Skill system of Underworld and Underworld II

The skill system of Ultima Underworld (UW1) and Ultima Underworld II (UW2) 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

The player character, the Avatar, has three character attributes: strength, dexterity, and intelligence. The character also has a list of twenty skills and a score of zero to thirty denoting the profeciency in each of those skills. Each skill is related to a base attribute which further enhances profeciency with that skill but also affects how effecienty the character can improve in that skill. Skill levels can be increased throughout game play, but attributes cannot and they are fixed throughout game play. Below is a list of these twenty skill and their base attributes.

Skills are displayed on the character statistics panel. To view it if the inventory or rune stones panels are displayed, pull the chain below the panel. If using Glassmyer's Underworld patch the shortcut key is F to go directly to the character statistics panel.

All skills start at level 0 but some can have a higher initial value assigned during the character creation process. The execpetion is the Ultima Underworld demo which does not have a characer creation process but instead starts the game with each of the skills at a random value, approximately between four and twelve.

MechanicsSkill System

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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. – from Ultima Underworld II Clue Book

Improving Skills

Character skills can be improved by reciting mantras at shrines in UW1 or by meeting with trainers in UW2.

Main article: Training in Ultima Underworld

The Skills

The following table lists the skills as documented in the Ultima Underworld Player's Guide and the Ultima Underworld II Player's Guide manuals. Descriptions of the columns in this table:

• Skill: The name of the skill. There are the same number of skills in both games but a few of them changed names between games.
• Base: Each skill has a base attribute that is used when calculating it's effects. Skills based on strength are considered combat skill, skills based on dexterity are considered practical skills, and skills based on intelligence are considered magic skills. Note that in the UW1 guide they were abreviated as ST, DX, and INT, while in the UW2 guide they were ST, DX,and IQ. Note that in both games they are ST, DX, and INT, regardless of the manual.
• Description: Descriptions from both manuals are listed. When only one description is listed, it means that descriptions were identical between the two manuals.
• Mantra: The mantra for training this particular skill at a shrine in Ultima Underworld. These were not documented and are intended to be discovered in game, hence here they are considered spoilers. Note that these don't include the three general mantras that are included in the UW1 manual.
• Trainer: Who in Ultima Underworld II can train this particular skill. These were not documented and are intended to be discovered in game, hence here they are considered spoilers.
• Comments: A row below the description is for editorial comments on each skill
• Spoilers: Just below the comments are discussions on the usefulness and/or mechanics of each skill. Since some players would rather discover this on their own, these are also considered spoilers here.

