Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)
| Recruitment Cost | 500 | |
| Upkeep Cost | 250 | |
| Melee Attack | 12 | 34% |
| Charge Bonus | 10 | 20% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 0 | 0% |
| Range | 150 | 23% |
| Accuracy | 55 | 55% |
| Reloading Skill | 45 | 45% |
| Ammunition | 25 | 31% |
| Melee Defence | 5 | 14% |
| Armour | 4 | 26% |
| Morale | 10 | 20% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Very good accuracy and reload rate.
- Very good in melee.
- Very good morale.
- Vulnerable to naginata armed infantry and massed archers.
Description
These mounted samurai can ride quickly to key areas of the battlefield, firing arrows as they go.
With both hands busy aiming and firing their bows, samurai cavalry must use their knees to control and steer their mounts. This requires intense training for both man and beast. These archers can move quickly to the enemy's flanks, or harass them from a distance. If caught in melee, the samurai have enough training to defend themselves, but they should probably avoid fighting naginata-armed infantry units. Their relatively few numbers makes them vulnerable to a massed attack by archers: weight of numbers will overpower even skilled warriors. Samurai were expected to be proficient in the use of a number of weapons but, during this period, archery was widely regarded as the best way to demonstrate a warrior's true skills. Battles were occasionally settled by mounted archery duels, performed by each army's most skilled archer. Opponents would ride towards one another and fire a single arrow. This "jousting with bows" could be repeated several times as fatal wounds were seldom inflicted during the early passes. The participants were trying their best to kill each other, but their armour was extremely good at keeping out arrows! Instantly fatal wounds were rather difficult to inflict.