Yeah Try impossible. I'm playing mage on impossible right now. leadership is a big problem for me. I'm lvl 7 and just reached the freedom isle. After spent all my money buying equipment to boost my leadership and int,the leadership is only around 2400.My int is 18 right now though, but it doesn't seem quite useful at current stage. And almost all the monsters here are very strong and overpowering to me. Every battle is a real pain...and need more money....

Have a look at the 'Surviving on Impossible' thread in the Tips & Hints forum. That certainly is a bit low for leadership, but all you really need is Chaos 3, then you can start hitting the enemy with Ice Snake/Fireball. Also, you should be level 9 minimum before Freedom Isles. You should clear out Darion (i.e. crypt area) before Freedom Isles. :)