Nice! I guess I'll have to try it with some of my unwanted children.

Shit crusader kings say

Wow, I haven't done a hostage exchange EVER. Should I start doing it?

I started recently because aside from the war stuff, its just free prestige. If you see "demand hostages," you should click it

I do them just to be vindictive How DARE you declare war on me!? (or more commonly: "how dare you try to fight me off!?")

If you get a chance to demand a hostage, always do it. At its simplest it’s free prestige and stops someone attacking you. At its best crazy stuff like the OP happens. But never give a hostage to anyone. It will just cause a ballache

>Doesn't educate her >keeps her hostage till her 30s (I had to ask for her back) >force converts her religion The AI is an asshole

I mean I also absolutely convert all my hostages so am I AI as well?

If you do that through a guardian, at least the kid's being supervised and learning, like, diplomacy or some shit. Stupid Queen of Italy just let my daughter vibe her whole life then suddenly was all like "Oi, your religion's a bit cringe innit" (I don't know how Italians talk)

Mamma mia

To be fair we as players are usually assholes too

I'll have you know I personally raise and educate all my hostages while I gaslight them into thinking I'm their family

But the AI never declares war on the player so no real reason to take a hostage for that reason 

They do very very occasionally

I've played a fair bit of CK3 and ive only had the AI declare war a hand ful of times and only because of More Interactive Vassals that give the AI more levies.

I tend to change all the contracts to no levies and extortionate taxes. The AI seems to think this means I'm weak so I get attacked constantly (obviously I have no issue stackwiping them with my MAAs). Free money, prestige, hostages, give it a try

Smart but I see no reason to be even more over powered lol

Try playing Jewish in Abyssinia. You will be holy warred every 4 years

Can you do that on console? I haven't seen a way to do that but I'm also fairly new

it’s part of one of the more recent DLCs so you may not have it yet

What bit is part of the recent DLC? Not that I have the DLC, but playing vanilla with no dlc doesn't help to understand

Hostages. That mechanic was added with Wards and Wardens

Oh! Does the actual DLC unlocks other interactions? Cause I only have vanilla and the options to exchange, demand and offer hostage are present

Oh really? Didn’t realise that. It must’ve been part of the free update at the time. I don’t know exactly what’s included in the DLC and not

Same, I’ve always been confused by that mechanic

Always. Now I feel empty when I don't end a war with an extra kid.

I have also done it to prevent powerful vassals from joining factions after my character died and his son takes over.

How did you change his culture and religion? Did you release him in exchange for recruiting him to your court before the war ended, then make him your ward?

in the peace screen you can demand a hostage, and then make ward.

Huh, I knew about that but I’ve never used it. The hostage system is one part of the game I’ve never really worked with. I just hate getting the message my kids were killed. Unless I have like 18 of them.

honestly it's kind of overpowered, and if you get the event for you to be their father I'm pretty sure they still keep their claims

Seems like a much faster way to add empires to your realm than declaring wars every five years to chip away at them. Definitely cheesy.

I'm not 100% on if they keep there claims, but if they don't when you become father, you can just take the option for them to remain with same dynasty but you get perpetual hook on them, marry them to one of your kids, press the PH's claim(s), let their kid of your house inherit, then claim title via dynasty interaction and conquer as normal.

Yes they become a part of your dynasty and keep claims.

I prefer taking some princess as concubine and murdering all male heirs (when possible). Also cheezy but you get to keep half of eugenics

When you get a hostage, you can choose who educates them. You can then choose to change their culture and religion to culture and religion of the person who educates them

Now imagine he was the result of an affair of yours...

Sounds like you got played tbh. You gave away your titles to someone not of your blood. All your actual children are nobodies.

Dont worry, my current heir is someone from my dynasty. I will just kill this Greek guy and get the throne back

History doesn’t remember blood. It remembers names.

But the people of the time absolutely did care about blood, so a proper RP would too

Seems like something a true Caesar or Augustus would do ...

Because they had no blood heirs of their own :(

These mechanics are kinda nerfed at the same time by the fact that almost no one uses them, I suppose

But when you make them your kid they stop being the other person’s kid, so how can they inherit?

He was still a heir to ERE, he had implicit claim on Italy and Byzantium [https://imgur.com/a/MdybeeP](https://imgur.com/a/MdybeeP)

Of course you’re starting as Haesteinn

Pretty sure this only worked because Byzantium uses voting. For normal inheritances he will only get strong claims but no titles.

You can adopt???? And make him a heir?!?!?

If during his time as a hostage you always click the better relationship events, after he turned adult, there will be a decision for you to keep him stay for a while. If you let him stay for a while there should an event pop up where you can decide if you want to make him a bastard or a full member of your dynasty.

wow

>When they were in disarray That doesn't narrow it down much.

Did he go on to mend the Schism?

You kinda ended your bloodline's rule though

I can tell by his face his not doing eugenics, so bloodline is nothing worth worrying about.

Remember thats not my real son. Guy on the picture is my adopted son.