I know this has been discussed before, but I'd like to add some thoughts to this as I feel it is very important from a RP perspective, and a party management perspective if we're sticking to intimate 4 person teams that lock-in.
It's nerve wracking to end combat and have the "wrong" party member be selected for a scripted encounter. It's also frustrating to have a Party Leader in a situation a Party Member would be better suited to "lead" (Fighter Lead entering the beautiful farm meadow for example with Gale in party).
We need to be able to seamlessly direct a party member to "step in" for us during each conversation fork. If we get into a scripted conversation and someone is separated (forgotten sneak!) we need to be able to join them back up with the party and add them in.
I appreciate this is likely technically complex, but even if it meant spontaneously and inexplicably replacing the active character model in a conversation when the choice is made it would really relax conversation management. I know nothing makes me close the game and break immersion faster than losing a roll because my best foot wasn't forward and the game wouldn't let me fix it.
