RChu1982: This is because the perfectionist me, can't properly develop a Bishop, as saving too many spell picks inevitably results in a useless character. I will have much more fun with a party who isn't afraid to develop ASAP.
You don't *have* to save spell picks with a Bishop. You might not get all of the 6th and 7th level spells, but:
* Not all of those spells are useful, particularly at 6th level. Even 7th level has some redundancy (you don't need both Concussion and Cerebral Hemorrhage, and Falling Stars is weaker than Earthquake).
* A Bishop who doesn't save spell picks prior to level 14 will still learn enough good spells to be useful.
* You don't need all 4 schools to have enough spells to be useful. Early on, in fact, it's best to develop just 2 or even 1 school, and then pick up the others (if desired).
Also, if you ignore spellcasting and XP requirements, the Bishop actually compares quite favorably to other casters:
* Priest: The least favorable comparison. Priest gets more HP and (mostly) the same equipment as the Bishop, but note that the advantage isn't as big as you would think, given that even a Bishop can use maces (including Diamond Eyes and The Mauler) and shields (including the Thieves' Buckler that boosts Agility and the Lithe Buckler that provides a small amount of Stealth). Pray for a Miracle is something players tend not to use much, and Dispel Undead is available to the Bishop as well.
* Alchemist: Alchemist gets more HP, but worse equipment (no maces, in particular). The ability to brew potions while resting is quite nice, though it seems that a lot of real time has to pass between potions, and potions are readily available after the early part of the game, especially since anyone with Alchemy can mix them. Also, while a minor thing, note that Bishops can cast Alchemist spells while silenced, even though it isn't listed as a class ability. (Spells cast while silenced always train Alchemy, and non-Alchemist spells still can't be cast.)
* Psionic: Psionic gets mental status immunity, which is either very useful or utterly useless depending on what you're fighting. Aside from that, Psionics get worse HP and worse equipment (no shields, for example).
* Mage: Mage is actually a terrible class. Worst HP, terrible equipment (worse than Bishop), and the only advantage here is a measly 5% bonus to all resistances.
