Dacia (Imperator Augustus) Spear Infantry

Bessi Spearmen

The exact origins of the Dacians are something of a mystery. Dacian lands were centred around the Carpathian Mountains but, unlike their Thracian neighbours, they seldom got involved in the conflicts of others. The Dacians fought almost entirely on foot, and usually looked to their Sarmatian allies when serious cavalry were needed. Many Dacian infantry fought as peltasts, equipped with javelins, short swords and oval shields, but they also fielded archers. However, the Dacians were most feared because of a weapon called the 'falx', which they used with deadly, limb-lopping skill. A two-handed sword with a forward-curving blade, a falx could cut a man in two from the top of his head to his breastbone. This weapon was so effective that the Romans improved their legionary armour to cope with it. The brow-ridge on later legionary helmets was there to stop a blow from a falx. Rome’s eventual victory in the Dacian Wars (AD101-106), celebrated by Trajan’s Column, finally dealt with the warlike Dacian tribes once and for all.

Unit Name Bessi Spearmen

Main Unit Key Thr_Bessi_Spearmen

Land Unit Key Thr_Bessi_Spearmen

Naval Unit Key barbarian_transport

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 610

Recruitment Cost 610

Upkeep Cost 85

Melee Attack 24

Weapon Damage 29

├ Melee Weapon rome_celtic_spear

├ Melee Damage Base 19

├ Melee Damage Ap 10

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 15

├ Bonus vs Elephants 16

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 20

Melee Defence 81

├ Base Defence 46

├ Shield celtic

└ Shield Defence 35

Armour 57

├ Armour cloth

├ Armour Defence 27

└ Shield Armour 30

Health 70

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_medium

├ Man Health 55

└ Bonus Hit Points 15

Base Morale 55

Abilities

• Cavalry Counter-tactics
  Improves unit's ability to endure enemy cavalry charges for an extended time.
  Bonus vs mounted units
• Shield Screen
  The unit raises their shields in a static defensive formation.
  Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Can't move

Attributes

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

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Very poor hull strength
• Very slow speed
• Weak ramming

• Good defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Average attack
• Normal morale

Requires Buildings
Lv. 0	Bronze Workshop (barb_artisan_bronze_2) Level 1 Bronze Forge (barb_artisan_bronze_3) Level 2 Coin Mint (barb_artisan_coin_3) Level 2 Trumpet Maker (barb_artisan_maker_3) Level 2 Hundred (barb_city_3) Level 2 Town (barb_town_3) Level 2
Lv. 1	Bronze Furnace (barb_artisan_bronze_4) Level 3 Coin Hoard (barb_artisan_coin_4) Level 3 Carnyx Maker (barb_artisan_maker_4) Level 3 Industry Oppidum (barb_city_industry_4) Level 3 Trade Oppidum (barb_city_trade_4) Level 3 Tribal Oppidum (barb_city_tribal_4) Level 3 Farm Pagus (barb_town_farm_4) Level 3 Tribal Pagus (barb_town_tribal_4) Level 3

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Odrysian Kingdom Odrysian tribal council Thracian Rebels Tylis Tylis tribal council Apulii Getae Getae tribal council Dacian Rebels
Imperator Augustus	Thracian Rebels (Imperator Augustus) Bastarnae (Imperator Augustus) Dacia (Imperator Augustus) Dacian Nobles (Imperator Augustus) Dacian Rebels (Imperator Augustus) Thrace (Imperator Augustus)