Ressurection!

[Kimmuriel]

Can anyone tell me why I sometimes have to cast a res spell on a dead guy to revive but other times I just need to rest? Really mad beacuse my cleric just died and no way to res him unless I give that elf his staff. Except he's so far away!

[Ravager]

There is a state between them standing up and truly dead. They can be unconcious - bleeding to death or they can stabalise. If a character reaches -10 HP then they are dead, other they can be healed (either a character using the Heal skill, or salves/potions/spells of healing).
Just look out for writing that appears above their head saying whether they are losing hitpoints (like a countdown) or if they have stabilised. IIRC if they stabalise then the character will curl up into a ball rather than just lying there.

There are wands of Resurrection dotted around the game, but they are rare so avoid using those unless absolutely neccesary. Eventually your cleric will be able to raise your dead party members .

[maalri]

Also it is probably better to give Beriand the staff, as it completes a quest, and gives EXP. Quest experience and looong travelling are part of this games basic make-up so get used to them Do you have your game set to RUN mode? It helps the travelling a little. I believe it is the left ALT or Shift button on your keyboard to turn on run. You may want to get a copy of a wlakthrough to help get some ideas for this game.. you don't have to follow it exact, but it helps understanding how you will advance, and so on. I got a great free one from sorcerers.net but beware it is about 140 pages. Have fun!