Fire Pot Dieres - Late Libyan Hoplites
Fire pots, hurled onto enemy decks, are a terrible threat to wooden ships.There is a discipline in the advance of a phalanx that eludes lesser men.
The waterline ram was first mounted on a vessel in around 850BC. Warships and naval tactics were transformed. Ships were no longer platforms for infantry battles on the water; the ship itself became the weapon. Galleys changed as the new reality sank in. Ramming at speed would hole and sink an enemy, therefore slimmer, faster, handier ships were required. More speed on demand obviously required more oars a fast ship with a single row of oars ended up being stupidly, impractically long. The solution, then, was to put in a second set of oars above the first, but slightly offset to allow for rowers' benches. These biremes, a Latin word meaning 'two oars', or dieres, the Greek equivalent, were no longer than previous designs but had twice the number of rowers. They were fast, manoeuvrable, and could carry a fighting contingent. Some nations also gave their bireme crews fire pots; these clay pots filled with oil and pitch were hurled at enemy ships in the entirely reasonable hope of setting them ablaze.
(Late Libyan Hoplites)
Recruited from among descendants of Phoenician settlers and the native Lebu, Garamantian, and Berber peoples of the Sahara these troops were the largest non-mercenary Carthaginian contingent in the army. Colonising the African coast from around the 1st millennium BC, the Phoenicians founded Carthage and other cities, later known as Leptis Magna and Sabratha. Important trading centres, they acted alongside Tingis, which was founded by their Carthaginian descendants, and the Greek colony of Cyrene as gateways into Africa and the western Mediterranean. By the 5th century BC, however, the three Libyan cities had passed under the control and protection of Carthage and its mercantile dominance. Mixing together a variety of eastern and Saharan customs, and influenced by contact with much of the Mediterranean through their trading network, the Liby-Phoenicians were varied in their style of dress and armament.
Unit Name Fire Pot Dieres - Late Libyan Hoplites |
Main Unit Key Car_Late_Hoplites_Two_Fire_Pots |
Land Unit Key Car_Late_Libyan_Hoplites |
Naval Unit Key greek_fire_pot_two |
Soldiers 60 |
Category Medium Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 530 |
Recruitment Cost 530 |
Upkeep Cost 70 |
467 |
└ Ship greek_two |
Ship Speed 6 |
Melee Attack 20 |
29 |
├ Melee Weapon rome_spear_anti_cav |
├ Melee Damage Base 19 |
├ Melee Damage Ap 10 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Bonus vs. Large 23 |
├ Bonus vs Elephants 26 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 16 |
64 |
├ Base Defence 38 |
├ Shield hoplite |
└ Shield Defence 26 |
95 |
├ Armour spolas |
├ Armour Defence 52 |
└ Shield Armour 43 |
65 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_heavy |
├ Man Health 55 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 10 |
Base Morale 45 |
Abilities
Fire Pot Dieres- Row Hard 10
Increases speed for 10 strokes.
Ship speed
- Hoplite Wall
The unit moves into close wall formation.
Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
Acceleration, speed - Square
The unit moves into a close square formation.
Bracing, morale, melee defence
Can't move - Rapid Advance
Improved unit movement speed over an extended period.
Speed, acceleration, charge speed
Exertion: fatigue
Attributes
- Disciplined
This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often. - Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close. - Resistant to Heat
This unit tires less quickly in the desert.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fire Pot Dieres- Very poor hull strength
- Very light crew
- Fast speed
- Very strong initial ramming
- Good boarding
- Good defensive unit
- Low damage but average armour penetration
- Average attack
- Normal morale
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Grand Campaign | |
Hannibal at the Gates | |
Imperator Augustus |