In everything except size, odd numbers in your stats are better than even numbers because of the way the program rounds them up; you get a little more for your investment with an odd number. Every fourth number is a break-point that puts your warrior into a different category. The break-points are 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, and 25 (possible only in Advanced Duelmasters). If possible, you want your important stats to be at these numbers because they are significantly better than the numbers right below them. For deftness, 11 is also an important break-point. In general, emphasizing a few strengths in your rollup is better than trying to eliminate all weaknesses. The most successful warriors have definite, sometimes drastic, highs and lows. It's not that the lows aren't bad, but the highs more than make up for them.
The most important places to put your 14 discretionary points are on wit and will. Without a good wit and will, your character is not likely to be a good one in the long run. Wit is vital for learning skills, and will is vital for raising your attributes. They are also good for other things, of course.
Strength affects how much damage you can do, what weapons you can use to good effect, and is of primary importance in how much weight you can carry. It will strongly affect your endurance.
Constitution is a primary factor in determining your hit points, and also affects your endurance a little bit. The program will never actually tell you your hit points. It's nice to have at least normal endurance; otherwise, your character will probably die young. Flashy, maybe, if all the points that aren't on con are on wit and deftness; but right about the time you fall in love with them, somebody hits them and that's all she wrote. However, if you waste too many points on con, your warrior will suffer in other areas, and will be very dull and mediocre. If your character is fast and smart, he should quickly learn how to defend himself and not get killed. Usually.
Size gives you more hit points, enables you to do more damage when you hit, and possibly gives you an advantage in reach. However, it also slows you way down, and soaks up points that would do more good elsewhere. The strategy gods around here seem to think a large size is not worthwhile, and most large rollups go straight to the Dark Arena. 9-10 are nice sizes. Smaller warriors than that tend to be frail, but they often more than make up for it in other areas.
Wit is important. Did I mention how important wit is? Wit is very important. 17 is a nice wit. 21 is even nicer. Sometimes, if you can choose between a 17 or a 21, you might settle for a 17 because you really, really need the points someplace else or the warrior won't survive. However, wit is very important. In addition to helping you learn skills, it makes you fast, even if you don't have a good speed or deftness. It can enable you to do more damage (because you know exactly where to hit). Different weapons have different wit requirements. For the epee, you need a 15. Overall, it's just really, really important.
Will is pretty important, too. Not quite as important as wit, but close. It is the primary factor in your endurance, which is important for most styles. It contributes to your hit points and to the damage that you do. I believe it affects how many skills your warrior is born with, which is important. And, of course, it is extremely important for raising stats. The more will you have, the higher your chance of raising a stat. By the way, even with a high will, don't count on more than two stat raises in basic Duelmasters. After two raises, the probabilities get very low. Again, I don't know the formula. But I have been told, and tend to believe, that your character will benefit much more by going for all skills from the word go, than by trying to raise all his stats by two (much less, any higher than that). Sometimes you need to raise some stats right at the start (like, if your character does below-average damage when he hits, you'd better raise your strength fast). But for the most part, it's better to design a character who can function as is, and learn all the skills he can possibly learn, before you worry about stat raises at all. That's what the strategy gods say, and it's probably true. I sometimes tinker with my warriors' stats, anyway. Maybe that's why I don't have a better record.
Speed. You'll want at least 5. Some say slashers need more, like 9 or 13, but that's not for sure. For the most part, anything speed can do, deftness can do better. If the total of your speed and deftness add up to less than 17, you'll be clumsy. 17-20 is slightly uncoordinated. 21 to 30 or 31 is normal; above that is wonderful stuff, and you almost always get the jump on the other guy. It's rare, though, because the points are better spent on wit and will.
Deftness is probably the third most important attribute. Did I mention that the first and second are wit and will? When I design a character, I think about it a long time, and as often as not, end up adding six points to wit, six to will, and two to deftness. Or something close to that, depending on break points. All weapons have deftness minimums (15 for the epee). None of them have speed minimums. A good deftness can also affect how many skills you are born with. A character who starts out with a wit, will, and deftness of 17 will probably be born with an expert rating or two. This is highly desirable.
