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Bolt Throwers

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Dwarf Bolt Thrower by Todd Marshall Total War Warhammer

A pair of Dwarf Bolt Throwers as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.

A bolt thrower, or ballista (plural ballistae), is a giant crossbow designed to hurl missiles with incredible force and speed. Most have wooden arms, from which ropes made of Human hair or animal sinew attach, acting as the bolt thrower's springs. Winches pull the bowstring back. Though accurate, they do not match the range of the stone throwers, but can still split a person like a chicken, or punch a nice, neat hole through solid wood from 150 yards or more.[4a][6a]

Bolt Throwers require a crew of at least two to operate them.[1a] They are relatively simple to use, in fact those with working knowledge of a crossbow can manage to load and fire ballistae.[6a]

Dwarf Bolt Throwers[]

The use of Dwarf Bolt Throwers in the armies of the Dwarfs dates back to the era of the Ancestor Gods.[2a] Dwarf Engineers still vie with each other to invent bolt throwers with greater range, loading speed or accuracy. Practical to a fault, the Dwarfs place more trust in an old, proven Bolt Thrower that has fired reliably for generations.[3a]

Human Bolt Throwers[]

Human ballistae are giant crossbows that fire iron-capped bolts resembling fence posts. They are particularly used in war by the Tilean city-states, and their women proudly grow their hair long to donate their tresses for the construction of new bolt throwers.[4a][6a]

The first bolt throwers created by Humans, called gastraphetes and bellybows, made their appearance in the Old World nearly a thousand years ago in Tilea. Capable of launching arrows incredible distances, they were eventually used throughout the Empire. From this early weapon, several variations of design emerged to meet the needs of the various armies. On one end of the spectrum, the bellybow shrank to allow easier firing and exists to this day as the crossbow.[4a]

On the other end, not abandoning this weapon's viability on the battlefield, emerged the oxybeles, which was nothing more than the same weapon enlarged and mounted on a tripod. This machine became the true precursor to the modern bolt thrower. Instead of launching the smaller arrows, which lost their usefulness as fortifications advanced in direct proportion to the innovative designs for new weaponry, it fired javelins. Such was the force behind these weapons that they could punch through wooden walls, shields, and gates.[4a]

Several hundred years later, after the emergence of stone castles, primitive bolt throwers went through even more advances. Two descendants were developed. The first was the modern bolt thrower, or ballista. With unmatched precision and range, these weapons were used against troops and supply trains, sowing confusion among the enemy from long distances. Capable of hurling a spear over 300 yards, they became the terror of the fields of war.[4a]

The second type of Human bolt thrower was the scorpion, a smaller, lighter version of the contemporary bolt thrower. Though of reduced size and payload (it only fires javelins), it still has an impressive range, accurately hitting targets over 200 yards away.[4a]

Though it has been many years since the Tileans developed the bellybow and their initial designs have since been improved many times over the original, it is a point of pride among the Tilean people to this day that the bolt thrower is still a viable component of many armies. These weapons are still widely used in the city-states, mounted on towers to rain hell on their enemies.[4a]

Greenskin Bolt Throwa[]

"This giant crossbow is designed to smash through battlelines at close range, enabling the Greenskins to then charge in and smash the foe into bloody pieces."

—Descrption of the Bolt Throwa in Total War: Warhammer III.
BoltThrowaTWW3Render

A Greenskin Bolt Throwa, as rendered for Total War: Warhammer III.

The Greenskin Bolt Throwa is designed to effectively engage heavily armoured targets due to its significant armour-piercing damage. Primarily functioning as an artillery piece, it excels in targeting large, monstrous foes, particularly those with armour. Although the bolt throwa is relatively small compared to other artillery units, it features multiple models, enhancing its overall effectiveness on the battlefield.[5]

The ability to spear a large monster from a distance or to skewer several man-sized creatures in a single shot appeals greatly to the violent and bloody nature of any Greenskin. The bolt thrower, or "Bolt Throwa" as it is termed by Orcs and Goblins, is a device commonly found in Greenskin armies. Working along the same lines as a giant crossbow, the device fires a single, spear-sized bolt at high velocity. A well-placed shot can bring down a row of oncoming infantry, penetrate the armour of a steel-encased knight or even slay an Ogre with a single shot -- which is no easy feat given their considerable girth![5]

Hobgoblin Bolt Thrower[]

Worse than Hobgoblins on wolfback are Hobgoblins armed with Hobgoblin Bolt Throwers, which they use to cut down the "superior" steeds of the tall intelligent races with malicious glee. The Hobgoblin race are considered traitors by all of their Greenskin cousins, not because of their unbelievably treacherous nature, but by their specific betrayal of the Greenskin Uprising which once rocked Zharr-Naggrund, the capital city of the Chaos Dwarfs' empire. This betrayal of their entire race and their inability to even trust each other has ensured that the Hobgoblins have become utterly enthralled to the brutal protection and patronage of the Chaos Dwarfs.[7]

It is in the service of their masters' terrible armies of Chaos-twisted technology that Hobgoblins are trained to unleash their Bolt Thrower artillery, which is capable of piercing most forms of heavy armour plate and is particularly effective against physically larger foes.[7]

Trivia[]

The gastraphetes (Ancient Greek: γαστραφέτης, lit. "belly-releaser"), also called the belly bow or belly shooter, was a hand-held crossbow used by the ancient Greeks. It was described in the 1st century A.D. by the Greek author Heron of Alexandria in his work Belopoeica, which draws on an earlier account of the famous Greek engineer Ctesibius (fl. 285–222 BC). Heron identifies the gastraphetes as the forerunner of the later catapult, which places its invention some unknown time prior to c. 420 B.C. Unlike later Roman and medieval crossbows, spanning the weapon was not done by pulling up the string, but by pushing down a slider mechanism.

The scorpio or scorpion was a type of Roman torsion siege engine and field artillery piece. It was described in detail by the early-imperial Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius in the 1st century B.C. and by the 4th century A.D. officer and historian Ammianus Marcellinus.

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