Attribute

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v50.15 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF. Note that some content may still need to be updated. More Info · V

A creature has numerous attributes which affect its performance at various tasks. These attributes are split into physical factors associated with the body and mental factors associated with a creature's soul.

Attributes can be viewed in the Thoughts and Preferences screen. Body attributes are listed just above prefstrings, and soul attributes are listed immediately thereafter. Positive attributes are shown in dark green while negative attributes are shown in red.

Attributes are associated with skills, so that shield use will raise endurance as an attribute, but not attributes like memory. Different attributes raised by one skill may not be raised by the same amount. Attribute gain and rust rates, along with skill gain and rust rates, are moddable in the raws as a Creature token.

Attributes can be viewed for individual dwarves by selecting view dwarves, z, enter or by going to the units menu, view, then enter.

Body Attributes

The attribute values given in the tables correspond to default racial averages for dwarves only. Modded dwarves or any other creature will report the same phrases, but the underlying numbers may be very different. In almost every case, a higher attribute value is better, as opposed to personality traits where one may prefer higher or lower depending on the situation.

Strength Alters the damage done in melee (increases velocity of weapon swings), increases muscle mass (thicker muscle layer also resists damage more), and increases how much a creature can carry. Higher strength also increases the speed of fast gaits in most creatures, including running, soaring, galloping, and fast swimming. Value (+) Description 2250–5000 unbelievably strong 2000–2249 mighty 1750–1999 very strong 1500–1749 strong 751–1000 weak 501–750 very weak 251–500 unquestionably weak 0–250 unfathomably weak	Agility This attribute affects the speed of a creature's fast-moving gaits in the same way as strength — a creature with maximum agility and strength can run faster than a creature with minimum agility and strength. Value (-) Description 1900–5000 amazingly agile 1650–1899 extremely agile 1400–1649 very agile 1150–1399 agile 401–650 clumsy 151–400 quite clumsy 0–150 totally clumsy NULL abysmally clumsy
Toughness Reduces physical damage. Value (+) Description 2250–5000 basically unbreakable 2000–2249 incredibly tough 1750–1999 quite durable 1500–1749 tough 751–1000 flimsy 501–750 very flimsy 251–500 remarkably flimsy 0–250 shockingly fragile	Endurance Reduces the rate at which dwarves become exhausted. Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 absolutely inexhaustible 1750–1999 indefatigable 1500–1749 very slow to tire 1250–1499 slow to tire 501–750 quick to tire 251–500 very quick to tire 1–250 extremely quick to tire 0 truly quick to tire
Recuperation Increases the rate of wound healing. Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 possessed of amazing recuperative powers 1750–1999 incredibly quick to heal 1500–1749 quite quick to heal 1250–1499 quick to heal 501–750 slow to heal 251–500 very slow to heal 1–250 really slow to heal 0 shockingly slow to heal	Disease Resistance Reduces the risk of disease. Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 virtually never sick 1750–1999 almost never sick 1500–1749 very rarely sick 1250–1499 rarely sick 501–750 susceptible to disease 251–500 quite susceptible to disease 1–250 really susceptible to disease 0 stunningly susceptible to disease

Skills By Body Attribute

Skills impacted by Body Attributes
Strength	Miner • Carpenter • Wood cutter • Mason • Bone doctor • Beekeeper • Brewer • Cheese maker • Dyer • Grower • Lye maker • Milker • Miller • Potash maker • Presser • Soaper • Spinner • Thresher • Wood burner • Fisherdwarf • Armorsmith • Furnace operator • Metal crafter • Metalsmith • Weaponsmith • Glassmaker • Leatherworker • Strand extractor • Mechanic • Pump operator • Siege engineer • Siege operator • Papermaker • Swimmer • All combat skills except Dodger
Agility	Bowyer • Carpenter • Wood cutter • Engraver • Mason • Animal caretaker • Animal trainer • Trapper • Bone doctor • Crutch-walker • Surgeon • Suturer • Wound dresser • Beekeeper • Brewer • Butcher • Cheese maker • Cook • Dyer • Grower • Herbalist • Milker • Miller • Presser • Spinner • Tanner • Thresher • Fish cleaner • Fish dissector • Fisherdwarf • Armorsmith • Metal crafter • Metalsmith • Weaponsmith • Gem cutter • Gem setter • Bone carver • Clothier • Glassmaker • Glazer • Leatherworker • Potter • Stone crafter • Wood crafter • Wax worker • Strand extractor • Mechanic • Siege engineer • Papermaker • Bookbinder • Swimmer • Comedian • Intimidator • Student • All combat skills except Biter and Armor user
Toughness	Miner • Animal trainer • Lye maker • Potash maker • Soaper • Wood burner • Furnace operator • Pump operator • Siege operator • All close combat skills
Endurance	Miner • Wood cutter • Mason • Animal trainer • Crutch-walker • Beekeeper • Butcher • Cheese maker • Dyer • Grower • Lye maker • Milker • Miller • Potash maker • Presser • Soaper • Spinner • Thresher • Wood burner • Fish cleaner • Armorsmith • Furnace operator • Metal crafter • Metalsmith • Weaponsmith • Glassmaker • Leatherworker • Strand extractor • Mechanic • Pump operator • Siege engineer • Siege operator • Swimmer • Armor user • Biter • Dodger
Recuperation	Nothing yet
Disease Resistance	Nothing yet

