Characters in Ultima III have several features that affect gameplay. Like its predecessors - but unlike later Ultima games set in Britannia - Ultima III allows the player to choose from several different races. In this game, the playable races are humans, dwarves, elves, bobbits, and fuzzies. It was the last main Ultima game to do so. Ultima III also allows each character to have one of three genders: male, female, or "other".
Health and Magic
Characters have hit points that determine the maximum number of damage they can receive, and magic points, that determine the spells they can cast. Even though the documentation mentions reagents, that is only background information. In the game, the only limitation to cast a spell is to have enough magic points to cast it. Better spells need more magic points. There are two types of magic in the game: sorcerer spells and priest spells, each having sixteen spells. For more about magic, see the Magic page.
Experience and levels are only useful to determine the maximum number of hit points a character has, for the first time in the Ultima series. Experience is obtained by killing monsters. One hundred experience points (xp) are needed to go up one level. Levels are given by Lord British after gaining enough experience points. Lord British will increase the maximum hit points for a character to (100*current level) plus 50. However, Lord British will only advance players to level 5. Only after getting the Mark of Kings will he advance up to level 25. After level 25, there is no effect for getting more experience or reaching further levels.
Attributes
Characters in this game have four attributes or stats: strength, dexterity, intelligence and wisdom. The race a character has affect the maximum value each of the stats can be raised to. Strength modifies the damage done by a character. Dexterity changes a character's change to hit and avoid attacks and traps. Intelligence and Wisdom affect the magic points, either for sorcerer or priest spells, respectively.
The following table shows the maximum values each race can have in each of the four attributes:
| Race | Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| Elf | 75 | 99 | 75 | 50 |
| Dwarf | 99 | 75 | 50 | 75 |
| Bobbit | 75 | 50 | 75 | 99 |
| Fuzzy | 25 | 99 | 99 | 75 |
Stats are gained by going to Ambrosia and donating at the Shrines of Truth. Each shrine raises a specific attribute, and each multiple of 100 gold donated will raise the respective attribute by one point.
Professions
Ultima III allows the player to choose from eleven professions for each character. Different professions allow for different restrictions on weapons and armor, plus other special characteristics. Each class is influenced by the four primary classes (Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, and Thief), either entirely by one, or partially by multiple classes. The following table shows the characteristics of each profession.
| Profession | Influence | Strongest Weapon | Strongest Armor | Spell Type | Magic Points | Other Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | C | W | T | ||||||
| Fighter | ✓ | All | All | - | - | - | |||
| Cleric | ✓ | Mace | Chain | Prayers | Wisdom | - | |||
| Wizard | ✓ | Dagger | Cloth | Prayers | Wisdom | - | |||
| Thief | ✓ | Sword | Leather | - | - | Steal and disarm traps | |||
| Paladin | ✓ | ✓ | All | Plate | Prayers | Half Wisdom | - | ||
| Lark | ✓ | ✓ | All | Cloth | Sorcery | Half Intelligence | - | ||
| Barbarian | ✓ | ✓ | All | Leather | - | - | Some steal and disarm traps | ||
| Druid | ✓ | ✓ | Mace | Cloth | Both | Half Wisdom or Intelligence, the greater of the two | Fast magic point regeneration | ||
| Illusionist | ✓ | ✓ | Mace | Leather | Prayers | Half Wisdom | Some steal and disarm traps | ||
| Alchemist | ✓ | ✓ | Dagger | Cloth | Sorcery | Half Intelligence | Some steal and disarm traps | ||
| Ranger | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | +2 Sword | +2 Plate | Both | Half Wisdom or Intelligence, the lesser of the two | Some steal and disarm traps |
Character creation
When creating a new character, the following steps have to be done (See Getting Started for more a detailed description):
- Select an empty spot from the character roster.
- Assign the character a name, maximum of 13 letters.
- Choose the sex.
- Choose the race.
- Choose the type (profession).
- Distribute 50 points between the four attributes. No attribute can have less than 5 points or more than 25 points.
Up to 20 characters can be created and stored at the same time, and parties can be formed by selecting four characters from that roster. Parties can be dispersed and re-formed even in the middle of saved games, before loading a game.