Pontus Melee Infantry

Pontic Swordsmen

Employing Celtic shortswords or the xiphos, with its very similar blade-shape, these heavily-armoured elite swordsmen acted as frontline and shock infantry in Pontic armies. Garbed in scale armour and carrying thureos shields, they were equipped with javelins in addition to their swords. When charging or receiving a charge, they would throw their javelins at close range, draw their swords and attack before their enemy had chance to recover. This has led to them being referred to as imitation legionaries and the suggestion that they copied the fighting style of the Roman Legions. Over the course of the three Mithridatic Wars, waged between Pontus and Rome from 88-63BC, there was certainly time to recruit and reorganise the Pontic army on the Roman model. However, such infantry may equally have developed under the influence of the Celtic Galatian settlers or the Hellenic thorakitai, a more heavily armoured form of thureophoroi. Whatever the case, Pontic swordsmen were well disciplined and equipped, and highly effective in battle.

Unit Name Pontic Swordsmen

Main Unit Key Eas_Pontic_Sword

Land Unit Key Eas_Pontic_Sword

Naval Unit Key pel_transport

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 620

Recruitment Cost 620

Upkeep Cost 110

Missile Damage 32

├ Missile Weapon rome_javelin_precursor

├ Projectile javelin_prec

├ Missile Damage 20

├ Missile Ap Damage 12

└ Base Reload Time 15

Accuracy 5

Range 40

Reload 0

Shots Per Minute 4

Ammunition 2

Melee Attack 37

Weapon Damage 34

├ Melee Weapon rome_celtic_hellenic_sword

├ Melee Damage Base 30

├ Melee Damage Ap 4

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 0

├ Bonus vs Elephants 0

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 18

Melee Defence 55

├ Base Defence 30

├ Shield thureos

└ Shield Defence 25

Armour 75

├ Armour scale

├ Armour Defence 40

└ Shield Armour 35

Health 50

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_heavy_fast

├ Man Health 40

└ Bonus Hit Points 10

Base Morale 50

Abilities

• Shieldwall
  The unit moves into a close formation and raises shields.
  Armour strength, bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Limited speed

Attributes

• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Formation Attack
  The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

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

• Good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Normal morale

Requires Buildings
Lv. 0	Holosideros Barracks (greek_military_heavy_2) Level 1 Hoplite Barracks (greek_military_heavy_3) Level 2 Royal Barracks (greek_military_heavy_4) Level 3

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Pontus Pontic Nobles Pontic Secessionists
Imperator Augustus	Pontus (Imperator Augustus)