All societies except for Lucifer's Own seems like trash.

[Kronk The Gluemuncher]

So I was using commands in order to see what powers and such that all societies provided. The hermetic society is bugged, considering you cannot use your ingredients for anything. However techbonuses you get still serve some purpose.

The orders you can join however seem like absolute trash to me, the only thing you get is being able to toggle celibacy.

Do you people agree or have I missed some super cool things you can do in these societies?

[Donathan Cheadledge]

Assasins have the ability to smoke hasish. Haven't tried it yet but could be interesting. The grandmaster of them can also call for killings of random dudes as and when they feel like it.

Secret religious ones (from fake converts) are relatively interesting as it lets you spread a religion with low moral authority around surprisingly easily.

Lucifer's Own is very OP tho, the bad traits you get from it are totally negated by the fact that you effectively become an ungodly superperson with insane power once you rank up a lot.

[The Cure]

Yeah, I turned the devil worship off, which is sad because it's the most fleshed out society. But it's also easily the most fantastical.

Not to mention the "secret" societies are not secret at all because I can, you know, still see your portrait.

[Old Man Mordaith]

I am really digging the Hermetics. They build slowly over generations. Make sure you groom your heir (and maybe a couple of back ups) for learning. Make them your apprentice, and make sure to write the Magum Opus. Your family treasury starts collecting a series of books that will compound knowledge.

I dig lucifers own, and they are pretty powerful. but there are some crazy events that go with them. Including having close family members killed off, and you know, everyone hating you. It can go badly... very badly.

The monk orders actually really helped my line surive. Uh, can't remember which one, the second one in the list :D My current leader was pretty much crazy pants garbage. Lunatic and possessed. But after nearly having my entire family line killed off in what amounted to a satanic turf war, (seriously - three families passing out toxic touches like they were bleedin' Oprah!) joining the order allowed my matriarch to recover the family line, restore order and confidence with her vassals, and peel back some of those really bad negative traits.

So, yes - they differ in power. But I think the checks and balances are pretty good. Particularly because as soon as you are a known satanist, all the other Satanist hate your but for being to overt.

But, yeah. Hermetics are fantastic. Really great for grooming children and focusing on stewarding. Just keep popin' those potions. Mmmhmmm

[Old Man Mordaith]

Originally posted by The Cure:

Yeah, I turned the devil worship off, which is sad because it's the most fleshed out society. But it's also easily the most fantastical.

Not to mention the "secret" societies are not secret at all because I can, you know, still see your portrait.

Satanist can not be detected that way. Only the "not so secret secret societies" I don't think being a member of the Hermetics gets you in trouble, and I think membership to the monks is public knowledge.

[The Cure]

Originally posted by The King in Yellow:

Originally posted by The Cure:

Yeah, I turned the devil worship off, which is sad because it's the most fleshed out society. But it's also easily the most fantastical.

Not to mention the "secret" societies are not secret at all because I can, you know, still see your portrait.

Satanist can not be detected that way. Only the "not so secret secret societies" I don't think being a member of the Hermetics gets you in trouble, and I think membership to the monks is public knowledge.

I saw all types of black hoods in my game and I never joined the Satan worshipers (I was a member of the Order of St. Anthony) . After that start I turned it off. Maybe I had a bug.

[Old Man Mordaith]

Originally posted by The Cure:

Originally posted by The King in Yellow:

Satanist can not be detected that way. Only the "not so secret secret societies" I don't think being a member of the Hermetics gets you in trouble, and I think membership to the monks is public knowledge.

I saw all types of black hoods in my game and I never joined the Satan worshipers (I was a member of the Order of St. Anthony) . After that start I turned it off. Maybe I had a bug.

I saw that too. But the two monastic orders. One makes you appear with a little crook or walking staff. One order puts ladies in black and white habbits and men in Black robes. Satanist just appear like normal people. And Hermetics wear their fun little hats.

In my game I went from a family of satanist to a member of the Second Monastic order (really forgetting what they are called) But it is the one with the guys wearing black robes as well. But, all my previous characters satanic buds who were everywhere in my court, looked like normal non affiliated people. Even though each and every one of them was possessed.... :D

So it is probably like costume design. I'd need to go back and look at it, to see what the differences are.

[The Cure]

Originally posted by The King in Yellow:

Originally posted by The Cure:

I saw all types of black hoods in my game and I never joined the Satan worshipers (I was a member of the Order of St. Anthony) . After that start I turned it off. Maybe I had a bug.

I saw that too. But the two monastic orders. One makes you appear with a little crook or walking staff. One order puts ladies in black and white habbits and men in Black robes. Satanist just appear like normal people. And Hermetics wear their fun little hats.

