I think your base stats should be handled separately and differently from skills. To me it doesn\'t really make sense that trainers can train intelligence, for example, and also that those stats can\'t be increased through practical experience.
OK so here\'s how I think it should work:
Base stats should increase based on what you do in the world and as a result of various quests as well. Doing some things might increase multiple stats. In essence, these base stats become skills that are completely practical knowledge (don\'t need practice points), but should take longer to practice per level than other skills. Behind the scenes the base stat progress would use floating point system so that there is flexibility in awarding \"practice points\" for base stats. For example, you might award 0.14 practice points to strength out of 100 for each hit in order to level up strength. So here is a breakdown of some ideas:
Intelligence, Charisma, and Will: These attributes could be increased primarily through spell casting in ways that focus on one or more of those base stats. In addition, there could be things setup in world like books in the library that you could \"read\" to increase those stats. In addition, increasing these stats could be a quest reward. For example, perhaps a priest wants you to look up something in the library. Doing this quest would give you intelligence practice. In addition, resisting certain spells could also give you practice in these stats and also when using trade-skills that require them, such as alchemy.
Strength, Agility, Endurance: These attributes could be increased primarily through fighting. Strength would get practice whenever you hit an opponent, and the amount of practice would be based on how heavy your weapon is and the type of damage you do. A lighter weapon would train strength less than a heavier one. You would also get a small amount of agility practice each time you hit an enemy (more for a lighter weapon than for a heavier one), and more agility practice whenever you dodge a blow. Endurance, however, would get practice points whenever you are hit by an enemy and the amount of practice depends on the amount of damage and the type of damage. You would also get practice in these stats while using trade-skills that require them, like armor construction.
-Jeremy
