So, for the record, I haven't actually done any of this yet. This is more of a public brain storming and concept testing thread. I will probably attempt to pull it off, though I have no real modding experiencing. The tools seem to already be in place to allow it to happen though, so it mostly seems a matter of learning them.
I realize the actual presence of female troops at all in the game is in part more of a bone thrown to players than necessarily something in fitting with the medieval world and warfare the game seeks to emulate. Never the less, I generally like the idea and think that done right, women soldiers would offer an interesting dynamic.
The base idea here is rather than having one female tree, extending from the generic Peasant Woman to the Sword Sister, there would instead be a tree for each faction and female recruits could be picked up at villages, albeit it at greatly reduced numbers.
The first thing I want to establish though is just what each culture/faction generally thinks about the idea of letting women onto the battlefield at all. While in general I imagine none of them, with maybe the exception of the Nords, actively support the notion, some would be more resistant to the idea than others.
Some of this I am basing off of things mentioned in the game itself, but most of it is assumption or complete fabrication. Looking for thoughts, corrections, additions, and so forth since it will end up coloring strongly just how the female troops themselves would develop.
Kingdom of Nords: The Nord people have had women warriors in their culture since long before the days they set down roots in Calradia. Their stories are thick with tales of the days of high adventure, when their long boats raided the coast line and great heroes won kingdoms at the point of the sword or slew dragon with mythical spear. The shield maiden and the Valkyrie both were almost always important figures in these tales, at times even heroes of them. There is a great reality to these tales as well. In their near past as ocean going traders or raiders, wives and daughters would often accompanying their menfolk on sea voyages and fight beside them. To this day, Nord women are free to take up arms and go on campaign, should they chose. Fewer do that in the past and many communities less willing to release them to do so, but once on the battlefield are often given positions of honor.
Kingdom of Swadia: In both legend and lineage, the Swadian royal line is thick with warrior queens who could ride and fight as well as any man in the kingdom. So too do most noble lineages. Law and tradition allowing for widowed wives to take command of her husband's lands and even armies, some of these female-knights, Dames, who had already produced heirs would choose never to remarry and continue to command armies on the battlefield until their deaths. Swadia is thus fairly open to the notion of female soldiers, but only to a point. They have no real tradition of common women taking up arms and even those among the nobility are seen as admired exceptions, rather than a standard any noble born lady should aspire to. Leaving the fields of their village to peruse a life of war is not made easy for common born women who, like their men folk, are typically tied to their lands by lease and free townswomen can often find greater profit perusing the life of a merchant trader or skilled laborer than in an army. Only true desperation will drive Swadian women to the life of a soldier and those that take up the sword are regarded with some suspicion, as many are assumed (usually falsely) of fleeing from some crime.
Kingdom of Vaegir: The Vaegir people sit nearly in polar opposition to the Swadians. It's common-born women folk have nearly always risen in defense of the kingdom, yet it has few women at the heads of it's armies. This stems from the expectation that while the men of the noble families campaign on the battlefield, their wives and daughters campaign back home in the equally perilous field of courtly politics and the tending of the family holdings. Vaegir's queens have thus mostly been famed for their skill in politics, diplomacy, and bureaucracy than as battlefield commanders. In similar vein, common-born women soldiers may rise to defend Vaegir lands, yet once the threat is dealt with they are not expected to continue to fight along side the menfolk, but to return home and reassume their womanly duties. Vaegir women on campaign outside it's boarders are thus seen as queer and will often find themselves ostracized from the rest of the army, who pressure them to return home. Such things can turn rather nasty, even violent, and most boyars prefer not to allow women to join them as soldiers expressly to avoid it.
Kingdom of Rhodoks: In it's very recent past when the rebelling Rhodok counts had not yet cemented their legitimacy over the lands the kingdom now occupies, desperation forced them into fielding anybody capable of carrying spear or crossbow to face the Swadian armies and early Rhodok armies had a large number of women soldiers. At the time, fledgling counts would swear by the resolution of their female soldiers and poems were written praising the bravery of Rhodok's battle maidens. Now struggling now for legitimacy among the other kingdoms of Calradia, those early days are looked back upon with embarrassment. They became the source of jest and insult, perpetuating the image of the effeminate Rhodok man forever lusting after foreign women as their own were too masculine. Though some, notably King Graveth himself, view the service of their women as a source of pride, most counts distance themselves as much as they can from this legacy and many of the common men follow suit. Stories of Rhodok women on the battlefield are suppressed or played down and young women who seem to show an excess of spirit are swiftly bound to a husband and confined to the home.
