I think the system would have been both more true to the "roleplaying" aspect of an RPG and less nonsensical if - as others have mentioned - these dialogue choices affected player reputation and relationships/interactions with NPCs in a deeper way, rather than award stat/ability bonuses. The current system just feels oddly tacked on to the stat mechanics in a way that takes control over player development away from the player - unless the player is willing to sometimes not freely roleplay the way they would otherwise choose. (And this has nothing to do necessarily with "min-maxing" - I'm talking about very basic character development, especially considering how significant a single ability point is in this game.) Anyway, agree to disagree on the current system overall being a good thing.
