Religion
Religion determines which deities and holy figures a characters or a population believes in. The most basic level is the faith, whose doctrines and tenets determine its effects and laws. Each faith is categorized under a broader religion, which in turn falls under one of three religious families.
Religious Families
Each faith is part of a religious family, which determines how faith hostility is calculated. Some faiths have doctrines that consider other faiths with the same doctrine astray. There are also several tenets that modify faith hostility.
| Family | Different Religious Families | Different Religions | Different Faiths | Susceptible to Heresy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abrahamic | Evil | Evil | Hostile | Yes |
| Eastern | Hostile | Astray | Astray | Only Zoroastrianism |
| Pagan | Evil | Hostile | Astray | No |
Faith Hostility
Each faith has a negative view of every other faith; how negative the effects are depends on the religious family. Faiths with the pluralist doctrine have these penalties halved, while the Fundamentalist doctrine doubles the penalties.
| View | Character Opinion | Popular Opinion | Intermarriage | Title Usurpation | Holy Wars | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Righteous | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | This Faith is considered legitimate. |
| Astray | -10 | -15 | Yes | Yes | No | This Faith differs in a way that is not particularly significant. |
| Hostile | -20 | -30 | Yes | No | Yes | This Faith deviates significantly. |
| Evil | -30 | -45 | No | No | Yes | This Faith is considered anathema. |
Faith Organization
Faith organization describes how organized each faith is. Faiths can be divided into organized and unreformed, each having advantages but also some drawbacks. Most Pagan faiths start unreformed, while all Abrahamic and Eastern faiths start organized.
| Organized | Unreformed | |
|---|---|---|
| Adopt Feudal / Clan ways decision | Yes | No |
| Conversion | Superior | Inferior |
| Opinion with Feudal, Republic and Clan Vassals | 0 | -20 |
| Monthly Prestige | 0 | +20% |
| Conversion Cost to Unreformed Faiths | +500% | 0 |
| Conquest Casus Belli | No | Yes |
| Pagan combat advantage | 0 | +10 |
| Faith creation | New Faiths | Reformation |
Virtues and Sins
Virtues and sins are traits which a religion or faith considers virtuous or sinful. Some tenets will add great virtues or great sins, which have a double effect.
| Trait | Same Faith Opinion | Monthly Piety |
|---|---|---|
| Virtue | +10 | +1 |
| Great Virtue | +20 | +2 |
| Sin | -10 | -1 |
| Great Sin | -20 | -2 |
Religions
Religions have two main effects. First, each religion has a baseline set of sins and virtues. Second, the religion determines which men-at-arms its holy orders will favor. A faith’s tenets can add traits considered sins and virtues, replacing some of the original ones if they happen to conflict.
Holy Sites
Holy sites are titles that are considered sacred by a faith. If a faith controls a holy site, all characters belonging to that faith will gain a bonus. For most religions, all faiths have the same holy sites. Most religions have 5 holy sites per faith, but a few have more. All Abrahamic faiths share Jerusalem as a holy site.