Though I play RPGs all the time this is the first wizardry game I have played in a long time. I played wizardry 1 on nintendo.

Should characters start out with the desired profession if possible or is it worth it to change.

What are the pros/cons of changing class.

This is the first wizardry game I have played in a long time. I played wizardry 1 on nintendo.

How cool :D
I played Wizardry 1 on the Nintendo too!

Actually, this Wizardry makes using any class from the start effective. You'll just find that the "elite" classes take a little longer to develop than the "basic" classes, however, they do kick tail when they get into higher levels.

There are two drawbacks with changing classes that I have noticed, one is that your character does not go back to the minimum number of experience points needed for their next level...if you switch a fighter over to a Samurai at level 10, you're looking at over a million experience points until your next level and they only go up...your Samuari may (almost) "act" like a level 10 Samuari with the way he can fight, but (secondly) he'll not get any spell-casting abilities until he reaches Samuari level 5...millions of experience points away...which could hinder your performance if you are counting on him to have any significant spell-casting abilities...same for the Ninja, The Monk, etc.

Your "hybrid" spellcasters (: Monk, Ninja, Ranger, Samurai, Lord, Valkyrie) will need to be higher level in order to learn some spells...I'll hunt down a link to a list that explains that and edit it into his post...it has nothing to do with changing classes, it merely explains each class' requirements as spellcasters..a handy notation to see for sure though!

I would suggest that if you like the idea of playing Ninjas, Samurais & the like...start out with them...they get enough hit points per level to be able to survive until the next. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I would recommend a basic Mage for your party though since they have a lot of offensive spells that you'll be counting on.
IMO, a Bishop is better than a Priest. ;)
There are some professions I haven't tried out i.e. the Alchemist, the Bard & the Gadgeteer...well I did start a game with a Bard & a Gadgeteer, but I never finished it...I played all elites one game (with a Mage thrown in lol) and all basic-turned-elites the second (which I though would produce a more powerful party)...I think I enjoyed the first game the most.
Read through your manual and see what strikes you as a good party and give it a shot...the main thing is too have fun with it and IMO, all the classes have their advantages/disadvantages that will make any game a challenge all its own.
[img]smile.gif[/img]
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Best of Luck & Happy Adventuring!

Here's that link I promised you regarding Skill levels and Spells:
Skill Levels & Spells

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: Moni ]</p>

Ok here are some of the class changes that are worth it when you reach level 18, plan in advance.

priest -> lord

mage -> samurai

alchemist -> ninja or ranger

priest, mage, psionic or alchemist -> bishop

bard -> fighter
(once you can play all instruments, have close to 100 in music)

As I said all these class changes are to be made after you reach level 18 with the first class. I can tell you why if you wish, but you might want to find out by yourself.