For now the idea is that I'll play a combat oriented character that I'll dual to a mage once he/she reaches level 9 (because I think BG1 is more fun with a fighter char and magic users are way more versatile in BG2). The only party member I'm 100% sure I'll take along is Viconia. Things I've been pondering:
-I need a spellcaster and a thief so the logical thing would be either Xzar & Montaron or Edwin & another thief. Monty adds fighter support as well but will progress slower on the thief side of things. Edwin seems very powerful & I'm definitely taking him along in BG2 so for roleplay purposes it would suit me to add him in, and use Safana as a thief. I'd love to take Eldoth & Skie because they seem very interesting but they don't appear until late in the game and I'm afraid they will make for rather weak companions which will make the upgraded SCS battles a lot more difficult.
-I could go for both Xzar & Edwin since I love playing magic users but that would only leave one slot for a support character, which would either be Shar-Teel or Kagain. Shar-Teel appeals more to me but her low Con worries me, esp because the tougher battles in SCS will likely make me want to have a good tank/damage soaker and Kagain is perfect for that.
-I was pretty sure my main character would be a Kensai so I could make the kensai/mage combo but thinking about SCS makes me worry about the disadvantages of not having any armour to protect myself with. Does anyone have any experience playing a low level Kensai in BG1? Also, the lack of missile support in my party (I can't take Coran and don't want Kivan) & me remembering how strong bows are in BG1 and how I'll probably need a good archer to get me through the SCS encounters make me lean more towards an Archer/mage dualclass (even though I'd rather play a melee char).
I realize that this post is more like a rant than a set of concise questions but feel free to give your opinion on anything. Also, since I'm still more of a roleplayer than a powergamer, if any of these NPC's have more interesting dialogue (with the Tutu Banter mod or whatever it's called) that would definitely influence my decision so please let me know if you have any experience with that mod
