Marksman
Many stories are told about how Ronan Falcon, armed only with courage and honor, triumphed over the human clan lords and united them to form the Empire that would bear his name. But it is closer to the truth to say that the crossbow is the true reason why he was victorious. To this day, the Crossbowmen of the Empire are still feared in every corner of Ashan!
Crossbowman Stats:[]
| Name | Crossbowman | Might Defense | 4 |
| Size | 1 | Magic Defense | 3 |
| Attack Type | Might | Hitpoints | 22 |
| Damage | 2-4 | Morale | 6 |
| Basic Growth | 8 | Initiative | 30 |
| Upgrade Growth | 5 | Movement | 6 |
| Max Growth | 16 | Movement Type | walker |
| Luck | 6 | Range | full |
| Passive Abilities | Armor Piercing | ||
| Active Abilities | None | ||
| Generic Abilities | Living | ||
Marksman Stats:[]
| Name | Marksman | Might Defense | 5 |
| Size | 1 | Magic Defense | 3 |
| Attack Type | Might | Hitpoints | 28 |
| Damage | 3-5 | Morale | 6 |
| Basic Growth | 8 | Initiative | 35 |
| Upgrade Growth | 5 | Movement | 6 |
| Max Growth | 16 | Movement Type | walker |
| Luck | 7 | Range | full |
| Passive Abilities | Armor Piercing, Piercing Bolt | ||
| Active Abilities | None | ||
| Generic Abilities | Living | ||
Ability Descriptions:[]
Armor Piercing: The Crossbowman ignores 50% of the target's Might defense.
Living: Can be healed and resurrected. Susceptible to morale.
Marksman only:[]
Piercing Bolt: The Marksman's shots pierce through stacks hitting multiple aligned targets.
Tactics:[]
The Crossbowman is a classic from the Heroes games of old, complete with no range penalty and Armor Piercing. Although relatively soft, they are surprising survivors when closed on, and thus will not usually be the first target of attacks if you also have Sisters in your army. Because of their outstanding ranged capability, they have relatively low initiative and damage to keep them balanced. Thus, Light magic abilities and Warcries that can give them initiative or increased damage can make them extremely powerful. Additionally, the Marksman is a textbook example of the impressive tactics that Heroes VI has implemented because of its Piercing Bolt ability. It is worth noting the position of your Marksmen before you move any of your fast Elite troops eagerly into combat, as friendly fire absolutely applies to this ability, and can force you into situations where you must either not act or risk losing your own troops, if you're not careful. That said, you can also use your quick troops to lure enemies into rank and file, thus making your Marksmen some of the most powerful Core creatures in the game, able to attack two or even three stacks at a time.