Offical Unit Reference Guide

Mercenary Bands

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Common units:

Gryphon Mercenaries:

They function in the same way that the Pegasi Royal Guard units do, except that they carry crossbows, so they can fire at targets on the ground from the air. However, they are brave, arrogant and headstrong soilders, so they cannot be tacticaly withdrawn from combat: Once they are committed to an attack, you can't send them to attack something else. It also means that attempting to draw the enemy in with these troops is also imposible.

Zebra Mercenaries:

Less powerful than Earth ponies, but more nimble. They can cover ground more easily. They are armed with long spears.

Human Mercenaries:

Human Mercenaries make excellent front-line infantry. Armed with breach-loading, single-shot flintlock rifles and bayonets, they fire in large volleys for maximum effect, although a single rifleman can maintain a fairly decent rate of fire on his own. They are lightly armoured, with only a steel hemet and back-and-breast plate.

Dog Mercenaries:

Canine warriors with a fighting style similiar to that of Battle Hounds, but more unorthodox. They rely more on speed and aggression more than accuracy and presicion (like Battle Hounds do).  Also, like Battle Hounds, they almost always fight in groups and constantly watch each others backs. However, unlike Battle Hounds, they are less disciplined and more brash. Despite being mercenaries, they are surprisingly loyal to their contracters, as is Dog nature. They are armed with swords, spears, maces, axes, and generally every melee weapon imaginable.

Minotaur Mercenaries:

Minotaur Mercenaries are strong, hardy and surprisingly well-disciplined. They wield a large variety of weapons: Sickle swords, throwing axes, round wooden shields, maces, clubs, spears and pikes of various lengths.

Special units:

Mule Company:

Generally viewed as something of a lower class fighter, mules are surprisingly tough, persistent and tenacious in combat. Mules are adept at long-distance travel, and much more so than their other equine counterparts, except pegasi. They also excel at climbing otherwise impassible slopes and treacherous cliffs with sure-footed ease. They are armed with mostly improvised weaponry, generally being too poor to afford weapons such as swords and the like. Broken bottles, improvised shanks, sledges, sickles, mattocks and simple nail-studded clubs make up the majority of their weaponry, along with a few others looted or stolen from enemies or even the bodies of friendly troops, when they can get away with it. Mules aren't elegant in any sense of the word whilst in combat: they charge and plod and make a great ruckus once they've got into the thick of the fight. Because of this, mules may never attempt to flank an enemy unless they are unaware of their presence. Due to the nature of mules' lack of funds, they will accept many things as payment other than monetary sums, such as food, alcohol, proper equipment, and even a ready mare or two on off-time.

Human Ghost Division:

A human mercenary group specializing in special and maneuver warfare. Armed with modified breach-loading rifles designed for longer ranges, they will travel for days undetected and engage at relatively extreme ranges and disengage once the enemy is able to fight back. They are unarmored; according to their combat doctrine, if they are in a situation where they need armor, they are dead anyway. Expelled from their homeland for reasons unknown, these woodsmen-turned-soldiers must utilize their skills to buy new plots of land. Due to this, they are extremely expensive and work only for the highest bidder.

Knight Errant:

Knight Errants are Crystal knights that, after a thousand years of service, decide to go out and see the world. Sadly, after so long in isolation, their coin has been outdated and is now deemed worthless. Penniless but still young and armed, these warriors sell their lances to the highest bidder and accompany foreign generals in their campaigns. Armed with a traditional lance and protected by a light scaled armor, these knights are formidable fighters, although not as resistant as the fully equiped original knights they will still outdo most forms of infantry. Be warned however, as they are nationalists at heart and will not battle their own kin.

Order of the Drakeguard:

The Order is an elite and distinguished order of dragons, but they are a smaller breed than most Equestrian varieties. They are faster, smaller, and more vicious than their larger counterparts, but not quite as intelligent or as resilient. Their fire breathing is at a lesser level than that of larger dragons, but they more than make up for it in keen senses and sheer ferocity in close combat. In melee, drakes become a flurry of ripping claws, gnashing teeth, whipping tails, and ramming horns. Surviving an onslaught from a drake is extremely unlikely unless heavy armor or extreme physical resilience is brought into play. Due to their sharp awareness of their surroundings, their speed and their lack of a magical aura, drakes make excellent scouts and hit-and-run raiders. Drakes are often hired for quick and brutal lightning strikes in which the enemy scarcely knew what hit them before their ranks become more horizontally inclined, lacking of multiple pieces, and a lot less full of vital bodily fluids. The Order is wealthy enough that it can equip its members very generously, such as outfitting themselves in expertly forged armor plates that complement their already extremely durable scales. It is also not unheard of for those of the Order of the Drakeguard to possess artificial claws and spikes and blades worn over their limbs and tail or even wings. A drake flying at top speed with blade tipped wings aimed at your throat is not a pleasant sight for most foes, indeed. The only downsides of the Drakeguard lie in the fact that they are very greedy, and require vast sums of payment in order to fight under one's banner, they are not very difficult to outnumber and overwhelm by sheer force of quantity, and also that The Order does not work with diamond dogs, no matter the circumstances, as their gem-theiving ways disgust and infuriate them to no end, considering their draconic heritage.