#bg3 build guide

[ancientungulatefaerie]

so party comp was

Durge 8 Warlock (Pact of Blade) / 4 Paladin (Oathbreaker). for feats I took two ASIs to get Charisma up then spell sniper for the last one. i played pure Warlock until level 6, at which point i respec-ed and took my first level in Paladin to get heavy armor proficiency, but i wanted the pact of blade extra attack so i could focus on charisma and neglect strength. having a high charisma PC is super useful in so many places, which really means playing Durge, Tav, or Wyll. also since your PC is at the front of the group, they're likely going to be the first to get hit if dialogue turns to combat, so having a PC in heavy armor is nice, and the Padlock can do solid ranged damage with hex (which can be cast with lvl 1 Paladin spell slots) and eldritch blast, but also hold up in melee using high level warlock slots for smiting. hexing dexterity also allows Shadowheart to actually hit with sacred flame.

speaking of Shadowheart, i respec-ed her to tempest domain so she'd get some better damage spells, but life domain is also good if you want to lean into the support role, and went all the way to level 12 in cleric. boots of aid and comfort, the whispering promise ring, the reviving hands, and the ring of regeneration means every round she automatically gets a few hp, a few temp hp, bless, and blade ward, which all really helps keep her up and able to heal others. i gave her any item that increased spell save DC, which when combined with my hexes meant sacred flame worked pretty well. periapt of wound closure can be nice for her, but by stabilizing her as soon as she goes down it seems to prevent the blood of lathander from activating properly, so once I got that I sent the periapt to Karlach since she's on the front lines. for feats i took two ASIs to get wisdom to 20, then war caster.

speaking of Karlach, I went with 6 Barbarian (wild heart) / 6 Fighter (Champion). I really think she's a better front liner than Laezel. your front liner is going to get hit no matter their AC, but bear heart rage halving all damage is amazing. plus, using the bracers of defense along with the graceful cloth and/or the amulet of greater health can get her AC pretty high (I think it was 22 by the end of my run). also, bear heart rage meant i didn't have to worry about resistance elixirs for her, so she could take elixirs of giant strength and get her strength high. i also only took one ASI feat for her to get strength to 18 since elixirs of giant strength are plentiful, and others went to Great Weapon Master and Tough. with tough and the amulet her health pool was at 179 by the end, and bear heart rage effectively doubles that. she's mainly meant for melee, but titan string bow gives her decent ranged damage.

for Astarion i went with 5 Ranger (gloom stalker), 4 Rogue (assassin), 3 fighter (champion). this only gives him two feats, so you definitely want one ASI and Auntie Ethel's hair to boost his dex to twenty then sharp shooter for the second. ranger gives him extra attack plus a third on turn one, and assassin refreshes his action at the start of combat, so any fight that he initiates with a sneak attack grants him 5 attacks with advantage before the enemy even get one (7 if he wants to use action surge, and another two if the surprise is successful). i cannot tell you the number of fights Astarion ended before they even began in this way, and if he didn't kill everyone outright, he could almost always pick off a few in the first round. i also gave him every single item that reduced the number required for a critical hit, and anytime he was attacking with advantage (which was often), that just increased the odds he'd crit. by the final battle he would critically hit if he rolled a 14 or higher. far and away he dealt the most damage of anyone in the party

i finally beat baldur's gate 3 on honor mode. this was my fourth attempt at honor mode (with two balanced and one tactician play through mixed in). first time i died to the owl bear, but the second and third times i made it all the way to level twelve only to get killed by Ansur and Cazadore. i almost bit it fighting Mystic Carrion this time, but a little strategy called "running away" saved my ass.

my two biggest recommendations for anyone trying honor mode is 1) play through once on tactician and pay attention to what fights are the hardest, because they'll be even harder on honor mode, and 2) to make strategic use of resistance potions.

you can get by ignoring resistance potions on balanced and even tactician sometimes, but certain honor mode bosses will kill a character in a single turn if you don't have resistance to their damage type. have everyone down necrotic resistance potions before the Myrkul, Cazadore, and Cloister of Shar fights. poison resistance before the Mystic Carrion fight. fire resistance before entering the House of Hope. and lightning resistance before taking on Ansur. necrotic, poison, and fire resistance potions are pretty common, but lightning resistance is rarer, so make sure you pick up the scrap metal from the arcane tower in the Underdark to make your own.

i'll put my party composition / build guide in the first reblog for anyone who's curious

[csphire]

Sad because you need more Dammon?

Here is a guide on how to make him into your player character or guardian. ->New Guide here that includes mod suggestions!

