Picts Melee Ship

Long Fhada - Chosen Celtic Marauders

Literally meaning ‘long ship’ in the Gaelic language, the ‘long fhada’ can claim heritage from the ancient shipbuilding tradition of the Nordic peoples. Of course, the Norsemen didn’t just give their prized technology away, but their persistent raids of the Scottish and Irish coasts meant that longships were sometimes captured, enabling the Celts to study their construction in depth. Eventually, they produced the ‘birlinn’ and ‘Irish galley’, variants on the longship with between eight and twelve oars, in addition to a large sail. These features allowed the new breed of Celtic ships to easily cross the open sea for the purposes of trade and war, rather than having to remain close to the coastline at all times. Unfortunately, no remains of Celtic long fhada survive to this day, despite records of their continuous use until the 17th century.

(Chosen Celtic Marauders)
Naval warfare in the ancient world was just another way for infantry to fight one another. The earliest documented naval battles are those of ancient China, 'grapple and hook' battles where boarding operations and close-quarters combat decided the victor. During the Second Punic War, Rome famously broke Carthage's mastery of the waves by creating the 'corvus' - a bridge that allowed its soldiers to board and fight. The distinction, then, in antiquity, between fighting on land and at sea was small, yet chiefly a matter of 'sea legs' - maintaining balance whilst toppling your opponent.

Unit Name Long Fhada - Chosen Celtic Marauders

Main Unit Key att_shp_cel_chosen_celtic_lon_heavy

Land Unit Key att_mar_cel_chosen_celtic_marauders

Naval Unit Key att_lon_heavy_mel_cel

Soldiers 132

Category Light Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 675

Recruitment Cost 675

Upkeep Cost 350

Hull Strength 2000

└ Ship att_shp_heavy_longship_melee

Speed 6

Melee Attack 52

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon att_axe

├ Melee Base Damage 16

├ Armour-piercing Damage 16

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 10

Charge Bonus 37

Melee Defence 37

├ Base Defence 12

├ Shield att_small

└ Shield Defence 25

Armour 30

├ Armour att_leather_heavy

├ Armour Defence 20

└ Shield Armour 10

Health 99

├ Man Entity att_infantry_medium

├ Man Health 90

└ Bonus Hit Points 9

Morale 108

Abilities

• Frenzy
  Improves a unit's attack capabilities for an extended period of time.
• Use the Whip
  Improved defence and fatigue resistance for a short time at the cost of overexertion.

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Upgrade
Required Technology Cost 144 Upgrade To
Requires Buildings
Lv. 0	Military Wharf (att_bld_all_resources_port_military_3) Level 3 Military Port (att_bld_all_resources_port_military_4) Level 4

Garrison Buildings
x 1	Military Jetties (att_bld_all_resources_port_military_2) Level 2 Military Wharf (att_bld_all_resources_port_military_3) Level 3 Oriental Harbour (att_bld_all_resources_port_spice_2) Level 2 Trade Jetties (att_bld_all_resources_port_trade_2) Level 2
x 2	Military Port (att_bld_all_resources_port_military_4) Level 4 Oriental Port (att_bld_all_resources_port_spice_3) Level 3 Trade Wharf (att_bld_all_resources_port_trade_3) Level 3
x 3	Spice Trading Port (att_bld_all_resources_port_spice_4) Level 4 Trade Port (att_bld_all_resources_port_trade_4) Level 4

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Picts Pictish Separatists