Traits are a big part of how characters function in Crusader Kings 3. They can be acquired through several different means, such as genetics, education, random events, and more. Traits can be positive or negative, and they affect the choices and events you'll see in any given game.
Here is a list of all known Crusader Kings 3 traits and their effects on your character. They are divided by trait type.
May you always find the ones you want!
Childhood traits
Characters between the ages of 3 and 15 in Crusader Kings 3 have a childhood trait. These traits give you a bonus to two skills and, if an education focuses on one of these two skills, will make them more formidable as adults.
They also force children to strive for another educational skill.
- Bossy: +1 martial, stewardship – struggles with diplomacy
- Charm: +1 Diplomacy, Intrigue – Struggles with stewardship
- Curious: Diplomacy +1, Learning – Struggles with Martial
- Thoughtful: +1 stewardship, learning – plot struggles
- Rowdy: +1 Martial, Intrigue – Combat Learning
Commander Traits
Commander traits will give an entire army an advantage if its leader possesses the given trait.
- Aggressive Attacker: +25% enemy casualties
- Cautious leader: +4 minimum battle roll, -2 maximum battle roll
- Desert Warrior: +5 advantage in desert, desert mountains, arid areas and oases, no desert supply limit penalty
- Flexible leader: -50% enemy defensive advantage
- Forder: Cross the water without any additional penalties
- Forest Fighter: +5 advantage in forest and taiga
- Holy Warrior: +10% Enmity Advantage in Faith
- Jungle Stalker: +6 jungle perk, -50% jungle attrition, no jungle supply limit penalty
- Logistician: +100% supply duration
- Military Engineer -30% siege phase time
- Open Terrain Expert: +4 advantage in Farmland, Plains, and Steppe
- Organizer: +25% movement speed, -20% retreat losses
- Reaver: +100% raid speed, -75% hostile county attrition
- Reckless: +6 maximum battle roll, -4 minimum combat roll
- Rough Terrain Expert: +4 advantage in hills, mountains, and wetlands
- Steadfast Defender: -25% friendly casualties
Congenital traits
Congenital traits can appear at birth and can be passed on to future generations. Inbreeding can increase the chances of seeing many of these traits.
A few of these traits are leveled, meaning they have multiple strengths and can give multiple levels of positive or negative boosts.
- Albinos: +15 natural dread, +10 same trait opinion, -10 general opinion
- Bleeder: -10 vassal opinion, serious health penalty
- Clubfoot: +10 same trait opinion, -10 attraction opinion, -2 prowess
- Dwarf: +20 same trait rating, -20 attraction rating, -4 prowess
- Fertile: +50% fertility, +5 years life expectancy
- Giant: +6 prowess, +5 vassal opinion, +1 tribal leader opinion, +20 same trait opinion, -5 attraction opinion, minor health penalty
- Hunchback: +10 same trait opinion, -30 attraction opinion, -10 vassal opinion, -2 prowess
- Lisping: +10 same trait opinion, -5 attraction opinion, -2 diplomacy
- Lunatic: +10% hostile pattern resistance, +10 same trait opinion, -10 attraction opinion, -10 vassal opinion, minor health penalty
- Melancholic: -1 diplomacy, martial, stewardship and intrigue, -10% fertility, moderate health penalty
- Possessed: +10% monthly learning lifestyle experience, +15 same trait opinion, -10 attraction opinion, moderate health penalty
- Pureblood: +10% fertility, -50% chance of inbreeding, small health boost
- Scaly: +10 natural dread, +10 same trait opinion, -10 vassal opinion, -30 attraction opinion, -20% fertility
- Spindly: -1 prowess, -10 attraction opinion, minor health penalty
- Sterile / sterile: -50% fertility
- Stutter: +10 same trait opinion, -2 diplomacy
- Wheezing: -10 vassal opinions, tiny health penalty
Leveled Congenital Traits
These are all different levels of the same trait, which grant bonuses or penalties depending on their severity. Some of these traits have variations based on your gender.