To start with I made sure that all his stats were at least 10 in everything like his original. According to the Wiki Dammon is an Asmodeus Tiefling.

For the extra points left over, I put them into upping his Dexterity (as it helps with dodging damage), the main stat for his class (in this case Wisdom for a Druid), and a bit in Charisma just to make conversation rolls a bit easier. For background, I went with Guild Artisan to further help him with persuasion, give him some insight, and for roleplaying purposes since he was a blacksmith. For cantrips, I would highly recommend picking Guidance to further aid all conversation rolls.

For Class, I went with Druid because it lets him wield a scimitar right at the start. On the Nautolid you can usually find two of these weapons. The second reason is maybe being at the grove rubbed off on him a little. He did after all pick up a few skills while in Avernus why not at the Druid Grove too? The third reason, your doppelganger gets a discount from Arron the other merchant to be found there. But of course, you can make him any other class you wish or multi-class him. I did so myself by adding dragon sorcerer and bard to him later on. (I am tempted to try and get the Jack-of-all-Trades achievement with him.)

When it comes to his eyes there is a slight hiccup. They are currently only unique to Dammon. The closest we can get to them is Blue 3. I vaguely recalled that if one was a tiefling in Early Access even if one were to pick the more human/elven eye colors they would still have a slight glow to them. This is currently not the case as of launch and I'm not aware if there are any mods out that can give us the proper eyes. :

Actually, after some thought, another color might be better than Blue 3 called Sapphire 4 as it's a little more intense.

For make-up, I don't think Dammon wears any but I did add a subtle amount to try to make his eyes stand out a little more and added the tinest amount of color and gloss to his lips. So the following is optional. Personally, I find that particular eyeshadow comes in handy for guys overall at a 10 or 20 intensity level to make their eyes look a little deeper set and um... more broody?

For the hair, you may want to experiment with the red highlight. I don't think I got the color spot on. Below, I outlined other possibilities. On a darker red you may want to go higher in intensity than just 60.

The horns I also worry I made a touch lighter than Dammon's but if you go with a Dusty 6 or 7 that might correct the minor difference.

Below is a final side-by-side comparison in the same lighting. Again, you might wish to experiment and go with a slightly darker red for the red hair highlight and the same with the horns. Also, the dyes I end up using for his gear are Swamp Green or Green to complement his original outfit colors.

Enjoy!

And Special thanks to @deir-emmett for coming up with the guide for the Dammon Dream Visitor available here.

[pinacoladamatata]

Random BG3 things/tips

- you can find Us again after the ship, (in Act 2). You need to pass the dexterity check at the beginning

- tired of characters being covered in blood for a particular conversation? Use a water pump to clean them. Or create water. Or use the pump to flood the entire area and cast witch bolt to cook everything the water touches

- the necromancy of thay does give you a nice cool power (I'm not talking abt the speak w dead cantrip). Giving it to Astarion does not prevent anyone else from being the one to gain the power. Example; you can give him the tome and have Tav learn the power instead. It's basically free approval.

- you can talk to an NPC to get them to turn and face you, causing them to change their field of view.... possibly allowing another character to pickpocket them

- there is a ring that basically guarantees your next attack is a critical, and an amulet paralyzes someone if you hit them with a crit. Pairing these w Astarion's sneak attack+gloomstalker attacks is *chefs kiss*

[herrfivehead]

Pure Eldritch Knight (final itemization, feats, buffs, combat), or as I call it, "the martial-caster disparity doesn't exist"

thief build fiendlock build nature cleric build

Starting Stats: 17 STR 14 DEX 16 CON 8 INT 10 WIS 8 CHA

Fighting Style: Defense, nothing else is beneficial for a thrower build.

Quest-Sensitive Requirements: -Should hand over shipment chest to Zarys to be able to buy longbow from Brem (Lann Tarv sells this bow in act 2, but it's better to get it earlier) -Must Save Baelen from the bibberbang field to get gloves as reward -Must have Shadowheart kill Aylin for boots, armor, and spear -Must not have Selunite!Shadowheart in party in order to trade with Ferg for warhammer (of course, this won't be a problem if you've already killed Aylin)

Feats: -Tavern Brawler at level 4 (adds doubled STR mod to thrown attack rolls and damage output, increases STR from 17 to 18) -Ability Improvement at level 6 (increases STR from 18 to 20) -Alert at level 8 (+5 to initiative, cannot be surprised) -Ability Improvement at level 12 (Increases CON from 16 to 18)

Permanent Buffs: -+2 STR from Potion of Everlasting Vigor* -+2 STR from Mirror of Loss

*Acquiring this potion is often a poor narrative choice if you don't want to mistreat Astarion, especially if you're trying to romance him. The only reason I have chosen to acquire it is because I am playing an Astarion origin run, therefore biting Araj isn't a choice forced upon him by the player character.

