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Heavy Raider - Steppe Spearmen MassagetaeMassagetae Melee Ship

Heavy Raider - Steppe Spearmen

Strong warships, constructed to withstand the worst the sea can throw at them.

Spearmen are the backbone of an army; they keep cavalry at a respectful distance.

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

(Steppe Spearmen)
Far from being simple, ignorant barbarians, the various steppe tribes had a great cultural wealth. Living in an area stretching from the Caspian Sea to the northern shores of the Black Sea; the Greeks called them 'Scythians' and the Persians 'Saka', while a western group became known as the Sarmatians. Wearing trousers marked them as barbarians as far as the Greeks were concerned, before their tall, pointed caps and swarthy appearances were even considered. Looks apart, they were, however, exceptional horsemen, highly-skilled with composite-recurve bows and deadly hand-to-hand fighters. Grave goods suggest that Scythian women were as warlike as their men, and probably fought alongside them in battle. This may well be the origin of the Greek myths of Amazon warrior women.

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Heavy Raider - Steppe Spearmen

Unit Name

Heavy Raider - Steppe Spearmen

Main Unit Key

Ste_Spear_Heavy_Raider

Land Unit Key

Ste_Spear

Naval Unit Key

barbarian_heavy_raider

Soldiers

120

Category

Medium Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

670

Recruitment Cost

670

Upkeep Cost

130

Ship Health

1290

└ Ship

barbarian_heavy_raider

Ship Speed

3

Melee Attack

14

Weapon Damage

20

├ Melee Weapon

rome_spear_anti_cav

├ Melee Damage Base

15

├ Melee Damage Ap

5

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

30

├ Bonus vs Elephants

30

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

14

Melee Defence

52

├ Base Defence

22

├ Shield

celtic

└ Shield Defence

30

Armour

45

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

35

Health

45

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_light_fast

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

5

Base Morale

25

Abilities

Heavy Raider
  • Row Hard 20
    Increases speed for 20 strokes.
    Ship speed
Steppe Spearmen
  • Square
    The unit moves into a close square formation.
    Bracing, morale, melee defence
    Can't move

Attributes

  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
  • Resistant to Cold
    This unit tires less quickly in snow.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Heavy Raider
  • Very good hull strength
  • Medium crew
  • Average speed
  • Average ramming
  • Very good boarding
Steppe Spearmen
  • Average defensive unit
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Weak attack
  • Poor morale
Requires Buildings
Heavy Raider - Steppe Spearmen Lv. 0 Raiders' Port
Raiders' Port
(barb_port_military_4)
Level 3
Garrison Buildings
Heavy Raider - Steppe Spearmen x 1 Raiders' Port
Raiders' Port
(barb_port_military_4)
Level 3