- Beauty Traits – Hideous, Ugly, Welcoming, Pleasant, Attractive/Pretty/Handsome, Handsome
- Diplomacy -3/ -2 / -1 / + 1 / + 2 / + 3
- Attraction rating -30 / -20 / -10 / + 10 / + 20 / + 30
- Fertility -30% / – 20% / – 10% / + 10% / + 20% + 30%
- Intelligence Traits – Fool, Stupid, Slow, Quick, Clever, Genius
- All skills -8 / -4 / -2 / +1 / +3 / +5
- Monthly Lifestyle Experience -30% / – 20% / – 10% / + 10% / + 20% / + 30%
- Physical Traits – Weak, Fragile, Delicate, Halted, Hardy, Amazonian/Herculean
- Prowess -6 / -4 / -2 / +2 / +4 / +8
- Attraction rating -10 / -5 / + 0 / + 5 / + 10 / + 15
- Severe Health Penalty / Moderate Penalty / Minor Penalty / Small Boost / Medium Boost / Huge Boost
Coping mechanisms
You receive a coping mechanism trait if you have a mental breakdown due to stress and want stress reduction. All of these traits grant +20% stress loss and have other effects. Most are negative, but there are a few positive coping mechanisms in Crusader Kings 3.
- Athletic: +1 prowess, small health bonus
- Comfort Eater: -1 Stewardship
- Confider: +1 diplomacy
- Contrite: -2 intrigue
- Drunkard: +10 same trait opinion, -2 stewardship, -2 prowess, tiny health penalty
- Lasher: -2 prowess, moderate health penalty
- Hashishiyah: +10 same trait opinion, -2 stewardship, -2 learning
- Improvident: +1 diplomacy, -15% monthly income
- Inappetite: -1 diplomacy, -3 prowess
- Irritable: +2 prowess, +10% dread gain, -2 diplomacy, -1 martial, -5 attraction opinion
- Journalist: +1 learning
- Profligate: +0,5 monthly piety, -10% monthly income
- Rakish: +5 same trait opinion, +1 intrigue, -1 diplomacy, -5 attraction opinion
- Recluse: -2 diplomacy, -1 stewardship
Criminal traits
Criminal traits all have to do with how they are perceived by your faith. They can be accepted, avoided or even get you arrested/executed. You get criminal traits due to the choices you make and the way certain events unfold.
- Adultery: +10 opinion on the same trait
- Cannibal: +2 prowess, +15% stress loss, +20 natural dread, +35 same trait opinion
- Excommunicated: -50% monthly piety
- Fornicator: +10 opinion on the same trait
- Deviant: +25% stress loss, +35 same trait opinion
- Dynastic Kinslayer: -5 dynasty reviews
- Family Kinslayer: -5 dynasty ratings, -5 close family ratings
- Kinslayer: -5 dynasty ratings, -10 close family ratings
- Incestuous: +20 opinion on the same trait
- Sodomite: +10 opinion same trait
- Witch: +1 intrigue, +1 learning, +20 same trait opinion, -1 diplomacy
Dynasty Traits
Dynasty Traits can be given or taken away by members of the same Dynasty. They often have to do with interesting elements of birth or lineage disputes.
- Bastard: +5 same trait opinion, -15 dynasty opinion, -1 diplomacy, cannot inherit titles
- Bastard Founder: (Gained a bastard title) -1 diplomacy, cannot inherit titles
- Born in the Crimson: (One parent held the title of Barony of Constantinople, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire) +0,5 monthly prestige, +5 vassal opinion
- Child of concubine/wife: -1 diplomacy
- Denounced: -1 diplomacy, -1 monthly prestige, dynasty members can legitimately imprison this character
- Disinherited: -5 dynasty opinion, cannot inherit titles
- Disputed Legacy: -1 diplomacy, -10 house opinion
- Legitimized bastard: -10 dynasty opinion, -1 diplomacy
- Reincarnation: (4% chance at birth if faith has reincarnation principle) +1 piety per month, +5 same opinion of faith
- Twin: (2% chance at birth) +15 opinion of twin siblings
- Wild oats: -1 diplomacy
Descending strokes
These are dynasty traits that are passed down once founded.
