Party of four in IA, avoiding 4-party burnout Options

[kilolima2]

My last few games of BG2 I have used at most 4 party members (including the PC) with a few "guest npcs" for special sections.

I feel that any number over 4 makes control difficult. I also like to use powerful npcs (like Valen or Solafein) which make other npcs dead weight. In the beginning of the game a small party can make the game very difficult and a tactical challenge. But since they gain more exp per kill (even using multi-class characters), by mid-game my party is way over-powered and the game starts to get boring.

However, the appeal of a < 6 party is the increased exp reward, so I don't want to use a reduced experience mod. Can IA provide a satisfying gameplay experience for a small party from beginning to end? (or will my 4-member party just get their collective butt's kicked?)

I guess this question doesn't really have an answer, but I'd like to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience.

cheers,

kilolima

[kilolima2]

Note also that in IA pure Arcane spell-casters have lost a lot of their power (fortunately), so it's the first mod where I can definitely say that the Wild Mage or the Sorcerer is not the most powerful class.

Care to elaborate, Thetruth? (without revealing spoilers?)

I'm personally partial to the sorcerer class and am really enjoying the spellweaver wild sorcerer kit mod in BGT. Does IA nerf spell-casters?

As for NPCs I don't know if there are any compatibility issues with some of the mod-NPCs and IA.
But from the original game I can recommend:

a)Jaheira
b)Keldorn and
c)Aerie.

I usually change the default npcs around anyway. Valen as a F/M/T, Jaheira as a F/C (rather have a cleric than a druid), Imoen as an Arcane Archer/M, and Solafein the same as a F/M.