Cannon

A cannon is truly a powerful - but sadly almost entirely stationary - weapon commonly found on warships and fortresses.

Description
Cannons in Britannia essentially work the same as those on Earth. Once the gun powder in the barrel is ignited, it forces the iron cannonball on its way at high speeds and destruction is the one thing that is sure to follow. However, despite being so destructive, the downside is that cannons are huge, hard to move, and need a constant supply of both gunpowder (from powder kegs) and cannonballs. This makes them only practical for use in fortresses and aboard ships. They appear in Ultima I, Ultima II, Ultima II, Ultima V, Ultima VI, Martian Dreams, Ultima VII and Ultima IX.

Effectiveness of a Cannon

 * According to Vetron's Guide to Weapons and Armour, a cannon has a damage power of 90.

History
Cannons existed since the First Age of Darkness, but they were always installed on ships and could be used to blast away foes. Only beginning from the time of the Shadowlords in Ultima V was it possible to use cannons on land as well, and the Avatar could already make use of that fact to break open the door to Lord British's rooms in the castle to gain the magic carpet - though at the cost of alerting all guards in the castle. In Martian Dreams, a barge cannon, loaded with Andrew Carnegie's custom-made steel cannonballs, was an essential component of finally getting entrance to Argyre. Many years later, while the presence of cannons had somewhat wanted in Ultima IX, one was needed on Buccaneer's Den in order to break open the boarded-up cave with the Gauntlets of Fury.

In other worlds, cannons - and thus gunpowder - were virtually unknown.

Trivia

 * Successfully destroying water-borne enemies with a ship's cannons in both Ultima I and Ultima II would automatically earn gold; not so in later installments. In Ultima II, it would also grant items, making it the easiest way to stack up on these.
 * Throughout Ultima V, both ship- and land-mounted cannons had unlimited shots - even when not placed next to a supply of cannonballs.
 * Dancek, found in Buccaneer's Den during Ultima IV, is a cannon builder.