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Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers ParthiaParthia Missile Ship

Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers

Deadly accurate dart-throwers give enemies pause.

If a Parthian can see it, he can shoot at it.

Of all the warships found in the ancient world, it is the trireme, or trieres, that remains the most famous and recognisable. Nearly all Hollywood 'sword and sandal' movies will include a trireme somewhere. The vessel was entirely designed for war. Its name came from the three rows of oars carried on each side, stacked above each other in staggered columns to give the rowers some room to work. The top row of oars pivoted on a rowlock, or oarlock, mounted on an outrigger projecting from the hull. This allowed the top oars to pitch down at a sharper angle to reach the sea without getting tangled in the lower ones. The trireme was a greyhound of a ship, capable of high-speed dashes with a well-trained crew and, contrary to popular belief, not all rowers were slaves. Aboard Greek vessels they were citizens, and were given respect, not the lash. They were also largely fair-weather ships, and unsuited to rough seas such as the Atlantic; the lowest level of oars were, at most, less than half a metre above the waterline. That, however, did not stop the trireme being a superb weapon against other ships: a high-speed ramming attack could rip a hole in the side of almost any target. The type was also large enough to be used in other ways, which lead to it carrying archers and assorted light artillery pieces.

(Parthian Foot Archers)
Eastern archers could inflict heavy casualties when used in large numbers, and their composite bows gave them a good range, accuracy and penetrating power. The composite bow was, as its name suggests, made from many materials, and its layers of wood, sinew and animal horn made it a very effective energy-storing spring. In the hands of a reasonable bowman, an arrow from a composite bow would go through chainmail at respectable ranges. It did not, however, take kindly to getting wet. The glues used in its construction soon broke down in damp conditions. In the deserts of the east this was hardly a problem, but it does explain why the composite bow was never adopted in Europe.

Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers
Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers

Unit Name

Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers

Main Unit Key

Eas_Par_Archers_Three_Scorpio

Land Unit Key

Eas_Parthian_Foot_Archers

Naval Unit Key

persian_scorpio_three

Soldiers

80

Category

Medium Ship

Class

Missile Ship

Custom Battle Cost

850

Recruitment Cost

850

Upkeep Cost

170

Missile Damage

40

├ Missile Weapon

rome_composite_bow

├ Projectile

arrow_composite

├ Missile Damage

36

├ Missile Ap Damage

4

└ Base Reload Time

12

Accuracy

5

Range

150

Reload

18

Shots Per Minute

6

Ammunition

15

Ship Health

758

└ Ship

persian_three

Ship Speed

6

Melee Attack

9

Weapon Damage

24

├ Melee Weapon

rome_shortsword

├ Melee Damage Base

20

├ Melee Damage Ap

4

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

0

├ Bonus vs Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

4

Melee Defence

13

├ Base Defence

13

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

10

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

50

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_light_fast

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

10

Base Morale

35

Abilities

Scorpion Trieres
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed
Parthian Foot Archers
  • Precision Shot
    Improved missile weapon damage for an extended period.
    Missile damage
    Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

  • Resistant to Fatigue
    Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
  • Hide (scrub & forest)
    This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.
  • Resistant to Heat
    This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Scorpion Trieres
  • Poor hull strength
  • Light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Average boarding
  • Good missile combat
Parthian Foot Archers
  • Long range
  • Average rate of fire
  • Good damage but low armour penetration
  • Very weak in melee
  • Very poor morale
Requires Buildings
Scorpion Trieres - Parthian Foot Archers Lv. 0 Military Pier
Military Pier
(east_port_military_2)
Level 1
Naval Yard
Naval Yard
(east_port_military_3)
Level 2
Drydock
Drydock
(east_port_military_4)
Level 3