Funky “Who should I add to this party” question:

Ok, here’s my proposed party (I’m actually still in
BGI, so this will take some time)

Protagonist Cleric/Ranger MC
Minsc
Jaheira
Imoen

The first 4 NPCs are with me now, solving side quests in the city of Baldur’s Gate (yeah, I'm doing the whole series). They have stuck by me through thick and thin, and there’s no way I’m dumping them in SoA or ToB.


Ok, so the 5th and 6th members of my party are the problem here. I can’t figure out who to use! I think my party is pretty balanced so far, but I also think I could use one more mage, or possibly someone who is good at taking care of mages.

Here are my options:

1)Keldorn. His abilities speak for themselves, and
wielding the great Carsomyr is nothing to sneeze at.
2)Mazzy. This machine gun is a killer with Tansheron’s
or Gesen’s bow. Easily disrupts mages, and even makes
a great tank in a pinch (str bonus and halberds
baby!).
3)Nalia. Best good aligned mage NPC in the game
(sorry, no Edwin in this party). I kind of find her
to be a weak clone of my little sis.
4)Valygar. Interesting choice, as backstabbing takes
care of mages pretty quickly and effectively. Doubles
as a pretty good tank, and is an all around good
character. Boring soundest though.
5)Aerie. Stick the Robe of Vecna on this one and watch
the spells fly! I do find it kind of redundant to have
two clerics in my party, though, especially when
there’s a druid too. Too much divine magic power.
6)Haer’Dalis. Another interesting choice. Blades are
cool, HD is cool. Makes a good backup mage and backup
tank.
7)Jan. Jan takes care of dispelling illusions (through his thief skills), adds a backup mage, and is pretty funny too.
8)Nobody. A party of a C/R, Jaheira, Minsc, and Imoen is powerful and balanced enough.
9)Sarevok. This might be the most interesting (read:
wacky) choice I can think of. That’s because I’d dual
class this guy into a Mage when I recruit him. My plan
(if I go with this guy) would be to go through SoA
with only 5 characters (listed above), and randomly
add the other NPCs for their own personal sidequests.
I would save all the scrolls I didn’t need (I use that
“no bottoms” patch), and have Sarevok scribe every one
of them, with only him, me, and Jaheira in the party
(J stays for romance and XP reasons). I know it would
still take a long time to get Sarevok’s mage level to
pass his fighter level, but this is the quickest way I
can think to shorten it.
10)Sarevok. Same as above, but DC him into a Thief. Having a guy w/ ***** in 2HandedSword weilding Carsomyr +6 is outright nasty.
11)Use any of the NPCs mentioned above in SoA, sub in
Sarevok in ToB (please mention NPC for SoA below).

Any opinions on my above choices, and/or other options
are all greatly appreciated.

My two cents.

#1: Mazzy
#2: Jan

#1: Mazzy is not just a "tank in a pinch"; she's one of the best in the game, and the best non-evil one that you don't already have in the party. A Halfling with a halberd is amusing, but more damaging is Kundane in the offhand (she's already proficient in short sword) and your favorite one-handed weapon that isn't already being used by others in the primary hand. Oh, yeah, and the Tuigan Gatling Gun. I normally have her start combat in shortbow mode and manually pause & switch to dual-wield mode when I want her in close combat. Pick Keldorn (or Saervok Fighter/Thief) if you can't stand to have Carsomyr unused and/or like his super-Dispel ability, but you'll have enough True Sights from Jaheira + PC (and remember they can use the level 6 spell Wondrous Recall for extra True Sights, Ironskins, and Insect Plagues).

#2: If your PC was anything other than a cleric, I'd say Aerie for #2, but as is you don't need a 3rd divine spellcaster. Jan gets bonus spells from being a specialist spellcaster, will eventually get level 9 spells in TOB, and will be able to cover all thief duties (plus, as you noted, Detect Illusions to sub for True Sight as needed). Second choice would be Nalia or Haer'Dalis. With four solid front-liners already Haer'Dalis will have a tough time getting a sword in edgewise, and won't get the high level mage spells besides. Nalia is as good a mage as Imoen and don't forget her nice ring: +2 AC/saves and 50% fire resist I think. Of course if you don't mind having 3 divine casters, Aerie is great and especially shines in TOB where she gets high enough level to put together the nastiest sequencers, triggers, and contingencies in the game by combining Cleric and Mage spells into them.

hOW does Tungian bow work? Is it 3 attacks or what?

What is the Robe of Vecna and where do I find it?

It's a robe that was once owned by a rather powerful lich. You can 'find' it in the Adventurer's Mart. It's well hidden, so look carefully! ;)

Viconia being an evil cleric can turn undead Vampires. Cast invisibility on her, click on the skull (turn undear) icon and she can take care of an entire nest by herself. She can be found in the Temple or Government District. Rescue her from the mob. Equipt her with a girdle of fortitude or any strenght enhancing item and she becomes the best cleric in the game. You should seriously consider her, but she can get into a convlict with Keldorn.

Viconia (being evil) actually controls those vampires.

I really don't like evil characters, and since my protagonist is a Cleric, taking another one is a waste of talents and space IMHO.

Yes. Normal short bows and long bows get 2 shots per round. The Tuigan Bow is a magic short bow that gets 3 shots per round, as well as +1 to THACO and damage.

Add to that the +1/2 attack from specialization (Mazzy has grandmastery in short bow), +1/2 attack from 7th level fighter, and another +1/2 attack from 13th level fighter, and Mazzy will eventually be making 4 1/2 attacks per round with the Tuigan Bow. 9 with improved haste.

Yowza!

Only bad thing is you run out of arrows REALLY fast! :(