Flute of Sheep
The Flute of Sheep is an artifact found only in the NES remake of Ultima IV.
Description[edit]
Faultless, one of the many undead that roam the ruins of Magincia, can tell the Stranger in this version of the game that the town hides a treasure, and that its inhabitants no longer have need of it. Seeking amidst the battered buildings of the dead city, the hero may find this relic in a chest within a hidden passage beneath ground.
Usable only by characters of the shepherd class, the flute's melody has a random chance of driving all of the enemies who hear it into an enchanted slumber, similar to what might be achieved by the Sleep or Mass Sleep spells.
Mechanics[edit]
The Flute can only be used once per combat, and its outcome is random (but possibly affected by the shepherd's intelligence value). If the flute is used again during the same battle, it will always fail.
When the Flute is used successfully, all enemies will fall asleep, then a few of them will wake up in each of the subsequent turns. Using the Flute allows to reduce damage inflicted upon the Companions, and therefore to reduce the money spent for healing them.
A sleeping enemy always grants 3 experience points to the Companion who defeats him. If the player focuses attacks on the enemies that woke up in the previous turn, full experience will be granted to the heroes.