Armor: -Grymskull Helm (Grants fire resistance, a free cast of Hunter's Mark per long rest, and enemies cannot land crits on wearer) -Fleshmelter Cloak (Deals 1d4 acid damage to enemies who hit wearer with close combat) -Dark Justiciar Half-Plate (Very Rare variety, grants Shar's Ageis and a free cast of Shield of Faith once per long rest, and advantage on stealth checks while obscured) -Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo (Deals an extra 1d4 damage to thrown attacks) -Dark Justiciar Boots (Grants free cast of Shadow Teleportation once per short rest)

Jewelry: -Amulet of Misty Step (Grants free cast of Misty Step once per short rest) -Strange Conduit Ring (Weapon attacks deal 1d4 psychic damage as long as wearer is concentrating on a spell) -Ring of Flinging (Deals an extra 1d4 damage to thrown attacks)

Weapons: -Dwarven Thrower (Returning weapon, deals extra 1d8 bludgeoning damage if wielder is or is disguised as a dwarf)/Shar's Spear of Evening (Your EK's Bound weapon, makes wielder immune to blindness, gives advantage on saving throws while obscured, wielder can cast darkness every turn) -Iron-Banded Shield +1 (+3 AC, can be found in Moonrise Towers) -Titanstring Bow (Adds STR modifier to damage in addition to DEX)

To Keep in Inventory: Hunting Shortbow (If you're broken concentration on both Shar's Ageis from your armor and Hunter's Mark the Grymskull Helm, switch out Titanstring Bow with this to concentrate on Hunter's Mark again, therefore keeping the Strange Conduit Ring functional)

What a Turn of Combat Looks Like: -Eldritch Knights can learn Disguise Self, which is extremely useful for enjoying the extra benefits of the Dwarven Thrower. Best if cast before combat, as to not waste a turn, since it lasts all day and can be recast without wasting a spell slot. -Whether you use the warhammer or the spear depends on whether or not you have a party member wearing the Bhaalist Armor within 2m of the enemy you want to hit. Said armor inflicts piercing vulnerability, so if this is the case, use the spear. Otherwise, the warhammer will do significantly more damage. Since the spear is bound and the warhammer is returning, neither need to be equipped to be switched at will and can just be thrown straight out of your inventory. -By level 11, you get 3 attacks per turn, 6 if you decide to action surge. Your thrown attacks get 3d4 extra damage from your gloves and both your rings (2d4 if you've broken concentration on Shield of Faith or Hunter's Mark), as well as an extra 14 damage from your doubled STR modifier (12 if you decided against obtaining the Potion of Everlasting Vigour)

[jacqcrisis]

I died laughing at the reverse shot. I know the intention is for the PC to be shocked at being played, but Ronan had to buffer for a minute cause he's known this whole time and he can't believe Astarion admitted it on top of the other part.

That's the real shocking bit. Ronan's spent this whole time assuming Astarion doesn't actually like him all that much. He's frustrating, commanding, stubborn, calls out Astarion's bullshit, doesn't let him get his way most of the time, and all of Ronan's good qualities and caring actions generally seem rebuffed or taken with an air of suspicion under the guise of fawning gratefulness. Ronan likes Astarion a lot, very much wants to help him with his plight (both to help the guy and gain glory from smiting a vampire lord back to the grave) and was fine with the way things were but to hear there's any form of reciprocity is almost as shocking as waking up on a mind flayer ship.

So of course he fucking hugs him

He's a happy dragon man.

[queeninora]

Hi, I just wanted to share a powerful but simple Lae’zel fighter build. So if anyone is still playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and hasn't figured out yet how to make Lae’zel work, you can check out this build/guide. 

I also tried to explain the decisions that I made and I even have a level and item table ready for a quick overview in case you don't need the details.

Anyway, you can find the post on my small RPG blog which I linked in this post. Hope you enjoy it!

[wyllzel]

🤔 left astarion at camp for 90% of the game; missed out on a lot of act 1 approvals but killed cazador and he's in the high zone! currently sitting at 47...

but it was REALLY hard to persuade him not to go thru with the ritual, i think the roll was an 18? and the insight roll to see how he was feeling was a 20 😦 i don't think the rolls were that high when i had him at exceptional approval in my last 2 games D:

[csphire]

Try multi-classing him as a Cleric. Yes, I can hear him barking out that bitter laughter of his too at the very idea. But hear me out, he's on a new path in life so... maybe a deity gives him a chance after being silent for so long. It would be only just a few levels and more if you like it. He's got a decent wisdom stat for it too. Second best right behind Shadowheart out of all of the companions. Ilmater, Corellon Larethian, or Lathander would be excellent fits for a deity he might gain favor from if you want to really overthink it.

