Need help with priests

[aelfewulf]

Hi, how do I use priests to the best effect and without them losing faith over time?

And what is Violence, Orthodoxy and Purity?

Also, if he is spreading the faith on home soil, do I leave him inside the city?

Thanks

[Jurand of Cracow]

{INFO_AGENTS_PRIESTS_MECHANICS_BODY}\nPriests convert a province's population to your faction's religion, thereby lowering religious unrest in that settlement. A priest's Piety is the main factor affecting the speed of conversion, so it is in your interest to do your utmost to gain priests with high starting levels of Piety. \n\nPriests are best recruited in cities with a Theologians' Guild. They can also be admitted to the guild later if they end their movement in a city with such a guild (note that the higher the level of the guild, the more benefit a priest will gain by being admitted to that guild). Priests may also gain better starting characteristics if recruited in a city with a cathedral, jama, or sanctuary, and also a library. If they are not recruited in such provinces, they may still attempt to improve their skills later by visiting cities with that infrastructure (such visits provide a small chance of further learning and trait acquisition). \n\nThe most important factor for improving a priest's skills is that he preaches his religion successfully (i.e. he converts many people over a short span of time; the faster the conversion, the better - this works best if the priest stays in one province for between 3 and 6 years). He may work both in the settlement and in the countryside, and both social millieus provide him with opportunities and risks. In the countryside he may gain dangerously free ideas (Unorthodoxy). This may be later countered by visiting cities with cathedrals and thus strengthening his dogmatism. A priest may also work in foreign provinces, which entails higher risks, but may also provide him with firmer convictions about his own true faith. \n\nPriests may also visit holy places relevant to their religion, which allows them to gain some Piety: Jerusalem is beneficial for everybody except pagans, while Rome, Constantinople, or Meccah provide benefits for only the relevant faiths. \n\nStanding near a witch or a heretic is dangerous for all except pagan priests. The upheavals in life – like surviving an assassination attempt – may also affect a priest's skills. Note also that priests, while godly, are still men, and may fall ill, resulting in lower movement range and preventing them from acquiring further skills. In such cases, time is the best doctor. A sick priest will recover regardless of where he is, but his recovery will be greatly speeded if he stays in a settlement. \n\nFinally, priests age as all humans do, losing their natural skills and gaining dogmatism in their later years. Being initially open-minded will somewhat slow this process.
{INFO_AGENTS_PRIESTS_MECHANICS_TITLE}How do the priests work


{INFO_AGENTS_PRIESTS_AVAILABILITY_BODY}\nPriests are rather rare in the SSHIP. At the beginning of the game any faction has just one or two. Over the course of the campaign there will be a gradual increase. This is because the maximum number of priests a faction can field at one time grows by +1 with each:\n[1] Small CHURCH in a starting CAPITAL of any faction (that means that if you would conquer such a settlement, your limit will grow +1).\n[2a] A COLLEGIATE CHURCH building for the catholics after the Dominican order is founded in the early 13th century\n[2b] A MINARETED MASJID for the Muslims - no strigs attached\n(mind that the capitals with a Collegiate Church / Minareted Masjid still provide the same number as before).\n[3] A HUGE CATHEDRAL or JAMA that can be built in Huge Cities (for the Catholics founding of the Franciscan order is required).\n[4] A THEOLOGIANS GUILD (with historical strings attached: only after certain events).\n\nIf the Faction Leader has the "Strictly Religious" policy (see his traits), the limit for each church is increased by +1 (ie. 2 instead of 1, or 3 instead of 2).
{INFO_AGENTS_PRIESTS_AVAILABILITY_TITLE}Fewer priests in the SSHIP


