Mercenary Rhodian Slingers
Mercenary. Hired from a regional pool, not recruited from a building.
Class: missile · Category: infantry · Men per unit: 40
Description
These slingers are notorious for their deadly aim and thus both revered and dreaded throughout the Mediterranean world. Equipped with slings made from leather, hemp, or braided flax, they could shoot small lead bullets as far as 400 metres and were able to easily outrange most other missile troops of the time. Xenophon describes their effectiveness during the campaign of the mercenary army known as the "Ten Thousand" through Asia Minor. On their way back to Greece, they were constantly harassed by Persian horse archers and slingers, who remained outside of the range of the Cretan archers. Xenophon had his Rhodian hoplites produce make-shift slings to "sent back an answering volley, and not a man among them missed his mark" (Xen. Anab. 3.4.15). Thanks to their smaller lead bullets the Rhodian slingers could shoot further than the Persians, who were using stones, and forced them to give up the chase.
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 40 | ███······· 30% |
| Attack | 8 | █········· 9% |
| Charge bonus | 5 | ███······· 26% |
| Defence | 17 | █········· 13% |
| · armour | 1 | █········· 0% |
| · defence skill | 14 | ██········ 18% |
| · shield | 2 | ███······· 25% |
| Morale | 9 | ███······· 26% |
| Discipline | Normal | |
| Training | Trained | |
| Upkeep per turn | 662 dn | ██████···· 56% |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 8 | 4 | Charge bonus | 5 | 5 | Type | missile · archery | melee · simple | Damage | blunt | piercing |
| Projectile | lead_bullet | — | Range | 170 | — | Ammunition | 25 | — | Properties | Armour-piercing (counts only half the target's armour) | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 17 | — | Armour | 1 | — | Defence skill | 14 | — | Shield | 2 | — |
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) | 0.85 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 1.2 × 2.8 m / 2.16 × 5.04 m |
| Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Very good stamina
Where to hire it
Mercenaries are hired from a regional pool, not recruited from a building. This unit is offered by 11 pools covering 37 regions, at 5,435–6,061 dn to hire and 2–3 experience.
Mercenary pools: Aegean Islands · Aiolis · Argolis · Caria · Dorian Pentapolis · Lydia · Odysseus Islands · Pella · Pergamon · Rhodes · Troad Mysia
At least one of those pools sells to any faction that has an army in range, with no faction restriction.
Some pools additionally restrict it to Antigonid Kingdom · Pergamon.
The 37 regions where this unit appears in a mercenary pool
Adramyttenos Kolpos · Anatolike Kyklades · Ano Troias · Argolis · Arktonnesos · Chalkedonia · Dorian Chersonesos · Dytike Kyklades · Emathia · Euantheia · Halikarnassia · Idrias · Kaikia · Kalbia · Kalliste · Karia · Kaystros · Kephallenia · Kianos Kolpos · Kos · Lelegia · Lemnos · Leukas · Lydia · Maiandros · Marsyas · Mysia · Notios Rhodos · Pelopeia · Phrykonis · Pityoussa · Propontis · Rhodos · Sipylos · Skyros · Troias · Zakynthos