Skill	Base	Description	Mantra	Trainers	Spoiler
Acrobat	Dexterity	UW1: The ability to move with grace. This skill reduces damage taken from falls and collisions. UW2: Experience in the art of tumbling. This skill reduces damage taken from falls and collisions, and increases jumping ability.	FAL	Fissif	SPOILER Toggle
		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.
Appraise	Dexterity	Training in perceiving the value of goods. This skill aids you in correctly evaluating a deal offered you in barter.	HUNN	Iolo	SPOILER Toggle
		useless. Trading is usually pointless, and the few times it is needed there is no haggling. In Ultima Underworld II, the only important merchant, Merzan, has fixed prices.
Attack	Strength	UW1: Your general fighting ability. This skill provides a bonus to your chance to hit when attacking. UW2: Your skill in offensive fighting. This skill gives a bonus to your chance to hit when attacking.	RA	Geoffrey	SPOILER Toggle
		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. 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.
Axe	Strength	UW1: Training in the use of axes. This skill increases your ability to defend against attack and provides a bonus to hit when attacking with any form of axe. UW2: Training in the use of axes. This skill increases your ability to defend against attack and increases your chance of hitting when attacking with any form of axe.	GAR	Dupre, unnamed fighters in the Pits of Carnage	SPOILER Toggle
		this is a real alternative to swords, should one ignore the "Sword of Stone Strike".
Barehand	Strength	UW1: (Unarmed) Training in unarmed combat. This skill provides a bonus both to your chance to hit and to damage when attacking with only your fist. UW2: Training in unarmed combat. This skill gives a bonus to your chance to hit and to damage when attacking with only your fist.	(Unarmed) ORA	Syria, Garg	SPOILER Toggle
		Ultima Underworld calls this skill Unarmed unarmed combat is sheer desperation. While survival is possible, this skill should be ignored.
Casting	Intelligence	UW1: The study of spells. This skill improves the likelihood of a spell being successfully cast. UW2: The study of spells. This skill improves the likelihood of a spell being successfully cast, and often increases the spell’s effects.	SOL	Ranthru Nystul, Altara	SPOILER Toggle
		it is a must have, as only with it the more complicated spells can be safely cast. So train to the maximum is advised. In Ultima Underworld Ranthru gives a one-time training in this skill after his book is returned to him. NOTE: If Casting is the highest skill at character creation in Ultima Underworld II, then a MANI rune stone will be available right from the start. However, considering the requirements, only the mage can accomplish that consistently.
Charm	Dexterity	UW1: Knack of making friends. This skill increases your chances of obtaining a good deal when bartering. UW2: (Charisma)The ability to influence others for your own ends. This skill increases your chances of obtaining a good deal when bartering.	SOL	(Charisma) Patterson, Lady Tory	SPOILER Toggle
		Ultima Underworld II calls this skill Charisma 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.
Charisma	Dexterity	UW1: (Charm)Knack of making friends. This skill increases your chances of obtaining a good deal when bartering. UW2: The ability to influence others for your own ends. This skill increases your chances of obtaining a good deal when bartering.	(Charm) SOL	Patterson, Lady Tory	SPOILER Toggle
		Ultima Underworld calls this skill Charm 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 Ultima Underworld II, both trainers disappear from the game after a certain point, so training Charisma after that becomes impossible.
Defense	Strength	UW1: Your ability to defend yourself in combat. This skill provides a penalty to foes who are trying to strike you. UW2: Your ability to defend yourself in combat. This skill applies a penalty against foes who are trying to strike you.	ANRA	Geoffrey	SPOILER Toggle
		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.
Lore	Intelligence	UW1: The ability to correctly identify an item. This skill improves the accuracy of the information gained by Looking at an object. UW2: The ability to correctly identify an item. This skill improves the accuracy of the information you gain when Looking at an object.	LAHN	Nelson, Ogri	SPOILER Toggle
		Very useful. This is an essential skill. This is very useful in both games, as paying 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.
Mace	Strength	UW1: Training in the use of blunt weapons. This skill increases your defense against attacks, and gives a bonus to hit when using a mace or cudgel. UW2: Training in the use of blunt weapons. This skill increases your ability to defend against attack and gives a bonus to hit when using a mace or cudgel.	KOH	Nelson, Ogri	SPOILER Toggle
		the are several types of maces, with the Mace of Undead Bane being one of the best. this is a real alternative to swords, should one ignore the "Sword of Stone Strike".
Mana	Intelligence	Your ability to manipulate magical energy. This skill increases your maximum number of Mana points.	IMU	Nystul, Altara	SPOILER Toggle
		more mana is a must-have in both games, so it is advised to get this skill to the maximum. NOTE: If Mana is the highest skill at character creation in Ultima Underowlrd II, then a MANI rune stone will be available right from the start.
Missile	Strength	Training in the use of missile weapons. This skill increases the damage you inflict in attacks using bows, crossbows, and slings.	FAHM	Iolo	SPOILER Toggle
		missile weapons are not any good, as ammo is very rare.
Picklock	Dexterity	The ability to use lock-picking tools. This skill increases your chances of using a lockpick to open a locked door or chest.	AAM	Julia, Fissif	SPOILER Toggle
		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 Ultima Underworld II, the Cudgel of Entry becomes better than any lockpick or spell.
Repair	Dexterity	The ability to fix weapons and armor. This skill increases your chance of using an anvil to repair items successfully.	LON	Julia	SPOILER Toggle
		Almost useless. The spell Mending will fully repair an item in a single casting, and merchants (e.g. Shak) 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. Additionally, you can't repair certain items by yourself, such as a jeweled shield, which is another minus to the skill.
Search	Dexterity	UW1: Training which heightens your perceptions. This skill increases your chance of detecting hidden doors and traps. This skill is applied automatically whenever you Look at something. UW2: Training which heightens your perceptions. This skill increases your chance of detecting hidden doors and traps. It is applied automatically whenever you Look at something.	LU	Nelson	SPOILER Toggle
		worthless. This skill is pointless, as it is possible to find every secret door in the game easily with a zero in this skill.
Stealth	Dexterity	UW1: The ability to move quietly. This skill automatically reduces the noise you make, making it less likely that creatures will notice you. UW2: The ability to move quietly. This skill reduces the amount of noise you make, making it less likely that creatures will notice you.	FAL	Fissif	SPOILER Toggle
		worthless. This skill is pointless, as it is possible to find every secret door in the game easily with a zero in this skill.
Swimming	Dexterity	UW1: Training in endurance swimming. This skill postpones drowning. UW2: Training in speed and endurance swimming. This skill increases your movement rate in water, and postpones drowning.	ONO	Fissif	SPOILER Toggle
		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.
Sword	Strength	UW1: Training in swordsmanship. This skill increases your chance of defending against attack and provides a bonus to your chance to hit when striking with swords and daggers. UW2: Training in swordsmanship. This skill increases your chance of defending against attack and provides a bonus to your chance to hit when striking with swords and daggers.	AMO	Syria, Lobar	SPOILER Toggle
		thanks to the imbalance of weapons, with Caliburn in Ultima Underworld and the Sword of Stone Strike in Ultima Underworld II, it is the most useful weapons skill, also because many good swords are available early. Also, in Ultima Underworld II, 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.
Track	Dexterity	UW1: The ability to perceive animal tracks. This skill tells you when creatures are near. UW2: The ability to perceive animal tracks. This skill helps tell you when creatures are near.	SAHF	unnamed goblin	SPOILER Toggle
		Almost useless, as even when the skill works, the information gained is useless. A token training is needed in Ultima Underworld II to get the Order Serpent, but it is only an easter egg with no in-game use.
Traps	Dexterity	UW1: The ability to disable a trap. This skill disarms traps you find. UW2: The ability to render a trap harmless. This skill automatically disarms any traps you find.	ROMM	Julia, Fissif	SPOILER Toggle
		useless. The skill is pointless because there are next to no traps. The traps encountered only deal minor damage.
Unarmed	Strength	UW1: Training in unarmed combat. This skill provides a bonus both to your chance to hit and to damage when attacking with only your fist. UW2: (Barehand) Training in unarmed combat. This skill gives a bonus to your chance to hit and to damage when attacking with only your fist.	ORA	(Barehand) Syria, Garg	SPOILER Toggle
		Ultima Underworld II calls this skill Barehand unarmed combat is sheer desperation. While survival is possible, this skill should be ignored.

Gallery

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  Attempting to repair an item

Misc

(WIP) I haven't decided what to do with this text yet, probably move it to training page, but I'm just leaving it here for now --Sir Robin (talk) 20:38, 24 March 2025 (MDT)

TODO	do something with all this text

Combat skills are boosted by the strength attribute.

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.

Magic skill are boosted by the Intelligence attribute.

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.

Practical skills are boosted by the dexterity attribute.

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.