Missile Raider - Dako-Thrakioi Akontistai
Small raiding boats, with crews large enough to board enemy vessels.(Dacian Skirmishers)
These skirmishers are used to plague an enemy line with repeated volleys of javelins.
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.
(Dako-Thrakioi Akontistai)
The javelin is among the oldest weapons in human hands. Equipped with javelins and little else, skirmishers harried their opposite numbers and peppered hoplite phalanxes before quickly retreating. This was the typical tactic of all unarmoured, javelin-armed troops: to engage at range and then fall back behind more heavily-armoured infantry, or continue attacks while trying to stay just out of reach of the enemy. Such harassment could be highly effective, in 391BC at the Battle of Lechaeum a force of Spartans, lacking the support of skirmishers or cavalry, were severely punished by javelin-armed Athenians who refused to meet them at close quarters. Over time, shields became common, such as those used by Thracian and Greek peltasts, but in turn these were rendered obsolescent by the Hellenic thureophoroi. Nevertheless, javelinmen and other irregulars continued to play a part in many armies throughout antiquity.
Unit Name Missile Raider - Dako-Thrakioi Akontistai |
Main Unit Key Bar_Missile_Raider_Dac |
Land Unit Key Bar_Mar_Missile_Dac |
Naval Unit Key barbarian_raider_ranged |
Soldiers 80 |
Category Medium Ship |
Class Missile Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 562 |
Recruitment Cost 562 |
Upkeep Cost 140 |
14 |
├ Missile Weapon javelin2 |
├ Projectile javelin2 |
├ Missile Damage 14 |
├ Missile Ap Damage 0 |
└ Base Reload Time 9 |
Accuracy 5 |
Range 85 |
Reload 13 |
Shots Per Minute 8 |
Ammunition 10 |
└ Ship barbarian_raider |
Ship Speed |
Melee Attack 18 |
11 |
├ Melee Weapon mace1 |
├ Weapon Damage 11 |
├ Weapon Deadliness 0 |
├ Armour Piercing Yes |
├ Bonus vs. Cavalry 0 |
├ Bonus vs. Elephants 0 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 11 |
67 |
├ Base Defence 15 |
├ Shield shield5 |
└ Shield Defence 52 |
1 |
├ Armour arm0 |
├ Armour Defence 1 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
21 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_light |
├ Man Health 20 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 1 |
Base Morale 40 |
Abilities
Missile Raider- Row Hard 10
Increases speed for 10 strokes.
Ship speed
- Stamina (good)
Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.
Attributes
- Improved Stamina
This unit type has an improvement on the base stamina stat. - Hide (scrub & forest)
This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close. - Hide (scrub & forest)
This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Missile Raider- Good hull strength
- Medium crew
- Fast speed
- Weak ramming
- Poor boarding
- Good missile combat
- Short range
- Fast rate of fire
- Very good damage and armour penetration
- Very weak in melee
- Very poor morale
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Grand Campaign | |
Imperator Augustus |