OFFICERS

The course of war determined by an officer's "character"

Character

Liu Bei's unique character is Swift. Mobility is increased when retreating, and not effected by ZOC.
Guan Yu's unique character is Divine General. The assault and defense of allied troops in a specific range are increased.
Zhang Fei's unique character is Brave General. His unit is kept from being affected when surrounded on the battlefield.

Each officer is given a "character," with some being useful in battle, some in administration and so on. There are over 150 of these characters, and some officers possess their own unique characters, such as Swift which increases speed when retreating, and Brave General which keeps that officer from being affected even if surrounded on the battlefield. However, there are also some characters that can be considered negative traits, such as not being able to set certain commands, or being easily provoked.
To create favorable conditions in battle, it is important to devise strategies that make the best use of the characters of the rulers and retainer officers.

Same officer "characters" and effects

Character Effect
Wicked All stats of units of your force, except for ships and siege weapons, within a specific range from your unit are increased.
Soaring General ZOC is ignored for all terrains other than large rivers, and morale is less likely to decrease.
Brave Leader Siege ability of units of your force, except for ships and siege weapons, within a specific range from your unit is increased.
Disciplined Your unit cannot be inflicted by the status ailment "disorder".
Overseer When over a prefecture, all stats of your unit are increased.
Water Warlord Warlord All stats of your unit are increased on large rivers.
Famous When assigned as an area overseer, land conquered is increased, and ransom amounts when taken prisoner are increased.
Reckless In the Command Settings, "Ignore" cannot be selected for On enemy approach, and "Approve" cannot be selected for Auto Retreat.
Greedy Your stipend is increased.
Notorious The amount of troops required for your unit to expand its range of conquer is increased.

Specialties

Mengde's War Manual: a strategy book written by Cao Cao.
Red Hare: said to be capable of running over 400 kilometers in one day.
Blue Dragon: a great polearm favored by Guan Yu.

By gifting "Specialties" to retainer officers, they can raise officer attributes or provide special effects. They can be used to raise retainer loyalty, so strategizing is required to determine what specialty to give to which officer, and if it should be used to raise personal abilities or used as a tool for governing.