Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)
| Recruitment Cost | 550 | |
| Upkeep Cost | 130 | |
| Melee Attack | 5 | 14% |
| Charge Bonus | 10 | 20% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 0 | 0% |
| Range | 150 | 23% |
| Accuracy | 50 | 50% |
| Reloading Skill | 35 | 35% |
| Ammunition | 25 | 31% |
| Melee Defence | 2 | 5% |
| Armour | 4 | 26% |
| Morale | 10 | 20% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Fast and can fire on the move.
- High accuracy and range.
- Weak against massed foot missile units.
- Weak in melee.
Description
The storm blows its last. Fallen across the battlefield: The arrows' harvest.
These mounted archers are defiantly traditional, or old-fashioned, in their approach to warfare, but no less deadly for that. An enemy killed by an arrow is just as dead as one shot by a bullet. Armed with powerful Japanese bows, the bow ki samurai can pepper enemy units at a distance, and rapidly move out of trouble if threatened. Long years of dedication mean that they are very good, very quick shots; the bushido code gives them good morale in battle. However, they are vulnerable to rifle fire and will suffer badly if they are ever in close combat against yari-armed troops. Samurai warfare has centuries-old traditions, and among the oldest of those is to use the bow from horseback. This was the way of samurai warfare long before the katana became the signature armament of this warrior class. As mounted bowmen, samurai were magnificently dangerous enemies, and even retained the advantage in combat against matchlock-armed troops. As in Europe, the extinction of bow-armed troops on the battlefield had nothing to do with their combat effectiveness. It was entirely due to the difficulty of training them: it took years for an archer to become a truly excellent combat bowman. Almost any illiterate idiot could be taught to use a matchlock and point the noisy, business end at the enemy. Once this was understood samurai bowmen were doomed, slain by gold (or its lack), not bullets.