Paragon
Paragon refers to an über-version of the creatures that spawn in Ilshenar. Introduced with Ultima Online: Third Dawn, the enhanced challenge of Paragon creatures necessitated an enhanced reward.
Paragon Creatures
There is a 5% chance, or 1-in-20, that any creature that spawns in the Ilshenar facet will spawn as a Paragon of its type.
Paragon creatures are noticeably more powerful than the normal creatures of their type. They take longer to kill, hit harder, have more powerful magic, have very high health regeneration, and run very fast (thus making them difficult to escape from). They actively target from much further distances, as well. Fast and far is part of the enhanced challenge.
Paragon Minor Artifacts
You do not have to defeat Paragon creatures to cause minor Artifacts to spawn your pack. Ilshenar Minor Artifacts are awarded randomly upon the death of any creature, in Ilshenar that is.
Any creature that would normally drop a Treasure Map will, when spawned as a Paragon, produce a "Paragon Treasure Chest" rather than a treasure map. These chests, which must be opened using the Lockpicking skill, come with a treasure map that is 1 level higher than the level of map normally provided as loot by the creature. The "Paragon Treasure Chest" will have the name recovered from "creature name" Paragon. The chests come in random hues, including a dark black and a bright white hue which are often referred to as semi-rare.
See Also
- Paragon Tactics for Classes, which currently is only for Tamer/Bards