Character attributes in Ultima I

Ultima I character creation

Characters in Ultima I have different statistics that affect gameplay. All the important points are discussed here.

Hitpoints

Characters have "hitpoints" that determine the maximum number of damage they can receive. All characters in Ultima I begin with 150 hitpoints, and these are increased by paying tribute to either Lord British or any other king with the formula "2 gold pieces = 3 hit points". Alternatively, the player gains hitpoints when exiting a dungeon, determined by the number of slain monsters. However, this method also has the danger of gaining less than lost in battle.

Level

Experience is obtained by killing monsters in the dungeons or the overworld. A character can advance as high as 10th level, and always starts at level 1. Every 1000 experience points, the character is promoted one level. There are no advantages from being higher level, just disadvantages – as more monsters roam the overworld after promotion.

Attributes

Characters in this game have six attributes or stats, each with a rating from 10-99, which govern different aspects of gameplay:

• Strength - damage done by a character.
• Agility - chance to hit, and to successfully steal.
• Stamina - defense against attacks, modified further by armour worn.
• Charisma - prices in shops.
• Wisdom - ability to successfully cast spells.
• Intelligence - both bargaining ability and spellcasting power.

These attributes can be raised by visiting the various signposts throughout Sosaria, as long as the Stranger does not enter one twice in a row. Strength can also be gained by completing a king's quest (visiting one signpost).

Race

The player can choose from several different races, including humans, dwarves, elves, and bobbits. The following table shows the attribute bonuses each race receives:

Race	Attribute Bonus
1. Human	+5 Intelligence
2. Elf	+5 Agility
3. Dwarf	+5 Strength
4. Bobbit	+10 Wisdom, -5 Strength

Note that the gender of the player has no impact on statistics.

Profession

Characters can be one of four professions. The player's choice of profession does not affect useable weapons or armour, but may provide a benefit beyond a simply attribute.

The following table shows the attribute bonuses each profession receives:

Profession	Attribute Bonus	Ability
1. Fighter	+10 Strength, +10 Agility	None
2. Cleric	+10 Wisdom	Automatic spell success (overworld only)
3. Wizard	+10 Intelligence	4 unique spells (see Sosarian magic)
4. Thief	+10 Agility	Increased steal chance, avoid chest traps

Character creation

When creating a new character, the following steps are taken, in order:

• Distribute 30 points between the six attributes, in order. Each attribute already has 10 points allocated to it (but not all points must be spent) and the maximum for one attribute is 25.
• Choose a gender (M/F)
• Choose a race (#1-4, see above)
• Choose a profession ("Type," #1-4, see above).
• Assign the character a name (maximum of 12 letters).

See Also

• Character advancement
• Character attributes in Ultima II
• Character attributes in Ultima III