Attila, please read my post through again to make sure you understood it all. I'm NOT saying Xan is a great mage, as he definitely is not. He's simply one of the many half-decent mages you meet, and he also has the ability to step in and lend a hand with the melee guys every once in a while, though it's not a really good idea. The main point I was making is that I'd rather have Xan than Dynaheir. I agree about the Sleep spell: Great on low and medium enemies, useless for those with decent Saving Throws.
I did NOT say that Xan was better than Edwin--I said that Imoen is. The only thing wrong with Edwin (apart from his alignment) is his 10 DEX--the lowest dexterity in the game, unless you count one of the Illusory NPCs.
I think that using the items you find in those leeetle tiny crevices (such as that second Ring of Wizardry you seem to be so fond of) is a cheesy way to play.
You're right, it IS better to use a variety of NPCs, to get different experiences each time. But StarVid said he was starting a new game, and asked the forum for what we advise. I gave him my answer: Imoen is better than Edwin is better than Xan is better than Dynaheir. (Xzar is somewhere between Edwin and Xan, but nobody uses him because they hate to pronounce his name.
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As for Xan being annoying, I actually LIKE his attitude. Same with Edwin and Quayle. Having little minions whose every action is dictated by my merest whim is one thing, but it gets funny when they try to depress me or act uppity.