My 35 mage was pally until I hit the swamps. That's when the lack of damage became apparent to me. Went to int, and it was night and day, even with greens. I can see adding a little dex to help with hit % though.

My philosophy is that if you can't solo, then you aren't really helping the party. If you can effectively solo in str gear, then you are probably ok. Pallys are more support than anything else though, to be honest.