Actually, Avren is planning on being very frontline. Excessively so, in fact. Well, when I get the spells ready. For now he'll be low on damage, untill I can boost with some magic item bonus dice and spells.
PCgen: wow, didn't know about it until just now, and I'm liking it! Can I simply post the statblock here, or do you want the breakdown?
Magic Items and/or Feats: can I design my own? I have a sword I'd eventually like him to have, to transform spells into weapon damage.
Treasure: if we're cutting out minor combats, will we be getting treasure from those battles shifted elsewhere? I have scrolls I"ll need to scribe, and magic items to design.
Will the two parties know of each other? Are we competing? And if we have player drop-offs, at what point will you decide to merge the two groups?