I suppose that some kind of such question should have been asked many times here but GOG forum is not the best place in the world concerning the thread search, so... :)

I need some advice in building the party of adventurers that would be viable through all the three last Wizardry games, from 6th to 8th.

Class/race/sex combinations and so on, every piece of wisdom from Wizardry veterans would be priceless.

Thanks in advance.

- don't use fighters or thieves, they cannot learn spells, classes in W7 are badly balanced
- put all the skillpoints you get in W6 into the characters casting school (thaumaturgy, theology, ...) for access to higher level spells and more mana; exception: you might want to put some points into skullduggery for your bard for more comfortable lockpicking sometimes
- characters with 16 vitality at creation get faster spell regeneration and more mana

With that said, changing a character's class to Fighter or Thief at the end of W7 might not be a bad idea; the classes are better balanced in W8 and are actually useful. Also, Bishops, which aren't that great in W6 and W7, are awesome in W8.

Note that class changing in W8 is not advised, as the mechanics are not favorable; however, class changing in W6 and W7 is a great strategy to get more skill points and spells.

Be aware that Bards lose their spellcasting ability when imported to W8. (The tradeoff is that W8 has a bigger selection of spellcasting instruments, including 3 that cast 7th level spells.)

You can replace a character when you start W8 if you want; the best use of this is to create a Gadgeteer if you want to play with that class, as that class doesn't exist in W6 and W7.

Any party should do but some require more grinding than others.

If you have to grind you either have a poor party, or need to find an easier game.

the only + of importing characters to w8 from w7 is the gear you can bring with you;

there are other starting areas if you make the right | wrong allies in w7 but I don't see that as a plus... more a side step

Actually, from what I understand:
* Your characters start with higher stats on average. (Unfortunately, you don't get to control this, and a newly created character will have better scores in the most important stats, getting their first expert skill sooner.
* Some skills not suitable for your class will transfer. I don't know what skills actually do, but Critical Strike *might* be one. I know that Bards could start with Wizardry, though that skill is useless for that class in W8. In any case, simpy having extra spellbook skills, if nothing else, will give you a few extra SP.
* The T'rang base is a good starting point if you want to use a Gadgeteer (though you will need to replace a character at the start of W8, as there's no known way for an imported character to start as that class, and class changing in W8 is not a good idea). The Umpani base is a good starting point if you like modern weapons. By contrast, the Monastery doesn't have that much to offer; a hat for parties without Locks & Traps, the Bless instrument (which I believe transfers from W7), the Energy Blast gadget, and a couple gadget components that you can't use for a while.

Depending on the ending in Wiz6, bringing the party through Wiz7 to 8 you might also be able to trigger a small easter egg from Bela. Admittedly, this isn't of any great mechanical benefit (especially by the time you meet him).

You'll probably have a better and purer gaming experience if you create a fresh party for every game.

Greetings!

I am amidst the same quest. I am playing locally with a friend and this is our party plan:
https://www.gog.com/forum/wizardry_series/minimal_spoilers_whats_the_best_team_mod_and_technical_setup_for_a_wizardry_68_team/page1

We based this on the advice of a guide here:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564807-wizardry-vi-bane-of-the-cosmic-forge/faqs/63361