trigger · is_leading_army

Hands-On Usage

is_leading_army is commonly used to determine whether a specific general is currently commanding an independent army (rather than an army group). This is useful as a prerequisite condition in trait unlocks, event triggers, or general promotion logic. For example, if you want only generals "actively commanding a single army" to trigger certain combat events or receive specific bonuses:

# In the trigger block of unit_leader_event, ensure the event only fires for generals commanding a single army
unit_leader_event = {
    id = my_mod.1
    trigger = {
        is_leading_army = yes
        is_corps_commander = yes
        skill >= 3
    }
}

Synergy

• [is_leading_army_group](/wiki/trigger/is_leading_army_group): Forms a mutually exclusive contrast with this trigger. Use both together when you need to distinguish between generals "commanding an army group" and "commanding a single army" to execute different logic branches.
• [is_corps_commander](/wiki/trigger/is_corps_commander): Corps commanders typically focus on commanding a single army. Combined with this trigger, you can precisely filter "corps commanders actively leading troops."
• [add_timed_unit_leader_trait](/wiki/effect/add_timed_unit_leader_trait): After confirming a general is leading a single army, use this to temporarily attach combat traits, avoiding mistakenly assigning traits to generals not deployed or commanding army groups.
• [num_units](/wiki/trigger/num_units): After confirming is_leading_army = yes, further check the number of units under their command to implement more granular condition layers.

Common Pitfalls

1. Confusing "army" with "army group": Beginners often mistakenly assume this trigger returns yes for all generals on the battlefield, but Field Marshals commanding Army Groups do not satisfy this condition. You must use [is_leading_army_group](/wiki/trigger/is_leading_army_group) in combination to cover all deployed generals.
2. Using outside CHARACTER scope: Placing this trigger in condition blocks under country scope or division scope will cause it to always return false without errors. Always ensure the current scope has switched to a specific CHARACTER (such as through any_character, unit_leader_event, etc.) before using it.