hey bernhard!
u should check out
http://www.gamefaqs.com for walkthru of the game.
as for battle magic vs natural magic, both are very powerful if developed well although in my experience, battle magic is much better in the beginning. natural sucks when u start out with it but it gets better later on. i suggest u recruit a guy later(somewhere in the swamps) who specialises in natural magic.
about your 3rd question, yes, it's true that traders usually sell stuff that's a few levels up from your current character levels. if u anticipate the uses of these stuff, especially spells, then u should just buy them.
about party setup, i usually go for 2-3 melee, 1 archer, 2 mages(1 battle, 1 natural) & a mule. most of these u can recruit during the campaign. except for the mule, of course. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shhh.gif" alt="" />
![[Linked Image from i3.photobucket.com]](https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/tingtongtiaw/jang_sig.png)
