[Aerich]

I doubt that two war chants would stack. A better bet would be war chant and Tymora's melody - it gives you +1 to die rolls (including crit hits) and +3 to saves.

To answer your question, krunchyfrogg, I say that mages ARE necessary for a power party. Reasons? Best area-effect damage spells and best caster-only buffs. You can finish the game fairly well without magery, or with just a bard casting arcane spells, but you miss out on a lot.

In passing, I prefer a F/M to a straight mage. The fighter class counterbalances the main weaknesses of a mage: weapon choice/proficiency points, Thaco, and HP.