Druids (RTW unit)
Druids are spiritual leaders with practical fighting skills who instill confidence in nearby friendly warriors.
Overview
Druids are spiritual leaders with practical fighting skills who instill confidence in nearby friendly warriors. They have a religious zeal that gives them great courage and their mere presence fills nearby believers with confidence. Positioned just behind the battle line druids can also form a powerful reserve, ready to join the fray at a crucial moment.
Equipped with sickle-shaped swords and small shields, the mail-clad druids are excellent fighters. Their good war gear is a reflection of their status as teachers, judges, soothsayers and the focal point of religion and magic among their people. As Celtic cultures lack a written form, they are also the memory of the tribe as well, remembering all the important facts of tribal history.
Historically, the Romans despised and then targeted these men because they practiced particularly savage forms of human sacrifice and because of their cultural importance. When a tribe's history was wiped out, it became a little easier to bend the people to the will of Rome.
Details
Druids are capable fighters in their own right, with unshakable morale and high attack and defense. Their real spark however is their ability to chant which raises the morale of nearby forces and lowers that of enemy units. This give the less disciplined Gaulish troops much more staying power and helps against high morale enemies like the Romans.
Druids must be stationary to chant. Once they begin they cannot be moved without stopping first which can make them vulnerable to missiles and surprise attacks. Druids also cannot chant in melee of course, so its best to keep them out of combat if their morale boosting is needed. Druids take two turns to recruit, require advanced buildings and cost a lot so its best to keep them out of melee unless things are desperate.
Druids are the only troops in game to use scythes, traditional druidic tools. They look badass.