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Ballista (Bastion) Masaesyli (Hannibal at the Gates)Masaesyli (Hannibal at the Gates) Field Artillery

Ballista (Bastion)

(Stone-Thrower)

Few men live to tell their children about the impact of a ballista bolt.

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.

Ballista (Bastion)

Unit Name

Ballista (Bastion)

Main Unit Key

Afr_Ballista_Bastion

Land Unit Key

Afr_Ballista_Bastion

Naval Unit Key

pel_transport

Soldiers

40

Category

Siege Engine

Class

Field Artillery

Custom Battle Cost

2000

Recruitment Cost

2000

Upkeep Cost

400

Missile Damage

69

├ Engine

ballista_medium_bastion

├ Missile Weapon

rome_ballista_medium_bastion

├ Projectile

stone_ballista_bastion

├ Missile Damage

39

├ Missile Ap Damage

30

└ Base Reload Time

28

Accuracy

5

Range

475

Reload

20

Shots Per Minute

3

Ammunition

40

Melee Attack

34

Weapon Damage

13

├ Melee Weapon

falx1

├ Weapon Damage

13

├ Weapon Deadliness

0

├ Armour Piercing

Yes

├ Bonus vs. Cavalry

2

├ Bonus vs. Elephants

30

└ Bonus vs Infantry

1

Charge Bonus

18

Melee Defence

42

├ Base Defence

26

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

16

Armour

8

├ Armour

arm4

├ Armour Defence

8

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

20

├ Man Entity

medium_medium

├ Man Health

20

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Base Morale

45

Abilities

Ballista (Bastion)
  • Stamina (average)
    Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.

Attributes

  • Cannot Run
    This unit cannot run and will only move at walking pace.
  • Resistant to Heat
    This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Ballista (Bastion)
  • Very accurate
  • Very long range
  • Fast rate of fire
  • Lower damage than other artillery
  • Easily destroyed