You may have to zero in on your character concept a little more to give yourself an easier time. My first try at blood knight went horribly because of poor talent choice, starting skills and trying to balance 4 stats. Now that I have specialized into a 2 2 1 stat setup, got the right starting talents, and picked better starting skills I have covered half the combat in almost double the time. I am almost right where I was before I rerolled with no big complications.
I think this game demands more optimizations then it lets on in the beginning. I was having a lot of fun role playing my characters and reading all the text and lore throughout but the combat kind of hindered the concept. My advice is to pick a solid 3 stat ratio for every 5 points you get, pick 4 solid abilities to invest in, pick 2 good talents for your concept, and pick the best starter combat abilities not the ones you'll want for later.
For example melee power stance is nice but it doesn't seem to add much damage early on and the -hit chance will often lead to losing a fight badly. Oath of desecration is a big buff but you can't use it often, and you probably won't have the ap to throw around to waste a turn on it as well. This is of course from the experience my class but the main point is be practical to survive then build what you want later.
Another big tip is wherever there is a bed you can sleep to get free hp. If you can survive a fight without pots do so as beds are plentiful.
