Character reference
Skills and stats
How to plan a character under the 350-point stat cap without pretending Novus has fixed classes.
- Stats
- Strength · Dexterity · Intelligence
- Total stat cap
- 350
- Skill cap
- No total cap documented in the selected INI
The three stats
Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence share 350 points. Strength supports hits and carrying capacity; Dexterity supports stamina and physical action; Intelligence supplies mana. Your final spread should match the equipment and skills you actually use.
| Stat | Primary effect | Common uses |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Hits and carrying capacity | Melee, mining, hauling ore, surviving damage |
| Dexterity | Stamina and action speed | Weapons, archery, sustained physical combat |
| Intelligence | Mana | Magery, healing, travel, and utility spells |
Build by skill, not class
Ultima Online characters are combinations of trained skills. Novus did not lock players into warrior, mage, miner, tamer, thief, or merchant classes. A miner could fight; a mage could run a shop; a guild could train specialists around the equipment it could replace.
- Weapon characters normally pair a weapon skill with Tactics and a recovery plan.
- Mages need Magery plus enough mana and reagents for the work they intend to do.
- Miners and smiths should plan carrying capacity and bank space before chasing rare ore.
- Animal handlers need control skills as well as a place to stable valuable creatures.
A note on skill limits
The selected server INI documents the 350 stat cap but not a total skill cap. Individual skill behavior belongs to the skill definitions and the current build. This guide therefore does not publish an invented seven-skill template limit as a Novus rule.