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Alright, well I have never played BG1 before, but I have played BG2 lots and am going to attempt my first run through the whole trilogy (using Tutu). For my PC, I am going to create a Chaotic Good Wild Mage because I've never played one full-heartedly, and I can't imagine a Wild Mage being anything but Chaotic. Besides, I'm hoping there will be some entertaining mishaps to relay to you guys.

For a party, I'm looking for some RP and continuity, so I'm thinking:

Imoen
Jaheira
Khalid
Minsc
Dynahier

I'm typically not a fan of 6 person parties, but from an RP perspective I can't imagine dropping any of them. Now I think it's a well balanced party except for one thing: No Cleric. Will Jaheria be good enough to cover Clerical duties with her druid spells or am I going to rip my hair out out of frustrating not having a full-fledges Cleric.

That sounds like a great party. You'll have two mages, with yourself plus Dynahier.

My party has wrecked havoc so far. It's a fun-loving ruffian type good aligned party. We are current making our way through the Cloakwood Forest after having beaten up some bandits.

Fighter (myself)
Minsc
Branwen
Kivan
Imoen
Dynaheir

This gives me 2 meat shields, a thief, a healer, a mage, and a bowman. Well rounded is typically the road to effectiveness.

I usually prefer to have all my bases covered too, which is why I was wondering if I'd struggle not having a cleric.

I've played it with the party that you are using and I didn't have any real trouble. You should be ok - when I did it my character was a thief and I duelled Imoen to mage as that fits with continuity as well.

You don't need any magic to finish BG1. Sad but true

I also recommend playing vanilla BG1 with the resolution patch instead of Tutu.

I think Jaheira will provide enough healing power for your party. All things considered it looks like a very balanced party. You certainly do not need more arcane magic. While useful in many situations in BG1, it's not as important as it is in the sequel. If anything, having two mages in the party will require you play strategically at times. This should make for a very interesting experience.

If you like good NPC interactions and are playing BG1 on Tutu (which you seem to be), you should try the BG1 NPC Project mod. It's well done and gives BG1 more of a BG2 feel in terms of companion interactions. I'd recommend it to first time players, even. It's that good.

Would you be able to tell me more about this project mod? Can it be inserted into Tutu and if so, how will it effect current games?

Sure, it's home page is located [url="http://www.gibberlings3.net/bg1npc/index.php"]here[/url]. It's [url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=45"]forums[/url] are here. I'm not completely sure if you have to start a new game or not. I probably would, just because there are some interesting interactions in the beginnings of the game. But, you can probably find out more from their respective forums. There are also some optional mods you can install that compliment it well. Notably, there are Xan and Coran mods.

All things considered, the mod is an incredible effort. The various writers on it did a very nice job of capturing (or in some instances, nearly creating) the personalities of the various NPCs. Each character feels unique. The optional romance components are well done, too. All in all, the mod far exceeded my expectations. As I said, it gave BG a true BG2 feel. I heartily recommend it.

Well I'm glad to know my party will not be too frustrating. I am using the NPC project as npc interactions make the game worthwhile. The reason I'm using tutu is that I want to play a wild Mage. I just picked up Dynahier and still haven't had a wild surge