In my game I went from a family of satanist to a member of the Second Monastic order (really forgetting what they are called) But it is the one with the guys wearing black robes as well. But, all my previous characters satanic buds who were everywhere in my court, looked like normal non affiliated people. Even though each and every one of them was possessed.... :D

So it is probably like costume design. I'd need to go back and look at it, to see what the differences are.

No, I meant I saw the Satan worship black hoods. Not the black habits of the Dominicans.

I guess it was a bug, since I could even see the head of the Satanists.

Although this does touch on another criticism of M&M, which is every lay member (even Dukes, Kings and Emperors) wearing habits, walking with crosiers, and rocking the tonsure hairstyle.

[Burnz]

Yeah Lucifer's Own is kinda over powered, when you add the fact that there's a bug when you recruit someone so you get double the dark power amount, it's insane. You get 200 DP every time you recruit someone, so that's 400.

[ally of communist china]

Originally posted by Retired Messiah:

Assasins have the ability to smoke hasish. Haven't tried it yet but could be interesting. The grandmaster of them can also call for killings of random dudes as and when they feel like it.

Secret religious ones (from fake converts) are relatively interesting as it lets you spread a religion with low moral authority around surprisingly easily.

Lucifer's Own is very OP tho, the bad traits you get from it are totally negated by the fact that you effectively become an ungodly superperson with insane power once you rank up a lot.

The secret religious orders had promise, but only having them for organized religions is a terrible design decision. Makes them pretty much useless outside of East Africa. Oh, and not all of them work yet.

[Skullever]

Originally posted by Purple Reign:

Originally posted by Retired Messiah:

Assasins have the ability to smoke hasish. Haven't tried it yet but could be interesting. The grandmaster of them can also call for killings of random dudes as and when they feel like it.

Secret religious ones (from fake converts) are relatively interesting as it lets you spread a religion with low moral authority around surprisingly easily.

Lucifer's Own is very OP tho, the bad traits you get from it are totally negated by the fact that you effectively become an ungodly superperson with insane power once you rank up a lot.

The secret religious orders had promise, but only having them for organized religions is a terrible design decision. Makes them pretty much useless outside of East Africa. Oh, and not all of them work yet.

It's just a matter of time before they're carried over to other religions by modders or maybe even Paradox in the future

[Ashleyfish]

Originally posted by Purple Reign:

Originally posted by Retired Messiah:

Assasins have the ability to smoke hasish. Haven't tried it yet but could be interesting. The grandmaster of them can also call for killings of random dudes as and when they feel like it.

Secret religious ones (from fake converts) are relatively interesting as it lets you spread a religion with low moral authority around surprisingly easily.

Lucifer's Own is very OP tho, the bad traits you get from it are totally negated by the fact that you effectively become an ungodly superperson with insane power once you rank up a lot.

The secret religious orders had promise, but only having them for organized religions is a terrible design decision. Makes them pretty much useless outside of East Africa. Oh, and not all of them work yet.

but, the secret religious order aspect can be fun for a custom character to try and turn a country to your religion in secret

[Random]

If someone is exposed as a satanist, their portrait WILL appear as the correct satanist robe one. So basically if you are seeing people wearing robes, its because they have already been exposed and can probably be plot to killed very easily by every non satan person in the realm.

If someone however isn't using their powers often and is coasting under the radar, they will look like any other courtier, and this is why on succession your previously known satanists in your court all go back to wearing normal clothes, as you aren't initiated and they haven't been exposed yet.

If you then were to use your bishop with the expose cult member task on your realm, after a few years a few of them will be back to wearing their satan garb and arrestable (assuming your bishop isn't a convert).

A zealous bishop is a decent defense against non player satanists, as it will block possession stuff as well as generally cause the satanists that don't have high diplomacy or learning to fail their attempted corruptions (and be exposed in the process).

[Jmac]

I really think they are meant to be fun tools while still giving you a balance of larger gameplay.

The 1st two societies can help you with celebacy, which is valuable early game if you are under gavelkind.

Inviting a holy ascetic can save your life......They r good healers so if you are sick.....

The guy already said good info about hemetic

I really don't think satan society is OP....I think its just a bigger risk reward.
Yes it is powerful for that lifetime, but there are a lot of potential drawbacks, becoming possesed, a lunatic, a cannibal and exposed as one are all huge drawbacks. I don't think your line will survive long if you joined this order with every character, especially with the rivals you get within the order that can take you out as easily as you take out others.

[Ragdollintothewall]

+learning is great, hermetic is nice. As mentioned earlier, the religious one is good for gaining nice artifacts and becoming celebate.