effect · create_field_marshal

Hands-On Usage

create_field_marshal is commonly used in mods to dynamically generate historical generals for specific nations, or to assign a new field marshal role to a country after certain events are triggered. For example, in a country event, when a particular national focus is completed or specific conditions are met, you can generate a field marshal with initial traits for the player's nation:

country_event = {
    id = my_mod.1
    immediate = {
        create_field_marshal = {
            name = "Wolfgang Müller"
            portrait_path = "gfx/leaders/GER/my_general.dds"
            traits = { brilliant_strategist organizer }
            skill = 3
            attack_skill = 3
            defense_skill = 2
            planning_skill = 3
            logistics_skill = 2
        }
    }
}

Synergy

• [add_field_marshal_role](/wiki/effect/add_field_marshal_role): If you already have a character created via generate_character, you can use this command to add a field marshal role, forming a complementary approach with create_field_marshal that follows the "create character first, then assign role" pattern.
• [add_trait](/wiki/effect/add_trait): After creating the field marshal, use this command to dynamically add additional traits, enabling more flexible trait composition logic.
• [has_country_leader](/wiki/trigger/has_country_leader): Before triggering, use this to check the current leader status of a nation, ensuring the timing of field marshal generation aligns with the country's political situation and avoiding duplicate triggers.
• [add_command_power](/wiki/effect/add_command_power): After field marshal creation, typically pair this with supplementing command power to ensure the player can immediately utilize the new field marshal's abilities.

Common Pitfalls

1. Missing required fields causing game crashes: create_field_marshal requires name or corresponding character data to be complete. If portrait_path points to a non-existent file path, the game won't error but will display an empty portrait—beginners often forget to actually place the image file in the corresponding directory.
2. Confusion between create_field_marshal and add_field_marshal_role: create_field_marshal directly creates a brand new character and assigns them a field marshal role, while add_field_marshal_role adds a field marshal role to an existing character. Mixing these two up can result in duplicate character creation or scripts having no effect.