Khergite Khannate: By their telling, the Khergite people were born of the She-Wolf and it was the First Woman who tamed the horses of the steeps and crafted the first bow from her own rib and hair. It shocks most outsiders to realize how much every Khan defers to the judgment and advice of his mother or to see how it is the Khergite women who teach young boys how to ride and shoot a bow. Women have always had a place as hunters and providers among the tribes of the steeps and can rise to position of great respect in these roles. Their duty is to the tribe however, providing it with children and tending it's daily needs. It is not expected or desired that they should ever take the role of soldier or raider, but with the nomadic nature of the Khergite it has always been common for the entire tribe, including the women, to follow in the wake of the men. Should the battle go poorly, the entire tribe is then often placed in danger and Khergite women will rise to it's defense. Their sheer ferocity is legendary and many would rather negotiate terms than face them. Should a Khergite woman feel her true place is on the battlefield, it is rarely contested and she is treated no different than any other warrior provided she show herself capable of caring for herself.
Sarranid Sultanate: The Sultanate has a very checkered and often tragic relation to it's women. In all matters, women are held secondary to men. A wife must always submit and defer to a husband, a daughter to a father, a sister to a brother. Though women are treasured, protected, and provided for, actual respect is far harder for a Sarranid woman to earn. It is not even considered her place to defend herself, but the responsibility of the men of her family. There is no tradition of women warriors among the Sarranids. Even hunting through their fables, one will be hard pressed to find a female figure who is more than a prize to be earned and it is the rare noble woman in their recorded history who has proved able to earn standing on her own among them. Common women who attempt to strike out on their own are held in low regard and those who openly take up arms as a soldier are considered 'fallen' women in the same fashion as prostitutes. However, there are many Sarranid women who choose to do just that, seeking refuge from the constraints of their society in battle outside of the Sultanate.
I realize the actual presence of female troops at all in the game is in part more of a bone thrown to players than necessarily something in fitting with the medieval world and warfare the game seeks to emulate. Never the less, I generally like the idea and think that done right, women soldiers would offer an interesting dynamic.
The base idea here is rather than having one female tree, extending from the generic Peasant Woman to the Sword Sister, there would instead be a tree for each faction and female recruits could be picked up at villages, albeit it at greatly reduced numbers.
The first thing I want to establish though is just what each culture/faction generally thinks about the idea of letting women onto the battlefield at all. While in general I imagine none of them, with maybe the exception of the Nords, actively support the notion, some would be more resistant to the idea than others.
Some of this I am basing off of things mentioned in the game itself, but most of it is assumption or complete fabrication. Looking for thoughts, corrections, additions, and so forth since it will end up coloring strongly just how the female troops themselves would develop.
Kingdom of Nords: The Nord people have had women warriors in their culture since long before the days they set down roots in Calradia. Their stories are thick with tales of the days of high adventure, when their long boats raided the coast line and great heroes won kingdoms at the point of the sword or slew dragon with mythical spear. The shield maiden and the Valkyrie both were almost always important figures in these tales, at times even heroes of them. There is a great reality to these tales as well. In their near past as ocean going traders or raiders, wives and daughters would often accompanying their menfolk on sea voyages and fight beside them. To this day, Nord women are free to take up arms and go on campaign, should they chose. Fewer do that in the past and many communities less willing to release them to do so, but once on the battlefield are often given positions of honor.
