| Quicklime Shells | |
|---|---|
| |
| Requires | Carcass Shot |
| Building Needed | Ordnance Board |
| Leads To | None |
| Stream | Ordnance, Military |
| Effects | |
| |
Quicklime Shells is a Technology in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
This unpleasant and ungentlemanly artillery projectile showers the target with quicklime, a compound that causes burns and blindness.
Quicklime is a dangerous, caustic product that gets very, very hot when it is slaked with water. It does have entirely innocent uses: plaster, mortar and whitewash for buildings, and in glass making; but as a weapon it is frightening indeed. The smallest amount will cause painful, even fatal, burns on exposed flesh. The eyes are especially vulnerable because they are moist with tears. Quicklime shells carry an explosive charge so as to burst above enemy lines, but they are still dangerous to the gunners using them.
Historically, quicklime had a long history of use in warfare, daring back to Classical antiquity. This did not make it an acceptable weapon in the eyes of many military gentlemen who, quite rightly, realised that what could be used against the enemy could also be used against them. Further, like all chemical weapons, it was entirely dependent on the wind to send the caustic agent in the right direction once released. It was true that, short of running away, there was no practical defence against perfidious and odious chemical weapons.
General Information[]
Available to howitzers and mortars, Quicklime Shells replace Carcass Shot and are much more effective than their early counterparts. Quicklime spreads forward from its point of impact, wreaking death and havoc to anything that is caught in the resulting cloud.
Quicklime is more effective for howitzers than mortars, as the lower angle trajectory of their shots allow quicklime to spread out more. It is most effective against larger groups of enemies, while Percussion Shells are more suited to smaller groups, as they inflict heavier damage in a smaller area.