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WAB General Limit+More Realistic Officers

Vanilla Hearts of Iron IV treats generals and field marshals as flat stat blocks with shallow progression. Traits are picked up too quickly, promotions come too easily, and before long every commander feels interchangeable. This mod replaces that shallow system with a historically grounded officer corps framework that emphasizes ranks, skill growth, and earned recognition.

At the heart of the mod is a nine-rank ladder, spanning from Captain (Hauptmann) up through Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall). Generals begin at their historically accurate 1936 seniority and can only advance by fighting and proving themselves in combat. Each rank affects command capacity directly, junior officers are penalized if they over-command, while higher ranks steadily expand the number of divisions and armies a general can competently lead. Promotion is sequential and gated, ensuring that progression feels like a career, not a shortcut.

Complementing this is the Maximum Combined Skill (MCS) system, which sets natural ceilings on each commander’s overall potential. Leaders are rated from Incompetent (MCS 22) to Herculean (MCS 32). These caps prevent every general from becoming a perfect all-rounder and instead force you to invest carefully: some officers will never rise above mediocrity, while others can be molded into extraordinary battlefield leaders.

The mod also introduces four expanded skill trees, Attack, Defense, Logistics, and Planning, each stretching to 12 levels. The first few levels (1- 4) grant negligible bonuses, reflecting inexperienced officers. Only through careful planning, proper weighting, and using trait-advantaged commanders will you push into the higher tiers. At the top, generals unlock powerful bonuses: +30% offence, +30% defence, −36% supply consumption, or +60% planning speed with a higher max planning cap. Escalating XP costs ensure these gains are hard-earned, few will ever see level 12.

To complete the system, nation-specific medals and decorations are tied to combat conditions and country locks. U.S. generals may earn the Navy Cross for amphibious operations, while Soviet commanders advance through the Order of the Red Banner, Patriotic War, and Victory during the fight against Germany. These decorations provide situational, focused bonuses, not free stat inflation. Combined with the rank and skill systems, they give your generals real histories that reflect their service.

The result is a slower, more thoughtful style of play where your officer corps feels alive. Not every commander will become great; some will plateau, others will surprise you, and a rare few will grow into legends. The days of interchangeable, ahistorical super-generals are gone, leadership now has weight, history, and consequence.
Features:

Nine historically grounded ranks (Captain → Field Marshal) with sequential, combat-gated promotions.

Command Capacity scaling by rank, with penalties at low levels and bonuses only unlocked later.

Maximum Combined Skill (MCS) system: generals capped from Incompetent (22) to Herculean (32).

Four skill trees with 12 levels each:

Attack: up to +30% offence

Defense: up to +30% defence

Logistics: up to −36% supply use

Planning: up to +60% planning speed, +0.35 planning cap

Escalating XP costs (100 → 248,000) keep growth deliberate and earned.

Low levels (1–4): negligible bonuses, representing inexperience.

High levels (9–12): powerful bonuses, achievable only with planning and careful use of traits.

Nation-specific medals and decorations with combat-condition triggers and unique effects.

1936 accuracy: generals seeded at their historical pre-war ranks.



Compatability, Credits & Permissions (CCP):

This mod is a fork from a private branch originally merged into my friend group’s WAB mod, which I manage. Over time, I’ve integrated pieces from several other mods into that project. While all of the code here is my own work, there is a possibility that some graphical assets from older merges remain, as I’ve lost track of every source over the years.

If you notice an asset and still wish for it to be used here, please let me know so I can provide proper credit and sourcing. Otherwise, if you’d prefer it removed, I’ll replace it as soon as possible.

This mod overwrites only a minimal number of files, so it should be safe for most WAB campaigns. It may also work with other overhaul mods, but the only guaranteed compatibility is with WAB itself.