Mierce Melee Ship

Draca - Thegn Spearmen

For most of history the only way to move cargoes and people over long distances at any kind of reasonable speed was by water; this remained true until the invention of the railway. Trading vessels carried goods, following the coastlines for the most part, and up navigable rivers. The pattern of settlement and colonisation was almost entirely based on where ships could go. It was also considerably easier to move armies by sea than march them long distances. Trade ships were hired or requisitioned for such tasks, and this was an added incentive for generals to reach a quick conclusion to a campaign: war hurt trade, and used up ships needed for vital food supplies.

(Thegn Spearmen)
During the era of Viking settlement in Britain, an integral part of the fyrds was a class of noblemen-warriors who owned land granted from lords or kings by right of a provided military service. They were known as thegns, who in the earliest times of Saxon migration were exclusively defined by that military service. The first Anglo-Saxon leaders kept ‘gesiths’ as they were formerly known in their retinues, who were better trained and more highly motivated due to a close relationship with their warmongering lords. By the later Saxon era, they had developed into a middle-ranking land-owning ‘officer class’ with major roles in organising and leading the fyrds. Danish rule over conquered English lands meant that some thegns fought for their conquerors in return for being able to keep their lands within the puppet kingdoms.

Thegns were much better equipped for war than most other troops. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.

Unit Name Draca - Thegn Spearmen

Main Unit Key shp_eng_thegn_spearmen

Land Unit Key eng_thegn_spearmen

Naval Unit Key vik_draca

Soldiers 160

Category Heavy Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 650

Recruitment Cost 650

Upkeep Cost 175

Hull Strength

└ Ship vik_draca

Speed

Melee Skill 33

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon vik_spear

├ Melee Base Damage 22

├ Armour-piercing Damage 10

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 25

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 23

Melee Defence 63

├ Base Defence 33

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 22

├ Armour vik_mail

├ Armour Defence 22

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_heavy

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 45

Abilities

• Shield Castle
  "Heads down, lads, things are about to get a little hairy around here!"
  Units cannot move in this formation.

Attributes

• [[col:yellow]]Expert Charge Defence[[/col]]
  This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
• [[col:yellow]]Disciplined[[/col]]
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses