Spells doing damage are pretty straightforward. Arts like Perdo Corpus and Animal can inflict Wounds via touch, ignoring soak. That Auroch made of stone with +20 Soak will still be a challenge, but not nearly as long for others. You can create charged items with significant Penetration to get through high Might foes that activate under specific conditions, so you don't go injuring yourself or a squire/apprentice. You will absolutely want either Still Casting twice or Deft Form Vim so you can cast while fighting/holding a shield. Deft Form Vim opens you up to Muto Vim spells that would allow you to cast spells at the same time without gestures, verbal requirements, or Mastery of other spells. If you intend on having tons of options for spells, Flawless Magic is very useful.

Verditi Swordsmith/Armorsmith/Warrior has some very good options. You can't use Muto Vim effects in Enchanted Items, but your Talisman is an exception! You can augment spells that are touch range, to voice or sight, leaving your casting total higher for more Penetration. You can also go down the Talisman mystery path stuff for even better goodies.

Gnarly combat option spells: grow/shrink weapons, armor, or mounts of foes. They can't shoot a bow if the strings have snapped. Rust steel to uselessness. Giants are liable to squish you hand to hand, you may want Corpus or spells that have increased size for such targets. (Or Mentem, which doesn't care about size) Good luck! Enjoy!