ToME's statistics are fairly simple, overall.

It isn't particularly easy to, say, math out precisely what damage you'll do. But you'll rarely need to-the game often does much of the math for you, and has relatively little randomization.

But it's easy to fall into some traps of not understanding. Also, there's an awful lot of statistics, and how they interact isn't always instantly clear. So, here's a short glossary of what stats do.

This guide won't be in terms of high math, but instead of practical impact.

I'll be glossing over resource statistics(as these are largely explained by their classes/tooltips), Life(as this is the standard HP that is in most roleplaying games) and Air(as this is largely easily understood; The only surprise is that you don't instantly die when you hit 0, but if you stay without air at 0 for very long, you'll be dead very soon.).

Note that all of the stats in the game have some talents that look directly to them. So just because a statistic does X thing, and it looks relatively weaker or stronger than another statistic, doesn't mean you should ignore it. Your class matters a lot for which statistics matter.

Strength: Boosts carrying capacity, damage dealt with a vast majority of weapons, boosts physical power and physical save. Generally speaking, this is your go-to melee damage stat; Not only does it boost your damage with most weapons directly, but it boosts your physical power, which also boosts your damage with *all* melee weapons.

Dexterity: Boosts your accuracy, defense(by a low amount), and your ability to nullify critical hits at random. Also boosts your damage with Daggers(along with Strength), and your damage with Slings/Bows. Generally one of the weaker stats, but still very useful for Rogue type classes.

Magic: Boosts your spellpower, your damage with staves, and your spellsave. The standard mage stat, and one of the easiest to ignore statistics in the game, if you're not magically inclined.

Willpower: Boosts your spell and mind saves, your mindpower, your stamina/mana/psi capacity if you have these resources, and your damage with mindstars. The equivalent of Magic for mind classes, but generally more useful for other classes(not in the least because even dedicated physical characters can find decent uses for Mindpower). It's also good for boosting Stamina for high Stamina consumption builds, or keeping your mages in Mana. In short, it's pretty good.

Cunning: Boosts your critical hit rate with all attacks(by a low amount), your Mindpower(by a low amount), your damage with Mindstars and your Mindsave. It also boosts your damage with Daggers, if you have the Lethality talent.

Generally one of the weaker stats on paper, but with one of the most direct damage boosts outside of a primary stat like Willpower/Magic/Strength depending on your class. It's possible to get very high critical hit rates without Cunning, but it's still not a bad option to build if you're not sure what else you want.

Constitution: Boosts your Life and your Physical Save. A statistic that looks underwhelming until you think about it; The durability boost from stacking a lot of Constituion is generally low, but it's a flat rate value, which makes it excellent for squishy mages. A heavy duty physical fighter may want to skip it, or may go for it instead of a little extra damage. Do note that only one category in the game directly looks to Constitution, though; It has the least impact on talents in general.

Luck: A hidden statistic, this slightly boosts various saves, defense, accuracy, critical hit rates and gives you a very small chance to avoid your own magic. Very few things impact this, however. The main reason to care is the critical hit bonus, which is fairly noticable.

These eight statistics are based on one or more basic statistics, in addition to gear and talent based bonuses.

As a rule, they're pitted against a matching statistic for various effects, as well.

These statistics have an odd quirk of diminishing returns, however. For every 20 points you gain in them, you go up a "tier". While in this higher tier, it takes one more point per tier(Granted from statistics, gear, etc.) to equal one "real" point that actually has an impact.

For example, if you have 20 spellpower from gear and statistics, you have 20 "real" spellpower, but are at the start of the next tier. From here on, if you add more spellpower from any source, it takes two points from those sources to make one "real" point. Past 40, it takes 3, past 60 it takes 4, etc.

This means that constantly focusing on your main power is often producing very non-optimal effects. Spread your focuses out a bit-critical hits or boosting a damage type can often equate to more real damage than constantly boosting your main power stat, later in the game.

Additionally, these pairs are used for status calculation. Generally speaking, the calculation is the source of the attack's status(Magic Power for magical status, for instance) vs the save for the type of effect it is.

For example; Stun is a physical classed status. The Archmage's Freeze talent inflicts a Stun typed status. Therefore, Freeze's odds to freeze the target into an iceblock are based on the caster's spellpower vs the target's physical save. (If you're unsure, simply checking a status' tooltip will tell you what type of status it is.)

The odds of this are fairly simple. If the talent user's Power(or, for some Cunning based statuses, Accuracy) is equal to the target save, there is a 50% chance you will strike with the status effect. For each point above/below, there is a 2.5% chance raised/lowered. So, if you have 10 more of a power than the target has of their save, you have a 75% chance to hit.

Additionally, for each point a save is above an offense power, the duration of the status will be lowered 5%. So not only is it very hard to hit an enemy with a higher save than your power, the status will last a shorter period even if it connects.

Finally, if you are 20 or more on power above the enemy's save, you get two special bonuses, when inflicting status attacks that make save checks. Firstly, your status is extended a turn per 20 power above target save. And secondly, you inflict a special "crosstier" status for a turn. Physical status inflicts a status that lower's all of the target's damage by 10%, magical lowers the target's resistance by 20%, and mind temporarily stops skills from cooling down.