Kingdom of Swadia: In both legend and lineage, the Swadian royal line is thick with warrior queens who could ride and fight as well as any man in the kingdom. So too do most noble lineages. Law and tradition allowing for widowed wives to take command of her husband's lands and even armies, some of these female-knights, Dames, who had already produced heirs would choose never to remarry and continue to command armies on the battlefield until their deaths. Swadia is thus fairly open to the notion of female soldiers, but only to a point. They have no real tradition of common women taking up arms and even those among the nobility are seen as admired exceptions, rather than a standard any noble born lady should aspire to. Leaving the fields of their village to peruse a life of war is not made easy for common born women who, like their men folk, are typically tied to their lands by lease and free townswomen can often find greater profit perusing the life of a merchant trader or skilled laborer than in an army. Only true desperation will drive Swadian women to the life of a soldier and those that take up the sword are regarded with some suspicion, as many are assumed (usually falsely) of fleeing from some crime.
Kingdom of Vaegir: The Vaegir people sit nearly in polar opposition to the Swadians. It's common-born women folk have nearly always risen in defense of the kingdom, yet it has few women at the heads of it's armies. This stems from the expectation that while the men of the noble families campaign on the battlefield, their wives and daughters campaign back home in the equally perilous field of courtly politics and the tending of the family holdings. Vaegir's queens have thus mostly been famed for their skill in politics, diplomacy, and bureaucracy than as battlefield commanders. In similar vein, common-born women soldiers may rise to defend Vaegir lands, yet once the threat is dealt with they are not expected to continue to fight along side the menfolk, but to return home and reassume their womanly duties. Vaegir women on campaign outside it's boarders are thus seen as queer and will often find themselves ostracized from the rest of the army, who pressure them to return home. Such things can turn rather nasty, even violent, and most boyars prefer not to allow women to join them as soldiers expressly to avoid it.
Kingdom of Rhodoks: In it's very recent past when the rebelling Rhodok counts had not yet cemented their legitimacy over the lands the kingdom now occupies, desperation forced them into fielding anybody capable of carrying spear or crossbow to face the Swadian armies and early Rhodok armies had a large number of women soldiers. At the time, fledgling counts would swear by the resolution of their female soldiers and poems were written praising the bravery of Rhodok's battle maidens. Now struggling now for legitimacy among the other kingdoms of Calradia, those early days are looked back upon with embarrassment. They became the source of jest and insult, perpetuating the image of the effeminate Rhodok man forever lusting after foreign women as their own were too masculine. Though some, notably King Graveth himself, view the service of their women as a source of pride, most counts distance themselves as much as they can from this legacy and many of the common men follow suit. Stories of Rhodok women on the battlefield are suppressed or played down and young women who seem to show an excess of spirit are swiftly bound to a husband and confined to the home.
Khergite Khannate: By their telling, the Khergite people were born of the She-Wolf and it was the First Woman who tamed the horses of the steeps and crafted the first bow from her own rib and hair. It shocks most outsiders to realize how much every Khan defers to the judgment and advice of his mother or to see how it is the Khergite women who teach young boys how to ride and shoot a bow. Women have always had a place as hunters and providers among the tribes of the steeps and can rise to position of great respect in these roles. Their duty is to the tribe however, providing it with children and tending it's daily needs. It is not expected or desired that they should ever take the role of soldier or raider, but with the nomadic nature of the Khergite it has always been common for the entire tribe, including the women, to follow in the wake of the men. Should the battle go poorly, the entire tribe is then often placed in danger and Khergite women will rise to it's defense. Their sheer ferocity is legendary and many would rather negotiate terms than face them. Should a Khergite woman feel her true place is on the battlefield, it is rarely contested and she is treated no different than any other warrior provided she show herself capable of caring for herself.
Sarranid Sultanate: The Sultanate has a very checkered and often tragic relation to it's women. In all matters, women are held secondary to men. A wife must always submit and defer to a husband, a daughter to a father, a sister to a brother. Though women are treasured, protected, and provided for, actual respect is far harder for a Sarranid woman to earn. It is not even considered her place to defend herself, but the responsibility of the men of her family. There is no tradition of women warriors among the Sarranids. Even hunting through their fables, one will be hard pressed to find a female figure who is more than a prize to be earned and it is the rare noble woman in their recorded history who has proved able to earn standing on her own among them. Common women who attempt to strike out on their own are held in low regard and those who openly take up arms as a soldier are considered 'fallen' women in the same fashion as prostitutes. However, there are many Sarranid women who choose to do just that, seeking refuge from the constraints of their society in battle outside of the Sultanate.
What about a +1 Morale for every male/female couple in your party?
