Ave Classic BT adventurers.

I decided to (re)play BT 1 as said to be the most fun / balanced / recommended one of the series,
(on APPLE II GS with ActiveGS emulator).

I read about a suggested party here
http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/pc/bardstale1/characters.shtml

After some consideration, my intention is to go - even if not right from the very beginning - with these green-horn misters:

#1: Paladin - dwarf / human
#2: Monk - hobbit / dwarf / human
#3: Bard - hobbit / ?
#4: Conjurer - gnome / elf
#5: Conjurer - gnome / elf
#6: Magician - gnome / elf

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Q1- I heard a Hunter is not very handy in BT 1, as other fighter classes hit quite much to kill even tough enemies in one round.

Q2- What races are recommended for these professions in the long-run?

e.g.:
-Maybe a more dexterous hobbit is more beneficial as a monk, than a dwarf or human, or thus will he have less stength and HP?
-for mages: gnome or elf for SP - or any other for more HP?

Q3 - what are the suggested ability (str, dex, int) overall score to start a character with? (a sum of these points, which we should aim to roll for)

Q4 - Also heard, mages' last class shouldn't be wizard or sorcerer for quicker level up as an archmage. An acknowledged fact?

Q5 - will not a Bard be useless at later stages of the game?

Q6 - As for early game mage diversity, is the selection of 2 conjurers good, for their healing spells?

Q7 - Paladin vs Warrior - doesn't matter in the long-run?

Q8 - read somewhere, that character AC also determines accuracy to hit an enemy (== THAC0), due to some error in program code. Is it a false rumor?

Q9 - any other suggestions?

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Many-many thanx, if thou can give any useful and non-spoilery advice on the above thingies.

Bye.

Your party looks quite optimal, IMO. It has the the same class composition as my own party last time I played the game.
I wouldn't worry too much about the starting stats, since they are capped at 18 and increase each level.
Personally I favour the Half-Orc as a fighter type character.

The Hunter's Critical Hit ability is great, but it's bugged in some version. Also, there as weapons that insta-kill or stone, so a Paladin is a better choice in the long run, IMO.

The Monk is great because of his low AC. AC is actually used for determing your chance to hit as well, so the lower the AC the more difficult for the monsters to hit you, but also the easier for you to hit them.
Not sure if this is a programming error, though.

Conjurors and Magicians advance in levels much quicker than Sorcerors and Wizards, and I think some of the calculations, like initiative and resistance to magic and special attacks, are bases on their level.
I think the optimal route for the mages is for one of your Conjurors to go for Wizards ASAP, and let the two others develop as Archmages. Something like this:
Conjuror 6 - Sorceror 6 - Wizard 14 - Magician
Conjuror 14 - Sorceror 14 - Wizard 14 - Magician
Magician 14 - Sorceror 14 - Wizard 14 - Conjuror
6 is the level needed to switch class, and 14 is the level needed to learn all spells in the discipline.
The only downside to this is that Wizards have access to some nifty items that the other mages don't.

A Bard is never useless IMO.

Paladin vs Warrior: the party is supposed to benefit from a Paladin leader. Not sure how it works in practice, though.

Probably too late now (for some reason this sub forum hasn't shown new posts), but don't hesitate to persuade the Bard of the pregenerated party to lend his Fire Horn to the cause. It will dramatically increase chances of survial in the early game.
Oh, and don't prowl the streets at night in the beginning. The monsters are harder and more numerous at night.

No reason not to get all your spells for all your casters since you only need 230000 xp for each magician and conjurer to get all your spells at 13. 400000 for sorcerer and 1.3 million for wizards but you'll have done at least 2 of the others already at that point so will be a good bit ahead of the melee in overall levels at that point anyways.

To the OP:

I wouldn't worry too much about racial traits. Your characters will gain stats with each level, and eventually will balance themselves reasonably well. Race is more a starting bonus than anything.

I tend to like a Rogue, just for the treasure hunting and not having to spend two points a fight on TRZP spells. It will cut in to your spellcasting options, though. The Hide In Shadows class skill means that they never have to directly participate in a fight unless you want them to. (one particularly nasty tactic involves a front line of three rogues covering a bard and two spellcasters; if the three rogues Hide, no one gets attacked in melee)

As for your questions:

q1) Hunters. They have the ability to "Critical Hit" - i.e. kill a target in a single blow. In the original Bard's Tale, that can be very useful against single high-value targets, but against the usual mooks your other fighters will be killing one a round anyway, so only having the chance to do so puts a hunter at a disadvantage in most fights. In later games, when hunters reach higher levels, they have a much better critical rate. In the third installment, for example, it will reach 99%, which puts them at an advantage to the other fighter types (although their lack of armour, usable items, and special defenses can be an issue). There's a reason that the game book suggests that you "experiment" with a hunter. In some parties and for some parts of the games, they're beyond useful. For others, they're average or less than. Feast or famine.

