


Assault Bireme - Auxiliary Celtic Warriors
With a ramming attack that can break an enemy hull, these ships are deadly weapons.A Celt may swing a longsword for Rome and remain a Celt.
The waterline ram was first mounted on a vessel in around 850BC. Warships and naval tactics were transformed. Ships were no longer platforms for infantry battles on the water; the ship itself became the weapon. Galleys changed as the new reality sank in. Ramming at speed would hole and sink an enemy, therefore slimmer, faster, handier ships were required. More speed on demand obviously required more oars a fast ship with a single row of oars ended up being stupidly, impractically long. The solution, then, was to put in a second set of oars above the first, but slightly offset to allow for rowers' benches. These biremes, a Latin word meaning 'two oars', or dieres, the Greek equivalent, were no longer than previous designs but had twice the number of rowers. They were fast, manoeuvrable, and could carry a fighting contingent. Some nations also gave their bireme crews fire pots; these clay pots filled with oil and pitch were hurled at enemy ships in the entirely reasonable hope of setting them ablaze.
(Auxiliary Celtic Warriors)
While Celts often lacked the formal organisations and tactics of their more 'civilised' opponents, they did have extremely able metalworkers, and long experience as mercenaries. In battle, they were not outmatched on an individual level by Romans or Greeks. Celts often favoured the spear in battle. It is a simple weapon, and a typical Celtic warrior might carry several into a fight: lighter javelins to hurl at the enemy on the approach or charge, and sometimes an iron-tipped spear for close combat. Some spears were crafted with barbed tips to cause further damage as they were pulled from wounds. Spears were also convenient for displaying trophies, in the shape of rotting enemy heads. This bloody appearance by the Celts, and a ferocious appetite for battle, was often enough to un-man opponents. Celtic warriors would send a chorus of chants, taunts and insults aimed towards foes, and blow their unearthly-sounding 'carnyx' battle horns. The whole display was intended to frighten foes, and put the warriors into the right frame of mind for battle.
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Unit Name Assault Bireme - Auxiliary Celtic Warriors |
Main Unit Key Aux_Cel_Warriors_Two |
Land Unit Key Aux_Cel_Warriors |
Naval Unit Key roman_two |
Soldiers 60 |
Category Light Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 330 |
Recruitment Cost 330 |
Upkeep Cost 66 |
Missile Damage 32 |
├ Missile Weapon rome_javelin_precursor |
├ Projectile javelin_prec |
├ Missile Damage 20 |
├ Missile Ap Damage 12 |
└ Base Reload Time 15 |
Accuracy 5 |
Range 40 |
Reload 0 |
Shots Per Minute 4 |
Ammunition 2 |
Ship Health 501 |
└ Ship roman_two |
Ship Speed 6 |
Melee Attack 27 |
Weapon Damage 40 |
├ Melee Weapon rome_celtic_longsword |
├ Melee Damage Base 36 |
├ Melee Damage Ap 4 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Bonus vs. Large 0 |
├ Bonus vs Elephants 0 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 25 |
Melee Defence 50 |
├ Base Defence 20 |
├ Shield celtic |
└ Shield Defence 30 |
Armour 45 |
├ Armour cloth |
├ Armour Defence 10 |
└ Shield Armour 35 |
Health 55 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_light_fast |
├ Man Health 40 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 15 |
Base Morale 45 |
Abilities
Assault Bireme- Row Hard 10
Increases speed for 10 strokes.
Ship speed
Attributes
- Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Assault Bireme- Very poor hull strength
- Very light crew
- Fast speed
- Weak ramming
- Good boarding
- Good attack
- Average defence
- Average damage but low armour penetration
- Normal morale
Recuitment Requirement | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Unit Resouces | Auxilia_Celtic | ||||||||||||||||||||
Imperator Augustus Regions
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Requires Buildings | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Shipwright
(rome_port_patrol_2) Level 1 ![]()
Docks
(rome_port_patrol_3) Level 2 ![]()
Coastal Patrol
(rome_port_patrol_4) Level 3 |
Faction Availability | |
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Grand Campaign | |
Samnite Wars | |
Hannibal at the Gates | |
Imperator Augustus |


























































































































































































