[Aerich]

Shields, hmmm. You got me on that one. I think d/c mages can cast while holding one, but I'm not sure. I usually use bows with my split-class mages.

The F/M's HP aren't all that low. It works out to (10+4 = 14 /2) 7 HP + Con bonus for each time you level in both classes. It will be worse for a F/M/T, because the breakdown is (10+4+6 = 20/3 = 6.66 max hp) for every time you level in all three classes. It actually turns out to be less, because the Con bonus and the HP are divided by three and rounded down whenever you level in a single class. So when the fighter levels (assuming a Con bonus of +3), it is 10/3 + 3/3 HP. 4 HP gain for a fighter level. Get two HP for mage level, and 3 for a thief level. 9 total, where a normal fighter would get 13. But the major difference is that a F/M/T will take about 2.5 times longer than a regular fighter to gain a full level. Ouch.