I'm pretty sure it's mathematically impossible to one-shot even a red dragon with an air mage.. With perfect 10 rolls against zero resistance for Implosion, you'd need 87 points in Air Magic, and with all 16 stars hitting the same dragon of Starburst, that's still only ~340 damage before resistances at level 20 Air, unless my math's off.

Even Dark 15 Shrapmetal will, on average, do far, far, far more damage than either of those (400-460 at mid rolls, before resistance), and with high rolls, it's not even a comparison.

My opinion: the default (quick start) party PASC is best for newbies: fun to play and, properly leveled up, can cope with all enemies everywhere. Grayface patch makes viable playing a might-and-magic party (as opposed to a magic-and-magic multi-sorcerer party that has to keep teleporting away to refuel). Exploring the weapon options really needs two might-orientated characters, one for spear and one for axe, both of them sword masters. PASC gives this plus, really important, 2 potential casters for each of remove curse, cure paralysis, stone to flesh, shared life, raise dead and resurrect.

KDSC I see as first step towards min/maxing.

"Archer" tag under-sells that class, whose real role is high-damage melee attacker - spear (halberd) in right hand and sword in left. Would have been better called "barbarian". My one quarrel with the default party is starting its "archer" with axe skill.

Of course, if you really want to have some fun, do an all-might party - KKKK. No magic except for wands (which I generally dislike) or scrolls. It makes certain things very annoying, but once you start levelling up a bit they just slash everything in sight to bits.

Having done a very low magic party in MM7 (k, m, r, a), that sounds almost exactly like the exact opposite of fun. O.o

And magic from hirelings. With utility town portal and fly hirelings I can see that as viable.

I don't think I would do it in MM7. I don't like doing without my Cleric & Sorcerer in 7.

Knights are more powerful in MM7 then in MM6. And I found it a lot of fun.

You did a 4K run of MM7?

Props and all, but yuck. I found a low magic run to be a slog. I hate to think what a no magic run would be like. It is doable, but definitely not my thing.

Fair enough. I expect that running up to things and holding 'A' to kill was rather amusing. :)

As oppose to hitting "S"?

XD

What's "XD"?

I've done all knights in MM7. I had a blast with it. Almost as powerful as an all sorcerer party.

A laughing face emoticon. Macailpin's mention of an alternate form of attacking with knights amused me.