Description
The Spartan helots were conscripted for service in the armies of Sparta, serving their Spartiate masters as camp followers, porters, and labourers. In battle, they were deployed as skirmishers, tasked to harass the enemy phalanx with javelins and stones. Commoners who eked out a living as farmers and pastoralists were typically skilled with the sling from boyhood. The slingers wore only a simple tunic (chiton), with a sling and pouch for holding specially made lead bullets or shot, and perhaps a small knife or dagger. They were unable to withstand close combat for any length of time, lacking both proper arms and training.
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 40 | ███······· 30% |
| Attack | 6 | █········· 3% |
| Charge bonus | 0 | █········· 0% |
| Defence | 11 | █········· 2% |
| · armour | 1 | █········· 0% |
| · defence skill | 10 | █········· 5% |
| · shield | 0 | █········· 0% |
| Morale | 5 | █········· 4% |
| Discipline | Low | |
| Training | Untrained | |
| Recruitment cost | 937 dn | █········· 3% |
| Upkeep per turn | 343 dn | █········· 11% |
| Turns to recruit | 2 |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 6 | 2 | Charge bonus | 0 | 0 | Type | missile · archery | melee · simple | Damage | blunt | piercing |
| Projectile | stone | — | Range | 150 | — | Ammunition | 35 | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 11 | — | Armour | 1 | — | Defence skill | 10 | — | Shield | 0 | — |
Condition and terrain
| Hit points | 1 | Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow | 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 | Charge distance | 30 | Formations | Square |
Technical stats
| Time between blows (primary / secondary) | 2.5 s / 2.5 s | Extra fatigue in hot climates | 0 | Collision mass per man (1.0 is normal) | 0.81 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 1.2 × 2.8 m / 2.16 × 5.04 m |
| Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Very good stamina
Who can recruit it
A core roster unit for one faction, which can raise it anywhere it holds the right building:
Exactly what a settlement must have, route by route (3)
| Building | Also requires | Building | Also requires | Building | Also requires | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indirect Rule | Garrison Building or Tier 1 Military Industrial Complex · Tier 1 Colony | Direct Rule | Garrison Building or Tier 1 Military Industrial Complex · Tier 1 Colony | Homeland | Garrison Building or Tier 1 Military Industrial Complex |