1. The right click 'give to' command will equip the item, but you do not have to transfer stuff that way. You can open multiple inventory windows at the same time and drag and drop between then, or simply drag and drop to the character's portrait in the top right corner.
Also, with the latest
patch installed you can dump an unlimited amount of stuff in a summoning doll, and just keep quest items, good equipment you may use, etc on the main characters. The weight penalty was changed so that characters can carry more than their capacity, but then can not move (which is fine for summoning dolls - you can un-summon and re-summon them if you want to move them).
The first summoning doll is available on the second level of the game (after you jump down the pit in the arena).
2. Loot dropping into walls is mainly a problem in act 1, since there are lots of narrow corridors, etc. Acts 2 and 3 are much more open, so this shouldn't be much of a problem.
3. If you are 8 or more levels above an opponent you do not get experience. See
Act 2 - not getting exp in BF.
The battlefields are optional. I only used them for the merchants.
4. You get 1 skill point per level, with an extra skill point every fifth level. Playing on Hardcore there is a 30% random chance of a character getting a bonus skill point each level (so a 9% chance both will).
The variety of skills available does mean you can not learn everything, but skills you invest in can be unlearned (at a cost of gold related to your character level), and you can save and try out skills to see if they are worth keeping.
If you don't mind cheating, or think of it as a fix, you can give yourself more skill points;
Hex editing - gold, experience, stat/skill points5. I liked the DK patrols; it took a little strategy to defeat them. It was at that point I switched my hero to a full time archer (set to aggressive, to automatically attack if not selected as the leader). Before that I was conserving arrows (not necessary with the patch installed).
When sneaking you should still be able to outrun the DK patrols, and get to a storage room, etc. Hit and run tactics work well (especially if you sneak in, use a ranged attack and withdraw before they can see you). You can have one character run around using hit and run tactics, or simply as a diversion, while the other does most or all of the damage from a distance (bow or magic, though with a bow they can be set to aggressive to attack continuously).
The act 1 summoning doll can equip a crossbow. It may not last very long if attacked, but if you keep it out of harm's way it can provide good support. Most of the time I didn't bother with it, but it came in handy for a few tough fights.
6. It is possible to duplicate the crystal bag (
Inventory files), but in practice you will probably have one character taking the brunt of attacks (especially with one warrior paired with a mage or archer), so only having one isn't a big deal. Later in the game the resistance boost isn't that essential (with stats and equipment bonuses helping resistances as well), though it does help.
8. You can get a description of skills from within the game itself, though a printed version would be handy. However, any detailed descriptions in a manual would have been partly obsolete as the patch adjusted several skills.
There is a skill list in the
Beyond Divinity Strategy Guide.
9. Have you installed the patch? There were some problems with the act 3 quest log in the unpatched game, but AFAIK that should be fixed.