Long Fhada - Sword Boatmen
Fast when rowed, enabling men to both war and trade.Fighting effectively at sea takes skill, courage, and sea-legs in abundance.
Literally meaning ‘long ship’ or 'long boat' in the Gaelic language, the ‘long fhada’ can claim heritage from the ancient shipbuilding tradition of the Nordic peoples. Of course, the Norsemen didn’t just give their prized technology away, but their persistent raids of the Scottish, Irish and Welsh coasts meant that longships were sometimes captured, enabling the Celts to study their construction in depth. Eventually, they produced the ‘birlinn’ and ‘Irish galley’, variants on the longship with between eight and twelve oars, in addition to a large sail. These features allowed the new breed of Celtic ships to easily cross the open sea for the purposes of trade and war, rather than having to remain close to the coastline at all times. Unfortunately, no remains of Celtic long boats/long fhada survive to this day, despite records of their continuous use until the 17th century.
(Sword Boatmen)
In the past, naval warfare was just another way for infantry to fight one another. The earliest documented naval battles are those of ancient China, 'grapple and hook' battles where boarding operations and close-quarters combat decided the victor. During the early Middle Ages, the Frankish navy was of no real distinction, yet Charlemagne did maintain a sizeable navy to defend against Viking raids, which was something other kingdoms generally failed to do. At the time, the distinction between fighting on land and at sea was small, yet chiefly a matter of 'sea legs' - maintaining balance whilst toppling your opponent.
Unit Name Long Fhada - Sword Boatmen |
Main Unit Key cha_cel_long_fhada__sword_boatmen |
Land Unit Key cha_cel_sword_boatmen |
Naval Unit Key cha_long_fhada |
Soldiers 128 |
Category Light Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 650 |
Recruitment Cost 650 |
Upkeep Cost 195 |
1800 |
└ Ship att_shp_light_longship_melee |
Speed 7 |
Melee Attack 37 |
40 |
├ Melee Weapon att_spatha |
├ Melee Base Damage 36 |
├ Armour-piercing Damage 4 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Attack Against Cavalry 0 |
├ Attack Against Elephants 0 |
└ Attack Against Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 25 |
41 |
├ Base Defence 16 |
├ Shield cha_round |
└ Shield Defence 25 |
46 |
├ Armour cha_mail |
├ Armour Defence 46 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
100 |
├ Man Entity cha_infantry_medium |
├ Man Health 100 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Morale 36 |
Abilities
Sword Boatmen- Douse Fire
Sacrifice your ship's mobility for a short time to focus effort on putting out the blaze. - Use the Whip
Improved defence and fatigue resistance for a short time at the cost of overexertion.
Attributes
- Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
Strengths & Weaknesses
No Strengths and Weaknesses
Faction Availability | |
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Age of Charlemagne |