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The Bishop#

Summary#

The Bishop is a ruthless, castle-obsessed lord who fields large peasant and archer armies, builds royal fortifications, and uses diplomacy as a weapon. He is the worst long-term ally and among the most dangerous siege opponents.

Identity#

Field Value
culture_row 4
L2.ENG group 7 index 4 → The Bishop
Manual reference Sierra manual p. 99

Biography (manual)#

Do not expect the Bishop to bow easily — he has God on his side. Cloistered in his clerical fortress, he and his Council of Elders plot endlessly to further the cause of the Church — not to mention their own wealth, power, and prestige. The Bishop wields enormous influence with his infinitely loyal following, but he tends to hide behind the altar as soon as trouble breaks. The Bishop will be bold, pompous, and mocking when he is on top, but cowardly and grovelling when he is cornered. Don't be fooled by his pious prattle. His Grace covets but one sacrament — the crown.

Confidence: confirmed (manual).

Personality and strategy#

Trait Behavior
Aggression Moderate — expands steadily; slow to start armies
Economy Mediocre — second-worst economist in some analyses
Defense Highest — royal castles; long sieges
Diplomacy Worst ally — predictable betrayal; insult/war often optimal
Armies Peasants + archers in roughly equal numbers; peasants as fodder

Guides recommend provoking the Bishop early so other AIs block his expansion.

Numeric parameters#

Confirmed — retail bin/LORDS2.EXE, culture_row 4 block.

Parameter Value
pop_bonus_type 1
attack_patience 2
attack_gold_budget 1000
defender_spawn_count 50
desperation_threshold 250
gold_buy_threshold 4000
gold_buy_amount 150
troop_sword_threshold 1000
troop_pike_threshold 1000
troop_bow_threshold 1000

Highest thresholds across attack budget, troop stockpiles, and gold spending.

Score bonuses#

Popularity Values
Low 100, 240, 400, 600
High 250, 600, 1100, 1800

Best score-income rows of all nobles at every map size.

Behavioral rules#

  1. Attack cadence — attack_patience 2 (fastest re-attack timer). Confirmed.

  2. Attack budget — 1000 — highest offensive gold gate. Confirmed.

  3. Defender spawn — Up to 50 units in desperation spawn (defender_spawn_count). Confirmed.

  4. Desperation bonus — When culture_row == 4, popularity < 2, year < 0x4f9: add +100 to two stockpile fields @ +0x55aeec and +0x55aef0. Confirmed (lotr2_game_ai_apply_desperation_bonuses).

  5. Diplomacy special case — When an ally breaks pact, culture_row == 4 skips setting the war-retaliation target flag (+0x55ae8b) that other nobles set. Confirmed (lotr2_game_ai_apply_diplomacy_attitude_delta).

  6. Population growth — pop_bonus_type 1 uses alternate happiness→growth curve (0x004f3b3c first dword == 1 branch). Confirmed.

  7. Troop AI — Will not buy more swords until stock < 1000 (same for pike/bow); requires score 4000 before gold purchases. Confirmed.

Presentation (Phaser)#

Asset Index / path
Portrait PL8 frame 13
Flag icon PL8 frame 9
Default name L2.ENG group 7 [4]

Use distinct growth curve table when pop_bonus_type === 1 in province sim.

Evidence#

Symbol Address Role
lotr2_game_ai_apply_desperation_bonuses 0x004b5f53 culture_row == 4 dual +100
lotr2_game_ai_apply_diplomacy_attitude_delta 0x004b7e49 Skips ae8b flag for Bishop
Province pop tick ~0x004b0xxx pop_bonus_type curve select

Open questions#

  • Royal castle upgrade timing vs resource stockpiles
  • Exact peasant/archer spawn ratio in battle prep