One factor that you might like to consider for including Priest and Lich in a party is that those are the only two promo quests that cannot be done without actually promoting a character to that rank. I tend to prefer Lich to Mage anyway, because the lich can Master the Thrown Weapons skill (Mage only gets Expert) and I am a fan of the spell Pain Reflection. As for comments on the others, Gladiator is pretty good, but the Assassin is the real killing machine, particularly at range. A Druid with GM in Unarmed and Dodge is quite a bonny melée fighter, and I think is the best "half and half" character in the game. I do not like the Ranger at all. His only GM weapon skill is the bow, and IMO that is not enough for somebody with magic skills as weak as his. They are OK at first, but his spells are totally inadequate later on in the game, when the party advances in levels and tougher monsters are encountered.