- Saoshyant: +1 diplomacy, +2 learning, +2 prowess, +5 same opinion of faith
- Descendant Saoshyant: +1 learning, +5 same opinion of faith
- Sayyid: +5 same opinion of faith (same trait is transmitted)
- Paragon: +20 opinion vassale du temple
- Consecrated Blood: +10 temple vassal opinion
- The Savior: +10 same opinion of faith
- Divine Blood: +5 same faith opinion
Education Traits
Each character in Crusader Kings 3 receives an education trait when they reach adulthood based on their education success. They are each leveled.
- Diplomacy – Naive Appeasement, Adequate Negotiator, Charismatic Negotiator, Éminence grise
- +2/+4/+6/+8 diplomacy, +10%/+20%/+30%/+40% monthly skill lifestyle experience
- Martial – Lost Warrior, Rugged Soldier, Skilled Tactician, Brilliant Strategist
- +2 / +4 / +6 / +8 martial, +10% / +20% / +30% / +40% monthly skill lifestyle experience
- Stewardship – Indulgent Wastrel, Stewardship Clerk, Fortune Builder, Touched Midas
- +2/+4/+6/+8 Stewardship, +10%/+20%/+30%/+40% Monthly Skill Lifestyle Experience
- Intrigue – Amateur Tracer, Blazing Trickster, Intricate Webweaver, Elusive Shadow
- +2/+4/+6/+8 Intrigue, +10%/+20%/+30%/+40% Monthly Skill Life Experience
- Learning – Conscientious Scribe, Insightful Thinker, Shrewd Intellectual, Mastermind Philosopher
- +2/+4/+6/+8 learning, +10%/+20%/+30%/+40% monthly skill lifestyle experience
- Prowess – Clumsy Squire, Confident Knight, Formidable Banner, Famous Champion
Health traits
Health traits are acquired through events and battles.
- Blind: -6 martial, -2 stewardship, -2 intrigue, -10 prowess, -10 dread, -10 attraction opinion, small health penalty
- Brutally Mangled: (curable) -4 martial, -4 intrigue, -8 prowess, -20 dread, -75% fertility, 100% dread loss, -20 attraction opinion, large health penalty
- Impotent: -50% fertility
- Inbred: -5 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, -2 prowess, -30% fertility, -30 attraction opinion, small health penalty
- Incapable: -6 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, -12 prowess, -25 dread, -100% fertility, 100% dread loss, medium health penalty
- Invalidate: -3 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, -6 prowess, -15 terror, -30% fertility, 100% dread loss, small health penalty
- Maimed: -2 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, -4 prowess, -15 fear, -50% fertility, 100% dread loss, -10 attraction opinion, medium health penalty
- Grievously Wounded: (curable) -2 martial, -2 intrigue, -4 prowess, -15 terror, -25% fertility, 100% dread loss, -10 attraction opinion, average health penalty
- Sickly: (curable) -20 dread, 100% dread loss, medium health penalty
- Wounded: (curable) -1 martial, -1 intrigue, -2 prowess, -10 dread, 100% dread loss, small health penalty
Diseases
Fatalities are health traits that can be passed from character to character. If a character in Crusader Kings 3 is cured of a disease, they become immune to it in the future.
