No two characters are created equal. When you start the game, you are given a character with random stats. Sometimes your stats are high, sometimes they are low--sometimes they are average. This is not the end of your character however, as there are "hidden stats" for your character's growth potential. Some characters will gain experience points faster in "Arm Strength." Other characters will more quickly gain exp in "Intelligence." (etc.) The same however is true of the reverse--some characters will progress slower in "Wisdom," or "Perception." (etc.) This is a variance in stat progression exists to simulate that your character has natural talents and potentials to excel in certain areas, and lacks the natural ability to succeed in others. It's a fairly realistic concept that applies to people in real life. Albert Einstein wasn't super buff. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't a world genius. You'll have to learn as you adventure to play to your strengths and avoid situations that expose your weaknesses.

It may not seem like it, right at the very beginning of the game, you have a few options to choose from that prepare you for the Underwater Tunnel dungeon. Some are more time consuming than the others and none of them are mandatory. They are just merely ways to raise stats that you may want depending on your playstyle.

This is the stat I always raise in the beginning. It's very quick to do and requires little effort, and gives you that little bit of extra running speed to escape from strong monsters early on in the game (not to mention a boost in your ability to dodge attacks). Simply run around on the overworld map until you raise your agility to 12-14. Since one square of overworld counts as 10 in the normalworld, you're basically going for miles of jogging. Careful if your character is slow to level up in agility because you'll go hungry before you even reach 12. If you excel in agility leveling up, you might push it to 16, but I don't find this to be necessary. If you do accidentally go hungry by running too long, it doesn't hurt to grab a few bananas from the shop before proceeding to the underground. --Sci Talking--This is my least favorite method of starting out. My knowledge of this technique is mostly non-existent. The concept is that you can raise your Wisdom and Intelligence stats by using the "Chat" command on specific NPCs over and over and over again. If you want more information on this technique, check out the "Science Talking" link on this wiki's homepage. --Trap Collecting--Slob recommends that you hang out in front of the Sumo Wrestler and gather the banana peels he leaves behind after eating bananas, so that you can then use the banana peels afterwards as traps by placing them on the ground and allowing monsters to walk into them. While I suppose there might be some benefit in this strategy, I really see no reason to go through so much trouble. If you like traps, go ahead. If not, you're not really going to miss out on much. --Spider Eating--You will have to enter into the Underwater Tunnel to start this preparation, but it half-way occurs on the overworld. The idea is that you dive into the dungeon with a full stomach, eat your dog, find a couple of spiders (or other poisonous corpses), take them to the overworld, eat them one at a time, and then rest as the poison damages you. This may seem like suicide, but it will give you an early boost in Hit Points. I find this to be the most risky method of preparation, as more often than not I die from hunger later on since I can't find any food. Of course, if you're willing to blow all your money early on for bananas from the shop, then you're charactera little safer from dying from hunger, but still this is a risky move.