My current party Level is 5 (and I'll Level Squat until I reach Chapter 3, I think...).
And I don't know about Weapon Focus, but it was more because I couldn't think whatelse to give my Characters.
Besides, my Fighter now has Greatsword Mastery and The Wandering Sky (I want a bigger sword!), so that +2 Damage means he's doing around 11-23 Damage per hit, and has something like a +8 to hit.
I've been thinking of Multi-classing to Fighter Level four for some extra Feats and so he can get Weapon Mastery in Axes (or whatever the Executioner's Wife's type is), and a few Feats for Power Attack and Cleave. Not sure if it's worth it, but a Barbarian/Fighter is most certainly fun (and with no Experience Penalty because a Shield Dwarf's Favoured Class is Fighter.
).
As to combat casting, it's useful for a Cleric for Healing Spells, or for a Mage with spells like Colour Spray and Burning hands. It's best used on the Cleric, since if a Mage in in combat, something's probably gone wrong, you got ambushed while resting to regain your spells/health, or you want her there. I only move my Mages (and Rogue...) so they aren't liable to get attacked in close combat, can see/get in range of an enemy, or for an Agannazar's Scorcher down the front-liner fighters, torching everyone).
But anyway, now I have to find a Fireball Scroll (since you can't buy any from Ulbrec's wife nor from the Druidical people by the Shaengarn Ford). Otherwise I have Dispell Magic, Hold Person and Haste to bolster the party and freeze Enemies/disrupt Magic. This works in combination with a good three to four, maybe five, Sleep Spells (depends on how I use the Sorceress).
And as to best party, it's far from; Instead of, say, improving Strength or Constitution on my Warriors, I went for Intelligence instead (well, I dislike dunces like me.
), and even though the two fighters are mini tanks, against a lot of foes they do actually start struggling (Sheer amount of attacks, even with Armour Class 18/19, they'll start hurting me eventually, in which case I use sleep on the enemy... low Will Save Enemies are fun.
). And they have a favoured weapon, but will use anything that comes to hand (greatswords, longswords, bastard swords, polearms, axes, maces, flails, et cetera), so I've given them some Ranks in other Weapons just to make it seem like they are more "Real lifeish" (even an old-style pikeman could handle a sword, or an axe, if is pike snapped/enemy got close) (well, the Fighter has put Ranks into Longswords and Greatswords, the Barbarian hasn't had many Feats yet). They've both been turned into tavern brawlers by giving them Dirty Fighting as well.
I think I've given the Mages Subvocal Casting as well, the reason being is that I see Magi from Schools being highly trained and schooled in such things and able to cast their spells in complete silence, while Sorcerers/esses have in it in their very blood, and would be really be hard to detect whether someone's casting something or not (for an example, reading David Eddings' Polgara the Sorceress, Belgarath the Sorcerer, The Belgariad Trilogy, and The Malloreon Trilogy. I can't think of any other books that have Sorcerers in, but Merlin's nemesis (can't remember her name) springs to mind as being a Sorceress. Sorcery is basicly Magic born into someone, so any Sorcerer should be able to channel it silently...).
The Halfling, pretty true to her nature, is a near natural shot with most Ranged weapons, but excells in Bows (Martial Weapons Focus Level II).
Note that any Weapon II Focus is for Role Playing Reasons, so meh.
I've noticed I still haven't needed to use any potions in combat... well, unless you count having fun with a few bottles of oil and some Orcs stuck on a ledge a level above me...
I need to finish this game this time around...