- Bubonic plague: (curable) -2 diplomacy, stewardship and learning, -3 martial and intrigue, -10 prowess, -30 dread, -50% fertility, 100% dread loss, -20 attraction opinion, health penalty severe
- Cancer: (curable) -15 dread, -20% fertility, 100% dread loss, medium health penalty
- Consumption: (curable) -2 diplomacy, -1 stewardship, -2 intrigue, -2 prowess, -10 dread, 100% dread loss, -10 attraction opinion, medium health penalty
- Pox: (curable) -1 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, -20 dread, -20% fertility, 100% dread loss, -10 attraction opinion, small health penalty
- Ridden Taste: (curable) -2 diplomacy, -1 martial, -2 prowess, -5 dread, -15 attraction opinion, small health penalty
- Sick: (curable) -4 prowess, -10 dread, -20% fertility, 100% dread loss, small health penalty
- Leper: -8 prowess, -20 dread, -95% fertility, 100% dread loss, -35 attraction opinion, medium health penalty
- Lover's Pox: -5 dread, -20 attraction opinion
- Pneumonia: (curable) -2 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, -8 prowess, -10 dread, -50% fertility, 100% dread loss, medium health penalty
- Smallpox: (curable) -2 diplomacy, -1 depreciation, -2 learning, -10 prowess, -15 dread, -25% fertility, 100% dread loss, -10 attraction opinion, large health penalty
- Typhus: (curable) -1 diplomacy, -2 stewardship, -1 intrigue, -2 learning, -4 prowess, -15 terror, -20% fertility, 100% dread loss, -10 attraction opinion, large penalty health
Lifestyle traits
You unlock Lifestyle Traits through the final perk of each Lifestyle Tree or through Lifestyle Decision Events.
- Administrator: +1 diplomacy, +3 intendance, +5 opinion vassale
- Architect: +2 stewardship, -15% building and building time, -10% building and gold holding
- August: +2 diplomacy, +1 martial, +1 monthly prestige
- Avaricious: +2 stewardship, +15% tax withholding
- Celibacy: +1 piety per month, +10 clergy opinion, -10 opposite trait opinion, cannot have children
- Diplomat: +3 diplomacy, +20 independent ruler opinion, +25% personal plane power
- Gallant: +2 martial, +4 prowess, +20% monthly prestige, +20 attraction opinion
- Overseer: +2 martial, +2 stewardship, +50% monthly control growth
- Patriarch/Matriarch: +10 house opinion, +15 close family opinion, +20% fertility, +20% stress loss
- Schemer: +5 intrigue, +25% hostile scheme power
- Fellow: +5 Learning, +15 Monthly Development Growth, +10 Success Chance in Hostile and Personal Projects
- Seducer / Seductress: +3 intrigue, +20% fertility, +40 opinion of attraction
- Strategist: +1 diplomacy, +3 martial, +25% enemy casualties, cross water without loss of military advantage
- Theologian: +3 learning, +20% piety per month
- Torturer: +4 prowess, +50% dread gain, +25% hostile stratagem resistance, +10% levy size
- Whole body: +25% fertility, -25% stress gain, medium health boost
Leveled Lifestyle Traits
These can be increased by other events.
- Aspiring Blademaster, Blademaster, Legendary Blademaster
- +3/+6/+12 prowess, small/medium/large disease resistance boost
- Novice hunter, hunter, master hunter
- +2/+4/+6 prowess, +10%/+15%/+20% stress loss
- Wise Woman / Wise Man, Mystic, Miracle Worker
- Greedy Party Animal, Famous Party Animal, Legendary Party Animal
- +2/+3/+4 diplomacy, +1/+2/+3 intrigue, +10/+15/+20 same trait opinion
- Novice doctor, doctor, renowned doctor
- +1/+2/+4 learning, small/medium/large disease resistance boost
Personality traits
Personality traits affect your stress and most characters have three. Most are also tied to an opposite trait that will change how they think of characters who possess that trait.
