This is how I've got my level 12 character set up right now.
STR 12 (3 boosted)
DEX 5
INT 7
SPD 8 (1 boosted)
PER 6 (1 boosted)
Offensive Rating 115
Defensive 48
For comparison, this was my level 11 Roderick man-at-arms:
STR 16 (9 invested, 2 from gear)
DEX 6 (1 from gear)
INT 5
CON 7 (1 invested, 1 from gear
SPD 8 (2 invested, 1 from gear)
PER 6 (1 from gear)
Lucky Charm 4
Offensive Rating 148
Defensive Rating 49
(And this is overkill - my second melee warrior, Madora, has 14 STR at this point and only 1 lucky charm and is doing quite well, though she occasionally dips below 100% to-hit.)
12 stat points invested (base 5, 5 from levelups, 2 from something that I don't want to spoil for you if you don't know it already, except through your deliberate choice:
The Teller of Secrets at the homestead, who is unlocked with the next stone after the first elemental, and is thus easily unlocked by level 10 when playing normally and completing all quests, assuming you use the bloodstone you get from Blood Cove and thus absorb its power, rather than saving it for a rainy day.
She's got a +1 attribute stat book and a +3 ability stat book for sale at each level.
EDIT: As of today's patch, those books are only available once, not upon every levelup.
And yes, as LordCrash says, it definitely sounds as if you have skipped a lot of easier content, if you are fighting enemies that significantly outlevel you.
