The Murder System
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Understanding Murder Counts
In Ultima Online: Renaissance, slaying innocent adventurers carries heavy criminal consequences. When an innocent (blue) character is killed without provocation, the victim has the legal right to report the killer for murder.
The server tracks two separate counters on every character:
- Short-Term Murder Count
- Long-Term Murder Count
Whenever a victim reports you for murder, both counters increase by 1. However, their purpose, decay rates, and penalties operate on completely different rules.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Counts
- Decay Rate: 1 count decays every 8 hours of active game time.
- Governs: Resurrecting with Stat Loss.
- The Threshold: If you resurrect with 5 or more Short-Term counts, you will immediately suffer permanent stat loss and skill penalties!
- Independent: Decaying a short-term count does not lower your long-term count.
- Decay Rate: 1 count decays every 40 hours of active game time.
- Governs: Your character's Red Notoriety status.
- The Threshold: Reaching 5 or more Long-Term counts flags your character as a known murderer (Red name).
- No Direct Stat Loss: Long-term counts do not cause stat loss by themselves; they dictate how long you remain an outlaw.
Critical Rule: Long-Term ≥ Short-Term
Because both counters start together, your Long-Term count is always equal to or higher than your Short-Term count. This means:
- If you will suffer stat loss upon resurrection, you are guaranteed to be Red.
- Being Red does NOT always mean you will suffer stat loss (if you have waited out your Short-Term counts below 5 while your Long-Term counts remain 5+).
Count Decay Timers
- Murder decay timers progress while your character is logged into the world.
- Timer Reset On New Kills: If you are actively decaying a murder count and commit another murder, the timer for the count you were working on instantly resets to full (8h / 40h), and the new count is added on top!
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Stat Loss Formula & Penalties
If you die while holding 5 or more Short-Term murder counts, choosing to resurrect incurs immediate **Permanent Stat and Skill Loss**.
Mathematical Formula
The percentage of stats and skills lost upon resurrection is calculated using the official server formula:
Loss % = 4.0% + (ShortTermMurders / 5.0)%
Stat Loss Breakdown Table
| Short-Term Counts | Stat Loss Penalty | Decay Time to Safe Res (<5) | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 Counts | 0% (No Loss) | Safe to Resurrect Immediately | Clean |
| 5 Counts | 5.0% | 8 Hours | Dangerous |
| 10 Counts | 6.0% | 48 Hours | Heavy |
| 20 Counts | 8.0% | 128 Hours | Severe |
| 30 Counts | 10.0% | 208 Hours | Devastating |
| 40 Counts | 12.0% | 288 Hours | Catastrophic |
| 55+ Counts | 15.0% (Hard Cap) | 408+ Hours | Maximum Penalty Cap |
The Accumulation Trap
Many new player killers make the mistake of thinking: *"I will kill 5 players, wait 8 hours to lose 1 short-term count so I can res safely, then kill another player."*
Here is how the numbers actually compound:
| Action | Short-Term Count | Long-Term Count | Time to Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kills 5 players in a row | 5 (Safe in 8h) | 5 (200h to 0) | 40 Hours |
| 2. Waits 8h (Safe to res) | 4 (Safe now) | 5 (192h to 0) | 32 Hours |
| 3. Kills 1 player (Reset penalty!) | 5 (Safe in 8h) | 6 (240h to 0 — 8h wasted) | 80 Hours |
| 4. Waits 8h (Safe to res) | 4 (Safe now) | 6 (232h to 0) | 72 Hours |
| 5. Kills 1 player again | 5 (Safe in 8h) | 7 (280h to 0 — 8h wasted) | 120 Hours |
Key Takeaway: While the character in Step 5 only has 5 short-term counts (and needs only 8 hours of waiting to resurrect without stat loss), their Long-Term accumulation has exploded from 40 hours to 120 hours of continuous game time before they can ever become Blue again!
Outlaw Life & Restrictions
Being flagged as a murderer (Red) changes how you interact with the world:
- Town Guards Attack on Sight: Town guards in protected cities (Britain, Moonglow, Trinsic, etc.) will instantly execute any murderer entering their patrol zone.
- NPC Shopkeeper Boycott: Virtuous NPC vendors in town refuse to trade, buy, or sell with murderers. Outlaws must rely on evil bandit enclaves (such as the town of Buccaneer's Den) or private player vendors for supplies.
