Statistics

Statistics in Ultima Online — also called stats or attributes — are the three primary character traits that define a character's combat-and-utility capability: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), and Intelligence (INT). Together they form the stat triad that determines max Hit Points, max Stamina, max Mana, melee damage, swing speed, casting speed, and dozens of derived secondary effects. Each character has a per-stat cap (default 100 for new accounts, raisable via Stat Scrolls) and a total-stat cap (default 225, raisable via Wondrous-tier scrolls and Veteran Rewards / Scroll of Valiant Commendation bonuses to a maximum of 260). Stats are the fundamental currency of character power in UO — every combat formula, every spell strength calculation, and every resource-pool maximum derives from them.

The three primary stats

Each stat is independently capped and independently leveraged. A pure Mage has high INT and lower STR/DEX; a pure Warrior has high STR and DEX with lower INT; a Mage-Warrior hybrid balances all three.

Per-stat cap and total-stat cap

The default stat caps:

The per-stat cap can be raised by Stat Scrolls — the Wondrous, Exalted, Mythical, Legendary, Ultimate tiers grant +5, +10, +15, +20, +25 stat-cap respectively, per stat. The maximum per-stat ceiling with all five tiers is 125.

The total-stat cap can be raised by:

The 260 total-cap is the canonical "stat-capped" character — a fully-built Veteran character with Stat Scroll bonuses applied.

Stat point allocation

A character starts with a fixed stat point budget (typically 80 stat points spread across STR/DEX/INT) and gains stat points through skill-use-driven stat gain:

• Using a STR-related skill (Tactics, Anatomy, Mining, Wrestling, etc.) has a chance to increase STR.
• Using a DEX-related skill (Fencing, Swordsmanship, Archery, Stealth, etc.) increases DEX.
• Using an INT-related skill (Magery, Eval Int, Meditation, Necromancy, etc.) increases INT.

Each stat-gain check fires at random intervals during skill use; the chance scales with how far the stat is below its cap. Gains stop when the per-stat cap is reached.

Stat re-allocation: A character can lock or "atrophy" a specific stat (e.g., set Intelligence to "down" so it loses points to make room for STR/DEX gains) using the character paperdoll's stat arrows. This is the canonical way to redistribute stats post-creation.

Derived attribute pools

The three primary stats determine max Hit Points, Stamina, and Mana — but not 1-for-1. The actual formulas:

The Hit Points Increase / Stamina Increase / Mana Increase modifiers (HPI / STI / MI) on equipment stack with base stat values. A character with 100 STR, +10 HPI from a ring, and +15 HPI from a chest piece has 125 max Hit Points.

STR — secondary effects

DEX — secondary effects

INT — secondary effects

Stat allocation strategies

The 260-cap distribution is the canonical "fully-built" form for each archetype.

Race and stat caps

Gargoyle characters start with the same default 80-point budget but have slightly higher per-stat ceilings (their racial cap can exceed 100 by a small margin in some configurations). Elf and Human characters have identical stat mechanics; the racial differences appear in skill caps and racial abilities, not in stat formulas.

See also

• Stat_Scrolls — the per-stat cap-raise scrolls (Wondrous → Ultimate, +5 → +25)
• Veteran_Rewards — the +5 total-cap stat scroll source
• Scroll_of_Valiant_Commendation — the Exodus-defeat +5 total-cap scroll
• Healing · Anatomy · Tactics — STR-leveraged skills
• Stealth · Hiding · Parrying — DEX-leveraged skills
• Magery · Evaluating_Intelligence · Meditation — INT-leveraged skills
• Item_Properties — gear-side HPI / STI / MI modifiers that augment stat pools