Soul Attributes

The attribute values given in the tables correspond to default racial averages for dwarves only. Modded dwarves or any other creature will report the same phrases, but the underlying numbers may be very different. In almost every case, a higher attribute value is better, as opposed to personality traits where one may prefer higher or lower depending on the situation.

From this post by Toady One

With respect to skills: most of these attributes only affect duration, when that is the only available skill effect to begin with, but they are factored into outcomes when it applies.

At the bottom is a list of which attributes affect which skills. This pair of charts provides an easier to read summary of the soul attributes that are useful for doctors and soldiers.

Analytical Ability Value (+) Description 2250–5000 awesome intellectual powers 2000–2249 great analytical abilities 1750–1999 a sharp intellect 1500–1749 a good intellect 751–1000 poor analytical abilities 501–750 very bad analytical abilities 251–500 a lousy intellect 0–250 a stunning lack of analytical ability	Focus Value (++) Description 2542–5000 unbreakable focus 2292–2541 a great ability to focus 2042–2291 very good focus 1792–2041 the ability to focus 1043–1292 poor focus 793–1042 quite poor focus 543–792 really poor focus 0–542 the absolute inability to focus
Willpower Willpower directly reduces exertion and pain effects. Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 an unbreakable will 1750–1999 an iron will 1500–1749 a lot of willpower 1250–1499 willpower 501–750 little willpower 251–500 a large deficit of willpower 1–250 next to no willpower 0 absolutely no willpower	Creativity Value (+) Description 2250–5000 a boundless creative imagination 2000–2249 great creativity 1751–1999 very good creativity 1500–1750 good creativity 751–1000 meager creativity 501–750 poor creativity 251–500 lousy creativity 0–250 next to no creative talent
Intuition Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 uncanny intuition 1750–1999 great intuition 1500–1749 very good intuition 1250–1499 good intuition 501–750 bad intuition 251–500 very bad intuition 1–250 lousy intuition 0 horrible intuition	Patience Some non-skill tasks are affected by Patience. Value (+) Description 2250–5000 absolutely boundless patience 2000–2249 a deep well of patience 1750–1999 a great deal of patience 1500–1749 a sum of patience 751–1000 a shortage of patience 501–750 little patience 251–500 very little patience 0–250 no patience at all
Memory Value (+) Description 2250–5000 an astonishing memory 2000–2249 an amazing memory 1750–1999 a great memory 1500–1749 a good memory 751–1000 an iffy memory 501–750 a poor memory 251–500 a really bad memory 0–250 little memory to speak of	Linguistic Ability Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 an astonishing ability with languages and words 1750–1999 a great affinity for language 1500–1749 a natural inclination toward language 1250–1499 a way with words 501–750 a little difficulty with words 251–500 little linguistic ability 1–250 very little linguistic ability 0 difficulty with words and language
Spatial Sense Value (++) Description 2542–5000 a stunning feel for spatial relationships 2292–2541 an amazing spatial sense 2042–2291 a great feel for the surrounding space 1792–2041 a good spatial sense 1043–1292 a questionable spatial sense 793–1042 poor spatial senses 543–792 an atrocious spatial sense 0–542 no sense for spatial relationships	Musicality This attribute doesn't affect any skills. Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 an astonishing knack for music 1750–1999 a great musical sense 1500–1749 a natural ability with music 1250–1499 a feel for music 501–750 an iffy sense for music 251–500 little natural inclination toward music 1–250 next to no natural musical ability 0 absolutely no feel for music at all
Kinesthetic Sense Most skills involving any movement at all (lots of them), and many non-skilled tasks as well are affected by Kinesthetic Sense. Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 an astounding feel for the position of own body 1750–1999 a great kinesthetic sense 1500–1749 a very good sense of the position of own body 1250–1499 a good kinesthetic sense 501–750 a meager kinesthetic sense 251–500 a poor kinesthetic sense 1–250 a very clumsy kinesthetic sense 0 an unbelievably atrocious sense of the position of own body	Empathy Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 an absolutely remarkable sense of others' emotions 1750–1999 a great sense of empathy 1500–1749 a very good sense of empathy 1250–1499 an ability to read emotions fairly well 501–750 poor empathy 251–500 a very bad sense of empathy 1–250 next to no empathy 0 the utter inability to judge others' emotions
Social Awareness Value (AVG) Description 2000–5000 a shockingly profound feel for social relationships 1750–1999 a great feel for social relationships 1500–1749 a very good feel for social relationships 1250–1499 a good feel for social relationships 501–750 a meager ability with social relationships 251–500 a poor ability to manage or understand social relationships 1–250 a lack of understanding of social relationships 0 an absolute inability to understand social relationships