q2 - see above.

q3 - Aim high, whatever you can get.

q4 - When your spellcasters reach level five, they CAN change class. But they can never go back to a class they've held before. So whatever their fourth spellcasting class is, they're stuck with it. Since Conjurer and Magician are "first tier" classes, they have a faster experience progression, leading to a much higher level - and thus much higher HP and MP - in the endgame if that's your caster's last class.
The rules change in BT 3. In it, while you CAN change class once you have third-level spells (i.e. at level five) each spellcaster MUST eventually learn all seven levels of spell in all four basic classes. You can return to a class you've already been through, resetting to level one in the process. Flipping back and forth between Conjurer and Magician is a superb way to build up spellcasters (to the point that they'll have far better HP and stats than the rest of the party) and prepare them for their forays into the ArchMage and Chronomancer classes.

q5 - Bards are never useless. Their songs can always make life easier. They're fighters on par with Rogues (minus the Hide ability) and Hunters (without the Critical Hit skill) - which is to say, passable in the beginning, not really that handy in the endgame as fighters. However, in the original Bard's Tale, a Bard is a requirement to beat the game. In the other two, their utility is tremendous. Keep your Bard well hydrated and keep him singing!

q6 - This is a "whatever works" question, so try it and see if it works. You have one more spellcaster than I like to travel with for the original, but that's a difference in playstyle more than anything. Healing is probably the most useful spellcaster skill in the early game.

q7 - Paladins have a greater selection in special items (especially in the later games) and an innate level of magic resistance that Warriors don't have - but Warriors have a faster level progression. It's a matter of personal preference. I like Paladins, myself.

q8 - I have no idea. Research is required.

q9 - Experiment. Try out things you don't expect will work. Play with summoned, charmed, or just diplomatically persuaded monsters. Don't be afraid to run a bigger, rotating party, swapping out characters as suits your needs. Don't get too attached to your characters, because in the early levels they'll die, and a funeral is cheaper than a resurrection. Take notes and make maps. With three casters, have one guy rush to the higher-tier classes (maybe even do only three spell levels of Sorcerer) to get to the big Wizard spells - Animate Dead, Dispossess and Beyond Death are going to be vital later in the game, but are useful throughout.
Don't underestimate the importance of enchantments; Levitation to get past traps, Ybarra's Mystical Shield (or Coat of Arms) for a long-term AC boost, and Second/Sorcerer Sight to avoid problem spots in the dungeons have helped many an adventurer survive. Cat Eyes is a good indefinite-length light spell. Watch for duplicate spells - Flesh Anew and Restoration both have the same cost and level requirement (the first is level seven Conj, the second level seven Mag.), and both cure poison and insanity, but Restoration is a full heal, whereas Flesh Anew cures 6-24 points.
Standing around doing nothing will get you attacked. In certain puzzles in the later games, standing around doing nothing will get you killed. So don't be hasty and make mistakes, but be efficient. On the other hand, standing around doing nothing in the streets during the day will allow your spellcasters to recharge and save you the cost of going to Roscoe's.
And finally - learn your bard songs and learn them well. They're sometimes the best magic money can buy.

No expert here - I have the MS DOS version and have never gotten very far or finished. Here is what I have rolled up recently:

1. Hobbit Monk S10 D18 L17 I11 C12 HP27
2. Dwarf Paladin S18 D14 L7 I13 C17 HP28
3. Dwarf Warrior S18 D14 L9 I12 C17 HP28
4. Hobbit Bard S11 D18 L17 I12 C12 HP24
5. Gnome Conjurer S15 D14 L11 I17 C8 HP21 SP17
6. Gnome Magician S15 D14 L5 I17 C8 HP20 SP12

I started the cheesy way and grabbed all the gear from "The A Team" and had enough money in the Gold Pool

Here is the madness to my method:

1. The Hobbit Monk has lots of Luck and Dexterity. In the event of running into a large group of Barbarians, there is a chance of running away. Also, he gets an early strike with a Halberd and might get a quick kill with it.

2. The Paladin will move to #1 after gaining several levels.

3. A Half-Orc would get better stats for Dexterity and Constitution, but I named my party the Half Pints.

4. I chose a Hobbit Bard for Dexterity. He has the Fire Horn from Markus the Bard from the A Team, so if we run into a gang of 8 Barbarians early in the game and if we are unable to run away, we can just blast them.

5. The casters are Gnomes for Intellect. Elves get a couple of extra points of Dexterity, but I am working with stunties here.

Although it's kind of gimmicky, there's nothing in the Half Pints that should fail outright. I like a rogue, myself, but you've got a good team.

That looks like a fun party to play. Depending on your definition of Elf (and completely ignoring the manual's description), they could be considered stunties as well. After all, the Keebler Elves aren't very tall, heh.

Flynn