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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Palmyra (Empire Divided) / Units / Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers
Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers Palmyra (Empire Divided)Palmyra (Empire Divided) Missile Ship

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers

Fast, relatively powerful pursuit ships, well able to hunt down pirates and other seagoing scum.

These skirmishers harass an enemy line with javelins, screening their comrades in the process.

It is thought that the Rhodians, a significant naval power in the eastern Mediterranean, developed the 'trihemiolia' or 'two-and-a-half' as a vessel for pirate hunting. Given that Rhodes is an island entirely reliant on the sea and shipping this is a believable theory. Pirates used the hemiola, a handy little vessel developed from the dieres or bireme, a ship with two rows of oars; it makes sense that pirate hunters would think of taking a trieres, or trireme, with three rows of oars and modifying it in a similar fashion. A trihemiolia still had three rows of oars on each side, but the top row was reduced to only half the number of oars, positioned midships. The result was a faster, handier vessel that provided a height advantage over a hemiola for any archers on board. There was also a strategic benefit to the Rhodians, who could only draw on the manpower of one island: they could have six trieres warships with full complements of rowers, or seven trihemiolias for the same number of men. The useful design was soon adopted by other maritime powers around the Mediterranean.

(Palmyrene Skirmishers)
The javelin is among the oldest weapons - the idea of using a sharp stick to bring down large predators goes right back to the Stone Age, and endured throughout antiquity. 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 troops: to engage at range and then fall back behind more heavily-armoured infantry, or continue attacks while trying to stay just out of the enemy's reach. Such harassment could be highly effective; if enemy forces lacked the support of skirmishers or cavalry they were severely punished by javelin-armed skirmishers who refused to meet them at close-quarters. Over time, shields became common also, such as those used by Thracian and Greek peltasts, but these were rendered obsolete by the heavier Hellenic thureophoroi. Nevertheless, javelinmen and other irregulars continued to play a part in many armies throughout antiquity.

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers

Unit Name

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers

Main Unit Key

3c_Pal_Pursuit_Trihemiolia

Land Unit Key

3c_Pal_Palmyrene_Skirmishers

Naval Unit Key

3c_greek_two_halfer

Soldiers

100

Category

Light Ship

Class

Missile Ship

Custom Battle Cost

490

Recruitment Cost

490

Upkeep Cost

100

Missile Damage

32

├ Missile Weapon

rome_javelin

├ Projectile

javelin_normal

├ Missile Damage

20

├ Missile Ap Damage

12

└ Base Reload Time

10

Accuracy

5

Range

80

Reload

13

Shots Per Minute

7

Ammunition

7

Ship Health

585

└ Ship

greek_two_halfer

Ship Speed

7

Melee Attack

8

Weapon Damage

24

├ Melee Weapon

rome_shortsword

├ Melee Damage Base

20

├ Melee Damage Ap

4

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

0

├ Bonus vs Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

3

Melee Defence

37

├ Base Defence

12

├ Shield

pelta

└ Shield Defence

25

Armour

15

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

5

Health

45

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_light

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

5

Base Morale

30

Abilities

Pursuit Trihemiolia
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed

Attributes

  • Resistant to Fatigue
    Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
  • Hide (scrub & forest)
    This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Pursuit Trihemiolia
  • Poor hull strength
  • Medium crew
  • Uncatchable
  • Weak ramming
  • Poor boarding
  • Average missile combat
Palmyrene Skirmishers
  • Short range
  • Fast rate of fire
  • Very good damage and armour penetration
  • Very weak in melee
  • Very poor morale
Requires Buildings
Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers Lv. 0 Military Wharf
Military Wharf
(3c_rome_port_military_2)
Level 1
Drydock
Drydock
(3c_rome_port_military_3)
Level 2
Portus Classis
Portus Classis
(3c_rome_port_military_4)
Level 3
Garrison Buildings
Pursuit Trihemiolia - Palmyrene Skirmishers x 1 Military Wharf
Military Wharf
(3c_rome_port_military_2)
Level 1
Drydock
Drydock
(3c_rome_port_military_3)
Level 2
Portus Classis
Portus Classis
(3c_rome_port_military_4)
Level 3
Shipwright
Shipwright
(3c_rome_port_patrol_2)
Level 1
Docks
Docks
(3c_rome_port_patrol_3)
Level 2
Coastal Patrol
Coastal Patrol
(3c_rome_port_patrol_4)
Level 3