Accuracy: Accuracy is the odds of you striking your opponent with melee or archery attacks(Any talents that don't fall specifically under these categories will always strike, barring some very specific talent effects or the enemy simply sidestepping the attack). It is matched against enemy Defense.

If your Accuracy is the same as the target Defense, you have a 50-50 chance to hit the target. For each point above or below the enemy's defense, you have a 2.5% chance more/less to hit. So if you have 20 more accuracy than the target, you always hit. Very similar to status odds.

Additionally, accuracy impacts some status attacks(mostly Cunning based ones), and will impact the accuracy stat on your weapon, a special weapon type based bonus. These bonuses are granted for each point your accuracy is above target defense; For instance, if you have a Mace, which has 0.1% bonus damage, having 20 more accuracy than target defense is 2% more damage, a small but noticable effect.

Accuracy does practically nothing if you are not a melee fighter and can safely be ignored.

Defense: Defense is the odds of you dodging blows. See the above accuracy section for the details, as this is essentially its only effect.

Defense generally is a statistic that should shoot for "break points"-that is, points that, due to the enemy talents and statistics, are specifically useful.

As a rule, you need 40 Defense to get a 50%~ dodge rate against most enemies in the game, barring a few bosses/class-possessing enemies, and 60 to get a 50%~ dodge rate against said higher end enemies and a perfect/near perfect rate against said common enemies. These are good values to shoot for.

Physical Power: Physical power boosts your raw "damage" stat-which is in turn used by all weapon categories-by one per point, meaning that it directly boosts your melee/archery damage. Additionally, it is used to calculate physical based status odds.

Generally, this is useful to have for any weapon based character, without exception.

Physical Save: Used to protect against physical typed status.

Generally the most important save; Many nasty debilitating effects are classed physical, such as Stun and Freeze.

Magical Power: Magical power is used in all magical talent calculations. The exact impact varies upon the talent's formula, but is typically large and much higher than any other effect upon the talent. As such, it's very useful for mages, naturally.

Magical Save: Used to protect against magical typed status.

No, it doesn't do anything to magical damage, just magical typed status. Generally the weakest of the Saves, as magical typed status tends to be less common. It still can be fairly dangerous, however, and there's fewer status resistances on gear-sometimes, none-to magical status effects.

Mind Power: Mind Power is used in all mind talent calculations. Essentially, it's Magic Power for Mind oriented classes.

Mind Save: Used to protect against mental typed status.

Mind statuses are quite dangerous, but become somewhat less common as the game goes on overall. This is probably the middle priority save, but it depends somewhat on how dangerous you personally find Stun/Confusion, the two nastiest overall statuses.

These statistics are not boosted by your core statistics at all. This doesn't make them less important, though.

Armor, Armor Hardiness: Included in the same heading because they're equally important. Armor is granted by gear in general, and a few talents, while Armor Hardiness is almost always granted by Armor Training(and only if you're wearing mail/massive armor). Only a few other rare pieces of gear/talents can grant it otherwise.

Armor is the ability to mitigate melee/archery damage, essentially lowering the base, pre-multiplier damage of melee/archery attacks. Generally speaking, this is quite useful.

However, Armor Hardiness is the limiter on Armor. You can only lower a physical attack's damage by a percent up to your Armor Hardiness.

For example, if you have 100 armor and the attacker has 100 damage, they will be utterly unable to damage a target with 100% Armor Hardiness(at least, with their main swing; Secondary effects may get through.). However, if the target has 30% Armor Hardiness, 70% of the attack will get through.

However, if you have 30 Armor vs 100 damage, there's no difference between 30% and 100% Armor Hardiness.

Generally speaking, this makes having a token amount of armor useful for anyone, but high amounts only useful for heavy armor tanks.

Resistances: Resistances flat rate reduce the incoming damage of that element by the percent listed. Simple and fairly intuitive, and very useful.

Generally speaking, Blight/Physical tend to be some of the best resistances, with Fire/Cold/Lightning/Darkness being fairly common. Temporal/Arcane/Mind are rare damage types and should usually not be worried about, but there are some exceptions.

All resistance is a special case; The game checks it first, then reduces what the remaining damage would be by your normal resist. For example, if you have 50% All resistance and 50% Blight resistance, you do not have 100% resistance to Blight, you have 50% of 50% resisted, or 75%.

All resistance is automatically calculated into your displayed other resistances, incidentally.

Resistance Caps: Resistance caps default to 70%. Some rare effects can raise them slightly, but don't expect 100% resistances to anything, no matter how hard you try. (It's probably technically possible, in a million in one on specific classes sort of a way.)

Resistance Penetration: The ability to ignore the listed % of the penetration of the enemy's resistance to that element. For example, if you have 50% physical resistance penetration, and the target has 50% physical resistance, you ignore 25% of that when attacking with physical elemental attacks. Highly useful.

Status resistance: Your odds to entirely null a successfully connecting status attempt of the type resisted. Generally very useful, particularly for Stun/Confusion.

