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For the faction, see Sima Lun (faction).

Sima Lun is a Chinese name; the family name is Sima.

Sima Lun is a unique legendary Commander hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He leads his own faction, Sima Lun, in 291. He's deployed as a general alongside Sun Xiu in Shangdang commandery at the start of the campaign.

General Information[]

Attributes[]

Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)


Expertise

Resolve

Cunning

Instinct

Authority
69 46 147 58 143
-11% construction cost (administered commandery)
+18 melee evasion
+10% general's health
+1k population growth (administered commandery)
+68% ammunition (own retinue)
+17 military supplies (own army)
+8% melee damage
-2% recruitment cost (this army)
+9 satisfaction (faction-wide, if leader, heir or advisor)
+7 unit morale (own retinue)


Background[]

Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms) Usurper Prince

Admires Power, Wary of Ambition

Traits[]

Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Deceitful
  • Defiant
    • +2 expertise
    • +6 resolve
    • +5% attrition to hostile forces (enemy armies in administered commandery)
    • +4 morale when defending (own army)
    • Supports War, Resents Discipline, Wary of Power
  • Superstitious
  • Suspicious
    • +6 cunning
    • +2 instinct
    • +10 undercover network cost for enemy spies (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister)
    • Wary of Ambition, Wary of Power, Disregards Trustworthiness


Skills[]

Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)


Abilities[]

Main Article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Encourage
    • Provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
  • Surprise Attack (Active Buff)
    • Can use if:
      • Not on a wall or barricade
      • Not climbing
      • Not on Elephant
    • +50% Speed
    • +25% Base Melee Damage
    • +25% Armour-Piercing Melee Damage
    • Cause Fear
    • Stalk
    • Range: 75m
    • Duration: 60s
    • Cooldown: 180s


Ancillaries[]

Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)


Guanxi[]

Main Article: Guanxi

Harmony[]

  • Superstition
  • Caution
  • War
  • Honour
  • Discipline
  • Ambition
  • Power
  • Trustworthiness

Relations[]

Eight Princes (291)[]

Family

Friends

Acquaintances

  • Sima Wei
  • Sima Xu
  • Dou Juanyue
  • Sima Qian
  • Sima Fu

Negative Acquaintances

Rivals


Biography[]

Sima Lun is a cautionary tale of being overambitious, having delusions of grandeur, and the predictable result of angering all the nobles of the realm by just doing whatever you want. The ninth and youngest son of the legendary Sima Yi, who laid the foundations of the Sima Clan's rise to power. Sima Lun could have settled for a cushy noble life. He had already gained several noble titles just by existing, and would eventually become the Prince of Zhao. His track record as both a governor and general was dodgy, having to be repeatedly pardoned for various crimes by Emperor Wu. During the reign of Emperor Hui, he was sent to govern Qin (northwestern China) where Lun managed to piss off multiple Xiongnu peoples into outright revolting against the Jin Dynasty. Yet, despite this string of failure and corruption, Sima Lun managed to get in the good graces of Empress Jia, Hui's wife and the true power behind the throne.

Sima Lun was one of the key players who convinced Empress Jia to assassinate Emperor Hui's heir. Yet, once she did, he immediately betrayed her, exposed the plot, slaughtered her family, and forced her to commit suicide. With the Empress dead and Lun already stationed in Luoyang, he weaselled his way into becoming Emperor Hui's regent on the qualifications that the position was vacant, and he just so happened to be in the neighbourhood. Sima Lun probably would have got away with this move, were it not for the urging of his chief strategist and greatest hype man, Sun Xiu, telling him to just get rid of Emperor Hui. Ever the egomaniac, Lun went full Yuan Shu and "retired" Emperor Hui, and proceeded to crown himself Emperor out of nowhere.

Once word got around, people weren't exactly fond of the scheming advisor-to-Emperor pipeline going on in the capital, especially when Sima Lun started issuing decrees just to line his own pockets with no regard for the stability of China at large. Sima Lun figured he could bribe his way out of being overthrown and started handing out titles and honorifics like his life depended on it. Unsurprisingly, this did not work. Sima Jiong was the first to revolt against Lun, and he was soon joined by Sima Ai, Sima Ying, and Sima Yong, as well as a myriad of local officials and minor Sima princes. Eventually, with Jiong's coalition battering on the gates of Luoyang, Lun's own officials betrayed him to save their own hides. Sima Lun was given the small mercy of being allowed to commit suicide, while the rest of his supporters and family were executed en masse. Soon after, Emperor Hui would be restored to the throne, ending Lun's brief half-year reign as Emperor.

Gallery[]