Heilotes
(Spartan Helots)Helots are the slaves of the Spartan kingdom. During times of need, the state arms them with weapons and basic means of protection. Their training is limited so that they do not pose a larger threat after the campaign.
Toughened by years of training within the agoge, Spartan youths were moulded into warriors from the age of seven, becoming 'paidiskoi', or Spartan reserves, in their later teenage years. Separated from their mothers, the first stage of their training was the 'paides', in which they lived communally in one of the Spartan syssitia mess halls. Here they trained and exercised together, learning from their elders, and were purposefully underfed to toughen and accustom them to hunger, and teach them resourcefulness. This extended to depriving them of clothing too, providing only their red cloak each year. This taught the boys to steal, for which they were severely punished if caught, but for being caught, not for stealing from the helot slave population. At eighteen, they became paidiskoi, joining the army as reservists for two years. Armed with the hoplite spear and hoplon, and armoured in cloth, they would support the older Spartan men in battle. A chosen few would also be inducted into the krypteia, a secret organisation that were expected to spy on, steal from and kill the helots. Seen as both a test of ability and a necessary means of keeping the helots submissive, a declaration of war against the helots was made each autumn, effectively legalising the krypteia’s activity.
Unit Name Heilotes |
Main Unit Key Gre_Spartan_Helots |
Land Unit Key Gre_Spartan_Helots |
Naval Unit Key pel_transport |
Soldiers 300 |
Category Melee Infantry |
Class Spear Infantry |
Custom Battle Cost 328 |
Recruitment Cost 328 |
Upkeep Cost 66 |
Melee Attack 21 |
9 |
├ Melee Weapon spear1 |
├ Weapon Damage 9 |
├ Weapon Deadliness 0 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Bonus vs. Cavalry 3 |
├ Bonus vs. Elephants 10 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 10 |
46 |
├ Base Defence 15 |
├ Shield shield2 |
└ Shield Defence 31 |
1 |
├ Armour arm0 |
├ Armour Defence 1 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
20 |
├ Man Entity light_medium |
├ Man Health 20 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Base Morale 40 |
Abilities
Heilotes- Stamina (average)
Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.
Attributes
- Expert Charge Defence
This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies. - Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Transport- Very poor hull strength
- Very slow speed
- Weak ramming
- Average defensive unit
- Low damage but average armour penetration
- Weak attack
- Poor morale
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Grand Campaign | |
Imperator Augustus | |
Macedonian Wars |