Somatophylakes Strategou (Hellenic Bodyguard Cavalry)

Somatophylakes Strategou (Hellenic Bodyguard Cavalry)
Somatophylakes Strategou (Hellenic Bodyguard Cavalry)
Primary Weapon	Type: spear Attack: 5 Charge: 41 Lethality: 0.38 Attributes: Armor piercing
Secondary Weapon	Type: sword Attack: 11 Charge: 22 Lethality: 0.11 Attributes: Armor piercing
Defence	Armour: 18 Shield: 0 Skill: 12
Recruitment	Soldiers: 10 Cost: 2307 Upkeep: 0 Turns: 1
Mental	Morale: 18 Discipline: disciplined Training: highly_trained
Other	Hit Points: 1 Mass: 1 Attributes: Can board ships, Can hide in forest, General bodyguards, Hardy Formation: square Side/Back spacing: 1.5/4 Mount effects: elephant -1, chariot +2 Ownership: Arche Seleukeia, Epeiros, Ptolemaioi, Makedonia

This general has a bodyguard of loyal spear-armed and armoured cavalry to accompany him onto the field.

Description

Hail stratege! Before you are your bodyguards. They will follow you into the thick of battle to protect and fight for you. Their training, discipline, skill, and tenacity in battle is par excellence exceeding most nations and states. To this end they ride the finest horses and don the finest equipment. They will serve you with alacrity and will only fail in the most trying of circumstances. Trust them with your life for they will help in bringing victory.

Historically, the cavalry bodyguards of the Diadochoi were easily counted amongst the best cavalry in the world. They were the direct descendants of the Companions of Philippos and Alexandros, but overtime became more heavily armored due to the prevalence of missiles in Asia and constant fighting amongst the successors. Between the three remaining major successor states the bodyguards went by different titles. In Antigonid Makedonia they were still known as Hetairoi and in Ptolemaic Aegyptus as Basilike Ile. However, in the Seleukid east there were two contingents: the Hetairoi made of military settlers and the Agema made of local nobility and mainly coming from Media. Unfortunately, over time the cost of maintaining such a unit and finding the men who could fulfill their own financial qualifications became more difficult and their numbers shrank considerably. Only the Seleukids could maintain its force of elite cavalry, which then too dwindled in the face of constant dynastic infighting between branches of the family and usurpers.

Usage

These general's bodyguards are similar to the Hetairoi (Companion Cavalry) and the same tactics apply although they should be used to bolster the morale of line infantry. The Epeiros faction however is highly similar to the Molosson Agema (Epeiros Heavy Cavalry) and as such they tire much less and can perform more charges at the cost of having less armor.