Agility

Agility or Dexterity is an attribute that allows a character to dodge attacks in combat and improves hit chance. It may also determine which weapons can be wielded.

The Attribute

In general, Dexterity determines whether a blow against an enemy will deal any damage, as well as the chance to evade an enemy strike, either entirely or partially. In later games Dexterity also determines how many attacks a character can make in a round, high Dexterity increases the frequency of attacks a character can make in a round.

Ultima I

In Ultima I, each point of Agility adds +1% to the base 50% chance of a hit with weapon attacks. This means that with an Agility of 50, every strike will hit the enemy, making battles much easier. It also reduces the chance of Iolo and the Jester successfully stealing from the player by a 1/256 chance per point (the base chance is 50%). In turn, it does raise the player's chance to steal successfully. Agility is raised by visiting the Pillars of Protection. This increase is only granted on the first visit to the signpost or after having visited other signposts. Another way to increase Agility is by throwing money into certain pools found in castles, however, the possibility of success, as well as which stat is raised, is random.

An elf gets a +5 Agility bonus, while a thief and a fighter gain +10 each.

Agility maximizes at 99.

Ultima II

In Ultima II, Agility is used to determine which weapon can be wielded, the chance to hit an enemy, and the chance to steal successfully. The exact formula is not known, but a higher Agility score improves the chance to hit an enemy and reduces the risk of being caught while stealing.

Agility maximizes at 99.

The minimum Agility requirements for the weapons are as follows (note that minimum Agility is 10):

	Min. Agility
Hand	1
Dagger	9
Mace	11
Axe	19
Bow	21
Sword	29
Great sword	31
Light sword	39
Phaser	41
Quicksword	49

Elves start with a +5 Agility bonus and thieves get +10. The stat can be raised by bribing the Clerk in the Hotel California in New San Antonio. The Ultima II Upgrade Patch is required so that Agility does not roll over.

Ultima III

In Ultima III, Dexterity does not factor into the evasion rate (which armour does). Instead, Dexterity determines the likelihood of a successful strike against an enemy in combat, if a spell is successfully cast and if an attempt at disabling a trap (traps are only in chests) is successful or not. The exact formulas for those are not known. For thievery, the stat can be substituted with the spell Appar Unem, but for battle it is essential.

Due to the many fields this stat touches, all characters will benefit from having Dexterity.

Dexterity can be raised at the fitting magic shrine on Ambrosia by donating money (and lots of it). Only fuzzies and elves can reach the maximum of 99. Humans and dwarves have a maximum of 75, while bobbits are stuck at 50.

Ultima IV

In this game, Dexterity solely determines the hit chances of the character and the enemies. The formula for a character hit chances are as follows:

• With 0 DEX, a character has a 50% chance to hit. Each point of DEX adds about 0.4%, granting a probability of about 65% at 39 DEX. At 40 DEX, there is a sudden jump to a 100% chance to hit.

Dexterity reaches its maximum at 50, although there is clearly no benefit to having Dexterity above 40.

In order to raise Dexterity, characters have to touch special magic orbs found in dungeons. Orbs that raise Dexterity are found in the dungeons of Despise, Wrong, Covetous and Hythloth. Each orb raises Dexterity by +5 (though the latter three also raise other stats as well). However they also respectively cause 200, 400, 400 and 600 points of damage, thus they have to be used with caution.

Ultima V

In this game, Dexterity not only determines the hit and evade chances, but high Dexterity also ensures that a character has several turns in a combat round before the enemy can act. Since the magic axe is the best weapon in the game, having high Dexterity is a top priority. Sadly, the formulas are unknown.

Maximum Dexterity is 30.

To increase Dexterity, characters must first level up and then camp for the maximum number of hours during the night. Some luck is needed; if Lord British appears over the campfire, he raises the character's stats by +3. However, the stat raised is randomly selected, so luck also plays a part in which stat is increased.

Ultima VI

In this game, Dexterity not only determines the hit and evade chances, but high Dexterity also ensures that a character has several turns in a combat round before the enemy can act. Additionally, many projectile weapons require a good Dexterity score. Without it, they will never hit their target (or may hit a friendly) or will do less than optimal damage. The same goes for melee weapons that require finesse instead of brute strength.

Sadly, the formulas are unknown.

Maximum Dexterity is 30.

In order to raise Dexterity, characters must first level up and then meditate at a freed Shrine of Virtue with the correct mantra. The Shrine of Compassion raises Dexterity by +3, while the Shrine of Justice, Shrine of Sacrifice and Shrine of Spirituality do so by only +1 (but raise other stats as well).

