I have some extra time on my hands for the next 6 months time, so I thought it was about time I gave IA a serious go (I've played earlier iterations sporadically).
I cannot make up my mind in regards to my party, however. I'm going to be playing a Vagrant PC; for my companions I definitely want Imoen (making a custom sorc I'll use until I pick her up) and Valygar. I'm thinking I'll bring along Nalia to cover my thief bases and take up the second arcane caster spot.

I'm having trouble deciding on my divine caster though. Both Anomen and Cernd seem very appealing! Auramaster looks cool and interesting, but I don't know if I won't be better served with Anomen.

I am also undecided on my last spot. Riskbreaker looks like a lot of fun and very powerful, but I am not sure whether I won't be better served with someone wielding a two-handed weapon. Minsc might do, but I'm also partial to making a Custom Berserker.

So, some help from the Veterans would be appreciated .

Sorry if it's too late but anyway. Pretty much any combination you've described will work fine, everything comes down to your preferences. You can take Neera or Jan as well as an interim person before Imoen comes back. Jan can fix solve your thieving tasks as well.

You can't go wrong with a Riskbreaker, it's one the most powerful classes. Obviously, a custom Berserker will be a tad better even though Minsc was modified a bit to make him comparable to a custom one in terms of stats.

Divine magic comes down to your preference. Anomen is a more rounded and straightforward choice whereas Cernd or Jaheira (she has an improved druid kit now) are decent on their own as well but require a bit more practice and know-how to play, I guess.

Thanks for the reply! It is indeed a tad late now, but that actually ended up being somewhat of a blessing in disguise as it gave me a chance to try out some different party constellations, which I suppose is the best primer in regards to what works for me .

The party I eventually went with actually ended up being very different from my initial idea. I ended up rolling with a Necromancer, a Ranger7/Cleric, a Swashbuckler 9/Fighter, a Riskbreaker, Valygarr and Cernd. This of course means a goodbye to Imoen, which will be heartbreaking once I reach spellhold. But I really feel this party is well rounded and very powerful! And suits my style. Auramaster is every bit as awesome as I had hoped .