Balearic Slingers

Recruitment Cost 560
Upkeep Cost 100
Missile Damage 29
Range 150
Shots Per Minute 8
Ammunition 25
Melee Attack 10
Weapon Damage 24
Charge Bonus 4
Melee Defence 38
Armour 25
Health 50
Base Morale 45
Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Very long range
  • Average rate of fire
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Very weak in melee
  • Very poor morale
Description

Raised from infancy to perfect their use of the sling, these famed warriors came from the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean. It is said that Balearic mothers did not allow their sons to eat until they had knocked their bread off a wall from a fair distance away. The slings they used were made from hair and animal sinew and, as adult warriors, each slinger carried three types for use at different ranges. Many slingers standing together produced a wave of shot that pierced armour and shattered bone, making them deadlier than even the very best archers. In fact, the Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paullus took a mortal wound to the head from slingshot during the opening minutes of the catastrophic Battle of Cannae. Not surprisingly, due to their geographical location, Balearic slingers were much sought after as mercenaries to fight both for and against Rome, and were reportedly paid in women rather than silver or gold!

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