{INFO_AGENTS_PAGANPRIESTS_AVAILABILITY_BODY}\nPriests of the pagan religions are rather rare in the SSHIP. At the beginning of the game, a medium-sized faction is likely to have just a few: the maximum number of priests grows by +1 for any pagan shrine that exist in the faction. This means, however, that each pagan-owned settlement (even low tier) gives one priest but the limit does not go up with the increase of the size of settlement.
{INFO_AGENTS_PAGANPRIESTS_AVAILABILITY_TITLE}Fewer pagan priests in the SSHIP


{INFO_AGENTS_PAGANPRIESTS_MECHANICS_BODY}\nPriests convert a province's population to your faction's religion, thereby lowering religious unrest in that settlement. A priest's Piety is the main factor affecting the speed of conversion, so it is in your interest to do your utmost to gain priests with high starting levels of Piety. \n\nPagan priests, while godly, are still men, and may fall ill, resulting in lower movement range and preventing them from acquiring further skills. In such cases, time is the best doctor. A sick priest will recover regardless of where he is, but his recovery will be greatly speeded if he stays in a settlement. \n\nThe priests age as all humans do, losing their natural skills and gaining dogmatism in their later years. Being initially open-minded will somewhat slow this process.
{INFO_AGENTS_PAGANPRIESTS_MECHANICS_TITLE}How do the pagan priests work

I actually do not know the effects of Violence, Orthodoxy and Purity. I just suspect that it helps to fight the Witches, Heretics and Inquisitors.

[Penrice92]

I have a problem with recruitment of priests and other agents, I assumed if I built more churches I would be able to recruit more priests like in the base game, currently I'm limited to the one I started the campaign with, despite the fact that HRE and other factions seem to have multiple, I'm playing as England in the Early campaign. Is there a thread discussing the agent limit? Right now my limit is 1 Diplomat, 1 Priest, 1 Merchant, 1 Assassin and 2 Spies.

[Jurand of Cracow]

I have a problem with recruitment of priests and other agents, I assumed if I built more churches I would be able to recruit more priests like in the base game, currently I'm limited to the one I started the campaign with, despite the fact that HRE and other factions seem to have multiple, I'm playing as England in the Early campaign. Is there a thread discussing the agent limit? Right now my limit is 1 Diplomat, 1 Priest, 1 Merchant, 1 Assassin and 2 Spies.

I think it's well described in game:
{INFO_AGENTS_PRIESTS_AVAILABILITY_BODY}\nPriests are rather rare in the SSHIP. At the beginning of the game any faction has just one or two. Over the course of the campaign there will be a gradual increase. This is because the maximum number of priests a faction can field at one time grows by +1 with each:\n[1] Small CHURCH in a starting CAPITAL of any faction (that means that if you would conquer such a settlement, your limit will grow +1).\n[2a] A COLLEGIATE CHURCH building for the catholics after the Dominican order is founded in the early 13th century\n[2b] A MINARETED MASJID for the Muslims - no strigs attached\n(mind that the capitals with a Collegiate Church / Minareted Masjid still provide the same number as before).\n[3] A HUGE CATHEDRAL or JAMA that can be built in Huge Cities (for the Catholics founding of the Franciscan order is required).\n[4] A THEOLOGIANS GUILD (with historical strings attached: only after certain events).\n\nIf the Faction Leader has the "Strictly Religious" policy (see his traits), the limit for each church is increased by +1 (ie. 2 instead of 1, or 3 instead of 2).
{INFO_AGENTS_PRIESTS_AVAILABILITY_TITLE}Fewer priests in the SSHIP

[nvm]

I actually do not know the effects of Violence, Orthodoxy and Purity. I just suspect that it helps to fight the Witches, Heretics and Inquisitors.

Based on what I'd read a long time ago, these stats are mostly for Catholic nations - Violence increases the likelihood of agreeing to a Crusade, while Purity affects their standing in the College of Cardinals. And Orthodoxy is how likely they are to turn into a heretic. Of these, Orthodoxy is the most noticeable effect, you leave a priest in a low faith territory for a long enough time, and they'll likely turn heretic some time before the end of their life.