Get some tiny daggers so that you can summon your pet when you get to that spell level. Let your pet tank some for you early on when possible. The pet only attacks when you are hit by a mob, and they can die pretty easily, but they are better than nothing. And if things go wrong, as long as the pet has aggro, it gives you some breathing room to escape. As mobs get more powerful and have a lot more HP, the pet isn't really good enough for soloing, except for maybe spell levels that give you a new pet spell (when it is usually even con to you).
Later on, if you play around with charm, it is good to have sow or to hang out by a zone line (or guards) in case things go bad. Once you get a little higher level, duo with a druid so that you can snare a mob before you charm it. It is very fun and makes life a whole lot easier. [edit: snared pets can be hasted for awesome DPS. You will end up recharming the pet whenever charm breaks, so eventually snare will wear off. When it does, just invis to break charm and either kill the pet for exp (if it is low on HP) or resnare and recharm. I wouldn't haste a pet when soloing unless it is for a special kill, because it severely lowers your chances of landing charm again if you get whacked by your pet during a charm break.]
I played a chanter on Druzzil Ro up to 65 (quit during PoP). I did a lot of soloing and duoing, but groups will like you for crowd control and buffs/slows, so it is good to have both options.
I used to prefer high int over cha, but both are important. I remember people discussing the possibility of charisma not having as much of an effect on charm as thought by most players. I don't remember what the conclusion was of these discussions, but it was debated at some point. When it comes down to it, if you solo, you are going to die sometimes from charm breaks when luck isn't on your side.
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