Skill system of Underworld and Underworld II
The skill system of Ultima Underworld (UU1) and Ultima Underworld II (UU2) is one of the core features of the games. Decisions have to be made concerning in which ones the Avatar develops. The skills have very different usefulness and some of them are not useful at all, therefore a list of the skills, how to acquire them, and how useful they are is essential. This plays into the character creation in the Underworld games.
The Skill System[edit]
The skill system in Ultima Underworld is based on a 0 to 30 range for skill values. Attempts to use non-combat skills have a certain probability of success and every point the Avatar has in the relevant skill adds one chance in 30 to this probability. The base difficulty might vary from task to task; each locked door has its own difficulty of picking, each type of creature has a certain chance to be detected by Track and so forth; but it is generally the case that 1 point of skill adds 1 chance in 30 to the chance of success.
Combat works somewhat differently. Each creature type has a certain chance to hit and be hit in combat. Assuming the Avatar swings in a monster's general vicinity, the chance to hit increases by 1 to 30 units (as many units as half the Attack skill plus the specific weapon skill), while the chance to avoid being hit increases (also by 1 to 30 units) by the Defense skill plus half the weapon skill.
When the Avatar trains in a skill, the number of skill points gained depends somewhat on the value of the underlying ability score (Strength for combat skills, Intelligence for magic skills and Dexterity for all other skills). Skills tend to advance very quickly until they reach equal to half of the underlying ability score, then advance more slowly until the same value as the ability score is reached, and then advance very slowly thereafter.
Combat Skills[edit]
Combat skills are the most important in both games. While it is absolutely needed to train Attack and Defense, it is best to specialize on only one weapon type and stick with it. It has to be added that the weapons are not balanced: missile weapons are far too weak, useless if stronger enemies come into melee range and need ammunition. While unarmed combat is possible, it is not ideal.
Attack[edit]
Description: the more points, the more effective the Avatar is in hitting and hurting opponents. Adds 1/2 its value to the odds to hit in combat, with all weapons.
UU1 mantra: RA
UU2 trainer(s): Geoffrey
Comments: while it is useful, it is a very poor choice, cost wise, to invest skill points here. This is because it adds only 1/2 to Attack odds per point; a weapon skill adds 1 per point to the odds, and adds 1/2 per point to Defense to boot. It is better to pick one weapon skill and investing solely in that. 30 points spent on attack would cost only 15 points on a weapon skill for the same to-hit bonus, leaving 15 points to spend on other skills.
Defense[edit]
Description: It determines how big the chance of stopping a blow is, while not swinging the weapon.
UU1 mantra: ANRA
UU2 trainer(s): Geoffrey
Comments: increases defense at a 1-to-1 ratio (twice that of a weapon skill). This and a weapon skill are the only ways to make one harder to hit.
Sword[edit]
Description: Together with Attack and Defense, this skill determines how well the Avatar can use sword weapons.
UU1 mantra: AMO
UU2 trainer(s): Syria, Lobar (is better than Syria)
Comments: thanks to the imbalance of weapons, with Caliburn in UU1 and the Sword of Stone Strike in UU2, it is the most useful weapons skill, also because many good swords are available early. Also, in UU2, the trainer Lobar is special, in that he always adds 1 more point to the sword skill, on top of however many points you would normally gain. This makes sword the easiest weapon skill to maximize.
Mace[edit]
Description: the are several types of maces, with the "Mace of Undead Bane" being one of the best.
UU1 mantra: KOH
UU2 trainer(s): Dupre, fighters in Pits of Carnage (after getting respect)
Comments: this is a real alternative to swords, should one ignore the "Sword of Stone Strike".
Axe[edit]
Description: The strongest axe available is the Axe of Firedoom, which should only be used while wearing the Leather Vest of Flameproof.
UU1 mantra: GAR
UU2 trainer(s): Dupre, fighters in Pits of Carnage (after gaining their respect)
Comments: this is a real alternative to swords, should one ignore the "Sword of Stone Strike".
Missile[edit]
Description:
UU1 mantra: FAHM
UU2 trainer(s): Iolo
Comments: missile weapons are not any good, as ammo is very rare.
Unarmed[edit]
Description:
UU1 mantra: ORA
UU2 trainer(s): Syria, Garg
Comments: unarmed combat is sheer desperation. While survival is possible, this skill should be ignored.
Magic Skills[edit]
Magic skills are very important in both games, since using magic is the best way to survive and make progress. Magic also can replace numerous of the other skills and is very versatile, therefore, both skills rank very high on the importance list and should be maxed out.
Casting[edit]
Description: This skill essentially raises the chance of successfully casting a spell. It also is a protection against spell failure and backfires (which is the worst that could happen).
UU1 mantra: SOL
UU2 trainer(s): Nystul, Altara
Comments: it is a must have, as only with it the more complicated spells can be safely cast. So train to the maximum is advised.
