Characters are the quintessential part of the Total War: Three Kingdoms[1]
The Character System is one of the core gameplay mechanics of the Total War: Three Kingdoms.
Character mechanics have been revamped in Three Kingdoms. Characters in the game are now unique entities with different backgrounds and traits. There are no dedicated Generals, Spies or Diplomat agent, as all characters can perform all roles. So these characters can be a spy one day, a general on the battlefield next, and a governor in the court after. The games features a cast of over 700 historical characters with many of them being famous figures with a blend of rare character traits, skills, ancillaries and combat abilities.
The Character system enhances the grand strategy backbone of the game and adds role-playing options that have never before been seen in the Total War franchise.
Overview[]
Characters are the generals of player’s armies, court officials in the faction hierarchy, assignment conductors to boost productivity in territories, spies in espionage efforts on player's behalf. Characters grant benefits to every aspect of the game, both on the Campaign map and in Battle.
Characters are complex. They have different personalities, different drives and motivations, and they build relationships – both positive and negative – with other characters around them. Player, as the faction leader, must attend to their needs in order to keep them loyal, and shield them from situations which will dissatisfy or endanger them.[2]
To manage and access characters in campaign, player can click the character button on the campaign map. In Battle, characters will spawn as Hero units (or general with bodyguard unit in Records mode).
Character progression[]
Characters can gain experience and level up as they fight battles as generals, or work as administrators or assignments, or hold other ministerial positions. A character who levels up gains skill points that the player can spend on new skills which can boost a character's core attributes, unlock new abilities and grant new bonuses in both battle and campaign. Faction leaders are granted a small amount of bonus experience when characters in their faction level up. In Romance mode, characters who hit achieve rank 4 gain an extra life-saving resilience bonus.[3]
As characters accumulate enough attributes, they become characters of legendary repute. Some unique historical characters also have legendary status and unique personality and traits before all else.
On the campaign map[]
Characters fall into five different classes, each of which has its own strengths and optimal roles in battle and campaign. Different classes of characters can combine forces with their synergies in both battle and campaign.
Characters can equip ancillaries in the game. Ancillaries are items that can be gained by the player over the course of a campaign. These items can improve character's performance in battle and campaign in a variety of ways. Characters have passive and active abilities which improve their performance in campaign and battle. The abilities are based on character class, unlocked skills, equipped items, their skills tree, and other sources. You can mouse over specific ability icons in their character panel to see their effects.
Characters can form relationship with each other, this starts with all forms of positive/negative opinions based on traits, personality, and past events. Opinions turn into friendship/jealousy, faction friendliness/hostility, battle record and similarity/discrepancy on ideology, personality and behavior. Player needs to carefully manage these personal relationship to have a stable and profitable workplace.