Hand Mortar
Hand Mortar is a Chinese artillery unit that provides long-range Bombard damage for only one population. Its low population cost makes it an efficient source of siege support, but its very low durability makes protection essential.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · Chinese Castle; Fort; American Citadel
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 14 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 100 hit points · 50% ranged resistance · 3.0 / 1.2 speed · 38 line of sight
Role, availability & values
It is available through Chinese Castles, Forts and American Citadels. Its Bombard attack can reach 34 range; the recorded profile lists 100 hit points and 50% ranged resistance. These values make the unit dangerous at distance but vulnerable if cavalry or focused fire reaches it.
Matchup & timing
Use Hand Mortars to pressure a distant target while keeping them behind the army. Protect them from cavalry and focused fire, and avoid letting them move ahead without a screen. Their range is valuable only when the opponent cannot quickly reach the guns.
Access and unit profile
The Hand Mortar is a Chinese light artillery unit from The Asian Dynasties. In Definitive Edition it is trained individually at a Castle from the Fortress Age; in earlier releases it could also arrive as part of the Mongolian Army. It costs 50 Food and 90 Wood, takes 30 seconds to train, uses one population, and has 100 hit points, 50 percent ranged resistance, and a slow speed of 3 when limbered and 1.2 while deployed. Its small population cost is unusual for artillery and allows a Chinese army to field several without consuming the space used by larger guns. The Hand Mortar is inexpensive but has only 5 base damage per shot. Its value comes from high multipliers against Buildings, Ships, and Artillery, not from a large unmodified attack. It is therefore a specialist siege and counter-artillery unit rather than a weapon for fighting infantry.
Range and target bonuses
The Hand Mortar fires at a range from 4 to 34 every four seconds. Its current profile gives it 16 times damage against Buildings, 14 times against Ships, six times against Artillery, and a reduced multiplier against Fixed Guns. It has a small area of effect and can threaten structures or enemy guns from beyond the reach of many units. The Fortress Age version receives an automatic bonus against Walls, which increases again in the Industrial Age. These multipliers make a group much more dangerous than its 5 point base attack suggests. However, the unit is ineffective against ordinary Infantry and Cavalry and should not be left unprotected. Arrow Knights and Culverins are particularly dangerous answers, and fast units can reach the Hand Mortar while it is deployed. Its line of sight and range let it attack from behind a screen, but the player must still scout targets and preserve the formation.
Positioning and formation
Keep Hand Mortars behind an infantry or cavalry screen and place them outside the main defensive range when attacking a fortified town. Their range 34 can reach many targets, but their low movement speed makes retreat difficult once deployed. If enemy cavalry approaches, limber and move only when the route is clear; the unit cannot escape a fast charge on open ground. Their ranged resistance helps them survive shelling and can make them useful as a screen against enemy artillery, but a counter-artillery role does not mean they should duel Culverins or Arrow Knights unsupported. In a large Chinese army, the Hand Mortar can absorb some attention while other artillery or infantry handles the primary target. Focus fire to remove a defensive gun or building, then reposition rather than leaving the mortars exposed after their target is destroyed.
Upgrades and historical changes
Honored Hand Mortar is available in the Fortress Age for 250 Food and 250 Wood and increases hit points and damage by 25 percent. Exalted Hand Mortar is an Imperial Age upgrade costing 1,000 Wood and 1,000 Coin; it requires Honored and adds 50 percent hit points and damage. These are substantial investments, so research them when the mortars will remain in the army and the upgraded damage will affect the next siege. Updates have changed some multipliers over time. Earlier versions used different values against Siege units, and the current Definitive Edition has a six times multiplier in the later patch profile. Before Definitive Edition, Hand Mortars were also included in the Mongolian Army; that banner access was removed. Old tactics may describe a faster or different Mongolian variant, so use the current Chinese Castle profile for a modern match.
Choosing it over other artillery
The Hand Mortar is the cheapest artillery unit in Age of Empires III and occupies just one population, which makes it practical to mass as a support line. It does not replace a Mortar when a player needs a dedicated long range siege weapon, nor does it replace a Culverin for a direct artillery duel. Its modest range and speed call for careful placement, and its small base attack makes it less useful against targets without a bonus multiplier. Choose it when the Chinese army needs compact siege capacity, anti-ship fire, or extra pressure against buildings and artillery. If the opponent fields substantial cavalry or anti-infantry units, invest in screens and avoid leaving the mortars as the front line. A well protected group can make a defensive position costly to maintain, while an exposed group can be lost before its high target bonuses matter.
Maintaining a protected siege line
Hand Mortars need time to deploy and fire, so order them to attack a target from a clear firing lane rather than moving them through the frontline. Their minimum range of four means nearby enemies can close into a dead zone, and their one point population cost does not protect them from a cavalry charge. Put durable infantry between the mortars and likely approach routes, then use other units to reveal enemy Culverins or Arrow Knights before the artillery line engages. If the target is a wall, the age based wall multiplier improves their attack, but they still need cover while firing repeatedly. After a breach, move the support army through first and reposition the mortars only when their path is clear. This keeps a cheap artillery mass from being traded away for a single volley.
Anti-artillery unit with strong ranged resistance
Hand Mortars combine high ranged resistance with a bonus against artillery, giving an army a way to contest enemy guns without relying only on Cavalry. They outrange most artillery in the documented profile, with the Mortar, Morutaru and Culverin among the exceptions; the Culverin has equal range. Their base ranged damage is low, so the counter bonus and range matter more than raw damage against ordinary units.
Use them to disable enemy guns, not replace siege
Hand Mortars are specialized anti-artillery support rather than a general building attacker. Keep them screened from melee units, select enemy artillery and reposition before a cavalry counter arrives. Their resistance helps them survive ranged exchanges, but does not make them safe against every unit type. Bring ordinary artillery or siege when the objective is a defended building, and consult the unit profile for the civilization-specific range, cost and multipliers.