Assault Dieres - Iapygian Hoplites
With a ramming attack that can break an enemy hull, these ships are deadly weapons.Iapygian hoplites lose no ground to their Greek counterparts.
The waterline ram was first mounted on a vessel in around 850BC. Warships and naval tactics were transformed. Ships were no longer platforms for infantry battles on the water; the ship itself became the weapon. Galleys changed as the new reality sank in. Ramming at speed would hole and sink an enemy, therefore slimmer, faster, handier ships were required. More speed on demand obviously required more oars a fast ship with a single row of oars ended up being stupidly, impractically long. The solution, then, was to put in a second set of oars above the first, but slightly offset to allow for rowers' benches. These biremes, a Latin word meaning 'two oars', or dieres, the Greek equivalent, were no longer than previous designs but had twice the number of rowers. They were fast, manoeuvrable, and could carry a fighting contingent. Some nations also gave their bireme crews fire pots; these clay pots filled with oil and pitch were hurled at enemy ships in the entirely reasonable hope of setting them ablaze.
(Iapygian Hoplites)
Like the Siculi tribe to the west in Sicily, Messapian warriors favoured large shields and open-faced, Illyrian style helmets, albeit with more crests and, on occasion, horns. Their weapon of choice was the spear; some Iapygian tribes, like their Illyrian ancestors, adopted the Greek style of hoplite phalanx combat, whilst others fought in a less organised style, using shorter, multi-purpose spears. Short melee weapons were also used, such as the curved 'kopis' swords and one-handed axes. Messapian warfare was a mixture of their Illyrian heritage and the influence of their Oscan neighbours. The former employed skirmishers, who were useful for raiding and piracy, while the latter wasn't able to field javelinmen and slingers in any numbers, instead relying on mounted nobles supported by their retainers. According to Herodotus, Oscan tribal cavalry was crucial in holding off Taras' invasion of Messapian and Peucetian towns in 473BC, an action which extended the conflict until 467BC. The king of Messapia later made two alliances with Athens, around 430BC and again in 418 BC, supplying the Athenians with javelinmen for the war against Syracuse.
Unit Name Assault Dieres - Iapygian Hoplites |
Main Unit Key inv_app_greek_two_app_hoplites |
Land Unit Key inv_app_hoplites |
Naval Unit Key greek_two |
Soldiers 60 |
Category Light Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 650 |
Recruitment Cost 650 |
Upkeep Cost 130 |
501 |
└ Ship greek_two |
Ship Speed 6 |
Melee Attack 35 |
26 |
├ Melee Weapon rome_hoplite_spear |
├ Melee Damage Base 20 |
├ Melee Damage Ap 6 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Bonus vs. Large 15 |
├ Bonus vs Elephants 15 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 15 |
45 |
├ Base Defence 30 |
├ Shield hoplite |
└ Shield Defence 15 |
80 |
├ Armour spolas |
├ Armour Defence 35 |
└ Shield Armour 45 |
60 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_hoplite |
├ Man Health 45 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 15 |
Base Morale 40 |
Abilities
Assault Dieres- Row Hard 10
Increases speed for 10 strokes.
Ship speed
- Hoplite Wall
The unit moves into close wall formation.
Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
Acceleration, 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.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Assault Dieres- Very poor hull strength
- Very light crew
- Fast speed
- Weak ramming
- Good boarding
- Very good defensive unit
- Low damage but average armour penetration
- Average attack
- Good morale
Requires Buildings | |
---|---|
Lv. 0 |
Harbour
(inv_gre_port_trade_2) Level 1
Docks
(inv_gre_port_trade_3) Level 2
Fish Market
(inv_gre_port_trade_4) Level 3 |
Garrison Buildings | |
---|---|
x 2 |
Harbour
(inv_gre_port_trade_2) Level 1
Fish Market
(inv_gre_port_trade_4) Level 3 |
x 3 |
Docks
(inv_gre_port_trade_3) Level 2 |
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Rise of the Republic |