As some food for thought and for inspiration I want to present the character building and stats of one of the best games ever created: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. In the comment section on Kickstarter there was mention of another game with an apparently good stat system -- Dark Souls -- but since I haven't played it I can't comment on it.


VtM: Bloodlines

Bloodlines features Feats, which are the only "stats" that have a direct influence on gameplay. They are basically skills the character can make use of during the game, like ranged combat, lockpicking or intimidation. These Feats are derived from two types of stats: Attributes and Abilities. Each Attribute or Ability can affect one or two Feats. There are also Disciplines (read: magic spells), but they are not relevant to this discussion. Here's a screenshot:

[Linked Image]

Feats

As described, Feats have a direct influence on gameplay. They are derived from one Attribute and one Ability score each and are divided into four groups: Combat, Covert, Mental and Soak. Combat feats obviously focus on combat skills, Covert feats on subterfuge and research, Mental feats on Dialogue skills, and Soak on damage mitigation.

Syntax: Feat name (ATTRIBUTE + Ability)

  • Combat
    • Unarmed (STR + Brawl): Modifies damage while fighting unarmed
    • Melee (STR + Melee): Modifies damage when using melee weapons
    • Ranged (PER + Firearms): Modifies damage done using firearms
    • Defense (WIT + Dodge): Improves chance to avoid taking damage from all forms of combat
  • Covert
    • Lockpicking (DEX + Security): Improves ability to open locked doors
    • Sneaking (DEX + Stealth): Reduces chance to be spotted while hiding
    • Hacking (WIT + Computers): Grants the ability to break passwords on computers
    • Inspection (PER + Investigation): Improves ability to spot hidden objects and passages
    • Research (INT + Scholarship): Grants the ability to read tomes to improve stats
  • Mental
    • Haggle (MAN + Finance): Reduces cost of buying items and improves the amount gained when selling
    • Intimidate (INT + Intimidation): Improves ability to force people into agreeing with you
    • Persuasion (CHR + Scholarship): Improves ability to convince others to agree with you
    • Seduction (APP + Subterfuge): Improves ability to use your appearance to your advantage
  • Soak
    • Bashing (STA + [Items]): Reduces damage suffered from blunt damage types
    • Lethal ([Items]): Reduces damage suffered from slashing or piercing weapons
    • Aggrevated ([Items]): Reduces damage taken from fire, electricity, claws, and fangs


Attributes

Attributes are your classic main stats like STR and INT. They are divided into three groups: Physical, Social and Mental attributes. They affect Feats that are relevant in combat, social situations or for actions that require a sharp mind.
  • Physical
    • Strength: Adds +1 to unarmed and melee
    • Dexterity: Adds +1 to sneaking and lockpicking
    • Stamina: Adds +1 to soak bashing
  • Social
    • Charisma: Adds +1 to persuasion
    • Manipulation: Adds +1 to haggle
    • Appearance: Adds +1 to seduction
  • Mental
    • Perception: Adds +1 to ranged and inspection
    • Intelligence: Adds +1 to research and intimidate
    • Wits: Adds +1 to defense and hacking


Abilities

Abilities are stats that mostly have a direct effect on a corresponding feat. They are divided into three groups: Talents, Skills and Knowledges. Talents are physical abilities, Skills are technical abilities and Knowdledges are learned mental abilities.
  • Talents
    • Brawl: Adds +1 to unarmed
    • Dodge: Adds +1 to defense
    • Intimidation: Adds +1 to intimidate
    • Subterfuge: Adds +1 to seduction
  • Skills
    • Firearms: Adds +1 to ranged
    • Melee: Adds +1 to melee
    • Security: Adds +1 to lockpicking
    • Stealth: Adds +1 to sneaking
  • Knowledges
    • Computer: Adds +1 to hacking
    • Finance: Adds +1 to haggle
    • Investigation: Adds +1 to inspection
    • Scholarship: Adds +1 to research and persuasion


What it all means

  • Feats range from 1-10, Attributes and Abilities range from 1-5. To maximize a Feat you have to maximize one Attribute and one Ability. This allows for a lot of flexibility in customizing your character. The relatively small number of points also mean that each point matters.
  • Checks can be made in various situations against Feats: in Combat, during dialogues or for reading skill books etc. This allows game designers to create interesting and rewarding gameplay throughout the game.
  • Experience points are rewarded only for completing quests or progressing in the story, not for how many enemies you kill. This forces the player to solve quests in creative ways; generally by fighting, sneaking or talking.
  • Experience points can be assigned to Abilities and Attributes (and Disciplines), but get more expensive with each successive point. E.g. the first stat increase costs 1 point, the second stat increase costs 3 points, and so on. This counters inflation and forces the player to either specialize or be Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None.


All of these make for a highly replayable game with a lot of customization options. In the end-game, your character would have several stats maxxed, but during the game you really have to agonize over every point.

Bloodlines also features Clans (read: Classes), who have their focus on different Ability or Attribute groups and get penalties for others. That's what the numbers in the screenshot above mean. The higher the number in brackets, the more points you can distribute in that group. No number means you can't put any points in it. Since D:OS doesn't have classes, this is not relevant.

Read more about character building in VtM: Bloodlines here:
http://wikicheats.gametrailers.com/Vampire_The_Masquerade:_Bloodlines_-_PC/Character_Building
... or try out the game for some examples.