Aksum Spear Infantry

Ras Guard

As in the vast majority of the warrior-led societies of antiquity, one of the key responsibilities of Aksum’s kings – and in fact the very reason the dynasty was successful – was to undertake military operations to increase their territory or consolidate their powerbase at home. Indeed, most stelae of the time concerned themselves with the reporting of successful campaigns to put down rebellions, extract tribute, or deal with marauders who threatened the security of the kingdom. This is certainly due to Aksum’s (common for the time) policy of encouraging home rule within its dependencies, which frequently led to the overlord’s strength being tested whenever an old king died or a new one succeeded. The quality of Aksum’s armed forces was key to the continued success of its monarchs, so it made sense to be closely involved with their structure at all levels. As such, the king – retaining the rank of commander-in-chief - installed close members of his family to lead campaigns when he was distracted elsewhere. His trusted brothers, son, nephews, and cousins – given the title ‘Ras’, meaning “prince” – were considered far less likely to revolt than ambitious career generals, disgruntled with their lots or hungry for advancement. Bizarrely, this sometimes meant that Aksumite generals were children too young to fight who had to be accompanied by loyal, experienced officers to physically carry out the king’s orders. Under the Aksumite system, this preserved the royal family’s status, ensuring it was always given credit for the victory.

Unit Name Ras Guard

Main Unit Key att_des_es_ras_guard

Land Unit Key att_des_es_ras_guard

Naval Unit Key att_cor_heavy_rom

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 650

Recruitment Cost 650

Upkeep Cost 330

Missile Damage 100

├ Missile Weapon att_javelin_heavy_precursor

├ Projectile att_javelin_heavy_precursor_normal

├ Missile Damage 50

├ Missile Ap Damage 50

└ Base Reload Time 17

Accuracy 0

Range 80

Reload 25

Rate of Fire 5

Ammunition 2

Melee Attack 21

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon att_spear

├ Melee Base Damage 24

├ Armour-piercing Damage 8

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 20

├ Attack Against Elephants 20

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 21

Melee Defence 45

├ Base Defence 40

├ Shield att_round_large

└ Shield Defence 5

Armour 60

├ Armour att_mail

├ Armour Defence 23

└ Shield Armour 37

Health 164

├ Man Entity att_infantry_very_heavy

├ Man Health 105

└ Bonus Hit Points 59

Morale 51

Abilities

• Sea Sickness
  As these men are inexperienced sailors. Caught up in sea combat, they suffer various penalties.
• Shield Screen
  The unit raises their shields in a static defensive formation.
• Steady
  Improves the unit's ability to defend at the cost of their mobility.

Attributes

• Expert Charge Defence
  This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Aksum Aksumite Separatists