Concerning, dignitaries and other agents [Contains Spoilers]

[realist123]

I just learned this after 150 hours with the game. If you want to figure the game out yourself, I strongly suggest you leave this thread now.


This is concerning the Title of the skills for your agents. The title of the skill cards you earn.

It helps to think of the titles of the skills as a career for your agent. For example, you can make your Patrician (Roman), a politician, a conspirator, or provocateur (a writer)--Says this in the titles of the skills in the game. This seems kinda obvious when you stumble upon it. I always just went with the best coerce enemy agent skills.

My theory is with agents you are given a free skill at recruitment, I could be wrong. For example for my patrician I was given the Augur card. For my first electable skill I chose the dignitary and politician branch. Since the definition of Auger is "fortuneteller, predictor of events" maybe I would've been better off choosing the Provocteur, "writer" branch first, for that agent.

Since I went the dignitary, politics branch, maybe if I studied philosophy branch first my patrician (dignitary) would be a more efficient politician dictated by receiving some positive or super traits.

Or maybe if maxed, philosophy would give a super trait for the provocateur branch.

It makes sense that a politician would not want to spend a huge amount of time with an army, maybe there are negative traits for that. It would seem to me a provocateur would have less troubles in the field with an army.

I also have some theories in the same vain for Veterans (Champions) and spies.

Some of this is so mildly complicated and hidden that even CA doesn't know if the agent should be called a Patrician (for Romans) or if they start out on the first skill and are called dignitaries.

The thing to remember is think of the skills titles as career choices, then examine the skills and encyclopedia yourself to make some connections. Learn what Augur, paragon means etc. It took me 150 hours to realize I could have politicians running around, or conspirators, or provocteurs.

I am not saying following what I wrote here is the best way to go about the game, but it is a different way to look at it.


Wonder if there is also some semi-hidden general rank, with skills and those stars on the left. I haven't thought about that.

This might get edited if I find something wrong . . .

[Imposter]

Speaking of agents i was gonna pull my hair out if my spy or champion decided to fail an assassination again for like 6 turns it just freakin fails even after putting them in training for my army, roll of the dice my ass computer decides to let you when only when it deems fit how annoying and a waste of gold it so stupid i wish i could just execute an agent or champion for being stupid it seems sensless to keep such an arbitrary unit alive if it barely even plays the role.

[Gator]

I think it is a bug. You should usually minor success and every like 1 - 10 major success.

[Varmint]

Not understanding or seeing anything different than what is presented at face value from the stats in the descriptions of each skill mod or attribute boost.
Are you saying there is a hidden stat somewhere? You mentioned the Encyclopedia page - are you saying there is someting you've found - that is not listed on the Encyclopedia page?

[realist123]

I am thinking maybe you can get some better traits this way. Maybe even a trait card most people haven't seen, just wishing.lol.

Like I said I don't think a politician (a politics focused) Patrician would want to spend too much time in an army, a provocateur on the other hand might.

I just really discovered I could have politicians or writers (provocteurs) running around, so I made a long post about it. I haven't had time to test any of this really, and I doubt there is a lot there.

I guess I pretty much discovered how to make sense of the skills system to myself. There is probably nothing new there, or something a lot of other people don't know, but I didn't see a previous post on this.

The encyclopedia does have some small print on the very bottom of some skills cards which give a hint of what the title of the card is about.

[realist123]

I noticed my second tier politics skilled Patrician, (maybe even a politician, wishful thinking) get a negative trait and he was attached to my army a long time. Something about +5% upkeep, so I tried to explain that to myself.

I am wondering if a provocateur would've had a different effect.

[Varmint]

Was wondering of you were referring to the Traits.
Thinking the Traits are assigned variably - with bonus chance given to traits either currently worked - and/or aligned with chosen skills - or maybe even all skills- to include a possible first randomly generated skill.
So:
Random Household - not seeing much influence from anything on this one.
Possible Random first Skill. Have seen agents with and without this random first trait. Wonder if this slot might be affected by starting Province level or Gold building or Temple maybe?
Then player selected Skill - determining Career Path as you say.
Traits then - possibly random to wholly determined by current actions and/or Career Path?
My guess. Is this along the lines of the way you have it figured, too?

[Varmint]

Originally posted by realist123:

I noticed by second tier politics skilled Patrician, (maybe even a politician, wishful thinking) get a negative trait and he was attached to my army a long time. Something about +5% upkeep, so I tried to explain that to myself.

I am wondering if a provocateur would've had a different effect.

Ah, so in this case - his current action went against the grain of his Career Path - and he was penalized for it!? gotcha I think I understand. Yeah, this makes sense. Yeah, both positve and negative Traits influenced by Career Path. Right on.
Nice catch!

[HighKnightsHemplar]

if you inslave the people of migdol, the wizard king cant rise. so that will increase agents abilities tooo

[realist123]

Actually I may be losing it. Some (a lot) of my theory may be shot down because I got the definition of Provocateur wrong. It actually means one who provokes. I honestly thought I looked that up and read in the dictionary that it also meant writer, hence I am losing it.lol.

I'm gonna keep searching for awhile, I don't know how I got that definition mixed up.

There still might be a little truth in all my babble though. I'll leave it to other people to see if they can make a connection.

A politics skilled Patrician may not like the army life for long etc.

Basically the main idea I wanted to get acrosss in the OP: Don't ignore the titles of the skills cards like I did for 150 hours.

[realist123]

Originally posted by appanugu:

Possible Random first Skill. Have seen agents with and without this random first trait. Wonder if this slot might be affected by starting Province level or Gold building or Temple maybe?

Nice catch yourself. You could be right maybe some agents get that starting skill, actually I don't think I saw my agents starting skill in the Enclcyopedia, and they are destined for something greater if you play your cards right. My spy has the skill Assassin, but I don't see it in the enclyopedia, also my dignitary has a skill that is under generals I think.

I screwed the pooch with my provocateur are defined as writers. They are trouble makers though if I am correct. There is that joke/misconception/ that armies have a lot of trouble-makers, so maybe still a provocateur may be more suited to army life according to that stereotype.