Mercenary Phalangites
Mercenary. Hired from a regional pool, not recruited from a building.
Class: spearmen · Category: infantry · Men per unit: 60
Description
Even though the training to fight in a Macedonian phalanx took a long time, we often find mercenary phalangites in Hellenistic armies. At the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC, for instance, the Ptolemies fielded 8000 Hoplite and Phalangite mercenaries (Polyb. V, 65, 4), while the Seleucids had 5000 men at their disposal (Polyb. V, 79, 9). Even the Achaian League, reputedly built on civic values and the honour of the citizen soldiers and being traditional Hoplite country, passed a decree under Aratos of Sikyon at the same time that "they were to keep up a mercenary force of eight thousand foot and five hundred horse" (Polyb. V, 91, 6). Increasing numbers of these mercenaries will have been phalangites, and they encompassed both men who might have fought as (mercenary) Hoplites in the past, and those who served in the regiments of defeated kings and warriors, such as Lysimachos, Pyrrhos or Ptolemaios Keraunos. Suddenly without a job, they offered their services to whoever would pay them best. Some of them might even have been part of foreign armies and were "rented" for a certain campaign or war, a practice known for some Achaians and Aitolians.
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 60 | █████████· 87% |
| Attack | 20 | ██████████ 98% |
| Charge bonus | 2 | █········· 11% |
| Defence | 27 | ███······· 34% |
| · armour | 10 | █████····· 54% |
| · defence skill | 14 | ██········ 17% |
| · shield | 3 | ████······ 37% |
| Morale | 11 | ████······ 39% |
| Discipline | Normal | |
| Training | Highly trained | |
| Upkeep per turn | 737 dn | ███████··· 71% |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 20 | 5 | Charge bonus | 2 | 2 | Type | melee · blade | melee · simple | Damage | piercing | piercing |
| Properties | Long spear (bonus against cavalry, penalty against infantry) · +8 attack against cavalry · very long pike (phalanx) | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 27 | — | Armour | 10 | — | Defence skill | 14 | — | Shield | 3 | — |
Condition and terrain
| Hit points | 1 | Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow | -5 / -1 / -8 / -1 | Charge distance | 0 | Formations | Square · Phalanx |
Technical stats
| Time between blows (primary / secondary) | 2.5 s / 2.5 s | Extra fatigue in hot climates | 1 | Collision mass per man (1.0 is normal) | 1.09 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 1 × 1 m / 2 × 2.4 m |
| Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Can sap · 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 22 regions, at 4,401–4,694 dn to hire and 2–3 experience.
Mercenary pools: Alexandria · Ambrakia · Dekapolis · Epeiros · Euboia · Kilikia · Macedon · Pamphylia · Phrygia · Seleukis · Thessaly
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 Achaean League · Antigonid Kingdom · Boeotians · Cyrene · Egyptians · Epirus · Greek City States · Hellenistic Rebels · Lysiad Kingdom · Megalopolis · Pergamon · Pontus · Ptolemaic Empire · Ptolemaic Rebels · Seleucid Empire · Seleucid Rebels · Seleucid Rebels · Sparta · Taras.
The 22 regions where this unit appears in a mercenary pool
Ambrakikos Kolpos · Apamene · Chaonia · Damashq · Dekapolis · Emathia · Emesene · Euboia · Khalab · Kilikia Pedias · Kilikia Tracheia · Magnesia · Mareotis · Massyas · Megale Phrygia · Mygdonia · Orestis · Pamphylia · Phrygia · Synnadia · Syria · Thessalia