There are eight governing attributes that make up your character in the world of Arena. The bonus modifier for attributes will increase by one point for every five points invested in said attribute, over an average of 48-50 (which incurs neither a bonus nor penalty), up to a maximum of +10 at 100. There are exceptions to this rule, as noted in the description of the corresponding attribute. Anything below the average will actually incur a negative modifier, which should be avoided. The following is a list of attributes and their "modifiers" (i.e. the specific algorithms that they affect). Note that much of this content is paraphrased from the original Arena instruction manual, though some have done actual testing, both in-game and by experimenting with the source code.
Strength: STREdit
Strength governs how strong you are. It affects how much damage you do in melee combat, how much you can carry before becoming over-encumbered, how far you can jump, and, when added to Endurance, is a factor in determining your maximum Fatigue. It is essential that any warrior-class character has a high Strength rating, but Agility is more important, since you need to actually hit an enemy to deal the bonus damage. Note that only your damage modifier is in "standard" form; all others are ever-increasing, at least up to the maximum attribute level of 100. Encumbrance is only taken into account when attempting to add an item to your inventory. Spellcasters can temporarily fortify their strength to pick up an item and will not be hindered when the effect wears off.
Increases:
- Melee damage
- Maximum Fatigue
- Jump distance
- Maximum carry weight
Intelligence: INTEdit
Intelligence governs how smart you are. It affects the total amount of spell points you get to cast spells with, your chances of negotiating for better prices for items and other purchases, and your chances of picking open a lock. It is essential that any mage- or thief-class character has a high Intelligence rating. Note that bonuses gained from Intelligence are ever-increasing up to the attribute's maximum level of 100, though the exact modifier for your maximum spell points is determined by your specific character class.
Increases:
- Maximum spell points
- Negotiating skills when buying or selling
- Chance of picking open a lock
Willpower: WILEdit
Willpower governs how mentally tough you are. It affects your ability to withstand or resist spells, as well as your ability to negotiate successfully with shop-owners and inn-keepers. It is vital that any character wishing to be adequately defended against spells has a high Willpower rating. Note also that Willpower's modifier for bartering is the only one that is ever-increasing (at least up to the maximum of 100).
Increases:
- Resistance to Enemy Spells
- Negotiating skills when buying or selling
Agility: AGIEdit
Agility governs how nimble you are. It affects your chances of hitting an enemy with a melee weapon, your chances of getting hit in combat, and your chances of successfully stealing an item or picking a lock. It is essential for every class to have a high Agility rating, because of the substantial bonuses to Armor Rating, "To Hit", and "To Defend". Note that only your lockpicking and pickpocketing skills are ever-increasing modifiers affected by Agility, up to a maximum level of 100.
Increases:
- Hit chance in combat
- Resistance to physical damage
- Dodge chance of enemy attacks and spells
- Chance of picking open a lock
- Chance of stealing an item
Speed: SPDEdit
Speed governs how fast you are. It affects your movement rate in and out of combat, and the fire rate if you are using a missile weapon (i.e. bow-and-arrow). It is important for Archers and anyone else wishing to master the bow to have a high Speed rating, but all others may wish to spend their points elsewhere. Note that these modifiers are invisible and ever-increasing up to Speed's maximum level at 100.
Increases:
- Movement speed
- Speed of ranged attacks, i.e: bows and arrows
Endurance: ENDEdit
Endurance governs how healthy you are. It affects your Health Points (a.k.a. hit points, or HP), your healing rate, your resistance to poisons and diseases, and, when added to Strength, is a factor in determining your Fatigue. Since the HP bonus at ≥94 is only +5, only characters with low hit dice will need to invest heavily in Endurance. Fortifying Endurance to 94 before leveling-up will allow a spellcaster to get the maximum bonus (the effect is removed when you enter the point distribution screen, but you can notice that your health gain will be calculated on your fortified endurance value. this applies to custom spells and item enchantments, so even non-spellcaster can use enchanted armor or trinkets to make investing points in this stat quite useless). Note that all of Endurance's effects are ever-increasing, especially health, which always increases when you level-up. Note also that the hit point bonus only applies to hit dice rolls in subsequent levels; it is not retroactive. Therefore, if you want to invest points in Endurance, do so as early as possible to receive the greatest benefit.
Increases:
- Maximum health
- Amount of health regained per hour when resting
- Maximum Fatigue
- Poison- and disease-resistance
Personality: PEREdit
Personality governs how charming and socially acceptable you are. It affects your ability to barter with merchants that you may meet in your travels. It is essential for any person wishing to earn the greatest profit from their transactions to have a high Personality rating. Note that your bonuses to bartering are invisible, but always increase when you increase Personality.
Increases:
- Negotiating skills when buying or selling
Luck: LUCEdit
Luck governs how fate affects you. It is a powerful modifier to any action you may take, whether it be attacking, defending, picking locks or pockets, bartering, or anything else. It is important, but not essential, for any character class to have a high Luck rating, since other attributes have a greater impact on the aforementioned modifiers. Note that Luck's modifiers are invisible, and much more subtle than the same ones seen in other attributes.
Increases:
- Chance to hit or parry
- Chance of a shopkeeper accepting an offer
- Chance of picking locks and/or pockets
- The amount of gold found in treasure piles