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Roman Bastion Ballista RomeRome Field Artillery

Roman Bastion Ballista

Ballistae can shoot with deadly accuracy over surprising distances.

At close targets, a ballista could be aimed effectively but accuracy came at a cost in range; it could fire around 500 metres. The machine used two torsion springs with levers inserted into twisted ropes made from animal sinew, giving incredible power for its size. Firing either solid shot or bolts, it was equally effective against infantry or cavalry, but could also be deployed to destroy light fortifications during sieges. Originally developed by the Greeks around 400BC, and based on the oversized Oxybeles composite bow, ballistae were widely used by many cultures of the period, including the Romans. Later Roman versions included adjustable caps that enabled crews to quickly alter the tension of each sinew bundle to provide balance and therefore improve accuracy.

Roman Bastion Ballista

Unit Name

Roman Bastion Ballista

Main Unit Key

Rom_Ballista_Bastion

Land Unit Key

Rom_Ballista_Bastion

Naval Unit Key

pel_transport

Soldiers

40

Category

Siege Engine

Class

Field Artillery

Custom Battle Cost

560

Recruitment Cost

560

Upkeep Cost

110

Missile Damage

180

├ Engine

ballista_medium_bastion

├ Missile Weapon

rome_ballista_medium_bastion

├ Projectile

stone_ballista_bastion

├ Missile Damage

90

├ Missile Ap Damage

90

└ Base Reload Time

23

Accuracy

5

Range

460

Reload

20

Shots Per Minute

3

Ammunition

25

Melee Attack

9

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

6

Melee Defence

14

├ Base Defence

14

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

40

├ Armour

mail

├ Armour Defence

40

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

40

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_medium

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Base Morale

40

Abilities

No Ability

Attributes

  • Cannot Run
    This unit cannot run and will only move at walking pace.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Roman Bastion Ballista
  • Very accurate
  • Very long range
  • Average rate of fire
  • Lower damage than other artillery
  • Easily destroyed
Garrison Buildings
Roman Bastion Ballista x 2 Civil Municipium
Civil Municipium
(rome_city_civil_3)
Level 2
Garrison Municipium
Garrison Municipium
(rome_city_garrison_3)
Level 2
Roman Bastion Ballista x 3 Civil Urbs
Civil Urbs
(rome_city_civil_4)
Level 3
Garrison Urbs
Garrison Urbs
(rome_city_garrison_4)
Level 3