Wizards versus... uh... anything else...

[Davros]

The dragonarmour can be worn by wizards and warlocks. Just can't see you bashing in every chest or opening required doors. For example, the bauble stick is needed early on in the crypt, and is in a level 2 chest. How are you going to open it. I hope you have a really strong characer to beat the chest open. You can get through the game, but it will be much easier with some lockpick and pickpocket skills.

Echoing Gauleiter - My wizards could also equip the special Plate Armor - excellent Armor class but it weighs in at 20 pounds. Female Elf Warlock was in yellow zone, Pixie was flattened and had to be helped up!

Well, Im kinda new here and my first party composed of
3 warriors, 1-samurai 1-paladin 1-barbarian
1 wizard-warlock
1 priest-monk (lvl 10 in kung-fu, man, does she got the punch!)
1 rouge-ninja (lvl 10 in opening locks, lvl..well, 0 in pickpoceting )

About your idea with a party composed only of wizards, i like it, but, in this game, as someone already said, there are far too many chests and locks to pick, You MUST have a rouge in your group.Its a muss.The 1st time i went to the crypt it was....painful good thing there is a fountain that regenerates life near the chest with bauble stick (used it like 20 times befor i finally bashed!).And this was one of the easiest chests in the game.

As for pickpoceting, i havent found any use for that (well, ok, just once, in the stout mines...but I had it on lvl 1, so i had to kill king and his sentries...apart for making me feel a "bad character" i received nice chunk of experience there which maked me feel a little better.

[ArmageddonX]

Ok ok, I'll get a stupid rogue! Hmph. I'm glad I'm only at early game before I tried to go through the game without a rogue. Anywho, rogues are... decent... fighters and not a... total... waste compared to a wizard. Um... What is the reccomended clan for a rogue? I'm thinking ratlings. And I WILL max him out on lock-picking. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that armor though. Thanks for savin me before I get too far into the game without a way to proceed. You have my respect as well Gauleiter and Thorny. (Your lives are just so fulfilled now huh.)

As I hinted before, I like a Gnome for my traps guy, the Lucky Charm is a lifesaver on those Medium to Hard level chests. Did you read the blurb for each race on the official Activision site? For Gnomes, it said something to the effect of, "These little guys love to see how things work, are great with mechanical things and love to get inside of them..." etc. Seems to me they were tailor-made to be the locks race...

[Davros]

There is the other option of converting a wizard into a barbarian as previously discussed. Even if you get a rogue, once you have the abilities, you can convert him to a magic user when you get to Ishad N'ha. The only limitation is no stone magic. If you take the barbarian option early on (I am replaying with 2 wiz and 2 priests) you can get by easily enough.

[ArmageddonX]

Gnome seems good... though ratlings as well...

GNOMES:
Advantages for rogue: +2 on dexterity, lucky charm resists a bit of magic and the 'other additional special bonuses' sounds like something useful. Hmm... they have high presence, thats usually good to have to be the target of assaults, normally gnomes are weak defenders but wizards are worse so that is actually an advantage.

RATLINGS:
Advantages for rogue: +2 dexterity AND +2 agility though that doesn't seem to affect trap/lockpicking ability... A little bit of a +1 intelligence bonus allowing faster skill increasing allowing faster lock-pick leveling up, though very slight.

Ok, I think you have convinced me, gnome it is. Heh heh, that's a good thing really. If I told my five oomphaz that a ratling was coming into the party they'd run like maniacs...

Lastly... YOUR MAKING ME HUNGRY! All this talk about lucky charms makes me want some cereal. HMPH!