My experiences with IA and Auramaster Options

[Shadan]

Well I have played 2 days with IA now. It seems very cool to me, just I feel it is a bit hard yet. My party still weak for most of the IA fights.
Here is my party: gnome fighter/illusionist lvl 9/10, Keldorn lvl 9, Haer'Dalis lvl 11, Anomen lvl 10 clr, Cernd lvl 12, Nalia lvl 11 mage.
My PC is very good now with +3axes and Hill Giant Str. belt.
Keldorn: True Seeing very usefull, but I haven't seen any success with Dispel Magic in IA battles... And he is very weak even with -5 AC in hard battles...
Haer'Dalis: When he is buffed, he is very good tank. He isn't very good damagedealer yet. I found his Offensive Spin + Melf's Minute Meteor bugged, since when he press O. Spin, his attack lowered to 2 with meteors. I haven't tried more time yet btw. Without buffs he is like a chicken in fights. I like him.
Anomen: Very good and strong char with his buffs, melee etc. DUHM overshine even Holy Power and Champion's Strength, and you have alot lvl 2 free slots...
Nalia: I dislike her low thieving skills, when I cannot disram a trap or open a lock. But he will do all what a mage should do in IA.
Cernd: He is very good in this early stage. He was at least 2 lvl higher than rest of the party, and it helped a lot.
His spells:
lvl 1: Doom very good spell. Burning Hands: Not the best, but good to kill trolls.
lvl 2: There are not really good spells here. Invis: good only for scouting. Mirror Image, Barskin: good defensive spells, but Cernd usually sit at back, so he don't need this too many times. Charm: sometimes good to get cannon fodder for a short time.
lvl 3: Flame Arrow shines here. Summon Insects: Not so usefull now with nerfed save. Stregnth of One: I used this often till I found a strength belt. Usually I mem FA all but 1 Dispel Magic.
lvl 4: Call Woodland being: not so good as was berfore. Defensive Harmony: good, but he lefts this for Anomen. Greater Malison and Emotion shine here. I like them. Fire Shild useless on him.
lvl 5: Sadly Chaotic Command demands lower usefullnes of other spells here. Iron Skin, Insect Plague good when don't need CC. Also Prot from Acid will be good in certain fights.
lvl 6: Unleash Enetgy is great. Conjure Animlas would be good but most of the enemies Death Spell all summoned ones immiditaely... Conjure Fire Elem would be good also. I use Heal also. Chain Lightning and Death Spell is unused atm.
All in all, Cernd is very good char yet, especially cause he can cast high lvl spells which aren't blocked by (Minor) Globe of Inv. and with a lot of FLame Arrows he can deal good damage also.

[Shadan]

Thanks for answer! To tell the truth I planned to play with Vagrant in my 5 man IA, but after a couple of played day in IA4.2 I am dubious. I always cast all elemental resistance spell before important fights, so it is not crucial advantage, but clearly not useless. However I found summoned mobs not too useful in IA. They can be used only as very very short diversion till 1st Death Spell, or max. 2 rounds hit. They are not good damage dealers in IA improved fights, and when I need summoning there a plenty of them in mage and clerics repertoir. Vagrant not the best damage dealer and clearly not IA tank. Maybe those swanmays usefull, but I don't know yet. Anyway new quest and FoDW is nice and tainting.

If I play Vagrant, may planned party:

elf Vagrant - dual flails, clubs (Imho adding halflings as playable race for Vagrant would make him more interesting. I surely would play with him then. And to be a friend of swanmays is not too far from halflings.)
gnome F/I - halberds, staffs, maybe dual short swords
human swashbuckler 10 > cleric - dual maces, hammers (if it is possible to give 2nd kit by SK, then maybe priest of Lathander)
open spot (blade, riskbreaker, somekind of barbarian etc.) - dual long swords, bastard swords (I would like a 2nd tank here, since imho 2 tank is crucial in IA. And tank needs Stoneskin/Ironskin, PoMW, illusions or big melee mitigation, since AC is far from enough in IA. I don't know yet if JotD protective spell proc is enough for a pure fighters to be tank or no, but anyway this sword is available only after many many hard IA battles. And sadly SI: abjuration is important also for tanks, against nasty dispels, and you can use you dispels also.)