- Ambitious: +1 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, +1 prowess, +25% stress gain, -15 liege opinion, -15 same trait opinion
- Arbitrary: +3 intrigue, +15 natural dread, -50% stress gain, -2 stewardship, -1 learning, -5 vassal opinion
- Arrogant: +1 monthly prestige, -5 vassal opinion, -5 Liege opinion, -15 opposite trait (humble) opinion
- Brave: +2 martial, +3 prowess, +5 vassal opinion, +10 attraction opinion, +10 same trait opinion, -10 opposite trait (Craven) opinion, +100% probability of capture or death in combat
- Callous: +2 intrigue, -20% tyranny gain, +25% dread gain, +25% dread decay, -2 diplomacy, -5 attraction opinion, -5 close family opinion
- Calm: +1 diplomacy, +1 intrigue, +10% stress loss, +10% pattern discovery, +50% fear decay, +10 same trait opinion, -10 opposite trait opinion (wrath )
- Chaste: +2 learning, -25% fertility, +10 opinion on same trait, -10 opinion on opposite trait (lecherous)
- Compassionate: +2 diplomacy, +5 attraction opinion, -15 opposite trait opinion (callous and sadistic), -2 intrigue, -15 natural terror, +100% fear decay
- Content: +2 learning, +10% stress loss, +10 vassal notices, +20 cork notices, +20 same trait notices, -1 intrigue
- Craven: -50% probability of capture or death in battle, +20 same trait opinion, -2 martial, -3 prowess, -5 vassal opinion, -10 attraction opinion
- Cynic: +2 intrigue, +2 learning, -20% faith conversion cost, +10 opinion on same trait, -10 opinion on opposite trait (zealous), -20% monthly piety
- Deception: +4 intrigue, -2 diplomacy, -10 contrary opinion (honest)
- Diligent: +1 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning, +20% stress gain, +10 opinion on same trait, -10 opinion on opposite trait (lazy)
- Fickle: +1 diplomacy, +20% resistance to hostile stratagems, -2 stewardship
- Forgiving: +2 diplomacy, +1 learning, -2 intrigue, +15 prisoner opinion, +10 same trait opinion, -10 opposite trait (vengeful) opinion
- Generous: +3 diplomacy, -10% monthly income, -15 opposite trait opinion (greedy)
- Gluttonous: +10% stress loss, -2 stewardship, -5 attraction opinion, +10 same trait opinion, -10 opposite trait (temperate) opinion
- Foodie: +15% monthly income, -2 diplomacy
- Gregarious: +2 diplomacy, +5 attraction opinion, +15% personal schema power, +10 same trait opinion
- Honest: +2 diplomacy, -4 intrigue, +10 opinion on same trait, -10 opinion on opposite trait (deceptive)
- Humble: +0,5 monthly piety, +10 Liege opinion, +10 vassal opinion, +10 clergy opinion, -15 opposite trait opinion (Arrogant)
- Impatient: +20% monthly prestige, +15% hostile stratagem power, -2 learning, -5 vassal opinion, -5 cork opinion, -15 opposite trait (patient) opinion
- Fair: +2 stewardship, +1 learning, -3 intrigue, +5 vassal opinion, +10 opinion on same trait, -10 opinion on opposite trait (arbitrary)
- Sloth: +15% stress loss, -1 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue, and learning
- Lascivious: +2 intrigue, +25% fertility, +10% power of seduction, +10 same trait opinion, -10 opposite trait opinion (Chaste), -50% chance of asexuality
- Paranoid: +3 intrigue, +25% dread gain, +10% stratagem discovery chance, -25 enemy personal stratagem success chance, -1 diplomacy, +100% stress gain, -10 opinion vassal
- Patient: +2 learning, +10 resistance to hostile patterns, +5 vassal opinion, +5 cork opinion, -15 opposite trait (impatient) opinion
- Sadistic: +2 intrigue, +4 prowess, +35 natural fear, -10 general opinion, can use hostile stratagems against own children
- Shy: +2 learning, +15% hostile schema resistance, +15 same trait opinion, -2 diplomacy, -5 attraction opinion, -15% personal schema power
- Stubborn: +3 stewardship, -5 cork rating, -5 vassal rating, small disease resistance buff
- Temperate: +2 stewardship, +10 opinion on same trait, -10 opinion on opposite trait (greedy), small health boost
- Trust: +2 diplomacy, -2 intrigue, +15 cork opinion, +15 vassal opinion, +15 enemy stratagem success chance
- Revenge: +2 intrigue, +2 prowess, +15% dread gain, +15% hostile stratagem success against rivals, -2 diplomacy
- Wrath: +2 martial, +20 natural dread, -1 diplomacy, -1 intrigue
- Zealous: +2 martial, +20% monthly piety, +15 same trait opinion, -10 opposite trait opinion (cynical), -35 different faith opinion, +20% faith conversion cost
Physical traits
Physical traits are obtained through a variety of events.
