Wiki

effect · recruit_character

Definition

  • Supported scope:COUNTRY
  • Supported target:none

Description

Attach a character to a country. Must be in country scope.

Example:
GER = { recruit_character = GER_Character_token }

Hands-On Notes

Hands-on notes are AI-generated and checked against the vanilla command vocabulary — treat them as a starting point, not authoritative reference. The definition above is the game's own documentation.

Hands-On Usage

recruit_character is commonly used in national focuses, decisions, or events to formally add a character (advisor, general, national leader, etc.) that has been predefined in the characters block to a country, making them available for activation or command in-game. A typical scenario involves triggering a historical event in a script, after which a new general or advisor candidate is dynamically added to the target nation.

# After a country completes a focus, recruit a predefined character into that country
focus = {
    id = GER_new_general
    ...
    completion_reward = {
        GER = {
            recruit_character = GER_Rommel
        }
    }
}

Synergy

  • [activate_advisor](/wiki/effect/activate_advisor) — After a character is recruited, if they carry an advisor role, this command must be called separately to make them an active advisor; otherwise, the character exists only in the roster without producing any effects.
  • [add_advisor_role](/wiki/effect/add_advisor_role) — Allows you to dynamically add advisor functions to a character after recruitment, useful for scenarios where character capabilities need to be flexibly expanded based on game state.
  • [has_character](/wiki/trigger/has_character) — Use this trigger before executing recruitment to check whether the target character already exists in the country, preventing duplicate recruitment that could cause script errors or logic confusion.
  • [generate_character](/wiki/effect/generate_character) — When a character needs to be randomly generated rather than using a fixed token, use this command first to generate, then pair with recruit_character to complete the registration process for comparison reference.

Common Pitfalls

  1. The character token must be predefined in the characters file — directly using a non-existent token will not cause a syntax error, but the character will not appear in-game, and the console will silently fail, making it easy to overlook during troubleshooting.
  2. Recruitment ≠ Activation — recruit_character only "mounts" the character to the nation; if that character has an advisor slot, you must additionally call activate_advisor to make them produce bonuses. Newcomers often mistakenly assume that advisor effects take effect automatically after recruitment.