Skills By Soul Attribute

Skills impacted by Soul Attributes
Analytical Ability	Animal caretaker • Trapper • Beekeeper • Cheese maker • Cook • Furnace operator • Strand extractor • Gem cutter • Siege engineer • Siege operator • Mechanic • Architecture • Diagnostician • Appraiser • Organizer • Record keeper • Student • Knapper
Focus	Fisherdwarf • Archer • Siege operator • Ambusher • Surgeon • Bone doctor • Suturer • Record keeper • Student • Concentration • Observer
Willpower	Miner • Wood cutter • Fighter • Crutch-walker • Pump operator • Swimmer • Concentration • Resists exertion/pain effects
Creativity	Bone carver • Clothier • Glassmaker • Glazer • Leatherworker • Potter • Stone crafter • Weaver • Wood crafter • Wax worker • Trapper • Cheese maker • Cook • Architecture • Organizer • Liar • Comedian
Intuition	Animal trainer • Judge of intent • Appraiser • Observer • Diagnostician
Patience	Animal trainer • Fisherdwarf • Concentration • Some non-skill tasks
Memory	Animal caretaker • Herbalist • Diagnostician • Appraiser • Record keeper • Student
Linguistic Ability	Persuader • Negotiator • Liar • Intimidator • Conversationalist • Comedian • Flatterer • Consoler • Pacifier • Leader • Teacher
Spatial Sense	Miner • Wood cutter • Bone carver • Clothier • Glassmaker • Leatherworker • Potter • Glazer • Wax worker • Stone crafter • Weaver • Wood crafter • Trapper • Spinner • Combat Skills • Siege operator • Ambusher • Architecture • Wound dresser • Surgeon • Bone doctor • Suturer • Crutch-walker • Papermaker • Bookbinder • Swimmer • Observer • Knapping
Musicality	Nothing yet
Kinesthetic Sense	Most skills involving any movement at all (lots of them), non-skilled tasks as well
Empathy	Animal trainer • Animal caretaker • Wound dresser • Persuader • Negotiator • Judge of intent • Conversationalist • Flatterer • Consoler • Pacifier • Leader • Teacher
Social Awareness	Persuader • Negotiator • Judge of intent • Organizer • Liar • Conversationalist • Flatterer • Consoler • Pacifier • Leader • Teacher

Skills by Associated Attributes

If your browser cannot display this table properly you can view the legacy version.

