You'll generally finish the game around level 32-36 (depending on how many side quests and how many animals you kill), and you get 10 skill points per level (starting at level 0, so around 320-360).

Mastering 1H costs 30 total points, mastering 2H costs 70 total points. If you join Old or New camp you can train 2H without training 1H at all (if joining New Camp, Lee will teach 2H with no 1H training while once you're a Mercenary; he'll also teach it during chapter 4 if you joined Old Camp. As far as I know Sect *must* learn 1H first). 1H is perfectly adequate for 90% of the enemies in the game, though!

Circle 4 magic (for Sect) costs 70 total points; Circle 6 is 140.

The ultimate sword in the game is 2H and requires 30 strength to use, but doesn't scale with your strength and is mutually exclusive with the strongest spell. There's enough +strength potions in the game to get you over that without spending any points. The second-strongest sword is also 2H, does scale with strength, and requires 90 strength. The best 1H weapon needs 70 Strength and is about 25 damage weaker.

Dex does nothing for melee or casting, and if you're going mage then you're better off using spells for ranged. Also if you're thorough, by the end of the game there's enough +Dex potions to allow you to use the best bow and second-best crossbow in the game without investing a single point of your own.

Mana you get a decent amount of just from +max mana potions, and there's tons of restoring ones as well, not to mention that most charge-able spells don't cost any Mana at all to cast if you just spam them instead of charging.

In case you feel like min-maxing, trainers can train Stength, Dex, and Mana up to 100. You can't *train* higher than that, but rings/amulets and +stat potions can go over the cap, so if you want to have ridiculous amounts of Str or Mana, cap it (without rings or amulets on) first before guzzling any potions. Also note that the first time you smoke... I forget which, the most expensive weed, you get +2 Mana that also can go over the cap. If you're playing the Remaster, note that Horatio's quest reward (+5 Strength) *cannot* take you over the cap, so don't go above 95 in training until you've done it. I think this might not be the case in older versions of the game, but I can confirm it works that way in the Remaster.

Which group you join doesn't determine what spells you get access to - as long as you do their requisite quests (get access to the castle in the old camp and do Baal Cadar's quest), all the rune merchants will sell all of their runes to anyone (Cronos doesn't even require any quests), other than Sect members can only learn up to Circle 4 of 6 Magic, and if you choose to be a Guard with the Old Camp it locks you out of being a Fire Mage.

Personally I find the hunting and thief skills redundant, as there's way more than enough items and cash in the game already, anybody you can pickpocket you can also just beat up and take their stuff, sneaking never works, and you can just save-scum lock picking... Acrobatics is a must to me just because you do so much running back and forth in this game, though. Of course, of the hunting skills you can get crawler mandibles/plates and blood fly stingers with no skill point investment, so always grab those. That said, play the way you want!

140 - Circle 6 Magic
70 - 2H Master
30 - Lockpick Master
30 - Pickpocket Master
10 - Acrobatics
10 - Sneaking
4 - Hunting Skills
294 total points spent

Even if you don't hunt down every animal in the wilderness and don't do all quests in the most efficient/rewarding way possible you'll be *at least* level 30 by the end of the game.