Assault Raider - Saka Tapabara
Small raiding boats, with crews large enough to board enemy vessels.(Saka Axemen)
In addition to their iron sagaris axes, these warriors carry fire-hardened javelins. For protection, they carry square reed shields reinforced with leather, which, though light, are very resistant to missiles. They are best used for flanking already engaged foes or as lightly armoured shock troops, but if tied up in a lengthy melee against more organised or professional enemy warriors, they will soon break and flee.
Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.
(Saka Tapabara)
Far from being simple, ignorant barbarians, the various steppe tribes had a great cultural wealth. Living in an area stretching from the Caspian Sea to the northern shores of the Black Sea; the Greeks called them 'Scythians' and the Persians 'Saka', while a western group became known as the Sarmatians. Wearing trousers marked them as barbarians as far as the Greeks were concerned, before their tall, pointed caps and swarthy appearances were even considered. Looks apart, they were, however, exceptional horsemen, highly-skilled with composite-recurve bows and deadly hand-to-hand fighters. Grave goods suggest that Scythian women were as warlike as their men, and probably fought alongside them in battle. This may well be the origin of the Greek myths of Amazon warrior women.
Unit Name Assault Raider - Saka Tapabara |
Main Unit Key Bar_Raider_Nomad |
Land Unit Key Bar_Marine_Nomad |
Naval Unit Key barbarian_raider_melee |
Soldiers 80 |
Category Medium Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 562 |
Recruitment Cost 562 |
Upkeep Cost 140 |
11 |
├ Missile Weapon prec1 |
├ Projectile prec1 |
├ Missile Damage 11 |
├ Missile Ap Damage 0 |
└ Base Reload Time 10 |
Accuracy 5 |
Range 80 |
Reload 0 |
Shots Per Minute 6 |
Ammunition 7 |
└ Ship barbarian_raider |
Ship Speed |
Melee Attack 23 |
11 |
├ Melee Weapon axe3 |
├ Weapon Damage 11 |
├ Weapon Deadliness 0 |
├ Armour Piercing Yes |
├ Bonus vs. Cavalry 0 |
├ Bonus vs. Elephants 0 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 15 |
54 |
├ Base Defence 17 |
├ Shield shield3 |
└ Shield Defence 37 |
1 |
├ Armour arm0 |
├ Armour Defence 1 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
24 |
├ Man Entity medium_light |
├ Man Health 20 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 4 |
Base Morale 50 |
Abilities
Assault Raider- 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. - Resistant to Cold
This unit tires less quickly in snow.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Assault Raider- Average hull strength
- Light crew
- Very fast speed
- Weak ramming
- Average boarding
- Average attack
- Poor defence
- Low damage but good armour penetration
- Poor morale
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Grand Campaign | |
Imperator Augustus |