I confirm. Looking at the screenshot, I would never have thought that a hero with 4-9-9-9 stats could defeat a hero with 5-4-12-10 (200) here... As it turns out, I was deeply mistaken.
Attack and defense skills are definitely much more powerful than skills in literacy and diplomacy... so here, Stig simply dominated... and the 4, 9, and 5, 4 stats didn't really matter much...:rolleyes:... the battle could have been prolonged only by a hero with high defense stats.