Gale, for instance, could stand to actually share his intellect with the party during combat. Suddenly, it blunts the perception that he's kind of a selfish egomaniac.
I'd love this, personally - sets of voice calls from him when encounters are started where he'll name them and call out one or two important features, weaknesses or things to be wary of - as well as taking the egotistical edge off him a little, it would help to sell the game's intention of him having the knowledge of a former archmage, even if his power no longer reflects that.
Or they could play it like Quayle from BG1...
"I am so smart! S M R T smart!--- I mean S M A R T!"
Actually, Quayle rhymes with Gale, so I think they HAVE to do this...