Mana[edit]
Description: the higher the Avatar raises this skill, the more mana will be available for casting.
UU1 mantra: IMU
UU2 trainer(s): Nystul, Altara
Comments: more mana is a must-have in both games, so it is advised to get this skill to the maximum.
Other Skills[edit]
These are the remaining skills. The higher a skill is, the better the chance of success. Some are good, some are average and numerous are utterly pointless and should be avoided.
Lore[edit]
Description: it allows the Avatar to identify magical properties of objects. A higher skill increases the likelihood of both detecting whether an object is enchanted, and identifying the exact enchantment.
UU1 mantra: LAHN
Comments: Very useful. This is an essential skill. This is very useful in both games, as paying Shak, Dominus or Merzan to identify the items is very costly. Also, if this skill is too low, you cannot even tell whether an item is magical, and thus you can miss out on numerous magic weapons and armors because they appear to be non-magical. It should be trained to the maximum. While the spell Name Enchantment can be used to identify items, it has a high mana cost, so it cannot be cast frequently, and it is a high-level spell, so can only be cast by high-level characters.
Search[edit]
Description: It allows the Avatar to find secret doors and switches much more easily.
UU1 mantra: LU
UU2 trainer(s): Nelson
Comments: worthless. This skill is pointless, as it is possible to find every secret door in the game easily with a zero in this skill.
Acrobat[edit]
Description: learning this skill negates the damage normally received from falling and allows higher jumping. The higher the skill, the better both attributes work.
UU1 mantra: FAL
UU2 trainer(s): Fissif
Comments: This skill is useless; extra jump height is not needed anywhere in either game, and fall damage is trivial even at a skill of 0.
Repair[edit]
Description: allows the usage of an anvil (for example, in Shak's forge, Castle Britannia armoury, and the Prison Tower) to better repair items. Failure damages the item.
UU1 mantra: LON
UU2 trainer(s): Julia
Comments: Almost useless. The spell Mending will fully repair an item in a single casting, and merchants (e.g. the smith in the dwarven mines in UU1) will perform repairs for minimal cost. The skill points would be better spent on combat skills, since a more skilled warrior's weapons or armor are damaged less frequently in combat. This is because, when you attack, your weapon gets damaged if your net to-hit calculation is sufficiently lower than the defender's defense value. The reverse is true for your armor when an attacker strikes you; your armor will be damaged if your defense is sufficiently lower than the attacker's to-hit calculation.
Charisma[edit]
Description: Charisma allows the Avatar to get lower prices when trading. The more points are invested, the better the prices are.
UU1 mantra: UN
UU2 trainer(s): Patterson, Lady Tory
Comments: Almost useless. Trading is rarely needed in either game, items available for trade are generally junk, you can easily acquire enough wealth to trade for just about any item even at a skill of zero, and the discounts gained with this skill are minimal. Also, note that in UWII, both trainers disappear from the game after a certain point, so training Charisma after that becomes impossible.
Track[edit]
Description: at low levels, it does not work. At higher levels, it tells what kind of enemy is near (it does not determine where the enemies are).
UU1 mantra: SAHF
UU2 trainer(s): unnamed goblin
Comments: Almost useless, as even when the skill works, the information gained is useless. A token training is needed in UU2 to get the Order Serpent, but it is only an easter egg with no in-game use.
Traps[edit]
Description: allows the finding and defusing of traps.
UU1 mantra: ROMM
Comments: useless. The skill is pointless because there are next to no traps. The traps encountered only deal minor damage.
Picklock[edit]
Description: enables the Avatar to use lockpicks to open locks on doors and chests.
UU1 mantra: AAM
UU2 trainer(s): Julia, Fissif
Comments: Useless. Lockpicks are rare and break easily, most doors (pretty much any door except those labelled as 'massive') can be bashed open with your fists, and the Open spell can be found quite early in the game. In UU2, the Cudgel of Opening becomes better than any lockpick or spell.
Swimming[edit]
Description: it determines how long the Avatar can swim before starting to take damage (it does not affect swimming speed).
UU1 mantra: ONO
UU2 trainer(s): Iolo
Comments: Almost useless. Even with a skill of zero, you can swim for quite a while before taking any damage, and the Avatar can acquire the Water Walk spell very early, thus negating the need to swim.
Appraise[edit]
Description: using this skill, the Avatar can gauge the quality of a deal while trading with someone, before making an offer.
UU1 mantra: HUNN
UU2 trainer(s): Iolo
Comments: useless. Trading is usually pointless, and the few times it is needed there is no haggling. In UU2, the only important merchant, Merzan, has fixed prices.
Stealth[edit]
Description: this skill is supposed to make it harder for the enemy to become aware of the Avatar.
UU1 mantra: MUL
UU2 trainer(s): Fissif
Comments: useless. The need for light makes the skill useless anyway, as light makes the enemy aware at once.