National Ideas

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Contents 1 Overview 1.1 National Idea Mechanics 2 In Nomine and Heir to the Throne 2.1 Naval Ideas 2.2 Land Ideas 2.3 Exploration Ideas 2.4 State Business Ideas 2.5 Culture Ideas 3 Napoleon's Ambition and EU3 3.1 Naval Ideas (EU3 & NA) 3.2 Land Ideas (EU3 & NA) 3.3 Exploration Ideas (EU3 & NA) 3.4 State Business Ideas (EU3 & NA) 3.5 Culture Ideas (EU3 & NA) 4 Hidden Effects of National Ideas 4.1 National Ideas With Hidden Benefits 4.2 National Ideas with Hidden Costs 4.3 National Ideas with Neutral Hidden Effects 4.4 National Ideas With No Hidden Effects

Overview

This page is a reference guide for National Ideas. This page expands on information in the game manual and provides additional details about the effects of national ideas. Further, this page tracks changes in National Ideas in the different EU3 games. EU3 and NA had the same National Ideas with the same effects. IN introduced additional ideas and modified old ideas, and have therefore been listed separately. See the National Idea review for strategy tips on national ideas.

National Idea Mechanics

• Receiving a National Idea is based on the government technology level a nation has.
• Nations can change National Ideas for any slots they have, so long as their stability is 0 or higher. Changing ideas causes a -3 stability drop.

In Nomine and Heir to the Throne

• Ideas that have been changed since Napoleon's Ambition are marked by a .
• Ideas introduced by In Nomine are marked with .
• Effects altered or changed by Heir to the Throne are marked with .

Naval Ideas

Idea	Requirements	Primary Effects	Secondary Effects
Press Gangs		-50% ship cost	With Excellent Shipwrights, enables Shipyard Built
Grand Navy		+100% naval force limit	50% faster Land Traditions Scorned 50% slower Naval Traditions Scorned Enables Popular Support for our Grand navy / Popular Enthusiasm for our Navy diminishes Required (with National Trade Policy) for Establish British Merchant Navy British economic decision
Sea Hawks		+1% yearly naval tradition	Enables Promising Admiral Appears / Aristocrats concerned (II) Required (with Superior Seamanship) for Establish the Wooden Wall British military decision Required for Enlist Privateers military decision (Superior Seamanship and Naval Fighting Instruction also do this)
Superior Seamanship		+1 naval morale	Enables Naval Developments / Naval Hubris Required (with Sea Hawks) for Establish the Wooden Wall British military decision Required for Enlist Privateers military decision (Sea Hawks and Naval Fighting Instruction also do this)
Naval Glory		+100% prestige from naval battles	Enables We Rule the Waves / The Fleet has declined
Excellent Shipwrights	Naval tech ≥ 7	+2 leader naval manoeuvre	Enables Naval Technical Developments / Concerned Shipwrights With Press Gangs, enables Shipyard Built
Naval Fighting Instruction	Naval tech ≥ 30	+50% Blockade Efficiency	Enables Improved Blockade Tactics / Slipping Standards Required for Enlist Privateers military decision (Sea Hawks and Superior Seamanship also do this)
Naval Provisioning	Naval tech ≥ 53	Ships can repair in coastal seazones

Land Ideas

Idea	Requirements	Primary Effects	Secondary Effects
Grand Army		+33% land force limit	50% faster Establish Cantonments 50% slower Land Traditions Scorned Enables Military Development Enables Isn't our Army Grand? / Our Army isn't so grand
Military Drill		+1 land morale	Enables Military Improvements / Military Complacency
Engineer Corps		+1 leader siege	Enables Italian Engineer Available Enables Fortification Enhancements (I-VI) / Fortification Declines (I-VI)
Battlefield Commissions		+1% yearly army tradition	Enables Promising General / Nobility concerned at loss of privileges
Glorious Arms		+100% prestige from land battles	Enables Glory of the Army / Our Army has seen better days
National Conscripts	Land tech ≥ 7	+50% national manpower	With Regimental System, enables Poor People Helped
Regimental System	Land tech ≥ 30	-40% regiment recruiting time
Napoleonic Warfare	Land tech ≥ 53	+25% discipline

