I'm talking about my "hopes for further party members." I'm not speculating, pessimistically or otherwise, about what Larian can accomplish.
Did I miss a second, unwritten part of this thread, lol? "Post your hopes and then someone will come in and crap on them!"
I don't agree that your definition of mercenaries is "the whole point." The suggestion may defeat your purpose, for instance, but not mine. To me, that would make mercenaries far more interesting and differentiate them from a "custom party."
