Pergamon Spear Infantry

Agema Spears

Composed of veterans, agema - or guards - were elite units within Hellenic and Successor armies. They first appeared under Alexander the Great, where elitism was actively encouraged and rewarded, marking the move from citizen soldiers, loyal to the state, to professional armies, loyal to their general. Alexander’s agema probably developed from the ranks of his Companions, but as his campaigns continued successfully more units of veterans naturally emerged. Known as hypaspists, they probably fought in the hoplite style, but used a smaller hoplon than their predecessors. Their role was to protect the vulnerable flanks of the pike phalanxes and support the cavalry. Such units could have long careers, the famed silver shields, for instance, fought as mercenaries first for Eumenes and then Antigonus after Alexander’s death, also being used as the blueprint for the later Seleucid Silver Shields. Highly valued for their experience, many Silver Shields continued fighting well into their sixties. Later agema diversified, and the term came to be used for many elite or veteran hypaspist, peltast or cavalry units during the period. These units often bore battle honours or nicknames celebrating their victories; at the siege of Oaeneum in 169BC a vanguard of peltasts, the ‘nicatores’, or ‘conquerors’, stormed the walls.

Unit Name Agema Spears

Main Unit Key Gre_Agema_Spears

Land Unit Key Gre_Agema_Spears

Naval Unit Key pel_transport

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 840

Recruitment Cost 840

Upkeep Cost 130

Missile Damage 29

├ Missile Weapon rome_javelin_light

├ Projectile javelin_light

├ Missile Damage 20

├ Missile Ap Damage 9

└ Base Reload Time 10

Accuracy 5

Range 80

Reload 0

Shots Per Minute 6

Ammunition 5

Melee Attack 32

Weapon Damage 29

├ Melee Weapon rome_spear_elite

├ Melee Damage Base 24

├ Melee Damage Ap 5

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 20

├ Bonus vs Elephants 20

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 28

Melee Defence 59

├ Base Defence 34

├ Shield thureos

└ Shield Defence 25

Armour 80

├ Armour mail_improved

├ Armour Defence 45

└ Shield Armour 35

Health 55

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_medium_fast

├ Man Health 40

└ Bonus Hit Points 15

Base Morale 65

Abilities

• Square
  The unit moves into a close square formation.
  Bracing, morale, melee defence
  Can't move

Attributes

• Expert Charge Defence
  This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Encourage
  This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
• Formation Attack
  The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Very poor hull strength
• Very slow speed
• Weak ramming

• Good defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Average attack
• Normal morale

Requires Buildings
Lv. 0	Royal Barracks (greek_military_heavy_4) Level 3

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Pergamon Pergamenes Nobles Pergamenes Secessionists Hellenic Rebels
Hannibal at the Gates	Hellenic Rebels (Hannibal at the Gates)
Imperator Augustus	Hellenic Rebels (Imperator Augustus)