“Exactly!” Al-Rashid’s eyes gleamed. “But the counter is not what you think. You would send archers. But archers have a pierce value of only 20. A Templar’s armour negates it entirely. No. The true killer of a Templar is the Maceman .”
He unrolled a second, blood-stained sheet. “Maceman. Cost: 20 gold. Attack: 25 (crushing type, ignores 2 points of armour). Speed: 14. He’s weak against arrows. But against a slow, armoured Templar? He lands three hits for every one of the knight’s. It’s not power that wins. It’s frames .”
The Emir, a fat man more interested in his hashish pipe than warfare, sighed. “Speak, little mouse.”
The Emir sat up, suddenly interested. “You’re saying a rabble of peasants with clubs can beat my holy knights?” stronghold crusader unit stats
The flickering torchlight of the Arabian library cast long shadows on Al-Rashid’s face. He wasn’t a lord, a general, or even a soldier. He was a scribe —and his latest obsession was driving his Emir to distraction.
Al-Rashid pointed to a column of tiny numbers beside a drawing of a hooded figure. “The Assassin. Speed: 18. Attack power: 40. Hit points: 50. The Lord’s Swordman, by comparison, has a speed of only 12, attack power of 35, but a robust 120 hit points.”
He moved his finger to a sketch of a chainmail-clad knight. “The Templar. Cost: 40 gold. Armour: a staggering 5. He can take an arrow to the chest and barely grunt. But look here—” he tapped a footnote, “—his attack speed is glacial. One swing per 48 frames of combat.” “Exactly
“My lord,” Al-Rashid whispered, unrolling a massive, meticulously drawn parchment. “I have finished the calculus of blood.”
The Emir stared at the scribe. Then he smiled, a cold, hungry smile.
Al-Rashid shook his head. “No, my lord. It is won by a scribe who knows that a Horse Archer has a range of 8, a speed of 22, and the hit-and-run logic of a wasp. It is won by remembering that a Slave has only 20 hit points but costs a mere 2 gold—meaning a wave of 100 slaves is mathematically superior to 10 Swordsmen, even if every single slave dies.” But archers have a pierce value of only 20
“Statistically, my lord… yes. Provided you get them into melee range without them being shot by Crossbowmen first.” He pointed to a third drawing. “And there is your true terror. Crossbowman. Range: 10. Reload time: 70 frames. But look at the damage value: 60. Enough to one-shot a Maceman or an Assassin. They are the rock to your scissors.”
The Emir chuckled. “So? My Hashishin will stab him in the back before he raises his sword.”