Exploration Ideas

Idea	Requirements	Primary Effects	Secondary Effects
Land Of Opportunity		+20% colonial growth	10% faster Trade Expansion Required for Colonial Expansion economic decision (Colonial Ventures may be substituted)
Merchant Adventures		-33% merchant cost	10% faster Trade Expansion 20% faster Lucrative Trade 50% faster Merchants harassed (if Merchant Republic gov't) Enables Our Merchants are adventuring / Our Merchants are doing poorly With National Trade Policy, enables Market Place Appears Required for Merchant Shipping Act economic decision
Colonial Ventures		+1 colonists per year	5% faster Colonial Expansion 10% faster Trade Expansion 50% faster Rush of Colonists Enables Colonial Ventures Enables Colonial Company founded / Colonial Company goes bankrupt Prevents National decline Required for Colonial Expansion economic decision (Land of Opportunity may be substituted)
Shrewd Commerce Practice		+10% merchant compete chance	20% faster Trade Restrictions Enables Trading Company's bubble bursts (National Trade Policy also does this) Enables Merchants Attracted / Trade Complacency With National Trade Policy, enables Monopoly Company Formed With National Trade Policy, enables Grant Export Licenses With National Bank, enables Creation of Stock Exchange Required for Agricultural Cultivation economic decision Required for Importation Act economic decision (National Trade Policy may be substituted)
Viceroys		+25% tariffs	10% faster Colonial Ventures Enables Financial Ruin II Enables Excellent Viceroys / Corrupt Viceroys
Quest for the New World	Trade tech ≥ 7	+50% colonial range and allows explorers and conquistadors	5% faster Colonial Expansion 10% faster Trade Expansion Enables Rush of Colonists Enables Colonist Rush / People Flee to the Colonies Prevents National decline Disables Establish Siberian Frontier Russian decision
Scientific Revolution	Trade tech ≥ 30	-10% technology cost, -5% Papal Influence	Enables The Scientific Revolution Continues / Scientific Revolution Halts
Improved Foraging	Trade tech ≥ 53	-50% land attrition

State Business Ideas

Idea	Requirements	Primary Effects	Secondary Effects
Vetting		+20% spy defense
Bureaucracy		+5% tax modifier	10% faster Aspiration for Liberty Enables Royal Bureaucracy Enables Workshop Built Enables Successful Bureaucracy / Corrupt Bureaucracy With National Bank, enables Constable built With Bill of Rights, enables Local Churchmen give practical demonstration of sermon With Smithian Economics, enables Smuggling problem?
National Bank		-0.1% inflation per year	100% slower Financial Ruin I Enables Treasurer's Reforms Enables National Bank pays dividends / National Bank in trouble With Bureaucracy, enables Constable built With either Shrewd Commerce Practise or National Trade Policy, enables Creation of Stock Exchange Prevents Financial Ruin II Required for Establish Bank of Amsterdam Dutch economic decision
National Trade Policy		+10% trade efficiency	20% faster Lucrative Trade Enables Trading Company's bubble bursts (Shrewd Commerce Practise also does this) Enables Trade Policy Success / Trade Policy is failing With Shrewd Commerce Practise, enables Monopoly Company Formed With Shrewd Commerce Practise, enables Grant Export Licenses With Merchant Adventures, enables Market Place Appears With National Bank, enables Creation of Stock Exchange Required for House of Trade economic decision Required for Merchant Shipping Act economic decision Required for Importation Act economic decision (Shrewd Commerce Practise may be substituted) Required (with Grand Navy) for Establish British Merchant Navy British economic decision Required for Navigation Act economic decision
Espionage		+1 Spies per year	50% faster Vatican Infiltration Enables New Spy techniques Enables Spy Defections
Bill of Rights	Production tech ≥ 7	-1 national revolt risk	Enables Minority Prospers / Backlash With Humanist Tolerance, enables Court System improved With Bureaucracy, enables Local Churchmen give practical demonstration of sermon
Smithian Economics	Production tech ≥ 30	+20% production efficiency	Enables Production Improvements / Production Stifled With Bureaucracy, enables Smuggling problem?
Liberté, égalité, fraternité	Production tech ≥ 53	No penalty from other religions +3 Heretic and Heathen tolerance, -10% Papal Influence	100% slower Cultural Assimilation Enables The Counter-Reformation Ends (Ecumenism also does this) Disables Join the Counter-Reformation religious decision

