Trieres - Komatai Pelekuphoroi
A trireme is a 37 meter long oared warship (galley) with three decks of oars, developed from the bireme in the 5th century BCE. Popular with Carthaginian, Greek and Roman navies, this is the main warship of the classical age.(Dacian Axemen)
Aside from their large contingents of Drapanai, the Pelekuphoroi are the common warriors of the Karp and Kostobok tribes. They wield bronze axes and have sturdy round shields. Their scale leather provides adequate protection against Scythian arrows and Bastarnae spears but will do little to stop a heavy, curved falx blade. These fast, hardy troops are best used in ambushes, hit-and-run attacks, or flanking manoeuvres against heavier warriors, but are fierce enough to stand in the battle line if the situation demands it.
Of all the warships found in the ancient world, it is the trireme, or trieres, that remains the most famous and recognisable. Nearly all Hollywood 'sword and sandal' movies will include a trireme somewhere. The vessel was entirely designed for war. Its name came from the three rows of oars carried on each side, stacked above each other in staggered columns to give the rowers some room to work. The top row of oars pivoted on a rowlock, or oarlock, mounted on an outrigger projecting from the hull. This allowed the top oars to pitch down at a sharper angle to reach the sea without getting tangled in the lower ones. The trireme was a greyhound of a ship, capable of high-speed dashes with a well-trained crew and, contrary to popular belief, not all rowers were slaves. Aboard Greek vessels they were citizens, and were given respect, not the lash. They were also largely fair-weather ships, and unsuited to rough seas such as the Atlantic; the lowest level of oars were, at most, less than half a metre above the waterline. That, however, did not stop the trireme being a superb weapon against other ships: a high-speed ramming attack could rip a hole in the side of almost any target. The type was also large enough to be used in other ways, which lead to it carrying archers and assorted light artillery pieces.
(Komatai Pelekuphoroi)
The exact origins of the Dacians are something of a mystery. Dacian lands were centred around the Carpathian Mountains but, unlike their Thracian neighbours, they seldom got involved in the conflicts of others. The Dacians fought almost entirely on foot, and usually looked to their Sarmatian allies when serious cavalry were needed. Many Dacian infantry fought as peltasts, equipped with javelins, short swords and oval shields, but they also fielded archers. However, the Dacians were most feared because of a weapon called the 'falx', which they used with deadly, limb-lopping skill. A two-handed sword with a forward-curving blade, a falx could cut a man in two from the top of his head to his breastbone. This weapon was so effective that the Romans improved their legionary armour to cope with it. The brow-ridge on later legionary helmets was there to stop a blow from a falx. Rome’s eventual victory in the Dacian Wars (AD101-106), celebrated by Trajan’s Column, finally dealt with the warlike Dacian tribes once and for all.
Unit Name Trieres - Komatai Pelekuphoroi |
Main Unit Key Bar_Assault_Trireme_Thr |
Land Unit Key Bar_Marine_Dac |
Naval Unit Key greek_three |
Soldiers 80 |
Category Medium Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 1188 |
Recruitment Cost 1188 |
Upkeep Cost 297 |
693 |
└ Ship greek_three |
Ship Speed 4 |
Melee Attack 22 |
11 |
├ Melee Weapon axe2 |
├ Weapon Damage 11 |
├ Weapon Deadliness 0 |
├ Armour Piercing Yes |
├ Bonus vs. Cavalry 0 |
├ Bonus vs. Elephants 0 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 13 |
62 |
├ Base Defence 10 |
├ Shield shield5 |
└ Shield Defence 52 |
8 |
├ Armour arm4 |
├ Armour Defence 8 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
20 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_medium_agile |
├ Man Health 20 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Base Morale 45 |
Abilities
Trieres- Row Hard 10
Increases speed for 10 strokes.
Ship speed
- Stamina (average)
Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.
Attributes
- Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Trieres- Poor hull strength
- Light crew
- Fast speed
- Weak ramming
- Poor boarding
- Average missile combat
- Average attack
- Poor defence
- Low damage but good armour penetration
- Poor morale
Faction Availability | |
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Grand Campaign | |
Imperator Augustus |