I use three mages, myself, Nalia( now Imoen) and Aerie. I also have Jaheira, who I use as a mage spoiler with her insects and to summon elementals, plus as a back-up fighter. Frankly, I generally have my mages using missile weapons, as my tanks, Keldorn & Valygar, tend to rip up most stuff anyhow. I use them to soften the really tough opponents, knock down stoneskins and protect the tanks. Occasionally I will throw in chaos, emotion, fireball etc to break up large parties but I use contingencies for emergencies. Maybe I am wasting my mage's potential but I always assume that if I let rip, the next opponent would require the spells I just used. I always use haste, bless, chant and defensive harmony before big battles plus any specific blockers for that opponent.
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