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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Drangiana / Units / Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts
Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts DrangianaDrangiana Melee Ship

Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts

Fire pots, hurled onto enemy decks, are a terrible threat to wooden ships.

These skirmishers harass the enemy with their javelins before sensibly withdrawing out of range.

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.

(Light Peltasts)
These skirmishers were named for their small crescent-shaped leather or wicker shields or 'peltai'. It was a common habit to name troops for their shield style in the Greek world. They wore little or no armour and carried three javelins. After harassing the enemy by flinging javelins, they would hastily retreat before any counter-charge or flanking move could be carried out. As armies developed and tactics became more complex, peltasts were expected to take part in hand-to-hand combat: with such expectation they were given stiffened linen cuirasses and short swords. They were still expected to use javelins, but could then join in the close fighting. Eventually, peltasts even exchanged their characteristic shield for the heavier thureos. Their name and battlefield function remained unchanged.

Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts
Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts

Unit Name

Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts

Main Unit Key

Gre_Light_Peltasts_Two_Fire_Pots

Land Unit Key

Gre_Light_Peltasts

Naval Unit Key

greek_fire_pot_two

Soldiers

60

Category

Light Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

530

Recruitment Cost

530

Upkeep Cost

106

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

23

Shots Per Minute

8

Ammunition

10

Ship Health

501

└ Ship

greek_two

Ship Speed

6

Melee Attack

18

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

10

Melee Defence

40

├ Base Defence

15

├ Shield

peltast_thureos

└ Shield Defence

25

Armour

40

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

30

Health

50

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_light_fast

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

10

Base Morale

45

Abilities

Fire Pot Dieres
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed
Light Peltasts
  • Quick Reload
    Improved reloading for an extended time.
    Shots per minute
    Exertion: fatigue

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

Fire Pot Dieres
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Very strong initial ramming
  • Good boarding
Light Peltasts
  • Short range
  • Fast rate of fire
  • Very good damage and armour penetration
  • Large shield
  • Very weak in melee
  • Poor morale
Recuitment Requirement
Required Technology Mercenaries Cost 150 Upgrade From Fire Pot Dieres - Peltasts