High Elf Swordsmen | ||
---|---|---|
Race | High Elves | |
Req. Town Buildings |
Barracks, Smithy | |
Construction Cost | 30 | |
Upkeep Cost |
1 1 | |
| ||
# of figures | 6 | |
Moves | 1 | |
Melee Attack per figure | 3 | |
Defense per figure | 2 | |
Resistance | 6 | |
Hit Points per figure | 1 | |
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+10% To Hit Large Shield |
High Elf Swordsmen are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in High Elf Towns containing at least a Barracks and a Smithy. Swordsmen are a basic combat unit available to all Races. They are better defended against Ranged Attacks than other low-tier units, but generally don't pose much of a threat to more advanced units. They can become somewhat stronger through Experience though.
High Elf Swordsmen have a Construction Cost of 30, and require an Upkeep Cost of 1 and 1 to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically.
Unit Properties[]
Physical Description[]
High Elf Swordsmen are a group of tall humanoids with blond hair, slender and majestic. They are colorfully dressed in yellow shirts, white breeches, and a lively green cloak. They each carry a sword for up-close-and-personal combat, and a large dark-green buckler which protects them from enemy arrows and other ranged attacks. A hint of magic surrounds them at all times, guiding their weapons and allowing them to be more in-tune with the natural world.
High Elf Swordsmen are a Multi-Figure unit, containing up to 6 soldiers.
Attack Properties[]
High Elf Swordsmen possess a Melee Attack that will initially only be threatening to other low-tier Normal Units. They have an Attack Strength of 3, which yields an average "raw" damage output of 1.2 per Swordsman. While this is quite decent against lighter armor, it's still not quite enough to consistently hurt well-protected opponents. High Elf Swordsmen do get better with Experience though, both in strength and accuracy. At the Elite level, the maximum normally attainable, their attacks will do over twice this much – 2.5 points of "raw" damage, on average, per Swordsman.
Defensive Properties[]
High Elf Swordsmen are lightly armored, possessing a Defense score of 2. They can deflect about 0.6 points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average. Unfortunately, this is rarely enough to avoid anything but the weakest attacks. Like all Swordsmen however, they carry Large Shields, which grant an extra +2 against all types of Conventional Damage that is delivered at a range. This brings their average damage reduction up to 1.2 against Missile-, Boulder-, and Ranged Magical Attacks, as well as Thrown Attacks, Breath Attacks, the hidden Conventional component of most Gaze Attacks, and all spells and effects that deal Conventional Damage, including Area Damage.
As with most common foot soldiers though, each High Elf Swordsman has only 1 Hit Point. In other words, each point of Damage inflicted on this unit will kill off one of its figures. Their Resistance score is not too high either. Even with their racial bonus, they only have 6 – just enough for a fair chance at avoiding the weakest Unit Curses and other ill effects. Defense, Resistance, and even Hit Points improve with Experience however.
Other Properties[]
High Elf Swordsmen move at a slow 1, and can only traverse land tiles. Like most High Elves, Swordsmen also possess the Forester ability, which allows them to traverse Forest tiles for a movement cost of only 1. However, since their Movement Allowance is only this much too, this by itself will not grant them any tangible benefit.
Basic Strategy[]
High Elf Swordsmen are a step up from the basic High Elf Spearmen. Stronger on the attack, and better defended against spells and ranged opponents, they can serve as a decent main-line unit in the early stages of the campaign. The Barracks and Smithy required to recruit them are typically cheap enough to build in every Town, especially since the latter is also needed for some of the economical Town Buildings, and is likely to be constructed sooner rather than later.
Because of their defensive advantage, Swordsmen are often a better choice than Spearmen for garrisoning frontier Settlements and contested areas. However, it should be noted that unlike Spearmen, they also cost Gold to maintain in addition to Food, and their lower figure count makes enhancements effects slightly less pronounced for them.
Ability Overview[]
Large Shield[]
- This unit receives a Defense bonus of +2 against all types of Conventional Damage delivered at range – including all Ranged Attacks, short-range attacks, and Spell Damage.
+10% To Hit[]
- This unit has an extra 10% chance to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more Damage with each attack it makes.
Forester[]
- This unit, and any others grouped with it on the overland map, may move through Forest tiles at a rate of 1 Movement Point per tile.
- Should the stack also contain a Mountaineer, the Movement Type of the group becomes Pathfinding instead, allowing them to enter any tile that they normally could for a cost of only 0.5.
Experience Table[]
The following table illustrates how High Elf Swordsmen improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by Experience in any way.
Level Icon | Level Name | EP | Melee | To Hit | Defense | Resist | Hits |
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Recruit | 0 - 19 | 3 | 40% | 2 | 6 | 1 | |
Regular | 20 - 59 | 4 | 40% | 2 | 7 | 1 | |
Veteran | 60 - 119 | 4 | 40% | 3 | 8 | 1 | |
Elite | 120 | 5 | 50% | 3 | 9 | 2 | |
Ultra-Elite | 120 * | 5 | 60% | 4 | 10 | 2 | |
Champion | 120 ** | 6 | 70% | 4 | 11 | 3 |
* To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the Crusade spell must be in play.
** To achieve this level, both Warlord and Crusade must be in play simultaneously.
Average Damage Output[]
The table below details the average amount of "raw" damage that each Figure in a High Elf Swordsmen unit will deliver based on Experience Level. It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target.
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Acquisition[]
High Elf Swordsmen may be recruited in any High Elf Town that has both a Barracks and a Smithy already built. The Construction Cost of this unit is 30. High Elf Swordsmen may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Arcanus. In this case, they cost between 60 to 90 to hire per unit, based on their Experience – or half that much for Charismatic Wizards.