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Troll Swordsmen
Tactical TrollSwordsmen
Race Trolls
Req. Town Buildings Barracks,
Smithy
Construction Cost Icon Production 60
Upkeep Cost Icon Gold 2
Icon Food1
Unit Properties
# of figures Icon MultiFigureUnit 4
Moves Icon Movement Ground1
Melee Attack per figure Icon Melee Normal 5
Defense per figure Icon Defense 2
Resistance Icon Resist 7
Hit Points per figure Icon Hits 4
Unit Abilities

Ability LargeShield Large Shield

Ability Regeneration Regeneration

Troll Swordsmen are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Troll Towns containing at least a Barracks and a Smithy. They combine excellent survivability with a fairly decent Attack Strength that can be dangerous to low- and mid-tier enemy units alike, and may become even stronger through Icon Experience Experience.

Troll Swordsmen are rather expensive though – they have a Construction Cost of Icon Production 60, and require an Upkeep Cost of Icon Gold 2 and Icon Food1 to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically.

Unit Properties[]

Physical Description[]

Troll Swordsmen are a group of tall, brutish humanoids. They have long, sharp noses, are covered in sickly-green skin, and wear nothing but tattered trousers. They carry great swords for up-close-and-personal combat, and a large wood-and-metal buckler that protects them from enemy arrows and other ranged attacks. Trolls are much stronger than other humanoids, and strange magic allows them to regrow lost limbs and even to re-coalesce after being completely dismembered!

Troll Swordsmen are a Icon MultiFigureUnit Multi-Figure unit, containing up to Icon MultiFigureUnit 4 soldiers.

Attack Properties[]

Thanks to the Trolls' racial bonus of Icon Melee Normal +2, Troll Swordsmen possess a rather impressive Melee Attack for a low-tier unit. Each Swordsman attacks with a strength of Icon Melee Normal 5, which has an average "raw" Icon Damage damage output of Icon Damage 1.5. Although they only have Icon MultiFigureUnit 4 figures, Troll Swordsmen still stand a good chance of scoring at least a couple of hits against most opponents, especially in the early game. This attack also improves with Icon Experience Experience. At the Icon ExpLevel 3 Elite level, the maximum normally attainable, it has an average "raw" Icon Damage damage output of Icon Melee Normal 7 × Icon ToHit 40% = Icon Damage 2.8 instead – nearly twice the initial value, and enough to put a dent even into heavier armor.

Defensive Properties[]

Troll Swordsmen are lightly armored, possessing a Defense score of Icon Defense 2. They can deflect about Icon Damage 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 Ability LargeShield Large Shields, which grant an extra Icon Defense +2 against all types of Conventional Damage that is delivered at a range. This brings their average Icon Damage damage reduction up to Icon Damage 1.2 against Icon Ranged Bow Missile-, Icon Ranged Boulder Boulder-, and Icon Ranged Magic Ranged Magical Attacks, as well as Icon Thrown Thrown Attacks, Icon Breath Breath Attacks, the hidden Conventional component of most Gaze Attacks, and all spells and effects that deal Conventional Damage, including Area Damage.

Trolls are extremely durable. Not only does each Troll Swordsman have an outstanding Icon Hits 4 Hit Points, they also possess Ability Regeneration Regeneration. This lets them regain Icon Hits 1 at the end of every turn in battle, and can even revive slain Icon Figure figures mid-combat. In addition, this ability will also bring them back from the dead as long as they don't die to mostly Irreversible- or "Create Undead" Icon Damage damage – although this can only happen if their army wins the battle. Troll Swordsmen also have an above average Resistance score of Icon Resist 7, giving them a fairly decent chance to avoid weaker Unit Curses and other combat maledictions. In addition, their Icon Defense Defense, Icon Resist Resistance, and even Icon Hits Hit Points can improve further with Icon Experience Experience.

Other Properties[]

Troll Swordsmen move at a slow Icon Movement Ground1, and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties.

Basic Strategy[]

Troll Swordsmen are a step up from the basic Troll Spearmen. Stronger on the attack, and better defended against spells and ranged opponents, they can serve as a decent main-line unit in a Troll army. 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. In fact, in the case of Trolls, their Swordsmen are actually a direct upgrade, unlike it is for most other Races, since both Troll units have the same Icon Figure figure count. On the other hand, Troll Swordsmen are quite expensive in comparison. The racial recruitment cost modifier results in their Construction Cost being Icon Production 60, which consequently raises their Icon Gold Gold Upkeep Cost into the second tier: to Icon Gold 2. They are the only Swordsmen unit with a maintenance this high.

