So, I went ahead and played a Manichean Pecheneg Khan with some personal modifications of mine. I make him strong at the expense of giving of him some stuff like cruel, tough soldier, content, arbitrary etc. I then go through the trouble of finding a strong wife, and make sure not to take any other concubines. My first born? Not strong. I start thinking about murdering him and trying again, but as the Pechenegs were Tengri and therefore Agnatic, that would leave me with no backup heir. My plotting is interrupted by the Cumans, who push me North across the river to the Volga Bulgarian territories I had conquered from the Bolghars and Mordvins. I lose all of the old Pecheneg lands, as well as a fair few high-stat same-religion/same-culture vassals of mine. At that point I decide I actually need a strong heir, so I go back to plotting to kill my heir when I see something I had missed: He's a genius. With no parents with either quick or genius, he got Genius. My first kid. Over the years, I take back the Pecheneg lands and reinstitute the replaced vassals, mostly through the internal turmoil that was going on in Cumania allowing me to use a claim war instead of a Holy War, so no-one called me into the war. Over the years, my Genius son is educated, and only once comes even cloes to getting a bad trait, greedy, but instead he gets charitable. Other traits are: Brilliant Strategist, Kind, Brave, Honest, Diligent, Patient. Through his ludicrious 26 martial + brave modifier, as well as later getting the Inspiring leader martial trait, he beats the reunited Cumans in a battle where we were outnumbered two to one. With the reparations from ending the war, we hire mercs and and holy war for Sarkel, facing a combined Cumano-Turkish force eager to defend their faith, we face them on the offensive this time and still win. Now, you'd think that, considering this is a Paradox game, my perfect heir would be dead by now considering I had to use him as a commander, right?
Actually no. Despite being brave and always leading the center, he took not a single wound. And through his amazing skills, we have now taken Alania and Itil as well, easily becoming the Greatest Steppe nation, all thanks to him, and he hasn't even begun to rule yet.
I have taken to calling him ''The Greatest Man''. Once he takes over, he will lead the Pechenegs in their great migration into Anatolia. Current stats are: Diplo 20, Martial 26, Steward 13, Intrigue & Learning 7
