Initial stats: Persistence 10, Dexterity 4 Quick 3, Strength 1, Luck 1, IQ 1

Immediately buy a sling and an s/s or a p/s. For s/s, buy the copper club. If you have a rich digger, transfer money and buy your fighter a diamond mail shirt. This step is not critical, just convenient. Also buy magic skill immediately, before you get to level 2, so you can start accumulating mana for homeport.

The goal: Bring persistence to 49 as soon as possible. Never put any points into IQ or into Luck. Don’t put points into strength until the persistence goal is reached.

Until persistence is 49, keep dexterity at the bare minimum, i.e. 2/3 of your level.  Keep quick as low as you can stand it, again about 2/3 of your level +1 or +2.  Do the kings missions as fast as you can, putting all points into persistence. This phase won’t last very long. 
Once you hit your persistence goal, add a few points to dexterity and to quick so that your weapon skills can grow and so you don’t get doubled anymore.  As you level, add dexterity and quick as needed.

All extra points… for the rest of the game… will go into strength.
 
From the low 30’s on, this fighter should be collecting more than enough drinks on TA so he can always drink and RD or MD to heal. This fighter should level about as fast as Artemis did, which for this game was very fast.

One variation:  Start with the distribution: Persistence 10, Dexterity 1, Quick 1, Strength 1, Luck 1, IQ 6. Buy magic skill immediately. Follow the plan outlined above. This fighter will be able to make his or her own weapons.

Happy Splatting!!