Strength rates the character’s muscles, and therefore the damage that a character can inflict in hand to hand combat, as well as the character’s resistance to damage. Normal Strength, in an Amberite, is sufficient to heft and toss around small automobiles.
Once characters lay hands on each other, the contest, no matter what it may have been before, becomes one of sheer Strength. Unlike other forms of combat, where a character can usually run away, there is likely no escape from a wrestling match with a character of superior Strength.