Culture Ideas

Idea	Requirements	Primary Effects	Secondary Effects
Ecumenism		+2 tolerance of heretics, -2.5% Papal Influence	10% faster Submission of the Clergy 50% slower Cultural Assimilation Enables The Counter-Reformation Ends Prevents Religious Civil Disorder Prevents Too Much Religious Freedom Disables Join the Counter-Reformation religious decision
Church Attendance Duty		-33% stability cost, +5% Papal Influence	With Divine Supremacy, enables Temple Built 5% faster Rise of Religious Intolerance 20% faster Cultural Assimilation 20% slower Submission of the Clergy 100% slower Spread of Protestantism I if not Protestant; 20% faster if Protestant 100% slower Spread of Protestantism II if not Protestant; 20% faster if Protestant 100% slower Spread of the Reformation I if not Reformed; 20% faster if Reformed 100% slower Spread of the Reformation II if not Reformed; 20% faster if Reformed Enables Church Mobilises Population / Liberal Backlash Required for Witchcraft Act religious decision Required for Gilded Icons cultural decision Disables Act of Uniformity religious decision Disables Anti-Christian Edict religious decision for Eastern state religion nations
Divine Supremacy		+.5 missionaries per year, +5% Papal Influence	10% faster Cultural Assimilation 10% faster Papal State 10% faster Problematic Relations 10% faster Religious Civil Disorder (Christian and Muslim) 10% faster Too Much Religious Freedom 100% slower Spread of Protestantism I if not Protestant 100% slower Spread of Protestantism II if not Protestant 100% slower Spread of the Reformation I if not Reformed 100% slower Spread of the Reformation II if not Reformed Enables Religious Turmoil Enables Religious Zeal / Conservative Backlash With Church Attendance Duty, enables Temple Built Prevents The Reformation Branches Out Prevents Protestant Reformation Required for Acceptance of Religious Sects Hindu religious decision Disables Haridasa Movement Hindu religious decision Disables Advaita Movement Hindu religious decision
Patron of Art		+2 prestige each year +3% Cultural Tradition	Enables Architectural Development Enables Build a Great Palace Enables Court Painter Available Enables Grand Ball in Capital Enables Prospering Times Enables Epic Art Produced / No Art worth Patronising Required for Guild of St. Luke cultural decision Required for Support Dutch Masters cultural decision
Unam Sanctum (renamed in IN from 'Deus Vult')		Free CB on every country of a different religion, +5% Papal Influence	5% faster Papal State 100% slower Spread of Protestantism I if not Protestant; 20% faster if Protestant 100% slower Spread of Protestantism II if not Protestant; 20% faster if Protestant 100% slower Spread of the Reformation I if not Reformed; 20% faster if Reformed 100% slower Spread of the Reformation II if not Reformed; 20% faster if Reformed Enables Support for the war / People Angered by our failure to wage war Prevents Protestant Reformation Prevents The Reformation Branches Out
Humanist Tolerance	Government tech ≥ 7	+2 tolerance of heathens, -5% Papal Influence	20% faster Protestant Reformation 20% faster Reformation II 20% faster Reformation III 20% faster The Reformation Branches Out 20% slower Revolution in Country 20% slower Peasants' War 100% slower Boundary Dispute II 100% slower Cultural Assimilation Enables Social Reforms Enables 28 events which randomly turn state religion provinces to other religions With Bill of Rights, enables Court System improved Disables Combination Act civic decision Required for Benign Neglect economic decision Required for Support Religious Minorities provincial decision
Cabinet	Government tech ≥ 30	-1 badboy or Infamy per year	Enables Cabinet Dynamism / Government Corruption Required for Town Hall provincial decision
Revolution and Counter-Revolution	Government tech ≥ 53	Free CB on any government other than your own

Napoleon's Ambition and EU3

Naval Ideas (EU3 & NA)

