Since Daggerfall is a role-playing game, the measure of your character as an individual is a matter of numbers. The following table describes the numbers which describe your character.
There are eight base attributes (measures of your character) from which all other values are either derived or directly affected. Attributes have a range of 1-100. If an attribute is reduced to 0 (by a curse or disease, for example), your character dies, hence the exclusion of 0 from the valid range. When creating a new character, attributes will have a base value of 50 plus up to 10 points. The variance is determined by the computer's virtual dice rolling. Don't worry if you think your numbers are particularly low; you will have the chance to distribute additional points before the process is complete. Each time your character gains a level, you will be awarded 4-6 additional points to improve your attributes as you like. There is even a powerful artifact which grants an additional 30 points to distribute, making it possible to attain a value of 100 in each of your attributes during the game's progression, regardless of your character's starting scores.
It is these attributes which fundamentally define your character's capabilities, and consequently the difficulty of performing any given action in-game. A character with low scores in physical attributes, for example, will have great difficulty in the early stages of the game (when your first objective is to escape a terrible death-trap), but may not be particularly disadvantaged after that. Characters with poor mental attributes, on the other hand, may have great difficulty during the later stages of the game, where powerful, hostile magics are in play. In either case, the game can still be "won", and both choices offer exciting avenues of play. Therefore, you shouldn't worry about having "low" scores or a particular combination of scores at the start; there will be plenty of opportunities to improve your character, and the game can still be completed.
1
-9
= pathetic
10
-19
= frail
20
-29
= weak
30
-39
= below average
40
-49
= about average
50
-59
= fairly strong
60
-69
= athletic
70
-79
= very strong
80
-89
= powerful
89+
= superhuman
Strength governs encumbrance, weapon damage and the ease of increasing strength-related skills.
Modifies the amount of damage your character can inflict with either his bare hands or a melee weapon. Greater numbers translate to greater damage modifiers.
Strength also modifies your character's encumbrance, which determines how much you can carry. More specifically, your encumbrance is equal to your Strength score times 1.5.
Your maximum fatigue is equal to your combined scores in Strength and Endurance.
Intelligence governs total magic potential (that is, your maximum amount of Magicka, which is used to cast spells) and the ease of increasing intelligence-related skills.