Would just like to point out that while 16 dex can indeed be considered "respectable", 16 strength most definitely is not. The only difference between 8 strength and 16 strength is weight and +1 damage per hit.
Other than that though, you're right, he's definitely usable. I opted for him using his belt though and that made him go from lackluster to pretty powerful, though still not as good as a fighter with 19 strength and a good weapon with 3+ stars in it.
Then again, the game most definitely isn't hard enough that it is a problem if a character can't compare to the "Powergamer's First Choice™". With careful equipment choices most parties should be more than capable to handle anything the game can throw at them.
I guess when we're thinking about what is respectable for an adventurer then the numbers in their key abilities arguably should be exceptional. But every adventurer in the Realms does not have 17 or higher in their key abilities. Not everyone in the world has exceptional skill. Even just from a gameplay perspective many players do not have a hard time at all beating the game with with characters that have less than uber stats.
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Other than that though, you're right, he's definitely usable. I opted for him using his belt though and that made him go from lackluster to pretty powerful, though still not as good as a fighter with 19 strength and a good weapon with 3+ stars in it.
Then again, the game most definitely isn't hard enough that it is a problem if a character can't compare to the "Powergamer's First Choice™". With careful equipment choices most parties should be more than capable to handle anything the game can throw at them.