Lancer

Lancer
	25
	4
	185
Resource Cost	Horses
Unlocked at	Metallurgy
Upgrades From	Pikeman
Upgrades To	Anti-Tank Gun
Abilities	Can move after attacking. Starts with Formation I.
Notes	No defensive terrain bonuses. Has a combat penalty vs cities.

The Lancer is a Mounted unit available in the Renaissance Era.

Overview

Lancers were the cavalrymen of the Renaissance era. In an era of the increasing use of cannon and other gunpowder-based weaponry speed and maneuverability trumped armor, which was increasingly useless against the modern projectile weapons, so the Lancers abandoned much of the heavy plate mail of their knightly predecessors, retaining only the metal breastplate, if that. Even as weaponry improved, the lance remained a terrifyingly effective weapon in the hands of trained horsemen. As late as the Napoleonic Wars the French believed that the lance was a superior cavalry weapon to the sword. In the 19th century both would be supplanted by the carbine rifle, of course.

Strategy

The Lancer is a mixed purpose unit: it's more powerful than the Knight or the Pikeman and it can better perform most of their functions. Thanks to its long spear it is also a dedicated anti-cavalry unit, deadly with its speed and ability to catch retreating enemy cavalry after their hit-and-run attacks.

However, the Lancer is strictly an offensive unit; the same spear that allows it to perform powerful charges when attacking is too unwieldy for defense and nets the unit a combat penalty when defending. It can also be quickly destroyed by ranged units. Use it wisely.