Skill	Agility	Analytical Ability	Creativity	Empathy	Endurance	Focus	Intuition	Kinesthetic Sense	Linguistic Ability	Memory	Patience	Social Awareness	Spatial Sense	Strength	Toughness	Willpower
Ambusher	X					X		X					X
Animal caretaker	X	X		X						X
Animal dissector	X							X
Animal trainer	X			X	X		X				X				X
Appraiser		X					X			X
Archer	X					X		X					X
Armor user					X			X						X	X	X
Armorsmith	X		X		X			X					X	X
Biter					X			X					X	X	X	X
Blowgunner	X					X		X					X
Bone carver	X		X					X					X
Bone doctor	X					X		X					X	X
Bowman	X					X		X					X
Bowyer	X		X					X					X
Brewer	X							X						X
Building designer		X	X										X
Butcher	X				X			X						X
Carpenter	X		X					X					X	X
Cheese maker	X	X	X		X			X						X
Clothier	X		X					X					X
Skill	Agility	Analytical Ability	Creativity	Empathy	Endurance	Focus	Intuition	Kinesthetic Sense	Linguistic Ability	Memory	Patience	Social Awareness	Spatial Sense	Strength	Toughness	Willpower
Combat(*)	X							X					X	X	X	X
Comedian(**)	X		X					X	X
Cook	X	X	X					X
Crossbowman	X					X		X					X
Crutch walker	X				X			X					X			X
Diagnostician		X					X			X
Dodger	X				X			X					X		X	X
Dyer	X				X			X						X
Engraver	X		X					X					X
Fish cleaner	X				X			X
Fish dissector	X							X
Fisherdwarf	X					X		X			X			X
Furnace operator		X			X			X						X	X
Gem cutter	X	X						X					X
Gem setter	X		X					X					X
Glassmaker	X		X		X			X					X	X
Grower	X				X			X						X
Herbalist	X							X		X
Intimidator(**)	X							X	X
Judge of intent				X			X					X
Skill	Agility	Analytical Ability	Creativity	Empathy	Endurance	Focus	Intuition	Kinesthetic Sense	Linguistic Ability	Memory	Patience	Social Awareness	Spatial Sense	Strength	Toughness	Willpower
Knapper	X	X						X					X	X
Leatherworker	X		X		X			X					X	X
Liar(**)			X						X			X
Lye maker					X			X						X	X
Mason	X		X		X			X					X	X
Mechanic	X	X	X		X								X	X
Metal crafter	X		X		X			X					X	X
Metalsmith	X		X		X			X					X	X
Milker	X				X			X						X
Miller	X				X			X						X
Miner					X			X					X	X	X	X
Observer						X	X						X
Organizer		X	X									X
Potash maker					X			X						X	X
Pump operator					X			X						X	X	X
Record keeper		X				X				X
Siege engineer	X	X	X		X								X	X
Siege operator		X			X	X							X	X	X
Soaper					X			X						X	X
Social(***)				X					X			X
Skill	Agility	Analytical Ability	Creativity	Empathy	Endurance	Focus	Intuition	Kinesthetic Sense	Linguistic Ability	Memory	Patience	Social Awareness	Spatial Sense	Strength	Toughness	Willpower
Stone crafter	X		X					X					X
Strand extractor	X	X			X			X						X
Student		X				X				X
Surgeon	X					X		X					X
Suturer	X					X		X					X
Swimmer	X				X			X					X	X		X
Tanner	X							X
Thresher	X				X			X						X
Trapper	X	X	X										X
Weaponsmith	X		X		X			X					X	X
Weaver	X		X					X					X
Wood crafter	X		X					X					X
Wood cutter	X				X			X					X	X		X
Wood burner					X			X						X	X
Wound dresser	X			X				X					X
Wrestler	X				X			X					X	X		X

(*) Combat skills: Axeman, Fighter, Hammerman, Kicker, Knife user, Lasher, Maceman, Misc. object user, Pikeman, Shield user, Spearman, Striker, Swordsman, Thrower. Does not include Dodger.^[Verify]

(**) Unless otherwise prohibited by traits.

(***) Social skills: Conversationalist, Flatterer, Negotiator, Persuader, Consoler, Leader, Pacifier, Teacher, unless otherwise prohibited by traits. Does not include Comedian, Intimidator, Judge of intent, or Liar.

Implemented but unknown: Shearer, Spinner, Presser, Beekeeper, Potter, Glazer, Wax worker

Notes: This data assumes, without evidence, that the same skills use some of the attributes that they train (i.e. that high agility improves chance of dodging). The data is accurate as of game version 31.18.

