>Why is it certain skills/spells effects are not readily
>apparent to the players from Helpfiles?

Probably because most of them aren't real. :)

>Example: I've heard svirfs dual-wielding axes get a
>flourintine-like affect to their tanking. Is this true?

Nope! I'll go further and say that I can't think of anything in the parry code that you could even mistakenly interpret as that.

Granted, lots of svirf warriors these days are Autumn Harvest crackfiends. Now that, that does help their tanking generally. ;)

>I guess I just wish there was less vague and more skill x
>gives +9 damroll. Any chance for this to happen, or logic on
>why it doesn't?

I think the game is number-crunchy enough as is. It should be obvious from reading the jab helpfile that it's a dex-based skill, and that higher dex will help you succeed more. Probably you can guess that a high sword skill and a high jab skill would also be helpful. That's basically it and that's all the information you really need to play the game. There's no line in the helpfile about holding a four leaf clover helping you jab better unless you're trying to hit a shapeshifter whose name starts with C because there's no bonus for it in the code.