If you were not aware, there is an extensive modding community for BG I&II (the most significant exemplars appear to be appear to be the Gibberlings Three site and another named for Planescape.) Compared to others, I am not using many of the mods, but even so cannot recall all of them, because there are so many that enhance play so much. Part of why I am doing a replay is because one mod alters BGI/TotSC to run with the BGII engine (meaning higher resolutions are available, along with class kits, weapon styles and more detailed weapon proficiencies.) One mod I am particularly enjoying incorporates the optional AD&D 2nd ed. rules that allow thieves and mages to wear armor, but with significant penalties to their skills/spell casting.


Others have already addressed this, but that is basically a result of how important strength is to fighters. In BG it usually only manifests in higher bonuses to hit/damage and encumbrance but, yes, 18/00 strength is MUCH better than, say, 18/23. What was amusing Baldurs Gate is that in P&P AD&D demi-humans had caps to percentile strength (to balance racial advantages) so 18/00 strength WAS restricted to human fighters (just as only humans can be specialist mages.)


THAC0 is simple by design, but makes AC literally counterintuitive as a result. You have to roll equal to or more than your THAC0 minus their AC. That made THAC0 pretty easy, but AC rather backward, because AC must decrease for THAC0 to increase (as it should for better armor.)