There is a know issue where sometimes the display of the HP bars can get out of sync between the host and client, I think usually related to HP bonuses from equipment.
In addition to reloading for the problem with the attributes being reset to 5 for the person joining the game, a temporary attribute boost may help, as well, such as from the Man At Arms skill Encourage.
Level 3 of Geomancer should allow you to learn all 6 Novice level spells.
