Dungeon Lords Class and Skill Analysis

Attributes and Races

Attributes have three key purposes.

Limit the ability to join classes (assuming the bug ever gets fixed that causes these tests to be ignored in version 1.1 and earlier
Improve derived attribute (strike, speed, et cetera)
Lower equipment usage penalties

Attribute Benefit

Strength This primary consideration for this attribute is whether you're strong enough to equip items without penalty. Beyond that, every point added will increase your damage by 1% for each point over 25. This may not sound like much but 50% is not inconsiderable for anyone fighting with melee weapons

Intelligence Cheaper skills! Every point in this over 10 will cause a 0.5% decrease in the cost of learning skills. (This does not impact the cost of attributes.)

Dexterity This is your ability to actually hit your foes (+1 strike for every point added and +1 parry for every four points added.)

Agility This is your speed with weapons. The higher this is, the better the attack combo you can perform. In addition, this can improve your speed and parry skills (+2 or more points speed improvement for every point added and +1 to parry every four points. The speed benefit increases significantly with very high levels.)

Vitality Every point added increase your health (+2 life for each point.)

Honor The only significance of this is to meet class requirements. (Actually you get +1 influence for every point but that doesn't seem to have any practical impact.) I've read in places that this will improve your ability to bargain with shops, but my experiments don't pan this out.

Attribute	Benefit
Strength	This primary consideration for this attribute is whether you're strong enough to equip items without penalty. Beyond that, every point added will increase your damage by 1% for each point over 25. This may not sound like much but 50% is not inconsiderable for anyone fighting with melee weapons
Intelligence	Cheaper skills! Every point in this over 10 will cause a 0.5% decrease in the cost of learning skills. (This does not impact the cost of attributes.)
Dexterity	This is your ability to actually hit your foes (+1 strike for every point added and +1 parry for every four points added.)
Agility	This is your speed with weapons. The higher this is, the better the attack combo you can perform. In addition, this can improve your speed and parry skills (+2 or more points speed improvement for every point added and +1 to parry every four points. The speed benefit increases significantly with very high levels.)
Vitality	Every point added increase your health (+2 life for each point.)
Honor	The only significance of this is to meet class requirements. (Actually you get +1 influence for every point but that doesn't seem to have any practical impact.) I've read in places that this will improve your ability to bargain with shops, but my experiments don't pan this out.

Digging into the racial attribute information result in a few interesting surprises. The biggest one is that each racial attribute has not one but two table entries associated with it. The first value is the one displayed at creation time: the starting score. Much more important to the long term ease or difficulty building the character is the hidden entry: the starting advancement level of the attribute.

This first table recaps the starting attributes for each race and gender as appropriate.

Race Abbr St In Dx Ag Vi Ho

Human Male H 15 12 13 12 14 10

Human Female h 13 14 13 13 13 10

Urgoth Male U 20 8 9 9 30 10

Dwarf Male D 18 10 12 10 16 10

Wyvlan Male W 11 13 14 16 11 10

Elf Male E 12 15 15 14 10 10

Elf Female e 10 17 15 15 9 10

Zaur Male Z 17 9 10 14 16 10

Thrall Male T 10 14 16 16 10 10

Race	Abbr	St	In	Dx	Ag	Vi	Ho
Human Male	H	15	12	13	12	14	10
Human Female	h	13	14	13	13	13	10
Urgoth Male	U	20	8	9	9	30	10
Dwarf Male	D	18	10	12	10	16	10
Wyvlan Male	W	11	13	14	16	11	10
Elf Male	E	12	15	15	14	10	10
Elf Female	e	10	17	15	15	9	10
Zaur Male	Z	17	9	10	14	16	10
Thrall Male	T	10	14	16	16	10	10

This second table describes the starting level of the attribute on the attribute advancement table that will come soon.

Race Abbr St In Dx Ag Vi Ho

Human Male H 25 22 23 22 24 20

Human Female h 28 19 23 18 28 20

Urgoth Male U 10 36 37 29 20 20

Dwarf Male D 18 25 22 30 21 20

Wyvlan Male W 36 18 24 6 31 20

Elf Male E 32 15 20 19 30 20

Elf Female e 35 12 20 15 34 20

Zaur Male Z 22 29 30 14 21 20

Thrall Male T 40 14 16 11 35 20

Race	Abbr	St	In	Dx	Ag	Vi	Ho
Human Male	H	25	22	23	22	24	20
Human Female	h	28	19	23	18	28	20
Urgoth Male	U	10	36	37	29	20	20
Dwarf Male	D	18	25	22	30	21	20
Wyvlan Male	W	36	18	24	6	31	20
Elf Male	E	32	15	20	19	30	20
Elf Female	e	35	12	20	15	34	20
Zaur Male	Z	22	29	30	14	21	20
Thrall Male	T	40	14	16	11	35	20

The attribute advancement table contains the advancement point cost to advance the attribute up a level. To determine the cost for any given level, subtract the starting level (from the first table) of the attribute from your current score and add the result to advancement level from the second table and lookup the result. (Note that the values may be rounded off by one above or below the actual result due to the forumlas used.

