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Ballista RomaRoma Field Artillery

Ballista

(Stone-Thrower)

Ballistae can shoot with deadly accuracy over enemy-suprising distances.

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

Unit Name

Ballista

Main Unit Key

Rom_Ballista

Land Unit Key

Rom_Ballista

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

├ Missile Weapon

rome_ballista_medium

├ Projectile

stone

├ Missile Damage

39

├ Missile Ap Damage

30

└ Base Reload Time

28

Accuracy

5

Range

435

Reload

8

Shots Per Minute

2

Ammunition

30

Melee Attack

36

Weapon Damage

13

├ Melee Weapon

falx2

├ Weapon Damage

13

├ Weapon Deadliness

0

├ Armour Piercing

Yes

├ Bonus vs. Cavalry

3

├ Bonus vs. Elephants

30

└ Bonus vs Infantry

1

Charge Bonus

20

Melee Defence

42

├ Base Defence

26

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

16

Armour

16

├ Armour

arm9

├ Armour Defence

16

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

20

├ Man Entity

medium_heavy

├ Man Health

20

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Base Morale

50

Abilities

Ballista
  • Stamina (average)
    Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.
  • Concentrate Fire
    The unit fires its missiles towards a spot causing damage to everyone in the area of effect

Attributes

  • Cannot Run
    This unit cannot run and will only move at walking pace.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Ballista
  • Very accurate
  • Very long range
  • Fast rate of fire
  • Lower damage than other artillery
  • Easily destroyed
Requires Buildings
Ballista Lv. 0 Workshop
Workshop
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_1)
Level 0
Shieldmaker
Shieldmaker
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_armour_2)
Level 1
Armourer
Armourer
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_armour_3)
Level 2
Field Engineer's Workshop
Field Engineer's Workshop
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_siege_2)
Level 1
Siege Engineer's Workshop
Siege Engineer's Workshop
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_siege_3)
Level 2
Blacksmith
Blacksmith
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_weapon_2)
Level 1
Fabrica
Fabrica
(rom_ROMAN_military_equipment_weapon_3)
Level 2