Javelineers VS Elephants

[paleologos]

Hello to everyone.
Do javelineers get some sort of secret bonus vs elephants or is it just my impression?
The first time my acondistai came close to a unit of those beasts I considered it a tactical failure of mine and braced myself for major losses when they charged.
Turned out that the javelins made short work of the elephants, two units of acondistai , two salvoes and it was over, no time to run amok or anything.
Was that normal? Anybody with similar experiences?
Thanks.

[levi758336]

It's not secret, but yes they do get bonuses. Also vs chariots I believe. You should see Bonus vs. Elephants in the unit card. Also depends on which type of elephant unit you were fighting I presume.

[athanaric]

Javelineers, both the infantry and the mounted versions, are actually the weapon of choice against elephants. Don't bother with archers, unless you explicitly want to make the elephants go berserk.

Against chariots, I'd recommend some mid-tier spearmen, like Thureophoroi. But any decent melee infantry should do the trick.

[paleologos]

Right, but in my game I removed that special bonus from the EDU file because it seemed it extended to their secondry weapons (dagger?).
Is there any other factor involved? I don't remember the unit height for the elephants but I remember reading in some post that the taller the unit the weaker it would be, though that post did not state in what way.
Could that be it?

[bobbin]

1. The elephants are big targets, so they will be hit more often by projectiles.

2. Javelins have quite high attack which increases the chance of a kill.

These two effects combine to make javelins such effective anti-elephant weapons.

[vartan]

Javelin attack is 4, and it is a thrown missile (unlike arrows). This alone, as said before, does the trick. The javelin need not even be AP (and it is not). It isn't a pilum. It's a thrown spear. I don't know how the math works. 4 attack...12 armour for African Forest Elephant. You do the math. And looks like the 4 attack is actually 6 against elephants (+2 vs ele). Also, luck plays a role (we can call it chance if you wish). Sometimes, none of your volleys kill.

[jirisys]

Javelin attack is 4, and it is a thrown missile (unlike arrows). This alone, as said before, does the trick. The javelin need not even be AP (and it is not). It isn't a pilum. It's a thrown spear. I don't know how the math works. 4 attack...12 armour for African Forest Elephant. You do the math. And looks like the 4 attack is actually 6 against elephants (+2 vs ele). Also, luck plays a role (we can call it chance if you wish). Sometimes, none of your volleys kill.

Also remember the lethality of the javelin

~Jirisys (blue!)

[vartan]

Also remember the lethality of the javelin

~Jirisys (blue!)

No need to remember lethality of a javelin. It has no lethality in the game. 1. One. Uno. Same with all missiles. Hardcoded sons of...

[Intranetusa]

No need to remember lethality of a javelin. It has no lethality in the game. 1. One. Uno. Same with all missiles. Hardcoded sons of...

I thought 1 was the max lethality? =/

[antisocialmunky]

They always do 1HP damage when hit is my understanding. 1HP damage is also the most damage anything can do in one attack. This is why cavalry tend to bounce off of Nakeds in the openning charge.

[vartan]

I thought 1 was the max lethality? =/

@Anti: There are no partial hit point damages. If the strikes are successful, they bring down the enemy's hit points by 1. Most units have only 1 hit point. With 2 hit point units the math isn't that hard either. 1 + 1 = 2. Need two successful strikes. 1 is the max lethality, correct. 1 is the same as 1.00, or 100 parts in 100, otherwise known as 100 percent. That is, if the javelin or any missile does indeed strike the enemy, that enemy will lose a hit point (i.e. die, unless it is a 2-HP unit, in which case it will die only when successfully struck a second time).

[antisocialmunky]

I believe that knockdown strikes apply fractional damage.

[vartan]

I believe that knockdown strikes apply fractional damage.

They might as well. Either model works. I've seen units die on the first blow. And I've seen them die after 3 knockdowns, or 2, or even 4. I mean the same two opponents. So...it suits several models.