I do not believe I had said something to break the option of freeing Rothman. He is in my quest log to do so. At first I couldn't find the white rabbit or the chicken but once I started over on a new game, they appeared. I hope this is the only glitch I find on the way.
The melee wasn't so bad at first but once the creatures got to a higher level, magic was use more often I noticed. Again, I haven't gotten out of Sentential Island. The creatures would fire at a far distance, I would use a rush attack to get near them and they'd run away always shooting the magic. So I thought Magic would be more helpful than melee. Currently I have a pretty good mix, I think. Mostly Wizard. Archery really is nice. I played Fable and loved archery in that game.
I am not sure what really is the difference between Priest and Wizard in this game as they both seem to relay on magic.