They can go down there, but as far as I can tell, only if they have seen you before. If the mob has never seen you, it won't follow you there.

Power Cast would help against enemies that are hard to damage with spells. Also, don't forget that Summon Elemental exists, and you could also try using Superman to boost stats.

Which is why I also trained my casters on physical damage potential. Every other round or so, I try to have my casters shoot Spike Stones, and I have my Alchemist swing his staff in preparation for the Staff of Doom. I don't have Powercast yet, so there needs to be flexibility between melee, ranged, and magic.

I had very nice experience with magic party made with hybrids(Valkyrie, Samurai, Monk, Ranger) + 2 Bishops
Trained all magic and powercasting to 100 eventually.

is your Alchemist a Faerie?

I ask because my Psionic always wants the Mindblast Rod

Hybrids are nice, but I find that it's difficult to focus on one thing without harming another. In terms of stats especially. I feel like they need all 7 if they want to be good at melee, ranged, and magic. I've played Bishops before, and if you want a "perfect" Bishop, they take a long time to level, and you have to make a lot of early sacrifices, saving almost all spell picks.
Specialists, on the other hand, level quicker, and need to worry about less attributes. The Bard and Gadgeteer can ignore Intelligence(Powercast, which is useless), and Piety(SPs don't help them). The casters can ignore Strength(Powerstrike is a luxury) and Dexterity(Reflextion won't help much on the back lines, only occasionally, and the Priest has a shield on the flank).
No, it's an all-human party(we fit right in in Arnika). It's good for "theme". Not to mention, humans get the most TOTAL attribute points, if you can get past the fact that they need only a little more time to reach their expert skills. By level 30, all 6 of my humans will have 4 expert skills, and the other 3 stats will be at 45 or better.
Isn't the Mindblast Rod tricky? I think that you run the risk of making the T'Rang hostile if you're not careful. I believe if you push the "yellow" T'Rang down the hallway during a battle, they can trap you into that room.

In more recent playthroughs, I've taken to not allowing the saving of spell picks for higher level spells than would be available at the level they're earned, and it makes them more interesting and fun to use early on, while still getting most of the important high level spells (as not all of them are equally important, and some of them aren't that good).

For level 6 spells, the only spells I've found to be really good are Resurrect and Quicksand; Might to Magic is nice but by no means necessary, and the other spells are just not that good. (Why bother with a spell that can cause fear when a lower level spell can paralyze, which is better because it doesn't make enemies run away, plus I believe nothing is outright immune to it?) Of course, I also get Banish from a spell book.

For level 7 spells, there's a lot of redundancy, so all you really need is:
* Restoration
* An instant death spell that hits all enemies (Asphyxiate or Death Wish)
* A spell that hits all enemies (Earthquake or Mind Flay; Rapax resist Nuclear Blast and Falling Stars is worse than Earthquake)
* At higher levels, Death Cloud, but that spell is more dependent on power level (as it affects both duration and success rate), and I have Toxic Cloud to use until then if I want a good cloud spell to use

That leaves 3 spell picks to use by level 24, which from my understanding is the typical endgame level.

If you use spellbooks to learn spells whenever possible, and you follow these rules, I note that pure casters run out of spells to learn at level 20, as there's only 4 6th level spells and 3 7th level spells for each spellbook. (Note that this counts Banish, which leads the level 17 spell book to be "wasted", and that some 6th level spells (Banish and Resurrction, and I think Turncoat) are shared between spellbooks.

For hybrids, often I tend to focus on spells that can be used outside of combat, like Enchanted Blade or Magic Screen; some healing is also nice. The only major stretch that I'd consider worthwhile is to get Resurrection on Valkyries, but XP leveling slows down enough that you have extra chances to get that spell (and Restoration later, if you want), and it's handy to have Resurrection on a character who can cheat death (particularly if you want to take that shortcut down from Trynton (but save first)).

By the way, does anyone know the exact rules that determine whether Cheat Death triggers?

I've found that I often prefer not focusing too much on late-game, so I'd often rather get expert skills sooner than have better stats in the long run. I note that, at high levels, HP tends not to be an issue, so having better Vitality in the long run (for a human as compared to an elf) isn't that much of an advantage.

