Troll Swordsmen | ||
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Race | Trolls | |
Req. Town Buildings |
Barracks, Smithy | |
Construction Cost | 60 | |
Upkeep Cost |
2 1 | |
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# of figures | 4 | |
Moves | 1 | |
Melee Attack per figure | 5 | |
Defense per figure | 2 | |
Resistance | 7 | |
Hit Points per figure | 4 | |
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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 Experience.
Troll Swordsmen are rather expensive though – they have a Construction Cost of 60, and require an Upkeep Cost of 2 and 1 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 Multi-Figure unit, containing up to 4 soldiers.
Attack Properties[]
Thanks to the Trolls' racial bonus of +2, Troll Swordsmen possess a rather impressive Melee Attack for a low-tier unit. Each Swordsman attacks with a strength of 5, which has an average "raw" damage output of 1.5. Although they only have 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 Experience. At the Elite level, the maximum normally attainable, it has an average "raw" damage output of 7 × 40% = 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 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.
Trolls are extremely durable. Not only does each Troll Swordsman have an outstanding 4 Hit Points, they also possess Regeneration. This lets them regain 1 at the end of every turn in battle, and can even revive slain 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" damage – although this can only happen if their army wins the battle. Troll Swordsmen also have an above average Resistance score of 7, giving them a fairly decent chance to avoid weaker Unit Curses and other combat maledictions. In addition, their Defense, Resistance, and even Hit Points can improve further with Experience.
Other Properties[]
Troll Swordsmen move at a slow 1, 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 figure count. On the other hand, Troll Swordsmen are quite expensive in comparison. The racial recruitment cost modifier results in their Construction Cost being 60, which consequently raises their Gold Upkeep Cost into the second tier: to 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" 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 Experience this way as the surviving units, meaning that they tend to advance to the highest attainable level considerably faster than normal.
In addition, 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 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[]
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.
Regeneration[]
- At the end of its combat round, this unit regains 1 Hit Point, unless it is already at full health, or all of its recorded damage is Irreversible. This effect can also restore lost 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 damage suffered by the unit must surpass both any Irreversible- and any "Create Undead" 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 Experience in any way.
Level Icon | Level Name | EP | Melee | To Hit | Defense | Resist | Hits |
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Recruit | 0 - 19 | 5 | 30% | 2 | 7 | 4 | |
Regular | 20 - 59 | 6 | 30% | 2 | 8 | 4 | |
Veteran | 60 - 119 | 6 | 30% | 3 | 9 | 4 | |
Elite | 120 | 7 | 40% | 3 | 10 | 5 | |
Ultra-Elite | 120 * | 7 | 50% | 4 | 11 | 5 | |
Champion | 120 ** | 8 | 60% | 4 | 12 | 6 |
* 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 Troll 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[]
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 60. Troll Swordsmen may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Myrror. In this case, they cost between 120 to 180 to hire per unit, based on their Experience – or half that much for Charismatic Wizards.