Kush Missile Ship

Tower Penteres - Royal Kushite Archers

From a shipboard tower, all enemies become little targets to be potted at will.

These archers, drawn from the sons and daughters of the nobility, will stand and fight to the last.

The 'five', called a quinquereme in Latin and a penteres in Greek, was a ship first used by the Syracusans against the Carthaginians sometime around 398BC. Like other polyremes, a term meaning many-oared, the chances were that it did not have five banks of oars but that the word 'oar' was used to mean 'rower'. In such a case, the arrangement of rowers would be two-two-one going up from the waterline. It makes sense to keep as much weight as possible low in the vessel to help its stability; a high centre of gravity makes any ship liable to capsize if struck from the side. The quinquereme, then, would be a formidable vessel both in terms of appearance and combat value. With a large fighting contingent aboard and plenty of deck space, this heavy vessel could cope with most enemies and threats.

(Royal Kushite Archers)
From their position on the Nile, the Kushite Nubians profoundly influenced the world around them. They have an impressive history from their tribal beginnings, through their time as part of the New Kingdom of Egypt to the rise of their own empire, when the kingdom – or Kush – extended across large tracts of southern Egypt. They repelled multiple Roman advances, and even survived the sacking of their capital during the 1st century BC. Though their kingdom declined in late antiquity, the Kushites remained a geopolitical and military force to be reckoned with and were never absorbed into the Roman Empire. They were famed for their formidable archers, with man and bow working as one.

Abilities

Tower Penteres

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 strokes.
  Ship speed

Royal Kushite Archers

• 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.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Tower Penteres

• Good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Average boarding
• Very good missile combat

Royal Kushite Archers

• Long range
• Fast rate of fire
• Good damage but low armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Poor morale

Kush Units
General (4)
1.African War Elephants
2.Kushite Royal Guard
3.Royal Kushite Archers
4.Scythed Chariots
Melee Infantry (6)
5.Swordsmen
6.Armoured Shotel Warriors
7.Disciples of Apedemak
8.Kushite Slave Infantry
9.Shotel Warriors
10.Slave Infantry
Missile Infantry (6)
11.Archers
12.Tribesmen
13.Nubian Bowmen
14.Kushite Archers
15.Royal Kushite Archers
16.Slave Slingers
Pike Infantry (1)
17.Kushite Pikes
Spear Infantry (3)
18.Nubian Spearmen
19.Kushite Slave Spearmen
20.Leopard Warriors
Melee Cavalry (4)
21.Aethiopian Cavalry
22.Armoured Desert Cavalry
23.Desert Cavalry
24.Kushite Royal Guard
Chariot (2)
25.Desert Chariots
26.Scythed Chariots
Elephant (2)
27.African Elephants
28.African War Elephants
Fixed Artillery (3)
29.African Giant Ballista
30.African Bastion Scorpion
31.African Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
32.African Bastion Ballista
33.African Ballista
34.African Scorpion
35.African Heavy Onager
36.African Bastion Onager
37.African Onager
Admiral (3)
38.Assault Hexeres - Swordsmen
39.Tower Penteres - Royal Kushite Archers
40.Scorpion Trieres - Archers
Melee Ship (3)
41.Assault Hexeres - Swordsmen
42.Fire Pot Dieres - Nubian Spearmen
43.Assault Dieres - Nubian Spearmen
Missile Ship (6)
44.Tower Penteres - Royal Kushite Archers
45.Missile Penteres - Kushite Archers
46.Scorpion Trieres - Archers
47.Missile Trieres - Archers
48.Raiding Hemiolia - Slave Slingers
49.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Slave Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
50.Light Artillery Penteres - African Ballista (Ship)
51.Artillery Penteres - African Onager (Ship)