• Grand Navy : +33% naval forces limit
• Sea Hawks : +1 naval tradition point per year
• Superior Seamanship : +.50 naval morale
• Naval Fighting Instruction : +25% blockade efficiency
• Excellent shipwrights : +2 leader naval manoeuvre
• Naval Glory : +33% prestige from naval battles

Land Ideas (EU3 & NA)

• National Conscripts : +50% manpower
• Grand Army : +33% land forces limit
• Military Drill : +.50 land morale points
• Engineer Corps : +1 leader siege
• Battlefield commissions : +1 land tradition point per year
• Glorious Arms : +33% prestige from land battles

Exploration Ideas (EU3 & NA)

• Merchant adventures : +1 merchant each year
• Quest for the new world : Allows explorers and conquistadors
• Colonial ventures : +1 colonist each year
• Shrewd Commerce Practice : +10% merchant compete chances
• Viceroys : +30% overseas income (effectively removes the "-30% No Land Connection" penalty, thus increasing all un-connected provinces' tax income 30%)
• Smithian economics : +10% production income

State Business Ideas (EU3 & NA)

• Bureaucracy : +5% tax income
• National Bank : -0.1% inflation per year
• National Trade Policy : +10% trade efficiency
• Espionage : +1 spy each year
• Cabinet : +1 diplomat each year
• Bill of Rights : -1% revolt risk in every province

Culture Ideas (EU3 & NA)

• Church Attendance Duty : -33% stability cost
• Divine Supremacy : +1 missionary each year
• Humanist Tolerance : +1 tolerance (-1% revolt risk from religious tolerance)
• Scientific Revolution : -2.5% tech cost
• Patron of Arts : +2% prestige each year
• Deus Vult : Free CB on every country of a different religion (this means any religion that is not exactly the same as yours, for example: Protestant countries get a free CB on Catholic countries with this)

Hidden Effects of National Ideas

See also: National Idea review

"Allows" means that an event will never occur without this idea, unless otherwise stated. "Prevents" means that an event will never occur with this idea. "Speeds up" refers to 90-95% normal speed unless otherwise stated. "Slows down" refers to 105-110% normal speed unless otherwise stated.

National Ideas With Hidden Benefits

• Bureaucracy
  • Significantly speeds up (0.7) all national unification events in EU3/NA (Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Russia, Spain, Ireland, England, the Netherlands).
  • Speeds up the "Aspiration for Liberty" event which causes dissent if you are playing a despotic country after 1700.
  • Allows the "Royal Bureaucracy" event which lets you gain centralization at the cost of stability cost or lose 15% taxes. Only happens if you are already experiencing a revolution.

• Colonial Ventures
  • Prevents the "Decline of Empire" event that forces you to cut investment if you have a large country with ports.
  • Allows the "Colonial Ventures" event which lets you invest in the navy or disarm. (This can also be sped up by having the Viceroys idea.)
  • Speeds up the "Indian Trade Company" event.
  • Speeds up the "Rush of Colonists" event significantly (0.5) if you have QFTNW.

• Deus Vult
  • Prevents all Reformation events (the Protestant Reformation and Calvinist Reformation may not start in or spread to your nation).
  • Slows down the "Papal State" event (realising the annexed Papal State).

• Divine Supremacy
  • Prevents the Protestant Reformation or the Reformed church from being founded in your nation or spreading to your nation.
  • Yes, this can be a problem if you want to convert, but many players seem to find it easier not to have to deal with missionaries and increased stability costs during the Reformation.

• Engineer Corps
  • Allows the "Italian Engineer available" event, which allows you to gain +1 quality, some minor land investment, and a shift towards defensive in exchange for 50 ducats.
  • Allows a series of events that give free forts (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). The higher your average fort level is, the more valuable this freebie gets.
  • Allows a series of events ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) that makes you chose between losing a fort level or paying 100 ducats. Although this somewhat balances out the effect of the event series above, the constant repair cost are pretty low for higher level forts, making the idea a good bargain.

• Grand Army
  • Speeds up the "Establish Cantonments" event (if you also have National Conscripts).
  • Allows the "Military Development" event if your monarch is a general, giving you the chance to raise quality by 2, gain 50 ducats and earn some prestige in exchange for +2 revoltrisk for a while.