- Disfigured: -4 diplomacy, -20% fertility, -20 attraction opinion, +100% probability of capture or death in battle
- Dull: -2 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning
- Eunuch: -20 attraction ratings, cannot have children, cannot inherit titles, cannot marry
- One-eyed: +1 learning, +10 dread, -2 prowess, -5 attraction opinion, +100% probability of capture or death in battle
- One-legged: +1 learning, -10 dread, -4 prowess, -10 attraction opinion, +100% probability of capture or death in battle
- Scored: +0,1 monthly prestige, +5 attraction opinion
- Shrewd: +2 diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue, and learning
- Strong: +4 prowess, medium health boost
- Low: -4 prowess, -10 attraction opinion, -10 vassal opinion, medium health penalty
Other traits
These traits can be obtained through various events throughout Crusader Kings 3. Some have many names, depending on factors like culture, religion, etc.
- Adventurer: +1 martial, +1 prowess, +10 same trait opinion, -1 diplomacy
- Augustus: +0,5 monthly prestige, +10 vassal opinion
- Berserker: +2 martial, +5 prowess, +10 same trait opinion, -2 diplomacy
- Chakravarti: +2 diplomacy, +1 martial, +2 learning, +20 same opinion of faith
- Crusader: +2 martial, +1 prowess, +15 clergy opinion, +15 same faith opinion
- Devoted (multiple names): +0,3 monthly piety, +5 same religious opinion, cannot inherit titles, cannot marry
- Greatest of Khans: +2 diplomacy, +2 martial, -1 stewardship, +2 prowess, +50 natural dread, -25% terror disintegration, +10 even cultural opinion, +25% hostile pattern resistance , -20 success to enemy hostile patterns luck, vassal limit +20
- Heresiarch: +2 martial, +2 learning, +2 prowess, +5 advantage against co-religionists, +10 same religious opinion
- Holy Monarch: +3 martial, +2 prowess, +5 hostility advantage in faith, -20% retreat losses, -15% friendly losses, +50% monthly control, +35 popular opinion, +15 same faith opinion, +10 same trait opinion, Ignore negative cultural opinions
- Mujahid: +2 martial, +1 prowess, +15 clergy opinion, +15 same faith opinion
- Murderer: -15 general opinion
- Order Member: +1 martial, +4 prowess, +15 same trait opinion, cannot inherit titles, cannot marry
- Peasant leader: +10 popular opinion, +25 same trait opinion, -10 general opinion
- Pilgrim: +10% monthly piety, +5 same faith opinion
- Enclosure: -2 prowess
- Raider/Viking: +2 martial, +3 prowess, +0,3 monthly prestige, +5 same trait opinion
- Saint: +2 piety per month
- Varangian: +1 diplomacy, +2 martial, +2 prowess, +10 same trait opinion
- Faith Warrior (multiple names): +2 martial, +1 prowess, +15 clergy opinion, +15 same faith opinion
And that's it! All known traits of Crusader Kings 3. For more guides on the game, check out our Tips & Strategies page!
