RPG Maker Forums

This is a somewhat broad topic, but it's one I've been thinking about a good deal as I prepare to get serious about my first game. I know that traditionally in RPGs characters tend to be specialized to some extent, with skills that reflect their assigned roles (the designated healer comes to mind). In your opinion, to what extent is such specialization desirable? How much overlap should there be (or not be) among party members' abilities? I'm also concerned about whether or not it's important to have a number of skills of a certain type (among both party members and enemies). If one skill has a certain element, or causes a certain status ailment, is it alright for it to be the only skill of its kind in the game, or should there be several skills for each element or ailment?

Here's a little information about my game, to show what I'm looking at if it comes to talking specifics. I have five playable characters: a swordsman, a magician, a thief (knife user), a hunter (spear user), and a dancer/musician (who carries a fan-like instrument that can double as a weapon). Currently I have the swordsman, thief, and hunter set to focus on physical attacks, with the thief perhaps specializing in status ailments. The magician and dancer I imagine as what might be termed magic users, probably with the former focused on offense and the latter on defense. I have a lot of skill ideas for the magician, while not as many for the other characters. Is it alright to give all the elemental attacks to the magician, or should I give some elemental attacks to other characters as well? Is it alright for both the magician and dancer (and perhaps someone else as well?) to have healing skills? These are the kinds of questions that keep bugging me.