[Neomi]

LOL, that's classic. I think in my first game I didn't notice the little gold plus sign. There aren't too many areas where a level 1 mage with 3 HP can last very long. I would be extremely impressed with anyone that kept a party of 1st and 2nd level characters alive until the cloakwood.

Although, as I recall, the starting level of the various NPCs is based on the experience of the PC at the time when they join the party, right? But does this mean the actual number of experience POINTS you have or the LEVEL you've attained. Because if it's strictly based on POINTS then you could theoretically pick up higher level NPCs as you go along and use them to get a "1st level" character through the entire game.