Savage Empire

In this game, Dexterity not only determines the hit and evade chances, but high Dexterity also ensures that a character has several turns in a combat round before the enemy can act. Additionally, many missile weapons require a good Dexterity score, or they will never hit their target (or may hit a friendly) or do less than optimal damage. This also applies to melee weapons that require finesse instead of brute strength.

Sadly, the formulas are unknown.

Maximum Dexterity is 30.

In order to raise Dexterity, characters first reach a new level and sleep during the night. In the following dream, the bear must be chosen.^{[Clarification needed]}

Martian Dreams

In this game, Dexterity not only determines the hit and evade chances, but high Dexterity also ensures that a character has several turns in a combat round before the enemy can act. Additionally, many missile weapons require a good Dexterity score, or they will never hit their target (or may hit a friendly) or do less than optimal damage. This also applies to melee weapons that require finesse instead of brute strength.

Sadly, the formulas are unknown.

Maximum Dexterity is 30.

In order to raise Dexterity, characters first reach a new level and sleep during the night. In the following dream, the sword must be chosen.^{[Clarification needed]}

Ultima Underworld

Dexterity, in Ultima Underworld, together with the Attack and Weapon skills, determines the hit chances, and with the Defense skill, the evasion chances. The exact formulas for those calculations sadly are not known. It also figures in several other skills such as Lockpicking or Repairing items.

See Character creation in the Underworld games to see how exactly the Dexterity stat is created for each class during character creation. Dexterity cannot be raised after character creation; only the connected skills can be. Therefore, care must be taken to get the desired result at creation.

The Dexterity range is 12–30.

Ultima VII

In this game, Dexterity determines the attack speed and Lockpicking skill – but only indirectly affects hit chances, since Dexterity is a factor for the Combat attribute, which is a measure of a character's battle ability. This, in turn, directly determines how well the character can hit enemies with melee weapons or use missile weapons without hitting friendly party members. Combat is raised by training Dexterity, but can also be trained directly. The formula for this is somewhat complicated and described under Training in Ultima VII.

Maximum Dexterity is 30.

For training, training points are required, which are gained when reaching a new level. The trainers raising Dexterity and Combat are found in the link above. However, the player has a special ability to gain maximum Dexterity and Combat in the quest of Love in The Forge of Virtue.

Ultima Underworld II

Dexterity, in Ultima Underworld II, together with the Attack and Weapon skills, determines hit chances, and with the Defense skill, the evasion chances. The exact formulas for those calculations sadly are not known. It also affects several other skills such as Lockpicking or Repairing items.

See Character creation in the Underworld games to see how exactly the Dexterity stat is created for each class during character creation. Dexterity cannot be raised at all after character generation, only the connected skills, thus care has to be taken to get the desired result at creation.

The Dexterity range is 12–30.

Ultima VII Part Two

In this game, Dexterity determines the attack speed and Lockpicking skill – but only indirectly affects hit chances, since Dexterity is a factor for the Combat attribute, which is a measure of a character's battle ability. This, in turn, directly determines how well the character can hit enemies with melee weapons or use missile weapons without hitting friendly party members. Combat is raised by training Dexterity, but can also be trained directly. The formula for this is somewhat complicated and described under Training in Ultima VII.

Maximum Dexterity is 30.

For training, training points are required, which are gained when reaching a new level. The trainers raising Dexterity and Combat are found in the link above.

Ultima VIII

Dexterity, in Ultima VIII, determines the speed of the player's attacks and how accurate the hero's throwing is. While it determines if a hit connects, its primary function is determining the frequency of attacks, making the former a rather academic concern. Sadly, none of the formulas are known at this time.

Maximum Dexterity is 25.

Training is done by fighting or simply swinging a weapon (though the latter is less effective). Jumping also increases Dexterity.

Ultima IX

Dexterity in this game is measured in four steps: Clumsy, Nimble, Proficient and Adept. Dexterity solely determines the number of weapon techniques the player can learn. Corresponding with the four Dexterity levels there are four weapon techniques for each weapon category. The player knows the first technique by default, and with each level of Dexterity, one new technique can be learned. The stat can be raised after cleansing a Shrine. A shepherd possibly cannot reach the highest level.

Maximum Dexterity is required for the player to learn the best bow technique from Iolo.

See Also

• Character attributes

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Character Stats
The Main Attibutes	Strength ☥ Dexterity ☥ Intelligence
Past Attibutes	Charisma ☥ Stamina ☥ Wisdom