I note that Elves can use the Fey Ring, if it decides to show up, while humans can't. (Fey Ring boosts Speed, so the character acts sooner, and Stealth, making the character less targeted (handy for a low HP character I'd rather not get hit); Stamina Drain can be countered with a Robe of Rejuvenation, and Bishops don't need as much Stamina regen as users of heavy weapons (Tripleshot Crossbow and Giant Sword (another nice item that Humans can't equip)) or instruments/gadgets.

Edit: On the other hand, at least all-human parties in Wizardry 8 are not as annoying to play as all-human parties in SaGa 2. (Slow stat growth + cost of replacing weapons (and the only ways around that until endgame involve a non-human) make it a party I would not recommend in that particular game.)

By the way, this topic has made me think of an idea for what party I might want to use next time I play this game.

Perhaps something like this:
* Bishop (I really do like using this class)
* Bard
* Mage (but see note below)
* Samurai (Mook for the Giant Sword, because Samurai are rather lacking in weapon selection)
* Valkyrie
* Ranger

As for the mage, this is a character I am building for the short term, and not planning on keeping to the end, thanks to the "replace character" feature. The idea is this:
* Mage learns Enchanted Blade and Missile Shield as soon as possible; this means I have access to those spells for the Arnika Road portion of the game
* Mage chooses other spells with an eye on the early game
* At level 8, Mage learns X-Ray, which is a very handy spell (even at PL1)
* Sooner or later, I'll get someone else (likely the Bishop) the ability to cast X-Ray, or I'll go far enough in the game to get the gadget that can cast that spell (or rather, the components for said gadget, as I won't have anyone who can use it)
* Then, replace the Mage with a Gadgeteer, preferably with the Holographic Projector and Port-o-Potty (two *really* nice low-level gadgets); Gadgeteer levels up quickly, so catch-up shouldn't be too hard (another idea is to do the change right before a quest XP reward)

How does this party sound?

(Also, I'm thinking of going humanless, with the Mage a Fairy (better SP regen early, inability to equip the Robe of Rejuvemantion isn't an issue here. If I don't mod it to take out the SP regen, I'm probably not going to use the Infinity Helm, as the SP regen on that particular item just feels wrong, since pure casters can't get it.)

if you are not careful yes but it is possible [I do it every game] to get the rob without being trapped or making the T'Rang hostile

the staff you like is cursed and a random drop where as the rod is not cursed and always in the same room so I like it better but again, each to their own ;)

Finally, after a quick battle, I levelled up my 4 casters to 18. I picked: Falling Stars, Death Wish, Tsunami, Earthquake, Cerebral Hemorrhage, Mind Flay, Nuclear Blast, Concussion. Granted, they will all only be able to be cast at level 1 in the green, but at least I got some good long range options. It's annoying having to rush into thrown range to use those spells. Those Savant Slashers/Berserkers will rush into melee with me, while my Gadgeteer cuts them down with her Bloodlust, and my Bard uses her Tripleshot X-Bow on them. I'm trying to make sure that my Bard and Gadgeteer alternate the BL sword, so that they both get good at melee and ranged.

Intelligence and Piety are not needed for good magic, unless you want Power Cast (in which case you need only Intelligence). Power Cast's boost to spell power is minor, and the other benefit, piercing magic resistance, doesn't matter for ally-targeted spells, which is what the Priest spellbook excels at. The one high-level spell I'm really interested in for a Valkyrie, Resurrection, does not depend on stats. (Cheat Death prevents death, while Resurrection allows her to help allies who can't cheat death.)

I believe Cheat Death usually triggers when the character could die, though I don't know the exact details. I do know that it usually triggers, and it can trigger after jumping off the Upper Trynton Branches.

The issue with samurai weapons is why the plan is to give them* the Giant's Sword, which requires that the character be a Mook.

* I use singular they, but you can expect my party to have only female characters, so I could just use she/her instead to refer to one of my future party members.

Stealth makes Rogues less likely to be targeted, making them rather ineffective at being able to actually tank.

