I have 6 characters.
me (kensai/mage but haven't reached lev to get fighter skills back)
minsc (and boo of course ;) )
aerie
jaheria
viconia
yoshimo

I'm in chapter 2 and it seems I have to pick up another party member to so some quests, like the kargan book quest.
I'm enjoying the romance threads so I don't want to leave a woman, I started to leave jaheria for a while but she said things would never be the same again so I reloaded. Too many traps to leave yoshimo, and minsc is my best fighter. So I'm thinking (spoiler..................................)


that I saw that you lose jaheria for a while for some harper quest. I figure while she is gone I can do the kargan book quest and whatever other quests you have to have the npc with you to do. Will that work, does she leave in chap. 2?

Yes. That will work. That's how I did it.

When Jaheira left, I traveled with 5 members in my party and picked up Valygar and Mazzy during that time. I picked Valygar eventually, then Nalia was kidnapped so I was back down to 5 members. I went and picked up Jaheira then who was waiting for me outside of the Harper Hold. Now my party is complete again at six and I've had no need to get Nalia back as of yet, although I will need another mage soon enough, but for the time being I haven't missed her too much.

Half-Orc Barbarian
Korgan
Minsc
Valygar
Jaheira
Aerie

is my party and has been like this since The Planar Sphere. During that time, I've cleared out the Sewers beneath the Copper Cornet, hit Windspear Hills and completed both Trademeet and the Druid Grove. I'm on my way back to the city now to finish the Unseeing Eye Quest.

A proven fact you don't need a useless thief!

Syl...

thanks Syl, now would you please tell me what starts the quest jaheria leaves on.

I think it will start after you help Xzar and break into the harper hold for him. It's timed as far as I know after that.

Syl...

I have found that, to make the harper quest work, you either need to get back from the underdark, or in chap 2 do the quests in a specific way... Hold, Umar, Town quests(dont think this matters), WHipering hills, then every single time ive come back to town to the gate district and i get the call to do the harper quest. Ive only done this 2 times so feel free to prove me wrong and show me it was a matter of luck.