There are 4 types of religious doctrines in Crusaders Kings 3. These are main doctrines, marriage doctrines, crime doctrines, and clergy doctrines. Today I’ll be sharing the best CK3 religion doctrines to pick for your new or reformed religion!
First things first, the doctrine choices below are best for conquering, and or dominating playthroughs. If you want to role-play or try different playstyles, you need to optimize the doctrines according to your playstyle. But if you want to min-max your gameplay, these choices would be the best.
CK3 BEST RELIGIOUS TENETS < Equally important for reformation.
Secondly, I highly urge you to choose fundamentalist religious attitude. Because it makes you the Pope of your religion, allows you to wage crusade tier holy wars, and tax your believers in the name of indulgences. It’s really ower-powered. However, that will anger the Catholic Pope and he will call crusades against you. Unless you’re prepared you might lose the game. So, either make sure to have multiple kingdoms in case you lose a holy war or be strong enough to defeat the crusade. Pro tip: You can easily defend England against all kinds of crusades by taking advantage of recently embarked army debuff. Same kinda goes for Kindom of Romagna, Kingdom of Sicily, Kingdom of Sardegna, Kingdom of Denmark, and Kingdom of Ireland.
Main Doctrines
I choose the view on gender male dominated. Simply because landed female vassals of your dynasty don’t always marry matrilineal. That’s not really good for dynasty spread and renown.
Religious attitude should be fundamentalist so that you can declare holy war on anyone. Also, you can revoke the land of vassals with different religions. Just be prepared for crusades against you and you’ll be fine.
Lay clergy will let you control temples and become temporal head of faith. Being the pope of your religion will give you hundreds of thousands of golds if you unlock communion tenet. Because your believers will seek indulgences and throw money at you. If it gets too frustrating to accept all the indulgence request, you can simply pass your head of faith title to your heir. Oh, you can call for crusade holy wars also.
Pilgrimage should be encouraged because that’s great way to get lump sum of piety. If you make it mandatory, your heir will get negative relation with your vassal on inheritance for not being a pilgrim. You don’t want to go pilgrimage the moment you inherit after all. Instead, you want to have feasts for quick relation boost.
- View on Gender: Male Dominated
Men are stronger and better equipped to lead us in this harsh and unforgiving world, so we shall entrust them with governing our society. - Religious Attitude: Fundamentalist
As mortals we cannot fully comprehend God’s will, but our priests still have a pretty good idea of what is holy and what is profane. - Clerical Tradition: Lay Clergy
Any devoted follower is more than capable of understanding, following, and preaching the doctrines of our faith. - Head of Faith: Temporal
The spiritual and the physical intrinsically bound together, whole and inseparable. It is foolish to have two different leaders for one realm. - Pilgrimage Attitude: Encouraged
This faith encourages its members to visit earthly locations deemed to be of spiritual significance as a means of demonstrating reverence for God.
Marriage Doctrines
Marriage type will most definitely be polygamous. Why stick to one when you can have 4? That way you can have more children and more alliances. Divorce should be always allowed to, why restrict yourself? Dump your old ones and get better ones! Bastardry? Not that big of a deal. Let no one be considered bastards. So that you can seduce all the dames of the kingdom! Have hundreds of kids like Genghis khan did.
About the consanguinity… Well, you need to interbreed to get the best congenital traits, including pure-blooded. Let no one interfere in your eugenics. Just, be prepared to have some inbred children… Thankfully resilient bloodline legacy prevents bad congenital traits most of the time.
- Marriage Type: Polygamous
Since marriage is a holy union, having multiple marriages is clearly more holy than having just a single marriage, so long as each marriage is holy in and of itself. - Divorce: Always Allowed
Marriage is merely a partnership between two people, and like all partnerships, can be ended at will. - Bastardry: No Bastards
Blood determines lineage, not marriage. Children born out of wedlock are just as legitimate as any other. - Consanguinity: Unrestricted Marriage
It is natural and healthy for family members to love each other, and those who say that love should be restricted to non-sexual relationships are fools.
Crime Doctrines
You want to set everything to criminal. Because that will give you reason to imprison your vassals and revoke their titles en masse. It’s the best way to install your dynasty members to big positions in your empire. Nepotism at its best! What’s more, if you set your religion tenets communion, and set yourself the religion head, you’ll get lots of money because criminals will seek indulgences.
Except the kinslaying of course, for two reasons. First, kinslayers are criminal only in the eyes of their own dynasty. So, you can’t revoke the title of your kinslayer vassal without occurring tyranny unless you’re the same dynasty. If you’re the same dynasty, why even revoke? There is no point. Secondly, you want to get rid of your family members without any repercussion to adjust your inheritance order the way you like.
Setting a witchcraft coven might be really beneficial but i find it very tedious. Especially in the late game. Therefore, I set it criminal but it’s up to you to decide. If you want to create a witch centered religion, you can set witchcraft to accepted, or even better, virtuous.
- Same-Sex Relations: Criminal
The sinful desires of sodomites are a danger to society itself, so they shall be punished and locked away for their transgressions. - Deviancy: Criminal
It is clear that there is only proper way to love another. Any deviations from that form are sinful and should be punished. - Male Adultery: Criminal
- It is a crime for men to engage in intercourse outside of marriage, and they shall be punished accordingly.
- Female Adultery: Criminal
It is a crime for woman to engage in intercourse outside of marriage, and they shall be punished accordingly. - Kinslaying: Accepted
The murder of one’s family is no different from any other murder, and shall be treated in the same way. - Witchcraft: Criminal
Only the divine have the right to work miracles on this earth. Any who make profane attempts to do the same shall be punished for their hubris and arrogance.
Clergy Doctrines
For great knights, set clerical function to recruitment. For realm priest, that role can be male or female, doesn’t matter really. You want the person with the highest learning for the role regardless of the gender.
CK3 BEST MAN AT ARMS < Become invincible.
I set clerical marriage allowed to increase the number of believers. As for the priest appointment, you want it to be revocable to be able to choose and switch your realm priest any time you want. That way you can assign your powerful vassals, or characters with the highest learning when its necessary.
- Clerical Function: Recruitment
Our priests can take up arms and defend our faith. The responsibility to lead as an example grants them extra strength in combat. - Clerical Gender: Either
Anyone who has felt the call of the divine should be able to serve as priests, no matter their gender. - Clerical Marriage: Allowed
Marriage is a holy institution, and priests should be able to take part in it just like any other faithful adherent. - Clerical Appointment: Temporal, Revocable
Bishops are ultimately servants of the realm, and so should be able to be hired and fired by their liege with only small restrictions.