• Spatial Sense and Kinesthetic Sense are almost everywhere
• Nothing trains Disease Resistance, Recuperation, or Musicality
• Intimidation and Comedy, social skills, raise Agility. Dwarven comedy is slapstick/clowning, not stand-up.
• knowledge_acquisition (student) doesn't boost skill gain except for teacher-student relations in a barracks
• Choose high-volume labors that train useful attributes for milita day-jobs/bootcamp
• Fishing, Siege Operating, and Record Keeping are useful for marksdwarves as they train the Focus attribute
• Hunting (ambusher/sneak) has identical attribute gain to Crossbow and Archer skills

Attributes trained by skills

Strength:

Miner, Carpenter, Wood cutter, Mason, Bone doctor, Brewer, Cheese maker, Dyer, Grower, Lye maker, Milker, Miller, Potash Maker, Soaper, Thresher, Wood burner, Fisherdwarf, Armorsmith, Furance operator, Metal crafter, Metalsmith, Weaponsmith, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Strand extractor, Mechanic, Pump operator, Siege engineer, Siege operator, Swimmer, all general combat and close combat skills (but not Dodger)

Agility:

Bowyer, Carpenter, Wood cutter, Engraver, Mason, Animal caretaker, Animal trainer, Trapper, Bone doctor, Crutch-walker, Surgeon, Suturer, Wound dresser, Brewer, Butcher, Cheese maker, Cook, Dyer, Grower, Herbalist, Milker, Miller, Tanner, Thresher, Fish cleaner, Fish dissector, Fisherdwarf, Armorsmith, Metal crafter, Metalsmith, Weaponsmith, Gem cutter, Gem setter, Bone carver, Clothier, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Stone crafter, Weaver, Wood crafter, Strand extractor, Mechanic, Siege engineer, Alchemist, Swimmer, Comedian, Intimidator, Student, Druid, Coordination, all general combat, close combat, and ranged combat/hunting skills (but not Biter or Armor user)

Toughness:

Miner, Animal trainer, Lye maker, Potash maker, Soaper, Wood burner, Furnace operator, Pump operator, Siege operator, Druid, all general combat and close combat skills

Endurance:

Miner, Wood cutter, Mason, Animal trainer, Crutch-walker, Butcher, Cheese maker, Dyer, Grower, Lye maker, Milker, Miller, Potash maker, Soaper, Thresher, Wood burner, Fish cleaner, Armorsmith, Furnace operator, Metal crafter, Metalsmith, Weaponsmith, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Strand extractor, Mechanic, Pump operator, Siege engineer, Siege operator, Swimmer, Armor user, Biter, Dodger, Druid

Disease Resistance:

Nothing!

Recuperation:

Swimming while drowning(Slow gain)^[Verify], Recovering from wounds^[Verify]

Analytical Ability:

Animal caretaker, Trapper, Diagnostician, Cheese maker, Cook, Furnace operator, Gem cutter, Strand extractor, Mechanic, Siege engineer, Siege operator, Alchemist, Knapper, Appraiser, Building designer, Organizer, Record keeper, Student, Military tactics, Tracker

Memory:

Animal caretaker, Diagnostician, Herbalist, Appraiser, Record keeper, Student, Reader

Creativity:

Bowyer, Carpenter, Engraver, Mason, Trapper, Cheese maker, Cook, Armorsmith, Metal crafter, Metalsmith, Weaponsmith, Gem setter, Bone carver, Clothier, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Stone crafter, Weaver, Wood crafter, Mechanic, Siege engineer, Alchemist, Building designer, Organizer, Comedian, Liar, Military tactics, Poet, Wordsmith, Writer

Intuition:

Animal trainer, Diagnostician, Alchemist, Appraiser, Observer, Military tactics, Poet, Wordsmith, Writer

Focus:

Bone doctor, Surgeon, Suturer, Fisherdwarf, Siege operator, Record keeper, Concentration, Observer, Student, Tracker, Discipline, Reader, ranged combat/hunting skills

Willpower:

Miner, Wood cutter, Crutch-walker, Pump operator, Swimmer, Concentration, Discipline, all general combat and close combat skills

Patience:

Animal trainer, Fisherdwarf, Concentration

Spatial Sense:

Miner, Bowyer, Carpenter, Wood cutter, Engraver, Mason, Trapper, Bone doctor, Crutch-walker, Surgeon, Suturer, Wound dresser, Armorsmith, Metal crafter, Metalsmith, Weaponsmith, Gem cutter, Gem setter, Bone carver, Clothier, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Stone crafter, Weaver, Wood crafter, Mechanic, Siege engineer, Siege operator, Swimmer, Knapper, Building designer, Observer, Tracker, Coordination, all general combat, close combat, and ranged combat/hunting skills (but not Armor user)

