Demetae Melee Ship

Heavy Raider - Painted Ones

Strong warships, constructed to withstand the worst the sea can throw at them.

Inhumanly decorated, and inhumanly savage, these men are dangerous indeed.

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

(Painted Ones)
The painted warriors of Britain were recognisable thanks to the blue designs adorning their skin and made famous by Julius Caesar’s 'De Bello Gallico'. Their bravery and savagery is evident from his commentaries. Fighting unarmoured, and sometimes naked in the style of the Gaulish Gaesatae or the northern Picts, the painted ones relied on their skills with the Celtic longsword, a weapon designed to slash and hack rather than stab, and their tall shields, which could also be used as a weapon in its own right. Their tattoos generally took the form of curlicue lines, dashes and circles, which mirrored abstracted animal and natural forms. Frightening to behold, these designs probably held religious significance, uniting the warriors with their gods, their lands and their tribes. Whether woad was the source of the blue dye or some mixture of copper and iron that Caesar referred to as 'vitrum' is not entirely clear. Woad, however, does make a better candidate as it has slightly antiseptic properties.

Abilities

Heavy Raider

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 strokes.
  Ship speed

Painted Ones

• Frenzy
  Improves a unit's charge and weapon damage for an extended period.
  Charge damage, Weapon damage
  Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Cold
  This unit tires less quickly in snow.
• Scare (everyone)
  This unit frightens all enemy units.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Heavy Raider

• Very good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Very good boarding

Painted Ones

• Very good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Good morale

Demetae Units
General (3)
1.Chariots
2.Heroic Nobles
3.Heroic Riders
Melee Infantry (6)
4.Ambushers
5.Chosen Sword Band
6.Druidic Nobles
7.Heroic Nobles
8.Painted Ones
9.Sword Band
Missile Infantry (2)
10.Briton Skirmishers
11.Briton Slingers
Spear Infantry (4)
12.Chosen Spear Band
13.Farmers
14.Spear Band
15.Levy Freemen
Melee Cavalry (3)
16.Heroic Riders
17.Briton Scout Riders
18.Veteran Riders
Chariot (1)
19.Chariots
Fixed Artillery (3)
20.Briton Giant Ballista
21.Briton Bastion Scorpion
22.Briton Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
23.Briton Bastion Ballista
24.Briton Ballista
25.Briton Scorpion
26.Briton Heavy Onager
27.Briton Bastion Onager
28.Briton Onager
Special (1)
29.Celtic Warhounds
Admiral (2)
30.Heavy Raider - Painted Ones
31.Medium Missile Raider - Briton Slingers
Melee Ship (4)
32.Heavy Raider - Painted Ones
33.Persian Assault Teteres - Spear Band
34.Medium Assault Raider - Sword Band
35.Assault Raider - Levy Freemen
Missile Ship (3)
36.Greek Missile Penteres - Briton Slingers
37.Medium Missile Raider - Briton Slingers
38.Missile Raider - Briton Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
39.Roman Light Artillery Quinquereme - Briton Ballista (Ship)
40.Roman Artillery Quinquereme - Briton Onager (Ship)