Sometimes it helps to know what attributes do what for your characters. Here's a brief description of the effects of each attribute. Strength Most important to knights, assassins, and any other character regularly participating in hand-to-hand fighting during combat. How much damage is done by each hit of a short range weapon in combat. If a character paralyzes a monster with a physical attack, how long the paralysis lasts. (Dexterity is also considered.) Vision Most important to the character in the third party slot; also important to the character in the second party slot; useful for the character in the first party slot and any wielder of a long range weapon. How much damage is done by a hit of a long range weapon in combat. How well a monster's physical attack can be dodged. (Agility is also considered.) Except for the first character in the party, how good one is at landing hits on a monster in a physical attack. Dexterity is the other major factor that determines this skill. The further back in the party one is, the more important vision is and the less important dexterity is by comparison. Use of long range weapons also makes vision count more heavily and dexterity count slightly less heavily. How readily monsters encountered in combat are identified. (Wisdom and the current light range are also considered.) The effectiveness of a magic spell that targets just one specific monster (as opposed to a whole group, or all of them). (IQ or Wisdom, depending on the spell, is also considered.) Agility Important, sometimes essential, to all characters regularly active in combat. How early in a round of combat the character moves. How well a monster's physical attack can be dodged. (Vision is also considered.) Whether or not monsters can be escaped from by running away. Whether or not an attempt to ambush monsters will succeed. (See a similar effect of wisdom.) Whether or not the effects of certain types of traps can be avoided. How quickly speed is gained. (Dexterity is also considered.) Dexterity Most important to rogues, knights, assassins. How good one is at landing hits on a monster in a physical attack. Except for the first character in a party, vision is also considered. The further back in the party one is, the more important vision is and the less important dexterity is by comparison. Use of long range weapons also makes vision count more heavily and dexterity count slightly less heavily. Whether or not a rogue can identify the trap in a chest without setting it off in the process. How skillfully a rogue can disarm a booby-trapped chest. If a character paralyzes a monster with a physical attack, how long the paralysis lasts. (Strength is also considered.) How quickly speed is gained. (Agility is also considered.) Vitality Most important to characters in the first three spots in the party (i.e., those exposed to direct physical attacks from monsters). How many hit points tend to be gained each level. How good a character is at diving into pools to retrieve objects. How often paralysis may be avoided by attacks from certain monsters. How often a critical hit from certain kinds of traps may be avoided. For dead characters, how often a spell of resurrection will be successful. Special Note: About 50% of the time, a character who is resurrected with a resurrection spell will lose a point of vitality. This does not happen when characters are resurrected in clinics. IQ Most important to sorcerers, druids, and rogues. How effective sorcerer spells are. (In the case of spells that target a single monster only, vision is also considered.) For a sorcerer, how many spell points tend to be gained each level. For a druid, IQ and wisdom are both considered to determine this. How good a rogue is at correctly identifying traps in chests. Wisdom Most important to wizards and druids. How effective wizard spells are. (In the case of spells that target a single monster only, vision is also considered.) For a wizard, how many spell points tend to be gained each level. For a druid, IQ and wisdom are both considered to determine this. How readily monsters encountered in combat are identified. (Vision and the current light range are also considered.) Whether or not a monster ambush may be escaped. (See a similar effect of agility.) Charisma How low the prices will be in inns and clinics. (Shop prices are not affected by charisma.) Speed Only important to wielders of short-range weapons. How many times a character will hit a monster in combat. How many monsters a character can attack in a single round of combat. (Note: a character may not strike more than one monster in a single combat round until that character's speed reaches at least 5.)