Currently installing the big world mod to, hopefully, frankenstein BG1 and BG2 together.

In regards to classes: Kensai/Thief seems cool but BG1 is not balanced for it. I am a total nub and will probably get annihilated without access to ranged weapons and armor.

What is a solid first class? I'm a little wary of magic type classes due to the effort involved; I usually lean smooth-talking, meathead classes - less micromanaging! But, I'm up for new things...I think.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time.

If you plan to import your character from BG1 to BG2, I would personally recommend a paladin. They're pretty solid and have high charisma which is nice for dialogue. They're also the only class that can use the best two-handed sword in BG2.

I will keep that in mind, thank you.

A monk. @ high levels you can kill with one strike and most creatures have awful saving throws against it. Quivering Palm I think it's called!

Kerpow! Splatt!

lol. I have only read good things about this "Quivering Palm" haha

I agree. Fighter classes are easiest for new players. Even if you can do other characters do the talking, in BG2 there are situations in which ONLY your character can interact with NPCs, so you'd better have some charisma and intelligence points.

About how many points are appropriate? And, to clarify, this doesn't really matter until BG2?

Would a half-orc pure cleric make a good show of a bg1 through tob playthrough? Or does being a half-orc ruin people's reaction toward me?

If you get another party member with high charisma and intelligence in BG1, then you can have them do talking for you. It varies how many points you need in different situations. I would always say that the more points, the better. I generally consider anything less than 10 to be unacceptable. I don't really like the idea of my main character being a slobbering idiot.

If I remember correctly, usually the game checks if your character has 16 points or less... I can't remember exactly. According to your charisma value, some options may not show up or some NPCs may refuse to give you a taks or a reward. In BG1 you can let a more "skilled" party member do the talking, while BG2 is more centered on your main characters and there are NPCs whol will refuse to talk to your party members. Don't worry, it's still playable even with a stupid or a non charismatic character.

To riddleofsteel: I assume you're going to use a mod in order to play as a half-orc in bg1, because otherwise it is not possible. Since the half-orc race is not available in BG1, nobody will notice that. In BG2, it's possible that some characters will comment on your character's race, but all quests will be avaialable.

If you want to play a cleric then go with either a few things. For fighting, go with either helm or lathander. Lathander gets a bonus to attacks which means extra chance to hit and damage. Helm gets a seeking sword that does 2-8 damage plus it has 3 bonus to hit. Ive used the sword and its awesome. Lathander is good too, but is more inclined for good characters. Talos is a good class if you want a mix between a mage and a cleric. I like talos and used it a bit. As for pure clerics, they are very rarely used. If you wanted to play realistically, then using a half orc for a cleric would be good for talos. Since most half-orcs and orcs are evil in forgotten realms, you will have a blast. Plus talos is a cool god inho.