- Free Target for All: Any blue player may attack a red murderer without turning criminal or incurring murder counts.
- No Permanent Red: Renaissance runs on authentic RunUO mechanics; there is no permanent "perma-red" lock. Any red character can return to Blue status if they work off their long-term counts below 5.
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Reporting Murders & Placing Bounties
When an innocent player is struck down by another player, Britannia's legal system gives the victim the power to report the murder and place a monetary bounty on the killer's head.
The Murder Report Dialog
Upon death, if your character was innocent, the server presents a murder report gump:
Appears if the killer already has 4+ long-term counts and the victim has at least 1 gold coin in their bank box. Allows placing a bounty up to 60,000 gp directly from the bank.
Appears if the killer has fewer than 4 long-term counts or the victim has no bank funds. Submits a murder count without a bounty.
Overhead system text confirms that your murder count was recorded, showing the individual bounty amount and the new total bounty accumulated on the killer.
The murderer instantly receives system messages warning that a murder has been reported against them and displaying any bounty placed on their head.
Bounty Rules & Exemptions
- Bank Box Deduction: When placing a bounty, gold is automatically drawn from the victim's bank box.
- Bounty Limit: The maximum bounty you can place in a single report is 60,000 gold.
- No Murder Count Exemptions: You CANNOT report a player for murder if:
- You are an active member of the Thieves Guild.
- You are currently flagged as a Criminal (grey name).
- The kill occurred inside a Private House where you are not a Friended guest.
- You are actively engaged in consensual PvP events (such as automated tournaments, CTF events, faction combat, or guild wars).
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The Bounty Board System
The Renaissance Bounty Board links all active outlaw contracts across Britannia into a unified bounty hunter marketplace.
Inspecting the Bounty Board
Bounty Boards are permanently stationed outside or inside every major bank across Britannia. Double-clicking any Bounty Board opens the registry of wanted criminals.
Lists all wanted murderers currently holding a price on their head, sorted by their total bounty reward.
Double-clicking a specific outlaw displays their criminal record, showing the exact victim names and the individual bounties placed.
Claiming Bounties & Taking Heads
To collect the bounty reward, a bounty hunter must track down the outlaw and bring physical proof of their demise to the authorities:
Use a dagger, skinning knife, or bladed weapon on the fallen murderer's corpse to sever their head into your backpack.
Drag and drop the severed head directly onto any town guard. The guard will verify the contract and hand you a Bank Check for the full bounty!
- The 24-Hour Expiration Rule: The severed head must be presented to a town guard within 24 hours of the murderer's death. After 24 hours, the head decays into a generic skull and the bounty can no longer be cashed in!
- Removal from Board: Once a murderer's head has been cashed in, their active bounty is paid out and their entry is removed from the Bounty Board.
Bounty Decay & Expiration
Bounties do not stay on the board forever if an outlaw stays inactive:
- 30-Day Activity Rule: If a murderer does not kill another player for 30 consecutive days, their bounty is purged from the board during server maintenance.
- Server Restart Cycle: Because Renaissance maintains exceptionally high uptime and restarts only approximately once per month, a bounty may persist on the board for up to 60 days before server cleanup clears it.
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Murder & Bounty Quick Reference
| System Aspect | Rules & Exact Mechanics |
|---|---|
| Short-Term Decay Rate | 1 count decays every 8 hours of online game time. |
| Long-Term Decay Rate | 1 count decays every 40 hours of online game time. |
| Stat Loss Threshold | Triggered upon resurrection if you have 5 or more Short-Term counts. |
| Red Status Threshold | Character turns Red when reaching 5 or more Long-Term counts. |
| Stat Loss Scaling | 5% at 5 counts; scales linearly up to a hard cap of 15% at 55+ counts. |
| Maximum Single Bounty | Up to 60,000 gold per kill, drawn automatically from the victim's bank box. |
| Claiming a Bounty | Cut off the killer's head with a bladed weapon and drop it onto any town guard within 24 hours. |
| Bounty Board Decay | Inactive murderers (no kills for 30+ days) have their bounties cleared upon server restart (every 30–60 days). |
| Permanent Red Status | Non-existent; characters can always return to Blue by decaying long-term counts below 5. |