Kinesthetic Sense:

Miner, Bowyer, Carpenter, Wood cutter, Engraver, Mason, Bone doctor, Crutch-walker, Surgeon, Suturer, Wound dresser, Brewer, Butcher, Cheese maker, Cook, Dyer, Grower, Herbalist, Lye maker, Milker, Miller, Potash Maker, Soaper, Tanner, Thresher, Wood burner, Fish cleaner, Fish dissector, Fisherdwarf, Armorsmith, Furnace operator, Metal crafter, Metalsmith, Weaponsmith, Gem cutter, Gem setter, Bone carver, Clothier, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Stone crafter, Weaver, Wood crafter, Strand extractor, Pump operator, Swimmer, Knapper, Comedian, Intimidator, Coordination, all general combat, close combat, and ranged combat/hunting skills

Linguistic Ability:

Comedian, Conversationalist, Flatterer, Intimidator, Liar, Negotiator, Persuader, Consoler, Leader, Pacifier, Teacher, Poet, Wordsmith, Writer, Reader, Speaker (personality traits may preclude access to some of these skills)

Musicality:

Nothing!

Empathy:

Animal caretaker, Animal trainer, Conversationalist, Flatterer, Judge of intent, Negotiator, Persuader, Consoler, Leader, Pacifier, Teacher (personality traits may preclude access to some of these skills)

Social Awareness:

Organizer, Conversationalist, Flatterer, Judge of intent, Liar, Negotiator, Persuader, Consoler, Leader, Pacifier, Teacher (personality traits may preclude access to some of these skills)

Dwarf Attributes

Each attribute is a number between 0 and 5000, but in dwarven terms anything below 200 is rare [1] and anything above 2500 is extraordinary. In the default raws (/raw/objects/creature_standard.txt), dwarven attributes come in four levels.

Focus and Spatial Sense are referred to as "++", or two steps above default. Their range is defined as [700:1200:1400:1500:1600:1800:2500], which sets out six ranges: 700-1200, 1200-1400, etc. Dwarves have an equal chance of dropping into any of these ranges, and an equal probability again of getting any number in that range. So the bottom one-sixth of your dwarves will be really low, the top one-sixth really high, and the two-thirds in the middle huddled around average. This also means that the median and the mean are slightly different: the mean for ++ is 1516.66... while median is 1500.

Strength, Toughness, Analytical Ability, Creativity, Patience, and Memory are +, or one step above default. Their ranges are [450:950:1150:1250:1350:1550:2250], and their mean is 1266.66...

Endurance, Disease Resistance, Recuperation, Intuition, Willpower, Kinesthetic Sense, Linguistic Ability, Musicality, Empathy, and Social Awareness are AVG, or the default. Their ranges are not specified in the raws, but they are [200:700:900:1000:1100:1300:2000] for Physical and [200:800:900:1000:1100:1300:2000] for Mental.

Agility is "-", the only attribute to be below default. Its ranges are [150:600:800:900:1000:1100:1500], mean 862.5, median 900.

Training Attributes

It would seem that various skills train various attributes at different rates. For Physical Attributes and Willpower, military training works best. It relatively quickly gives a Dwarf some extra Agility and Strength, making him walk and work faster in all areas (According to [2] speed is a factor in determining how fast a labour is completed).

Attributes are capped in Adventure mode and probably also in Dwarf mode. Those caps are governed by MENT_ATT_CAP_PERC and PHYS_ATT_CAP_PERC. By default the maximum attribute values (barring increases from vampirism and other interactions) are governed by the starting value as well as the median for that caste (that is the middle value in PHYS_ATT_RANGE, for example 1000 for most attributes for Dwarves). attribute_cap = starting_value + max {starting_value, median}

The speed of learning attributes is governed by "cost to improve" in PHYS_ATT_RATES and MENT_ATT_RATES. By default CTI for attributes is 500, which means the counter for using that attribute has to be incremented 500 times for the Dwarf to gain 1 in that attribute. The lower the CTI, the faster an attribute increases. According to [3] the counter is incremented every ten ticks a skill using that attribute is in use. This means it takes 5000 TUs or just over 4 in-game days of continuous labour to improve an attribute by 1. The improved attribute gain from military training may stem from the fact, that sparring and individual combat drills train multiple skills at the same time.