Roman Ballista
Ballistae can shoot with deadly accuracy over surprising distances.At close targets, a ballista could be aimed effectively but accuracy came at a cost in range; it could fire around 500 metres. The machine used two torsion springs with levers inserted into twisted ropes made from animal sinew, giving incredible power for its size. Firing either solid shot or bolts, it was equally effective against infantry or cavalry, but could also be deployed to destroy light fortifications during sieges. Originally developed by the Greeks around 400BC, and based on the oversized Oxybeles composite bow, ballistae were widely used by many cultures of the period, including the Romans. Later Roman versions included adjustable caps that enabled crews to quickly alter the tension of each sinew bundle to provide balance and therefore improve accuracy.
Unit Name Roman Ballista |
Main Unit Key 3c_Rom_Ballista |
Land Unit Key 3c_Rom_Ballista |
Naval Unit Key 3c_pel_transport |
Soldiers 40 |
Category Siege Engine |
Class Field Artillery |
Custom Battle Cost 1560 |
Recruitment Cost 560 |
Upkeep Cost 110 |
180 |
├ Engine ballista_medium |
├ Missile Weapon rome_ballista_medium |
├ Projectile stone |
├ Missile Damage 90 |
├ Missile Ap Damage 90 |
└ Base Reload Time 23 |
Accuracy 5 |
Range 420 |
Reload 4 |
Shots Per Minute 3 |
Ammunition 15 |
Melee Attack 9 |
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 6 |
14 |
├ Base Defence 14 |
├ Shield none |
└ Shield Defence 0 |
40 |
├ Armour mail |
├ Armour Defence 40 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
45 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_medium |
├ Man Health 40 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 5 |
Base Morale 40 |
Abilities
No Ability
Attributes
- Cannot Run
This unit cannot run and will only move at walking pace.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Transport- Very poor hull strength
- Very slow speed
- Weak ramming
- Very accurate
- Very long range
- Average rate of fire
- Lower damage than other artillery
- Easily destroyed
Faction Availability | |
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Empire Divided |