Ultima VI: The False Prophet/Companions

You can have the Avatar and up to seven companions in your party. The avatar starts at level 3 and can always use magic. The next chart shows the values of the characters at the point you acquire them. This guide contains a few spoilers.

Companions
Beh Lem, Dupree, Iolo, and Shamino will not willingly leave the party. You have to kill them if you want them out, and if you want them back, you need to make sure you have room in your party before you resurrect them. Else they can't join you unless you kill them again and remove the extra party members.

Julia gets mad if you tell her to leave the party and refuses to rejoin. If you have her in your party and think you will want her back at a later time just kill her and leave her somewhere you can easily get to.

Sherry is required to get one of the runes. You need to give her cheese in order for her to join. She can fit through mouse holes, portcullises, and fences which can make some puzzles easier. She can carry any equipment that other characters can as long as you raise her Str. If you want to train her so you can use her I suggest equipping her with a wand, boomerang, or sling. Healers will not resurrect her you will need to cast the eight level spell in order to revive her.

Beh Lem is required when you reach the gargoyle city. He will join you only if you know the Gargish language.

Experience
When the PC has enough experience to reach the next level you can talk to a shrine and meditate at it to gain a level. Exp Maxes out at 9999. Str, Dex, and Int max at 30. Keep in mind that the avatar gets +1 Dex for training with Loubet in Serpent's Hold for the first time. Str and Dex are the most important. I suggest you don't raise Int. Str affects how well you attack with blunt weapons. The weight of equipment you can wear is equal to your Str. The total weight you can carry is equal to twice your Str. Dex affects how fast you move and attack. It also determines how well you attack with non-bludgeoning weapons. The avatar's magic points are equal to twice his/her Int. Companions who can use magic have magic points equal to half their level.

The ant mound east of Sacrifice shrine at sextant location 22 N, 70 E is a good place to earn Exp. The ants are very easy to kill and you should be able to go into solo mode and roam the dungeon without any problems. If you use a moongate to get there, the gargoyles at the shrine could be a problem.