I'd go with STR 18, DEX 18, CON 16. The rest don't matter much but you should have INT at least 11 so you can survive a couple mind flayer hits (16 would be even better).
Go with daggers and 1-handed weapon to start with. Throwing daggers are great for range and if you need to get up close and personal, the bonus to AC and critical hits are nice too. Add longsword at level 4 for Varscona and scimitar at level 8.
Oh, fists are always* an option. You just can't use them all the time, because you're not a tank. Punch out battle horrors with hit-and-run stealth tactics? Absolutely. Get into a fistfight with a wolf at level 1? No way. You need a ranged option, and you need it right away.
You have three ranged options, all with advantages and drawbacks. Slings have the best THAC0 and damage each hit with ammo and launcher enchantments stacking, but they only get one (base) attack per round. Darts get three attacks per round, but deal low damage each hit and have a short range. Throwing daggers are a middle ground with two attacks per round and strength bonuses to damage, but there aren't any magical throwing daggers in the BG1 campaign.
Compared to the manufactured weapons you can use, fists have the advantages of long reach and the best possible speed. If you sneak up on an enemy with your stealth capabilities and punch them, you usually have a very good chance of getting away before they can retaliate. Try that with a melee dagger, and you have to get a lot closer - which gives the enemy longer to react and counterattack before you can escape. The disadvantage ... well, your fists just aren't that powerful at low levels. Low damage, not magical until level 9, and the APR takes a while to ramp up.
* Okay, you can't use fists against enemies that require magic weapons to hit in the BG1 campaign. Or against enemies that require +2 to hit in SoD. Those magic melee weapons matter too.
Comments
Go with daggers and 1-handed weapon to start with. Throwing daggers are great for range and if you need to get up close and personal, the bonus to AC and critical hits are nice too. Add longsword at level 4 for Varscona and scimitar at level 8.
You have three ranged options, all with advantages and drawbacks. Slings have the best THAC0 and damage each hit with ammo and launcher enchantments stacking, but they only get one (base) attack per round. Darts get three attacks per round, but deal low damage each hit and have a short range. Throwing daggers are a middle ground with two attacks per round and strength bonuses to damage, but there aren't any magical throwing daggers in the BG1 campaign.
Compared to the manufactured weapons you can use, fists have the advantages of long reach and the best possible speed. If you sneak up on an enemy with your stealth capabilities and punch them, you usually have a very good chance of getting away before they can retaliate. Try that with a melee dagger, and you have to get a lot closer - which gives the enemy longer to react and counterattack before you can escape. The disadvantage ... well, your fists just aren't that powerful at low levels. Low damage, not magical until level 9, and the APR takes a while to ramp up.
* Okay, you can't use fists against enemies that require magic weapons to hit in the BG1 campaign. Or against enemies that require +2 to hit in SoD. Those magic melee weapons matter too.