How (exactly) do attributes affect skills ?

[Geathaa]

Let´s take a fighter as example. I want my fighter to hit hard and often with a sword =) So, obviously, Close Combat and Swords are my skills of choice. Now, the manual says that Close Combat is affected by Intelligence and Senses, and Swords depends on Dexterity and Strength. And really: High values in the respective attribute results in a high STARTING value of the corresponding skill(s). But how does this work once you enter the game and level up? Should I still spend attribute points on Intelligence since Close Combat depends on it? Or is it sufficient to just spend points on the Close Combat skill itself ? What about the number of Attacks per round and the number of swings per attack ? Is it sufficient to raise just Dexterity or do you have to raise Speed, too? Does someone with Speed 100 and Dex 30 have less attacks/swings than someone with Speed 100 and Dex 100 ?