How can I abdicate my throne to my heir?
I am getting a bit bored by my current character, and my heir is a much better one. So I would like to end my characters reign rather sooner than later and continue playing as my heir instead. Do I have to find some way to kill myself? Perhaps even via the "Commit Suicide" decision despite its hefty penalty for my dynasty? Or is there a better way?
The best way I found to abdicate and pass on the throne to my heir is by intentionally getting deposed.
- Make sure your Crown authority / Tribal authority is high enough that you can revoke titles.
- Try to revoke titles from your strongest and most rebellious De-Jure vassals until one says no and starts a "War against the Tyranny"
- Surrender immediately
The punishment for losing a "War against your Tyranny" against a vassal who is DeJure part of your primary title is getting deposed. Getting deposed is functionally identical to dying: All your titles get transferred to your current heirs depending on their respective succession laws, and your primary heir becomes your new player-character.
The only difference is that your previous character is still alive and will usually hang around as a courtier in your court.
To add to this answer, there is an "attempt suicide" that will present itself under certain circumstances:
One of the following:
Cancer trait
Depressed trait
Great Pox trait
Incapable trait
Leper trait
Lunatic trait
Stress Level 3
Best Friend, Soulmate or Child with high Opinion died
Going on hunts also presents a small chance of dying.
Overall this aspect of the game is designed towards roleplaying and generally characters don't want to die.