Epirus Melee Cavalry

Aspis Royal Cavalry

Macedonian Companion cavalry, known in Greek as the hetairoi, were the foremost shock troops of their age. Originally formed from the Macedonian nobility, esteemed friends and companions of their kings, these elite horsemen evolved under Philip II and Alexander the Great into a highly disciplined and formidable force with the adoption of the wedge formation that increased not only their manoeuvrability, but also their impact. Eventually their numbers were extended to include not just nobles, but in fact anyone who had been a friend to the king. Early Greek cavalry had been limited to skirmishing scouts and archers, as square formations of heavy cavalry up until this point were difficult to direct and wheel. However, the adoption of the wedge formation enabled the companions to exploit weak points or break the flanks of enemy infantry with precision. To achieve this they were armed with the 'xyston', a fearsome double-ended lance, designed to counter-balance itself and be reversible should one end break, plus a straight sword or curved kopis for close-quarters fighting. Armour took the form of a shaped bronze corselet, with optional greaves, and an open Boeotian helmet, which afforded some protection without hampering vision. The horse itself was unarmoured. The rider sat on a blanket, as neither saddle nor stirrups were used at this time.

Unit Name Aspis Royal Cavalry

Main Unit Key Gre_Aspis_Royal_Cav

Land Unit Key Gre_Aspis_Royal_Cav

Naval Unit Key greek_transport

Soldiers 90

Category Cavalry

Class Melee Cavalry

Custom Battle Cost 1150

Recruitment Cost 1150

Upkeep Cost 110

Missile Damage 34

├ Missile Weapon rome_javelin_precursor

├ Projectile javelin_prec

├ Missile Damage 19

├ Missile Ap Damage 15

└ Base Reload Time 40

Accuracy 5

Range 40

Reload 0

Shots Per Minute 2

Ammunition 2

Melee Attack 55

Weapon Damage 38

├ Melee Weapon rome_kopis

├ Melee Damage Base 32

├ Melee Damage Ap 6

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 0

├ Bonus vs Elephants 0

└ Bonus vs Infantry 6

Charge Bonus 52

Melee Defence 68

├ Base Defence 48

├ Shield hoplite_cav

└ Shield Defence 20

Armour 119

├ Armour bronze

├ Armour Defence 74

└ Shield Armour 45

Health 140

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_very_heavy

├ Man Health 60

├ Bonus Hit Points 20

├ Mount rome_hellenic_horse_sword_shield_vh

├ Mount Entity rome_horse_very_heavy

└ Mount Health 60

Base Morale 65

Abilities

• Diamond
  The unit moves into a diamond-shaped attack formation.
  Charge bonus, melee attack
  Acceleration, melee defence
• Trample
  Charges are more effective for an extended time.
  Charge bonus
  Exertion: fatigue
• Use the Whip
  Improved attack and fatigue resistance for a short time.
  Melee attack, weapon damage, fatigue resistance
  Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Encourage
  This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
• 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

• Very good attack
• Average defence
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Good morale

Requires Buildings
Lv. 1	Royal Barracks (greek_military_heavy_4) Level 3

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Epirus Epirean Nobles