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Assault Dieres - Mercenary Coastal Levies Mercenaries Melee Ship

Assault Dieres - Mercenary Coastal Levies

With a ramming attack that can break an enemy hull, these ships are deadly weapons.

Sharp axes, embedded in the right targets, really are worth the money.

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.

(Mercenary Coastal Levies)
Although called Illyrians by Greeks and Romans, these seafaring people from the Adriatic coast were actually not a single nation or tribe. The Greeks first had dealings with them during the Bronze Age, and the name was then applied to everyone in the area. The Illyrians were actually several petty, and not-so-petty, kingdoms that warred with each other when not fighting Greeks or their Macedonian neighbours. The Illyrians could not be lightly dismissed as barbarians: under powerful warlords such as Bardyllis, king of the Dardanians, they conquered Macedon and installed a puppet ruler in 393BC. It was Phillip II and Alexander the Great who eventually ended Illyrian interference in their affairs. The Illyrians were also pirates, and terrorised the Adriatic for centuries; this was what eventually prompted their subjugation by the Romans.

Assault Dieres - Mercenary Coastal Levies

Unit Name

Assault Dieres - Mercenary Coastal Levies

Main Unit Key

Mer_Ill_Galley

Land Unit Key

Mer_Ill_Coastal_Levies

Naval Unit Key

greek_two

Soldiers

60

Category

Light Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

350

Recruitment Cost

350

Upkeep Cost

260

Missile Damage

32

├ Missile Weapon

rome_javelin_precursor

├ Projectile

javelin_prec

├ Missile Damage

20

├ Missile Ap Damage

12

└ Base Reload Time

15

Accuracy

5

Range

40

Reload

0

Shots Per Minute

4

Ammunition

2

Ship Health

501

└ Ship

greek_two

Ship Speed

6

Melee Attack

20

Weapon Damage

26

├ Melee Weapon

rome_celtic_axe

├ Melee Damage Base

16

├ Melee Damage Ap

10

├ Armour Piercing

Yes

├ Bonus vs. Large

0

├ Bonus vs Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

10

Melee Defence

36

├ Base Defence

11

├ Shield

thureos

└ Shield Defence

25

Armour

45

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

35

Health

45

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_medium_fast

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

5

Base Morale

30

Abilities

Assault Dieres
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed

Attributes

  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Dieres
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Good boarding
Mercenary Coastal Levies
  • Average attack
  • Weak defence
  • Average damage but low armour penetration
  • Poor morale

Faction Mercenaries Pool

Mercenaries Pool
No. Pool Faction Initial Unit Count Chance To Replenish Max Replenish Per Turn Max Count
1 rom_faction_pool_naval_illyrians 1 0.15 1 1
2 rom_faction_pool_naval_illyrians 0 0.15 1 1