I've just finished Qfg1, and have imported my magic user into QFG2 (fanmade remake). And I notice that my character's a lot weaker than if I would just make a new one, for instance I have 24 agility, where a new character has 60! This is the case for pretty much all abilities. And my skill levels for the magic spells are lower as well. The only advantage right now is that I've got chainmail, and a bit more cash. And that's it...

I didn't feel like I rushed through Qfg1, so is this a common problem? Shouldn't it be the other way around, that an imported character's a bit stronger than a new one?

I'm not sure if this is an issue with importing to 2, or if it's specific to the fan remake of 2, but I recall the later games raising an imported character's stats to the minimum of a newly-created one if they were lower.

It sounds as though you completed QFG1 with fairly low stats, which is quite possible but probably not common. Still, if you don't feel like spending a bit more time in Spielburg (you can keep going after the brigand lair as long as you don't visit the castle or Baba Yaga), you should be able to raise those skills fairly quickly in 2, especially with the extra cash to buy mana pills, and the chainmail will make survival easier.

IIRC, QFG3 is the first game to raise your stats to the "minimum" and does not include raising spell skills. An imported character is only as strong as you made him in the previous game. If you only cast Zap 5 times in the first game then your ZAP spell skill is going to be quite low. The idea is to continue the next game with the character you were playing in the previous with all it's strengths & weaknesses.

Okay, thanks for the heads-up. Knowing that my stats will be raised in QFG3 is a relief, so I know I won't be too gimped in the next games. But spell skills I'll still have to watch out for then.

Actually I find QFG2 to be the best game to raise stats (except 'climbing'). With the healing, magic, and stamina pills that you can purchase from the apothecary I would just be either lock picking all day long, always sneaking, and be in the desert throwing daggers, fighting, and casting spells. My stats would be in 200 about 5 days before having to go to Raseir.
QFG4 is also great to raise stats and be in all 400 for QFG5.

Climbing is easy to raise in QFG2. You can use the tree near the oasis, IIRC.

@Baggins: you know, I've never tried that.... I always waited until QFG4 to raise my climbing. Thanks for the tip!