So I'm planning a second Wiz8 run (first one was about yen years ago).
Gonna go with Lord and Sanurai for melee, Ranger and Gadgeteer for ranged and Bishop and Priest for magic. One question arises immediately: should all spell books found/bought (except for Priest spells) be given to Bishop and all other casters should just stick to early spellpicks while Bishop is maturing? I see it as a way to save all the Bishop spellpicks for lvl 6-7 spells.

Generally, you'll want to save books of which you only have one copy for the bishop.

However, many spellbooks are available from merchants and can be bought multiple times, and some of them can be found as loot in several places, so all of your casters should be able to obtain a reasonable assortment of spells independently of their level-up choices.


One thing to bear in mind with that party: you'll have three characters with Divinity (Lord, Bishop, Priest), which is certainly doable but you might be better off to swap one of the divinity casters for another class. Exchanging the Lord for a Monk, for example, would give you a dedicated Psionic caster without sacrificing his melee capability.

I was planning the Priest to be main healer/buffer with Lord as a substitute in case of need and Bishop to concentrate on Psionics/Wizardry as a damage-dealer with no Priest spells. Will this work?

It'll work. I've found having a specialist priest getting spells like rest all, heal all, and various other buffs and cures sooner rather than later to be beneficial. Generally able to cast them more effectively, at higher ranks quicker, and with less work/training with a specialist, too.

It'll work, but since you have a fairly heavy amount of buffing and utility spread around between all of the hybrid casters and the Bishop will end up with all kinds of buff and cure effects (those aren't exclusive to divinity magic), it isn't really necessary to have the Lord around as a tertiary divinity caster; the monk as a melee/secondary psionic character would be would provide better utility (since the samurai and ranger already cover wizardry and alchemy secondaries).

The Lord's class features aren't terribly useful either. If you really, REALLY want a third Divinity caster then the Valkyrie would probably be a better option.

I agree with everything Nomad_Soul said and IMO there is nothing wrong with taking a 'Priest' along, except that you already have a 'Lord'.

You can win with this party but it lacks punch…

Magic;
The three pure casters 'Alchemist', 'Psionic' and 'Mage' are faster builds than hybrids like 'Ranger', 'Monk', 'Ninja' and 'Samurai'… the 'Bishop'** is a solid all round caster and will be the most powerful by the end game but she takes the longest to get up and running.
Melee;
The 'Lord' takes a lot of damage to kill and the 'Samurai' can deal out impressive damage so those two complement each other nicely.
Range;
'Ranger' and 'Gadgeteer' are both solid (if a little simular) in their damage output what the 'Ranger' lacks in combat is hopefully made up for with extra loot from the alchemy.

**I suggest that concentrating on Psionics/Wizardry as a damage-dealer will give disappointing results with your 'Bishop' because she will not develop fast enough to use offensive magic until the middle game and even that assumes you really push her training. I would suggest Psionics/Divinity as your starting realms with Wizardry or Alchemy as a third choice, remember the 'Priest' is piety based for his spells so unlike the other magic casters he tends to ignore intelligence… the 'Bishop' is really the only divine caster likely to achieve the power cast skill and has deeper pockets when the end game counter magic's are needed at full power.

I recommended the 'Bard' over the 'Priest' because that will take some of the pressure off you in the early to mid game whilst your other members learn their various trades;
1. Magic = a 'Bard' is the first class to reach full power on their spells & being stamina based makes a huge difference in congested maps because they will fully recharge between battles without needing a rest.
2. Melee/ Ranged = a 'Bard' is an all-rounder but gets several stat bonuses from gear and can have up to +60 strength which allows for respectable damage whilst not playing any music.

It's your game BloodCat and I don't want to spoil anything for you so feel free to ignore all of this and play the 'Priest' if that’s what you see as suitable for your party.

To be fair, I've had good experiences going a bit heavy on divinity. I completed (survived!) a strict Ironman Expert game with 3 valkyries backed by a ninja, priest, and bishop. The backup healers saved my bacon more than once. That said, I've had more enjoyment with higher offense parties in non-Ironman games.

I was planning the Lord to be a tank mostly, with possibility to cast healing spells in case of emergency. Will Monk play a tank role well? I've never played a bard in any of my RPG -- and that's a lot of RPGs. :) Maybe it's time to start, huh?..
So, if I kick out a Priest and take a Bard instead, how should I develop my Bishop? Buffer/defense caster in the beginning shifting to damage dealing by midgame?

Yes, and it would probably be best to focus him on Divinity/Psionics at the outset. Psionics offers some solid debuff effects early on and you'll have access to a full range of recuperative effects.