The explanations provided are as good as, if not better, than those you would get from random Steam forum users.

[Average AMD neanderthal]

if you are playing under confederate partition and male preference (the typical starting scenario) the lineage goes you, your son, your son's son, and so on and so forth. if the current holder doesn't have a son, it typically goes to someone who had claims just after. like the next oldest brother.

[Cry Me A Salt River]

I'm pretty new on the forums so I'm not sure if it's allowed to post links like this, and if it's not I'm sorry and you can remove my comment. But there was an excellent explanation about the succession laws in general in paradox forums: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/succession-laws-explained.1419049/

[Stray952]

Originally posted by Hans Würst:

if you are playing under confederate partition and male preference (the typical starting scenario) the lineage goes you, your son, your son's son, and so on and so forth. if the current holder doesn't have a son, it typically goes to someone who had claims just after. like the next oldest brother.

It definitely does not. The player heir constantly fluxes. One of my chief complaints about the game is that I end up playing as one of my ♥♥♥♥♥♥ cousins after three generations. Every, freaking, time. Let them take the empire, idc, I’ll play as their vassal.

I’m currently playing as the king of Ruthenia, I also have the kingdoms of Galycia-Volhynia, White Rus, Gardariki. So I have player heir and then 4 simultaneous elections. Knowing I was going to die I ran influence campaigns on the elective. My player heir constantly fluctuated from two of my nephews and a distant cousin who was king of Denmark.

I had multiple sons. In a fit of panic I gave all the kingdom titles except mine to one son hoping that would make him the player heir. It did not.
Now I’m stuck playing as this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ with a stewardship focus.

Anyone know a trick to get back to your original line? Like I don’t even want to play anymore this happens every game

[Stray952]

Originally posted by Hans Würst:

if you are playing under confederate partition and male preference (the typical starting scenario) the lineage goes you, your son, your son's son, and so on and so forth. if the current holder doesn't have a son, it typically goes to someone who had claims just after. like the next oldest brother.

This is not the case. The player heir constantly changes, whether I have elective or partition.

[Stray952]

You guys must be right, I must be doing something wrong, because no matter what I do as soon as the first indirect heir gets forced on me, I also get IMMEDIATELY put into an independence war, often fighting against the character I groomed and wanted to play as. This is super frustrating.

I just put the game on 5 speed and watch the whole empire fall apart

[myperfectvictory]

Originally posted by Stray952:

You guys must be right, I must be doing something wrong, because no matter what I do as soon as the first indirect heir gets forced on me, I also get IMMEDIATELY put into an independence war, often fighting against the character I groomed and wanted to play as. This is super frustrating.

I just put the game on 5 speed and watch the whole empire fall apart

You seem to have an understanding of how succession laws work. I don't understand what your problem is. Are you keeping an eye on the elector votes?

[Dark Lord]

If your crown authority is level 3,change your succession rule to primogeniture.This way only your eldest child will inherit your titles.Dont forget,have less children and kill your useless children or else you might face rebellions after your heir inherits your titles.

You can choose your heir regardlass of laws if your crown authority is level4.

[Kayeka]

Originally posted by Dark Lord:

If your crown authority is level 3,change your succession rule to primogeniture.This way only your eldest child will inherit your titles.Dont forget,have less children and kill your useless children or else you might face rebellions after your heir inherits your titles.

You can choose your heir regardlass of laws if your crown authority is level4.

They're saying they're playing tribal scandinavian, so you might as well have told him to establish a colony on Mars.

Scandinavian Elective is a bit tricky. Electors vote based on how much they like a character, how much they like you, a character's traits and even their age. The strength of their vote is determined by the amount of development they control within their domain, and the popular opinion in their realm capital. I'd advice you to set your Steward on increasing development in your capital, so that your vote ends up weighing the most.

If you go to the election screen, you can hover over the score any one elector gives your candidate, and see why it might not be as high as you'd like.

[Ramon]

Why bother playing a game like CK3 if you are too lazy to learn the mehanics
Every elective succession tells you EXACTLY what gives people voting power and WHY they are voting for somebody
Its ALL in the game ready to be read in the menus