Level Score Race Starts Level Score Race Starts Level Score

0 250 30 2000 Da, Ev, Zd 60 16000

1 268 31 2142 Wv 61 17136

2 287 32 2296 Es 62 18368

3 308 33 2462 63 19696

4 330 34 2638 ev 64 21104

5 354 35 2828 es, Tv 65 22624

6 379 Wa 36 3030 Ui, Ws 66 24240

7 406 37 3248 Ud 67 25984

8 435 38 3482 68 27856

9 467 39 3732 69 29856

10 500 Us 40 4000 Ts 70 32000

11 536 Ta 41 4284 71 34272

12 574 ei 42 4592 72 36736

13 616 43 4924 73 39392

14 660 Zg, Ti 44 5276 74 42208

15 707 Ei, ea 45 5656 75 45248

16 758 Td 46 6060 76 48480

17 812 47 6496 77 51968

18 871 ha, Ds, Wi 48 6964 78 55712

19 933 hi, Ea 49 7464 79 59712

20 1000 Hh, hh, Uv, Uh, Dh, Wh, Ed, Eh, ed, eh, Zh, Th 50 8000 80 64000

21 1071 Dv, Zv 51 8568 81 68544

22 1148 Hi, Ha, Dd, Zs 52 9184 82 73472

23 1231 Hd, hd 53 9848 83 78784

24 1319 Hv, Wd 54 10552 84 84416

25 1414 Hs, Di 55 11312 85 90496

26 1515 56 12120 86 96960

27 1624 57 12992 87 103936

28 1741 hs, hv 58 13928 88 111424

29 1866 Ua, Zi 59 14928 89 119424

Level	Score	Race Starts	Level	Score	Race Starts	Level	Score
0	250		30	2000	Da, Ev, Zd	60	16000
1	268		31	2142	Wv	61	17136
2	287		32	2296	Es	62	18368
3	308		33	2462		63	19696
4	330		34	2638	ev	64	21104
5	354		35	2828	es, Tv	65	22624
6	379	Wa	36	3030	Ui, Ws	66	24240
7	406		37	3248	Ud	67	25984
8	435		38	3482		68	27856
9	467		39	3732		69	29856
10	500	Us	40	4000	Ts	70	32000
11	536	Ta	41	4284		71	34272
12	574	ei	42	4592		72	36736
13	616		43	4924		73	39392
14	660	Zg, Ti	44	5276		74	42208
15	707	Ei, ea	45	5656		75	45248
16	758	Td	46	6060		76	48480
17	812		47	6496		77	51968
18	871	ha, Ds, Wi	48	6964		78	55712
19	933	hi, Ea	49	7464		79	59712
20	1000	Hh, hh, Uv, Uh, Dh, Wh, Ed, Eh, ed, eh, Zh, Th	50	8000		80	64000
21	1071	Dv, Zv	51	8568		81	68544
22	1148	Hi, Ha, Dd, Zs	52	9184		82	73472
23	1231	Hd, hd	53	9848		83	78784
24	1319	Hv, Wd	54	10552		84	84416
25	1414	Hs, Di	55	11312		85	90496
26	1515		56	12120		86	96960
27	1624		57	12992		87	103936
28	1741	hs, hv	58	13928		88	111424
29	1866	Ua, Zi	59	14928		89	119424

The values in the race starts column is composed of the abbreviation code from the first two tables for each race followed by the first letter of the attribute.

A few things jump out. If your character build doesn't need a lot of strength or vitality, elven females are an exceptional choice for a race. At the same time, Urgoths get it in the shorts so to speak. They're strong, but are expensive to advance in dexterity which is critical for striking and even worse, the worse race for advancing intelligence which can really slow down skill gains.

Opinions vary on the relative importance of each attribute, but intelligence is key to learning skills faster. All builds from the most devoted arcane mage to the most thugish fighter will benefit from high intelligence.

For those of you interested in extending the experience table beyond the values above, the formula seems to be the following:

250 * ( 2 ^ ( Level div 10 ) ) * Factor

where the Level is the attribute level in question, div is an integer division, and Factor is derived from the following table.

Level modulos 10 Factor

0 1

1 1.071

2 1.148

3 1.231

4 1.319

5 1.414

6 1.515

7 1.624

8 1.741

9 1.866

Level modulos 10	Factor
0	1
1	1.071
2	1.148
3	1.231
4	1.319
5	1.414
6	1.515
7	1.624
8	1.741
9	1.866

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