Choosing a style that fits your rollup is very important. One of my first five warriors ever, Ghed in DM-1, would have been pretty good if only I'd made him a basher or wall of steel instead of a slasher.
Aimed blows: Very few people can make them succeed. In general, they lose a lot. If you want an easy win, challenge an aimed blow. For starters, don't inflict this style on any of your own warriors. Supposedly they're effective against parry-types, especially total parries.
Bashers: I haven't had very good luck with them myself. I've been told they need a high wit in order to be decisive. The decisiveness tactic makes up for their general lack of quickness, and lets them get an attack in once in a while. Since they are slow and don't usually parry well, they need to be fairly durable as well. And they need strength, both to increase the damage they do, and to let them carry the heavy weapons and armor they need. Supposedly they're good against parry types.
Parry-types: They need to be able to take some damage (because, especially at first, they won't parry everything). They need endurance. They need wit and deftness. They don't need much speed or strength. They do best against lungers, slashers, and strikers. You can run parry-lungers, parry-strikers, and wall-of -steels (which can be thought of as parry-slashers or parry-bashers) either all-out like the fast warriors, or at a medium to low rate, in which case they will try to parry and wear out a fast opponent.
Strikers: They need wit to be decisive (supposedly there's nothing faster than a decisive striker). They need some strength (say, 11-13). They need an adequate dexterity (9-11). They don't get defensive skills very fast, so they need some durability (con & will; will is better). Good against bashers & aimed blows, not too bad against parry-types (they don't jump around a lot so they don't wear out as fast as slashers & lungers), okay against other types. A nice all-around style, except for not developing good defenses.
Slashers: Not my forte (ask Tex, who loves slashers). I hear they need reasonable amounts of speed and strength (say, 13s), but I don't know if Tex would agree. High wit for still more speed; high will for more damage; adequate deftness (I believe 11 will get you a scimitar, which is a wonderful all-round weapon, especially for a slasher). Like lungers, they tend to win in about a minute in a half or else they lose, at least until they get very experienced. Great against slow types (bashers & aimed blows).
Lungers: The sprinters of the arena. A strength of 9 will get you the short spear, which is a great lunging weapon. High wit, will, and deftness. Con isn't too important; with a high will you can raise it a couple of points, and anyway, lungers do learn to parry and dodge. At least mine do. The experts say that in the very long run (2-3 years, when they're in AD), they aren't quite as good as the parry-types. In regular DM, though, they do better because the parriers are such late bloomers. If they're frail, put them in leather armor so they can soak up a hit or two, but anything heavier than that will slow them down too much. I run my lungers 10-10-6 in the first minute, maybe 9-8-6 in the second. I write down numbers for the other minutes, too, but it doesn't usually matter. If they don't win by the second minute, they generally won't win. With luck, they'll collapse from exhaustion before the other guy gets a chance to hurt them. They're great against bashers and aimed blows, okay against parry-types who don't scum too much.
Wall of steels: I don't understand this style very well, but I love it. Supposedly they're a cross between the fast guys and the parry-types. I usually run them all-out, slasher-style, and it seems to work. Recently I found out you can slow them down and they'll parry, too. Wastes (as they're often called) do well with a 21 will, decent strength (11 or 13), decent wit (13), and decent con (9). They don't seem to need much speed or deftness. I don't know which styles in particular they're good against; they seem to handle everything okay. Great against aimed blows, of course.
Each fighting style has some weapons that are well-suited to it, some that are marginal, and some that are totally unsuited. Be sure to design warriors who have the stats to handle at least one weapon appropriate to their style. Note, however, that their favorite weapon, while suited to their style, may be something they don't have the stats for. For example, a parry-riposte with a 14 wit might favor the epee. I'm not sure how the bonus for using your favorite stacks up against the penalty for using a weapon beyond your abilities. It's best to design warriors who have a good selection of weapons that they're both suited to, and able to handle well.
-- The Rogue She-Puppy of the Galaxy