Misthophoroi Thureophoroi (Mercenary Hellenic Spearmen)

Misthophoroi Thureophoroi (Mercenary Hellenic Spearmen)
Misthophoroi Thureophoroi (Mercenary Hellenic Spearmen)
Primary Weapon	Type: spear Attack: 6 Charge: 4 Lethality: 1 Range: 35 Ammo: 3 Attributes: Thrown before charge, Thrown missile
Secondary Weapon	Type: spear Attack: 14 Charge: 4 Lethality: 0.13 Attributes: light spear
Defence	Armour: 10 Shield: 3 Skill: 8
Recruitment	Soldiers: 40 Cost: 1337 Upkeep: 334 Turns: 1
Mental	Morale: 11 Discipline: normal Training: trained
Other	Hit Points: 1 Mass: 1.15 Attributes: Can board ships, Can hide in forest, Can dig tunnels, Mercenary, Hardy Formation: square Side/Back spacing: 1/1.4 Ownership: Aedui, Arche Seleukeia, Arverni, Baktria, Casse, Epeiros, Getai, Hayasdan, Iberia, Koinon Hellenon, Makedonia, Pahlav, Pontos, Ptolemaioi, Eleutheroi

Thureophoroi were a new class of Hellenic infantry. They are an extremely mobile force that can hit hard with their heavy javelins then rush in to flank pike units.

Description

Thureophoroi were a new class of Hellenic infantry that was designed to both augment the phalanx and provide a type of soldier in between the Phalangite and the Peltast that was able to skirmish and fight in melee. They are an extremely mobile force that can hit hard with their heavy javelins then rush in to flank pike units. They are well armed and armored for the task, having stout bronze helms, linen armor, an almond shaped theuros shield, heavy javelins, and a stout spear. They are highly versatile infantry, akin in spirit to the legionnaires of Rome. They are usually Pezhetairoi, middle class property owners with voting rights. As such, they are well able to devote time to training and practice. They have good morale and are highly disciplined. They were often described by Latin writers as copies of the legion. It is debatable whether they were developed with knowledge of warfare in Italy or not, they are a highly effective force of heavy infantry that is in the forefront of Hellenic military know-how.

Historically, Theurophoroi were used as harassing and flanking troops by the successor states. There seemed to be a lot of confusion as to how to utilize these new soldiers, since they were deadly in the extreme to the less mobile phalanx units. Most of the successor states used them conservatively, except for the Seleukeis, who took to these new soldiers quite well. The city-states of Greece used them even more frequently against the armies of Makedonia, and were often able to hold the more powerful kingdom at bay. Still, their uses were limited in scope and not as widespread as their versatile and deadly role would have indicated. This is the fault of their commanders, however, and any more astute or innovative commander might have realized their potential in conjunction with the more static Phalanx.

Usage

These mercenaries are available from almost all over the Hellenic world, from South Italy to even India. These men are highly-versatile spearmen that can be used in a wide variety of roles like skirmishing, flanking or being line infantry.

They are almost identical to the regular Thureophoroi (Hellenic Spearmen) although they do not have the ability to retrain and regain their numbers. They are very useful especially to cavalry-focused factions needing a good infantry to siege the enemy settlement.