However, the staying power of Troll Swordsmen is exceptional, both in- and after combat. As long as their army can win a battle, losses typically don't matter much to them. Unless they are slain by Irreversible- or "Create Undead" Icon Damage damage, they will be revived at the end of the engagement, fully healed, and ready for the next battle. In fact, they even receive the same Icon Experience Experience this way as the surviving units, meaning that they tend to advance to the highest attainable level considerably faster than normal.

In addition, Ability Regeneration Regeneration provides a tactical advantage against many opponents, especially if multiple units with this ability can be fielded at the same time, as they can possibly alternate their attacks and withdraw to recover any lost Icon Figure figures. Even if there is only a single unit of Troll Swordsmen left, it may be able to avoid contact while it is low on health, unless the enemy has a higher Movement Allowance.

Ability Overview[]

Ability LargeShield Large Shield[]

Ability Regeneration Regeneration[]

  • At the end of its combat round, this unit regains Icon Hits 1 Hit Point, unless it is already at full health, or all of its recorded Icon Damage damage is Irreversible. This effect can also restore lost Icon Figure figures.
  • If an army stack containing this unit wins a battle, the unit is restored to full health immediately at the end of the battle. This happens even if it was destroyed, although in this case, the regular Icon Damage damage suffered by the unit must surpass both any Irreversible- and any "Create Undead" Icon Damage damage, otherwise this effect will be disabled.
  • If the unit is killed in battle, and its army retreats or is defeated, the unit is destroyed and will not regenerate.

Experience Table[]

The following table illustrates how Troll Swordsmen improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by Icon Experience Experience in any way.

Level Icon Level Name EP Melee To Hit Defense Resist Hits
Experience 0 Recruit Icon Experience 0 - Icon Experience 19 Icon Melee Normal 5 Icon ToHit 30% Icon Defense 2 Icon Resist 7 Icon Hits 4
Experience 1 Regular Icon Experience 20 - Icon Experience 59 Icon Melee Normal 6 Icon ToHit 30% Icon Defense 2 Icon Resist 8 Icon Hits 4
Experience 2 Veteran Icon Experience 60 - Icon Experience 119 Icon Melee Normal 6 Icon ToHit 30% Icon Defense 3 Icon Resist 9 Icon Hits 4
Experience 3 Elite Icon Experience 120 Icon Melee Normal 7 Icon ToHit 40% Icon Defense 3 Icon Resist 10 Icon Hits 5
Experience 4 Ultra-Elite Icon Experience 120 * Icon Melee Normal 7 Icon ToHit 50% Icon Defense 4 Icon Resist 11 Icon Hits 5
Experience 5 Champion Icon Experience 120 ** Icon Melee Normal 8 Icon ToHit 60% Icon Defense 4 Icon Resist 12 Icon Hits 6

* To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the Icon LifeCrusade spell must be in play.
** To achieve this level, both Warlord and Icon LifeCrusade must be in play simultaneously.

Average Damage Output[]

The table below details the average amount of "raw" Icon Damage damage that each Icon Figure Figure in a Troll Swordsmen unit will deliver based on Icon Experience Level Experience Level. It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target.

Select weapons:
Level Icon Level Name Melee Ranged * Thrown Breath
Experience 0 Recruit
Experience 1 Regular
Experience 2 Veteran
Experience 3 Elite
Experience 4 Ultra-Elite
Experience 5 Champion

<img src="Icon_Melee_Normal.png"><img src="Icon_Melee_Magic.png"><img src="Icon_Melee_Mithril.png"><img src="Icon_Melee_Adamantium.png">

Acquisition[]

Troll Swordsmen may be recruited in any Troll Town that has both a Barracks and a Smithy already built. The Construction Cost of this unit is Icon Production 60. Troll Swordsmen may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Myrror. In this case, they cost between Icon Gold 120 to Icon Gold 180 to hire per unit, based on their Icon Experience Experience – or half that much for Charismatic Wizards.

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