Just to be up front, my char will be a tad useless at level 1.  He can cast one cure per day and does about 0 damage.  He's just a very good skill monkey, really.  Starting at level 2 he gains some nice party buffs and a couple more spells, and at level 3 he becomes an acceptable, though still slightly sub-par healer, but with the ability to deliver heals from a safe distance.