Hear, hear! I concur with this idea! Heroes need to have functions beyond warfare, and diplomacy/espionage/asymmetric warfare is precisely the kind of thing they could do! It could be especially useful if FE limits the information we can see about an enemy city, thus requiring spies to gain critical information. Now, of course, the one thing that jumps to mind is that there needs to be a way to counter the diplomats/spies bonuses. My ideas:

Propagandist: If stationed in same city as a foreign Diplomat hero, will reverse the effect of any subversive action (IE, subversive Representative would actually speed up production while using his subversive ability, if Propagandist is garrisoned in city).

Informant: Gives a hero an ability to scan a city for subversive activity in a city in which she is garrisoned. Percentage chance to expel or execute subversive diplomat per scan.

Very cool ideas! Thanks for sharing them with the board!

Perhaps, you can't engage in diplomacy or trade with another fraction unless you have an embassy in with that fraction.

No Embassy = Minimal Trade Agreements, No Defense Pacts, No Alliances.

Embassy = Enhanced Trade Agreements, Opportunity for Defense Pacts, Alliances, Marriages, etc.

That's a good reason to accept an ambassador from another fraction.

If you accept an ambassador from fraction A then you automatically have the right to see send an Ambassador to Fraction A.

Will an AI fraction accept your ambassador? Its a function of Fraction, Relative Power, the Ambassador's Charisma rating and the AI's strategy.

• Empire fraction is less likely to accept an ambassador from a Kingdom Fraction
• More chaismatic ambassador is likely to be accepted
• AI pursuing a diplomatic victory will tend to accept ambassadors from likeminded fractions.

I really like this idea, the only problem I can see is that heroes with the right traits might be kinda rare to be that important.

Charisma might not work quite right. I would prefer it didn't do something to the AI you couldn't replicate with a player. However some bonus from charisma is a interesting idea. Maybe just apply the normal charisma bonus to the city? That would make players accept them more readily as well.

Instead of a trait for stealing a resource, why not a trait that allows a stationed diplomat to steal the plans that reveal the garrisons in all cities?

The chance to succeed would be based on "dexterity" & "charisma." My thinking is that the diplomat needs charisma to find out where the information is kept and dexerity to sneak past the gaurds and pick the locks to get a look at it. The penalty for failure would be a po-up text box of a message informing you that your diplomat "reportedly" had a fatal accident (i.e. hunting accident, he fell in the moat and drowned or he slipped and fell to his death while leaning out a tower window) or was banned from the kingdom; and returned to your service, for undiplomatic activities.

Example:

• Diplomatic Success - Gain knowledge of the strength of all enemy garrisons in for 1 turn
• Diplomatic Failure - (Kingdom vs Empire) - Diplomat suffers a fatal accident
• Diplomatic Failure - (Kingdom vs Kingdom) - This diplomat is expelled and banned from serving as a diplomat to the target kingdom.
• Diplomatic Failure - (Empire vs Empire) - Diplomat is expelled and banned from serving as a diplomat to the target kingdom.

Some very good ideas.

Having heroes that are more adept at diplomacy than warfare would be excellent.