For the Empire: Total War technology, see Quicklime Shells.
Quicklime Shells are a shot type and military technology in Napoleon: 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, dating 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[]
Quicklime shells release clouds of white, deadly gas on its targets, killing those caught in the area of effect. Due to its large area of effect, quicklime is best used when masses of closely-packed enemies. It is exclusively used by Experimental Howitzers.
As the clouds expand forward from the point of impact, aiming directly in front of the target is often deadlier than attacking the target itself. Quicklime does not damage buildings much, making it a useful tool for clearing positions so that one's own troops may use an area later.