Question regarding the Black Sword

[Ammar]

Hello,

I've been looking at the damage values for the weapons of Ultima VII and Serpent Isle in the Cluebooks and on various websites, but no one lists the damage the Black Sword does. So I'd be grateful if someone could answer the following questions :

1. Does the Black Sword do the same damage in Exult and the original game?
2. What are the respective values if known?
3. Does the damage change from Black Gate to Serpent Isle?
4. If so, does it depend on the state of the sword, i.e. Demon Present, Sword broken, Sword fixed with Flux Analyser?

I'm just trying to figure out how good a weapon it is compared to say the Axe you find in Silver Seed. Thanks in advance.

[Wizardry Dragon]

From Exult Studio:

Damage: 25 magic
Range: 4
Sound Effect: 2
Use: Hand
Family: None
Projectile: shape 707
Hit Sound Effect: 4
Strike frames: slow strike

Always hits=TRUE

This is from BG. The SI one appears similar but I'm not sure about the 'broken' sword.

Cheers, Wizardry Dragon
Lead Designer, Ultima VII: The Feudal Lands

[Warder]

I'm pretty sure the sword was much worse in SI, but again, I could be wrong.

[Wizardry Dragon]

The damage type is "normal" and it is 9, looking at Exult Studio with SI/SS before the storm. I know that after you "fix" it with the flux analyzer it improves but not up to it's BG strength, so yes you're right.

The rest of the tab is pretty much the same though.

(BTW, the reason why it is poorer in SI is less the damage value, but the type. A lot of monsters resist normal damage. Only a few resist magic)

Cheers, Wizardry Dragon
Lead Designer, Ultima VII: The Feudal Lands

[eris]

The Black Sword was always creepy to me. I decided that since it was demonic, it would be very un-avatarlike to use it, so I never did. But sometimes I would find myself using it even though I had not selected it, which made it seem like it was trying to force itself on me and created quite a spooky effect in the game.

(Of course, I didn't know it at the time, but what was happening was that from time to time I would unequip my weapon for some reason, and forget to re-equip it later. Then when I next entered combat, the game would automatically pick the most powerful weapon for me, which was the Black Sword.)

[marzo]

1. Does the Black Sword do the same damage in Exult and the original game?

Yes.

I know that after you "fix" it with the flux analyzer it improves but not up to it's BG strength, so yes you're right.

Actually, it stays the same -- the only difference the flux analyzer does is that you can kill the banes (that and some conversation options).

[Ammar]

Thanks for the answers. Which reminds me, what determines when Arcadion in BG is willing to regenerate your magic points? He's always declining lately.

[marzo]

He does it at night only; specifically, between 9PM (inclusive) and 6AM (exclusive).