BioWare designed the rule set from scratch, and D&D veterans might need a while to adjust to the different feel of the rules. Character abilities are divided between strength, dexterity, willpower, magic, cunning, and constitution. Strength affects the amount of damage you inflict in combat, dexterity lets you dodge attacks, willpower improves your stamina (which power your skills), and magic is important mainly for mages, though it has its uses for other classes. Cunning is a bit unusual, as it's mainly for rogues, but it's important for combat tactics as well. Then there's constitution, which mainly affects your health points. Each time you level up you get three points to distribute between these abilities, which sounds like a lot but you'll quickly discover that to use some of the best gear in the game often requires a particular ability score in the 20s or even 30s.
