VI Ballista

Ballista Crew
Unit Type:	Artillery
Combat Stats
Charge:	1
Attack:	0
Defence:	-2
Armour:	1
Shield:	None
Speed:	6,10,11
Morale:	2
Notes:	2 turns to build, 8 men total
Unit Costs
Recruitment:	175
Upkeep:	10
Unit Restrictions
Buildings Needed:	Siege Engineer
Unit Card:

Unit Description

The Ballista is pretty much worthless as artillery. The range is not long enough, and it can only kill one soldier per shot. It is fairly easy to counter with light cavalry, and needs to be protected for an extended period of time to be of any use. In sieges, it can damage gates, but the short range means the crew will suffer from enemy defensive fire. Another problem with the ballista in the Viking campaign is that the Siege Engineer allows for both the Ballista and the Catapult, so no extra teching is required for the much better siege engine.

Best used when defending, placed on a (small) hill safely behind your lines so it can shoot over your soldiers' heads during combat. Target heavily armoured and expensive troops like heavy cavalry and knights, as it ignores armour, is fairly accurate, and will kill the target outright.

Artillery Statistics

Missile Statistics - Artillery Type: Ballista
Ammo	Range (meters)	Accuracy	Lethality	Power	Armour Modifier	Reload Time (sec)	Minimum Crew	Turnable	Firing Arc (deg)	Blast Radius (meters)
40	200	0.9	10	40	0	10.7	2	yes	5	0

The ballista bolt does not penetrate anything or bounce, so once it hits something it is removed from play. The bolt does not arc, and the ballista cannot depress fire below zero degrees, so care must be taken when placing the piece on the field. It needs a fairly flat killing zone, with no trees or buildings in between it and the target.

Is it possible to mod in penetration, to allow 1 bolt to kill more than 1 man? (PROJECTILESTATS.TXT, HitSoldier = PENETRATE?)

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