Nice find!   

https://imgur.com/a/UI6AiqL

Happy birthday sauruz.   

You don't really want strength as pet bonus items are only on jewellery and staves so wouldn't be using shields or melee weapons.

Usual is just enough dex to equip items and the rest into intel.

AE version is 2.10.21415

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1154030/announcements/detail/517454908873508072

Had another crash the other day just as I was exiting the spider cave in Tegea.  Don't remember older versions of the mod doing this, but it is a while since I played them.  Have found and installed that 4gb patch so hopefully that's going to help.

Ideally you want a full "set" of Bonus to Pets items and those are jewellery and staves.   You'll get plenty of intel from both masteries; the usual route is just to put enough into dex to equip items and the rest into intel. 

I usually just rely on the pets to do all the fighting.  I might use Plague to help them out, but that's it apart from buffs/auras.  You could use Psionic Touch line if you wanted to I guess.