I have a few questions about Daggerfall.

1. What is a good dice roll for adding skill points. My new character got 14.

2. I was able to install the game and get it working, but the weapon use is very slow and sometimes doesn't move. Is this normal for a new character? Will it get better with skill?

3. What is the best way to increase my skill?

4. I was able to kill the bat and the rat in the first dungeon, but the imp always one-shot kills me. Should I be able to kill it?

5. The thief in the next area also 1-shot kills me. Is it supposed to be this hard?

6. I found some loot at the beginning, but I was unable to pick it up. The hand was set on grab and I left mouse clicked it, but nothing happened. Is this a glitch?

7. I used dag213 to update my game, but I didn't see the version number ending in 213. Did it not take? I forget where I saw the version number, what should it be? Also, if it did not take, any suggestions on getting it to update?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I'm in the very beginning and not getting very far. I don't know if I should just try to find my way out without fighting anyone or not. How else do I gain skill? Any and all help appreciated.

1. Can't remember, but i think you can click "reroll" as many times as you like.
2. Not sure, are you playing under WinXP? If so, maybe this is part of the problem. I have daggerfall running on an old (very old) laptop under Win98. I got the laptop for nothing.
3. Just by using them. If you keep sneaking, your sneak skill will automatically raise, you don't need to sneak in proximity like MW and Oblivion. Same with running, jumping, lock picking, etc.
4. Depends, most players find the Imp too much at the start. Occasionally i get a character that automatically reflects the spell back at him, and he dies. You may not have a weapon in your possession that will work against the imp anyway.
5. No, remain behind the tables and do short charges with your weapon, then step back while you ready yourself for another swipe. The thief should be standing on the otherside of the table and not be smart enough to go around.
6. Sounds odd, you may have to get right ontop of it or something, maybe you weren't close enough? I normally play with mouse-free look enabled and so sometimes i must "activate the cursor" to be able to click on stuff. But ordinarily Grab mode works fine.
7. I think it's supposed to say the version number alright.

1. What is a good dice roll for adding skill points. My new character got 14.
You mean attribute points? 14 is a good number for the bonus die, but your actual values for the attributes also get rolled. 14 may not be so hot if the base numbers for the attributes are low. Typically, I pick out 2 or 3 attributes that are the most important to me (usually strength or speed or intelligence or willpower) and reroll until they are near a high number and I also get a good amount of bonus points. Then I can top them off with the bonus points (as most bonuses only raise at increments or 10 points of attribute).

2. I was able to install the game and get it working, but the weapon use is very slow and sometimes doesn't move. Is this normal for a new character? Will it get better with skill?
Weapon swing speed is a function of your Speed attribute and your skill in that weapon. As either increases you'll see results.

3. What is the best way to increase my skill?
Practice, practice, practice! You can also buy training from your guilds. Just remember that skills don't increase immediately once you hit the required amount; they only increase after you have rested or traveled.

4. I was able to kill the bat and the rat in the first dungeon, but the imp always one-shot kills me. Should I be able to kill it?
Imps are hella tough, especially for low level characters. Just run.

5. The thief in the next area also 1-shot kills me. Is it supposed to be this hard?
Sometimes. Yes, the first dungeon is almost too difficult for most 1st level characters. Just run past everyone to the exit; once you hit town you can buy better stuff, etc. It's OK to run away! Even for high level characters!

6. I found some loot at the beginning, but I was unable to pick it up. The hand was set on grab and I left mouse clicked it, but nothing happened. Is this a glitch?
If you click on something and you don't get the "you are too far away" message, chances are it just isn't loot. Or something might be between you and the loot. If you get right up next to it and click away and nothing happens, then it's just there for decoration.

7. I used dag213 to update my game, but I didn't see the version number ending in 213. Did it not take? I forget where I saw the version number, what should it be? Also, if it did not take, any suggestions on getting it to update?
The full number for the latest patch version should be 1.07.213