• Humanist Tolerance
  • Slows down the "Peasants War" event.
  • Speeds up the Protestant Reformation/Calvinist Reformation events.
  • Allows the "Social Reform" event if you have serfs. This allows you to gain 2 freesubjects and 50 ducats at the cost of +2 revoltrisk for a while.
  • Slows down the "Revolution" event.

• Merchant Adventures
  • Speeds up the "Indian Trade Company" event.
  • Speeds up the "Rush of Colonists" event significantly (0.5) if you have QFTNW.

• National Bank
  • Allows the Economic Reform event (for large countries with a treasurer), which gives you either lower interest and 60 ducats or 10% higher taxes for a few years.
  • Allows the Stock Exchange event if you also have Shrewd Commercial Practices or National Trade Policy, are Christian, and are at least somewhat innovative. This event gives you 4% deflation!
  • Prevents one "State Bankruptcy" event (-3 stability +5% inflation) and significantly slows down the other (0.6 without National Banks). With National Banks, you only need fear this devastating event if you have a loan, two gold mines, and are at war.

• National Conscripts
  • Allows the "Establish Cantonments" event, which increases manpower in your country.

• National Trade Policy
  • Speeds up the "Decline of the Hanseatic League" event.
  • Speeds up the "Lucrative Trade" event in colonies.
  • Allows the "Monopoly Company Formed" event if you also have Shrewd Commerce Practices. This gives you either 300 gold or 5% higher trade incomes for some time, if you are at least somewhat mercantilist.
  • Allows the "Grant Export Licenses" event if you also have Shrewd Commerce Practices. This gives you +20 relations with a random neighbour and 10% higher taxes for some time.
  • Allows the "Stock Exchange" event (-4% inflation) if you also have the National Bank idea (and are Christian and somewhat innovative).

• Patron of Art
  • One of the most underrated ideas if you play as a dove (not a warmongerer).
  • Allows the "Prospering Times" event if you are a large nation with +1 stability or greater and 500 ducats in the bank. This event (which has a mean time of only 240 months before modifiers) gives you a cheap manufactory (500 ducats) or 200 ducats for free.
  • If you are heavily aristocratic, allows the "Build a Great Palace" event which costs 100 ducats but gives you 5 prestige, or takes away 1 prestige.
  • If you are European, have NO BADBOY, and are highly innovative, allows the "Exceptional Court Painter" event which is a province event (so happens often for large countries) and gives +1 stability in exchange for 30 ducats.
  • If you are Christian, allows the "Grand Ball" event in which you spend 30 ducats to gain 2 prestige.
  • If your monarch has 6+ ADM, allows the "Architectural Development" event which gives +2 innovative and 50 ducats in return for +2 revoltrisk for a while.

• Quest For The New World
  • Allows the "Rush of Colonists" event, which gives you either 3 colonists or 1 colonist and 5% higher overseas income for a year.
  • Prevents the Decline of Empire event that forces you to cut investment in government, the economy or the military. This event happens fairly often if you have a large country and do not own QFTNW or Colonial Ventures.
  • Speeds up the "East India Company" triggered modifier.
  • Allows the "East Indian Trade Route" triggered modifier if you are a Latin country with at least four ports and have discovered the Cape of Good Hope and a few provinces in India/China. This modifier gives you a +2% prestige bonus and 20% higher trade incomes.

• Shrewd Commerce Practices
  • Allows the "Monopoly Company Formed" and "Grant Export Licenses" events if you also have National Trade Policy.
  • Allows the "Stock Exchange" event in which inflation falls by 4% if you also have the National Bank idea.

