Karma list for Ultima IX
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Like earlier titles, particular actions taken by the Avatar in Ultima IX are assigned with numerical values that contribute to a running total known as karma. On this occasion, however, karma determines the hero's maximum mana capacity, thus a tendency toward good deeds is a prerequisite for spellcasting. The following karma list details all deeds that will increase karma, and therefore mana; however, it is not possible in honest gameplay to reach the mana bar's full capacity.
Bonuses[edit]
Deeds are listed in sequential order alongside the numerical karma bonus they grant. Deeds that decrease karma are not listed.
| Karma | Deed |
|---|---|
| 1 | In Castle Britannia, destroy the mirror in Lord British's bedroom by using it |
| 1 | Outside the Cathedral of Love, give serpentwyne to Flann. |
| 1 | In Despise, free Castro and Felix.[1] |
| 1 | In Despise, use the lever to free Thadious from entrapment. [2] |
| 1 | In Despise, spare Iolo. |
| 1 | On the road to Paws, talk with Altara about karma. |
| 1 | On the road to Paws, extinguish the barn fire |
| 1 | In the brigand's hideout, save the mother |
| 1 | In Paws, install the windmill valve. |
| 1 | In Paws, give serpentwyne to Hayley the healer (this can be done multiple times before going to Terfin). |
| 5 | In Paws, save Meribeth. |
| 1 | In Britain, give 10 gold to the beggar by the warehouse. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Compassion. |
| 2 | In Ambrosia, read books to get the green power cube. |
| 1 | In Ambrosia, save one of Queen Zhah's eggs. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Humility. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Honesty. |
| 1 | In Cove, return Dayla's doll. |
| 2 | In Cove, place the ghost bracelet and ghost necklace within the crypt. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Sacrifice. |
| 1 | In Wrong, release Jean-Paul. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Justice. |
| 2 | In Buccaneer's Den, free the silver serpent (goods will no longer be available in the Guild Shop). |
| 1 | In Trinsic, talk to Marek but decline to fight. |
| 3 | In Trinsic, after Lucero dies in the phase spider quest. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Honor. |
| 1 | Inside the Cathedral of Love, return the charity funds to Kimberly. |
| 1 | Outside the Cathedral of Love, return Jordan's journal to Flann after freeing the silver serpent. |
| 1 | In Paws, give Peg Leg Joe 20 gold as donation for the village renewal. |
| 1 | In Destard, free Bane. |
| 2 | In Destard, talk with Adreanna after Talornia is dead. |
| 1 | In Valoria, give the Heirloom Shield to Lambert. |
| 1 | In Valoria, kill the Demon Triumvirate. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Valor. |
| 1 | At the Paws windmill, dunk in the bucket the blank scroll found in the Spirit Realm windmill. |
| 10 | Cleanse the Shrine of Spirituality. |
| 118 | Reachable through standard gameplay |
Extra bonuses to karma can be gained through character progression. The Kiran Shield also temporarily grants +5 karma for the duration it is equipped.
| Karma | How to get it |
|---|---|
| 10 | Starting karma for Intelligence before applying bonuses. |
| 30 | Extra for advancement in Intelligence (10 each time, assuming a starting level of "Dim"). |
| 5 | Starting as a mage, bard, fighter, druid, tinker or paladin. |
| 15 | Starting as a shepherd. |
| 10 | Given at the Shrine of Spirituality if no companions have been killed. |
| 5 | Equipping the Kiran Shield (temporary). |
Conclusions[edit]
The following conclusions can be made:
- A mage, bard, fighter, druid, tinker, or paladin can reach a maximum of 179 karma by performing every good deed, committing no bad deeds, and equipping the Kiran Shield.
- A ranger can reach a maximum of 174 karma by performing every good deed, committing no bad deeds, and equipping the Kiran Shield, due to not receiving a karma bonus from character creation.
- A shepherd can reach a maximum of 189 karma by performing every good deed, committing no bad deeds, and equipping the Kiran Shield, due to higher starting karma (to the detriment of Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence).
Trivia[edit]
- It is possible to fill the mana bar to capacity via the following exploits:
- An infinite number of ghost bracelets can be purchased in Cove and placed within the tomb to gain unlimited karma bonuses.
- The blank scroll found in the Spirit Realm can be retrieved from the bucket at Paws windmill then dunked again, ad infinitum. And compared to the first method this one is totally free.
- If official Ultima IX Strategy Guide is to be trusted on its "Cheats & Spoilers" section, the originally intended list of karma modifiers was quite longer than the one in this article, which is valid for final official game version 1.18f. It is to be assumed that remaining karma modifiers don't work because either they were never implemented or due to the sheer amount of bugs present even in the final official version of the game.