Damage%: What it says on the tin. All of your damage of that element will be multiplied by that %. If you have +50% fire damage, you deal 50% more damage than you would otherwise with fire attacks.

Do remember that this effectively has diminishing returns; If you were to add 50% more fire damage on top another 50% boost, that's not 50% more damage, that's 33%. Spread out your damage boosts!

All Damage% boosts simply add that much % to all of your damages.

(Physical, Mental, Magic) Critical hit rate: The odds that you will critically hit with attacks of the appropriate damage type. Critical hits default to dealing 50% more damage, but...

Critical damage modifier: Defaults to 150%. Determines how much damage your critical hit does(On base, it makes it do 150% of normal), and shouldn't be ignored. This is quietly a very powerful statistic; It's reasonably possible to get 50%+(even perfect!) critical hit rates, at which point this is essentially a damage multiplier.

(Life, various resource) Regen: What it says on the tin, an amount of regeneration of those you get. The only confusing thing is that this is once per "global" turn-if you are using a speed boost effect, you will not get this regen once per action, but instead based on a global clock. When you're normal speed, however, this effect is unnoticable.

Healing Modifier: The amount you multiply healing effects. Applies to regeneration too, and is extremely useful if you use these effects at all. It caps at 250% and the cap cannot be increased.

Armor Penetration: The amount of the target's armor you overcome. For every point of this your weapon has, the target effectively has one point less armor.

Fatigue: The amount that Stamina, Mana, Hate, Psi, Positive, and Negative based Talents are boosted in cost, in percent. Mana and Psi are double impacted, and boost their costs by (Fatigue*2)%. Generally a stat you want low, obviously. Paradox has a special case impact where it becomes easier to have backlash effects with more Fatigue and uses a more complicated-and ultimately, lower impact-formula to determine this, as well. Other resources are uneffected.

On hit damage: Backlash damage that occurs when enemies hit you with melee physical attacks. Generally not major outside of very early in the game, but don't ignore it entirely; Some types of damage have added status effects, making them quite useful to inflict on everyone that dares strike you.

"Damage when this weapon hits": Known internally as a damage project, these are bonus, flat-rate damage bonuses that are added every time the weapon strikes. Note that this means that, if a weapon strikes multiple times due to a talent, these effects strike multiple times.

Weapon Delay: How fast your weapon is used for weapon talent based attacks. Generally determined by weapon type, lower is better here. For example, if you have an 80% weapon delay, your weapon swings 1.25x faster than one with a 100% speed, and you get an extra action relative to that character every four turns.

Lite: How far you can see walls/enemies/etc. Generally mostly boosted by your lamp, unsurprisingly. Quite useful, but some areas are lit anyways, and having a Lite radius can interfere with Invisibility.

There are many rarer statistic boosts in the game, but most of them are self-explanitory in their tooltips. This covers some that aren't as obvious.

(Global, Mind/Physical/Spell, Movement) Speed: Essentially how many actions you can take per "global" turn. Global speed effects everything, Mind/Physical/Spell effect your speed for those respective actions, while Movement simply effects your standard moving squares speed.

If you have 150% of a speed, you will get an extra action every two turns. Note that your cooldowns/regeneration/etc run on global timers, however; 50% more speed is not 50% more damage!

These stack with each other multiplicatively; If you have 200% global speed, and 500% movement speed, you will move ten squares before one "global" turn passes(incidentally, usually this means you move ten moves to the enemy's one, as enemies rarely get large speed bonuses). These bonuses stack with bonuses in their own category additively, however(So if you have +100% movement speed, and +500% movement speed from another source, you end up having 700% movement speed.).

Infravition, Heightened Senses: Generally fall under the same heading; They let you see enemies out to their range. They don't let you see walls out to that range, but Infravision will allow you to see squares out to (Infravision/4), which allows you to not need a lite radius to see(useful for a few talents).

Infravision and Heightened Senses are generally identical, but they don't stack. This is the only reason they have separate headings, in fact; Specifically so they don't stack.

See Stealth/Invisibility: What you'd expect. The game runs a rather odd/complicated check formula for these that's hard to describe, and not really necessary to. Generally speaking, if you have any of these at all(and you can't avoid having at least a little See Stealth) you can occasionally see through an enemy's Stealth/Invis-more makes it more likely. Just because you see through it doesn't mean they won't be invis/stealth next turn, when you fail to spot them, though.

Note that by default, you don't have any ability to see through invisibility. Be careful of invisible enemies!

ESP range, ESP types: Your ability to sense enemies of the types you have ESP for through walls, etc. There is an ESP All, but it is limited to specific talents.

Damage Affinity: Very rare effect that allows you to heal x% of the base, pre-resists damage of that element type. When combined with heavy resistances and high Healing Modifier, can cause you to fully null that damage type.

Sight Radius: How far you can see, no matter how high your other stats(barring ESP, I believe) will allow you to see. Very, very rarely changed from the 10 base, but since enemies have a fixed 10 that is also essentially never changed, having a higher than 10 value here can be highly useful.

Size Category: How big you are. Has an effect on a rare few talents, but largely is there for flavor.