• Smithian Economics
  • Smithian Economics does not directly affect any event, but the extra 10% Production Efficiency gained from this idea indirectly affects several events and makes it easier to achieve them.
  • Higher production efficiency (10%, 20% or 30%) slows down (by up to 0.73) the negative "Battles on Foreign Ground" event if you have the liberalism flag and are at war.
  • Higher production efficiency (10%, 20% or 30%) slows down the "Financial Crisis" event (by up to 1.37) that can occur if your country experiences a Revolution.
  • 20% Production Efficiency will prevent the "Bad Harvest" event which will reduce your treasury and give you the "harvest" flag that can cause other bad events.
  • 20% Production Efficiency will prevent the "Financial Reform" event which gives a tax income boost and government tech at the cost of 2 stability, or higher stability in exchange for less taxes.
  • 20% Production Efficiency will significantly slow down (2.0) the "Financial Crisis" event that can happen if you have a trade advisor after 1700 and either Shrewd Commercial Practices or National Trade Policy.
  • 25% Production Efficiency will prevent the "Plague" event which can occur in grain and fish provinces and reduces the population and/or your treasury.
  • 30% Production Efficiency prevents the "Famine" event which can happen if you have the "Time of Troubles" flag and give you the "famine" flag that can cause other bad events.
  • 35% Production Efficiency will significantly speed up the "Festivities" event (0.67) which can happen if you have ADM 6 and are not at war and provides either +1 taxvalue or +1 stability.
  • 50% Production Efficiency is required for the "New Land Claimed" event which gives +1 tax or +1 manpower in a random province.
  • 50% Production Efficiency significantly speeds up (0.5) the "Exceptional Year" event, which can happen if you have a treasurer advisor before 1550 and gives either 100 ducats or 25% higher taxes for a year.
  • 50% Production Efficiency significantly speeds up (0.5) the "Monopoly Company Formed" event, which can happen if you have Shrewd Commercial Practice AND National Trade Policy and are at least somewhat mercantilist.
  • 50% Production Efficiency allows the "Good Harvest" event in grain provinces, which provides either 100 ducats or 100 government tech.

• Viceroys
  • Speeds up the "Colonial Ventures" event (which lets you invest in the navy or disarm) if you also have the Colonial Ventures idea.

National Ideas with Hidden Costs

• Divine Supremacy
  • Allows Protestant members of the HRE to gain the "Interconfessional Wars" event which marks the beginning of the religious wars in Germany. This event also gives your province the "religious_turmoil" flag, which can cause the "Intolerant Society" or "Tolerant Society" events to happen for you. This also speeds up the "Religious Wars" event which is based on the religious turmoil flag.
  • Speeds up the hated "Papal State" event that fires repeatedly if you conquer Roma and are Catholic.

• Deus Vult/Unam Sanctum
  • Speeds up the hated "Papal States" event.

• National Bank
  • Prevents the National Bank event (you cannot choose loan size after you take the idea). This is a known bug and will probably be fixed for v1.2

• National Trade Policy
  • Allows the "Trading Company Disaster" event which can happen after 1700 if you have a trade advisor. This event costs you 70 ducats or lowers your trade incomes by 5% for a while.

• Naval Glory
  • Prevents the "Colonial Ventures" event which gives you the choice of investing in the navy (faster tech but more expensive ships) or disarming (slower tech but better land tech).

• Shrewd Commerce Practices
  • Speeds up the "Trade Restrictions" event in the American Revolution chain.
  • Speeds up the "Kontor" event that countries in the Hanseatic League receive, and slows it down if you do not possess it.
  • Allows the "Rifts in the Hanseatic League" event.

• Viceroys
  • Allows one of the "State Bankruptcy" events to happen if you also have 0.15% inflation and 2 gold mines.

National Ideas with Neutral Hidden Effects

• Church Attendance Duty
  • Oddly enough, speeds up the "Tolerant Society" event if your nation is experiencing religious turmoil.

• Espionage
  • Speeds up the "Vatican Infiltration" event significantly (0.5) (if you have a spymaster, cardinal, and are Catholic).

• Grand Army
  • Speeds up "Naval Traditions scorned" and slows down "Land Traditions Scorned."

• Grand Navy
  • Slows down the "Naval traditions scorned" event and speeds up the "Land traditions scorned" event.

• Merchant Adventures
  • Speeds up the "Rifts in the Hanseatic League" event, and slows it down if not possessed.
  • Speeds up the "Merchants Harassed" event if you are also a Merchant Republic.

National Ideas With No Hidden Effects

• Battlefield Commissions
• Bill of Rights
• Cabinet
• Excellent Shipwrights
• Glorious Arms
• Military Drill
• Naval Fighting Instruction
• Sea Hawks
• Scientific Revolution
• Superior Seamanship