Personally, I would have chosen Restoration, as I find it to be the most useful 7th level spell, particularly at PL1 (as it cures almost all status aliments reliably at that point); it's also nice in that it isn't affected by enemy resistance. Also, Falling Stars, aside from being weak at PL1, is worse than the Alchemist's Earthquake.

Asphyxiate is better than Nuclear Blast at PL1, and Death Cloud is probably a better first pick for an Alchemist (though not a Bishop, who can get it later (or not at all if there's an Alchemist in the party, because multiple castings don't stack)).

I agree with you about the Lord and Valkyrie, who both use the Priest spellbook, which is the most defensive spellbook, and gets the least benefit from Powercast, except maybe slightly better buffs and healing. The other hybrids, in order of Powercast necessity, are: Samurai(Mage), Monk(Psionic), Ninja and Ranger tied(Alchemy). They will want Powercast if they want their magic to be good, especially with the -4 level penalties, and their lower levels due to hybrid exp penalties. That's kind of the whole point of being a hybrid: Decent fighting and magic, right?
I give Rangers a pass on that one, since when I use them, I use them for their strong points(Ranged kills, constant Scouting, decent weapon and armor choices, Mook Rangers can even use the Giant's Sword if enemies get close). I treat a Ranger's magic as secondary, and if I pursue it, I will mix potions to increase Alchemy. I prioritize ranged fighting of course, keeping them on the flank with a Sword and Shield with non-Mook(Sword-only with Mook, because of Giant's Sword) because they're pretty tough, with decent weapons and armor choices(Infinity Helm!), and decent HP.
If you're going to make a Mook Samurai with the Giant's Sword, I assume you will want to max Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence(Powercast is probably the most important for a Mage spellbook user, as it's the most offensive spellbook). I guess Piety isn't a priority for you as a non-primary caster, and you're a believer in the Rousing Drums for Speed(except underwater). You, like me, don't prioritize Vitality. Do you believe in Senses? I think Senses is more for ranged characters(Eagle Eye), but it does help with Initiative and CTH.
I would never use a Rogue with Stealth in my current very-squishy MDP, but I like them when I have a more "conventional" party with characters that aren't so low in HPs, as their damage is incredible with their potential for 4X damage Backstabbing, I think. It's almost unfair to use a Rogue dual-wielding Bloodlust and Thieves' Dagger, as they give the other party members little opportunity to work on their melee skills(except party members on the flanks).
I always make my Bard and Gadgeteer female, for the stamina regeneration items, but it's not a big deal after about Trynton/Crock. The casters are 3 males and 1 female, because casters really don't need stamina much. Three females: Courtney Love(Bard), Inspector Gadget(Gadgeteer), Blondie(Mage). Three males: Father Maxi(Priest), Rick Sanchez(Alchemist), Yuri Prime (Psionic). Gender is mostly a non-issue though, I just like variety, and theme. Al-Sedexus desires a male character, after all.
I'm playing on Novice difficulty with a PL7 Magic Screen up, plus Arnika enemies don't use magic, so I'm not worried about status effects yet(Restoration). I will take the remaining level 7 spells at the next level up, no worries. The Priest is severely lacking in long-range offensive spells, which is why I gave him Falling Stars(Web is only thrown range). It will help him with his Earth realm, along with Armorplate.
I'm playing a MDP, with the goal to chop off around 20-30% of an enemy's HPs with each casting, so Nuclear Blast seemed to fit in better. That's the same reason for Tsunami and Earthquake. Asphyxiate and Death Cloud might kill enemies too quickly, not allowing my characters to level up their skills. I will take them next level, at level 19, before I set off on that long AT Road journey.

Another melee option for Rangers, I believe, is to dual wield a sword and the Hammer, as Rangers can actually equip that weapon, and it uses the Mace & Flail skill, which carries over to Diamond Eyes later.

Of course, if you want, you could just ignore swords entirely and aim for for The Mauler, in which case the Enchanted Mace also uses the same skill, and is also usable for a Ranger.

Who said you need to use a class's primary skills? (Then again, does anybody use the Bishop for their Artifacts primary skil, especially when the consumables that are most readily available in large amount (sticks) aren't actually usable by them?)

Of course, this works best if your party doesn't have someone else who wants them, like a Lord, as there's only one (reliable) Diamond Eyes.

