its always a good idea to keep both close combat and ranged combat on your character for tactics which allow you to shoot the crap out of enemy's from a distance until they get close enough for hand to hand, also if your enamy tends to run away (which they often do as i noticed higher up) you can plug them full of holes until you can either a) get up close and personal or b) kill them from a distance. so in short; make sure you either have a bow with atleast one ranger arrow skill or a ranged spell.
as far as stats i try to put at least one point into my vitality each time i level so that i can keep myself from dying too quickly. i have found that sometimes you get into a spot with multiple opponents and they tag team you to death, which i hate.
i also use my associate (undead beastie) for ranged attacks to whittle down the enemy before getting in too deep.
as far as your skills, try and find a mix that works with your play style rather than basing it on the type of character you are. I tend to be an eclectic when it comes to the skills because i usually go with warrior/roguish/ranger mixing. I do not like playing mages or priests (too complicated lol) but i do use healing for when im out of potions.
so that's my suggestions of the day for your characters...lol