Unique Unit Replacements

Icon	Unit	Civilization	Abilities
	Ahadis	The Mughals (Shah Jahan)	Earns two Promotions per Level
	Bannerman	The Manchu (Nurhaci)	Is a ranged unit May Indirect Fire May attack twice when beginning a turn adjacent to two or more units of the same Banner
	Batas Cavalry	Yakutia (Tygyn Darkhan)	Starts with the Charge promotion
	Black Mouth	Three Affiliated Tribes (Four Bears)	2 Movement (vs 4) Does not require Horses While Fortified, enemy units adjacent to this unit take 10 damage at the beginning of a turn
	Blandengue	Uruguay (José Batlle)	Begins with the Amphibious promotion May construct Forts and Pastures While at war, receives +5% Combat Strength for every city the enemy owns in excess of its owner.
	Cavalier	Britain (Charles II)	Starts with extra Experience when trained in a city celebrating a We Love the King Day Provides 50 Gold upon earning a promotion Upgrades to Cavalry (Uhlan with EE)
	Chambul	Crimea (Haci I Giray)	Ignores terrain costs Earns experience 50% faster
	Cherik Horseman	The Qajars (Naser al-Din)	Slightly stronger than the Lancer, and slightly cheaper. Upon Declaration of War either on a Major Civilization or from a Major Civilization, a Cherik Horseman is spawned on every Pasture. Doesn't receive XP from Buildings; this is instead converted into Golden Age Points. Upgrades to Cavalry.
	Chevau-Léger	France (Napoleon)(with France (Louis XIV) installed)	+2 Movement (6 vs 4) +33% Attack Strength when below 50% Health
	Chongzu	Northern Yuan (Mandukhai)	Unlocked at Gunpowder No penalty against Cities Gains Experience at double rate May be expended in a friendly city, contributing Production based on its Experience towards whatever Unit is currently being trained
	Dog Soldier	The Cheyenne (Woqini)	+25% Combat Strength against Gun Units Gains Experience from pillaging tile improvements May not pillage roads, but may use enemy roads
	Expeditionary	California (Ide/Muir)	Is a Recon unit Ignores terrain cost +1 Sight, +1 additional Sight while Embarked -1 Movement (total 3) -20%  Combat Strength (20 vs 25) Unlocked at Gunpowder
	Hadendoa Nomad	Mahdist State (Muhammad Ahmad)	2 Movement (vs 4) Does not require Horses. +25% Combat Strength vs Gunpowder units instead of Mounted units. May duplicate when earning a promotion.
	Hakkapeliitta	Sweden (Gustavus Adolphus)	Transfers movement to stacked Great Generals +15% combat bonus when stacked with a Great General
	Hartschier	Bavaria (Ludwig II)	Weaker but cheaper +50% and +2 Gold while stationed on a Schloss Cannot upgrade but never obsolete
	Huampelen	Araucanía and Patagonia (Orélie I)	No bonus vs Cavalry Cannot move after attacking Ignores enemy flanking bonuses Nearby friendly units receive a Combat bonus when flanking and vs Fortified units When garrisoned, -25% enemy Spy stealing rate
	Húsares de Junín	Perú (Ramón Castilla)	+50% combat strength vs Fortified units +15% combat strength when flanking
	Ironside	The Protectorate (Oliver Cromwell)	+20%  Combat Strength (30 vs 25) Starts with the Great Generals II promotion Upgrades to Cavalry
	Jumonji Cavalry	Sanada (Sanada Yukimura)	Ignores Zone of Control. Yields Great Writer points for each enemy unit it starts adjacent to, and Great General points for each owned unit it starts adjacent to.
	Kosynier	Poland-Lithuania (Tadeusz Kosciuszko)	Does not require Horses. -2 Movement. May repair pillaged improvements. Has a chance to convert enemy units to your side while adjacent to an enemy Siege unit. After researching Metallurgy, Workers may upgrade to Kosyniers while at War.
	Llanero	Gran Colombia (Simón Bolivar)	+10% combat strength in open terrain Can transfer its movement to Libertadors
	Manipuri Cassay Horseman	Burma (Anawrahta Minsaw) (DJSHenninger)	+50% Flanking Bonus Starts with Woodsman Promotion -33% Defence
	Pindari	Maratha (Shivaji)	Receives a combat bonus vs Gunpowder units
	Qizilbash	The Safavids (Abbas I)	+1 Faith, Culture, and Gold per turn in enemy territory
	Red Band	The Murrinh-Patha (Nemarluk)	Less movement, unmounted. Earns experience when starting adjacent to 2 or more enemy units. While Garrisoned, carries over food after growth relative to their level.
	Reiter	Holy Roman Empire (Elected Emperor) (LastSword)	A possible renaissance UU of HRE through election upgrade into cavalry if being attacked, the next turn start will perform an extra ranged attack.
	Sich Cossack	Hetmanate (Bohdan Khmelnytsky)	Ignores Zone of Control Can use enemy Roads -2 Combat Strength
	Sipahi	The Ottomans (Suleiman)	+1 Sight and +1 Movement No movement cost to pillage
	Stradiot	Albania (Skanderbeg)	Twice as strong during the first combat engagement, after which the Stradiot gains +30% Defense. Promoting a Stradiot will allow it to perform more effectively again. +2 Combat Strength (instead of 25) 150 Production (instead of 185) Upgrades to Cavalry
	Tumen	The Timurids (Timur)	Earns Gold from kills and attacking cities Only -25% vs Cities No Horses required
	Voninnahitra	Merina (Radama I)	Unlike the Lancer, behaving like a gunpowder unit rather than an anti-cavalry unit. Upgrades to Great War Infantry. Ignores difficult terrain. Has additional strength. Does not require Horses.
	Wajinga	Tanzania (Mwinyi)	Is not a Mounted unit, and does not require Horses Provides Culture from killing enemy Units Starts with the Vandagandaga promotion, granting +1 attack per turn in Rough terrain Upgrades to Cavalry (without EE)
	Winged Hussar	Poland (Casimir III) Poland-Lithuania (Sigismund II) Poland (John III Sobieksi)	Vanilla/Sigismund II +1 Movement +3 Combat Strength Starts with the Shock I promotion Forces attackers to retreat if it receives more damage John III Sobieski +1 Movement +3 Combat Strength Gains additional Combat Strength for each Movement point expended (+1, +1, +2, +4) Note that Heavy Charge, and the ability to enter Rival Territory, are provided by the UA
	Yan Lifida	Sokoto (Usman dan Fodio)	Generates Faith from kills Earns Great Generals 50% faster
	Zuya Wicasa	The Sioux (Sitting Bull) (LastSword)	-30% Production Cost (130 vs. 185) Upgrades to Cavalry