With the party I mentioned, there actually isn't anyone else who wants Diamond Eyes; Spears are *really* good weapons (good spears are available earlier than good other weapon types) that the Valkyrie can use, Bishop doesn't get the Dual Wielding skill, and nobody else in the party I'm thinking of can use these weapons.

Speaking of non-standard skills, imagine if Bishops *did* get Dual Wielding; imagine a Bishop with The Mauler, Diamond Eyes, and with a build that focuses on Strength and Dexterity. While we're at it, let's make the Bishiop a Lizardman; not the ideal racial choice for that class (in fact, probably the worst, with the -40 bonus points and reduced SP regen), but we do get to start with higher Strength than you'd normally associate with that particular class. (Doesn't help with learning Power Strike, however, because of the -40 starting bunus points, which won't be paid off until level 13, then another 13 or 14 levels to actually max out the stat. Wait, why am I talking about Power Strike for a *Bishop*, of all classes?)

(By the way, I probably would not mod Dual Wield onto the Bishop, but I might consider modding it onto the Priest if I do mod the game.)

(Also by the way, in Wizardry Gaiden 3, a Lizardman Bishop is actually a really good choice for the endgame and postgame for various reasons that are specific to that game and don't apply to Wizardry 6-8.)

I'm thinking I might actually take the option of prioritizing Speed on everyone so that I don't need to use those Rousing Drums (which can fail, and can't reliably be used at any given power level).

I use Senses as a tertiary stat for casters, after Intelligence and Speed, to get even more initiative. In fact, the Mage build I'd use would focus only on Speed and Senses (I'm not planning on keeping this character long term, and Power Cast is out of reach in the early game). Of course, this is assuming I go with Mage in that slot and don't decide to go for Fighter instead.

One reason to go for Mage is just to save a couple Bishop spell picks (for Enchanted Blade and Missile Shield) while still having those spells running for the Arnika trip. I could get the Mage to learn these spells, level up to 7 in Arnika (or, if I feel like hanging out a bit longer, 8 so the Bishop can learn X-Ray), get the Samurai to learn Enchanted Blade and Missile Shield, travel to Trynton, get the Missile Shield spellbook, ditch the Mage, then use the intelligence fountain to get the new Gadgeteer up to level 2. Then again, there *is* that Missile Shield spellbook available there. (Another idea would be to learn X-Ray on the Mage (less XP and practice than getting it on the Bishop; I would have that spell for the walk to Trynton, but not for the trek to Marten's Bluff.) Also, since I'm not saving spell picks (at least not saving early ones for 6th and 7th level spells), I could just pick those spells (and Armorplate, but not Magic Screen) for the Bishop when those spells arrive, anyway.

The Samurai might not need to use spells other than Armorplate, Enchanted Blade, X-Ray (and with a Gadgeteer, that may not be necessray), and Return to Portal most of the time. Having an extra portal user is sometimes enough of a reason to take a hybrid over a pure fighter.
Except that the various Savant guard type enemies, or at least some of them, can inflict Paralysis, I believe.

(Random fact: Every important spell in the Priest spellbook can either be covered by a different spellcasting class, or can be stamina cast by either a Bard or a Gadgeteer; yes, this includes Armorplate and Magic Screen.)

Just have more to say about this:
* Offensive magic isn't *that* important for a Samurai, unless you really want to do small amounts of damage at long range, or you're fighting a lot of low level, low HP monsters. If the enemies are low level, high HP, then dual wielding with instant-kill weapons works well. (Or use a weapon with a disabling status ailment, like the Giant's Sword.) If the enemies are high level, then spells don't work that well and heavy physical damage is what's called for.
* I don't prioritize Piety for pure casters or Bishops, as that stat doesn't have that much of an effect on SP, particularly once you already know a lot of spells (late game Bishop comes to mind here). The only reason I'd ever go for Piety is for Iron Will, or perhaps for a stamina boost if the points can't go into Strength or Vitality.

Then again, I still haven't come up with a good Gadgeteer build. One thing is that I'd like Strength for melee damage, stamina, and carrying capacity, but their primary skill, Modern Weapon, doesn't benefit from it at all.