Here is a list of items I've given him to use to be a bit of a tank and healer too:

Circlet of Hunting - You'll need to use it on enemies with a hunter's mark, true strike, faerie fire, and guiding bolt.

Hunting Shortbow - This will give you a hunter's mark ability but someone else can always mark the enemies with other things as well. Holy Lance Helm - An alternative to the Circlet of Hunting. Creatures who miss their attack rolls against the wearer can take on possible radiant damage. Putting this on a high dex companion is a win because it ups the chances it will activate. The + 1 in Con saving throws is nice too. Derivation Cloak - Works to help heal him when poisoning a foe. Broodmother's Revenge - To help activate the healing of the cloak. Gloves of Archery - An additional +2 in raged weapon attacks and proficiency on long as well as short bows. Boots of Aid and Comfort - When he heals someone it gives him +3 in temporary hit points. The Whispering Promise - When healing he get's a +1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws for two turns. Sword of Life Stealing - On crit hit +10 Necro Damage on anything except a construct or undead. He also gains 10 temporary hit points. Who else crits the most?

Knife of the Undermountain King - Alternative weapon for constructs, undead or in general. If he rolls a 2 or less he can reroll the dice and take the highest result. If he rolls a 19 it's an automatic crit hit. Also advantage on attack rolls on lightly or heavily obscured targets. You know, like in a crypt. I actually might have him use this from now on. Lastly, True Love's Caress - Gentle Warding Bond Activated and True Love's Embrace I put on my Tav who has the blessing of Loviatar. Once activated he's got resistance buffs on everything and with his high dex sta most blows won't land. (That and derpy romantic me like to think they're kinda like wedding or at least promise rings :p)

Adamtine Sale Mail and Shield - Because if the bond is activated if he takes damage so does the wearer of the other ring. There is a price to pay to all of those wonderful buffs. So whoever has the True Love's Embrace ring on needs to keep their distance in combat with ranged attacks perhaps and would benefit from a little extra damage. Again, like basking in Loviatar's Love. To save some typing here's a screenshot of the abilities and spells I went with him.

As for a god, I personally went with Lathander, given I made him pick up the "giggle" pendant. I thought he could use some cheer and he does well with saving throws. With a feat, one can bump up his wisdom and dexterity a little higher. Later we stole Lathander's Mace and going to use it to beat Cazador into a bloody pulp so it just feels right.

“I wouldn’t be trying to reason with them if murder was an option…”

I just finished Astarion’s story and boy howdy did this elf with enough baggage to fill a Boeing 747 absolutely destroy my feelings. Very relatable. Incredible writing and performance. And out popped fan art from me…

[alistairkisser]

the fear that i’m fucking up my bg3 builds because i’m stupid is truly always present

[emcapi-gaming]

she metamagic on my build till i crit

[csphire]

Updated Dammon Build Guide!

Sad because you need more Dammon? Here is an updated guide on how to make him into your player character or dream guardian.

First, let's discuss the mods you'll need if you want to get your player character as close as possible to Dammon's long-lost twin or evil clone. Are you on a console or don't want to mod? No worries, alternative suggestions will be provided in this guide too.

Clothing:

This is only needed if you wish for him to wear the same outfit and for it to be the right color. If you want to keep the number of mods on the low side, you can use Basket Full of Equipment instead. It does have a blacksmith outfit, scarf and his boots too. (The boots are called: Black Leather Footwear D, just dye them brown. The scarf dye Swamp Green.)

Just know as of posting this, there is no dye in the game to match Dammon's existing choice of colors on his blacksmithing outfit perfectly. I would recommend when using Basket Full of Equipment to go with the scarf-free version and dye it Faewild Green and Dun Dye. Then you'll find his scarf in the cloak bag and dye that Swamp Green. If you can't get your hands on that rare dye Swamp Green works great too.

Eyes (and a jump start with the dream guardian):

What do I mean by jumpstart? Well... the modder here made a great start of what Dammon looks like. But I suspect the way the mod and/or game functions, some of Dammon's coloring is a little off. His horns are nearly white, and his eyes are brown, that is if you're trying to make the dream guardian look like him. This might be corrected in the future.

What's important about this mod is that it unlocks Dammon's unique eye color for not only the Guardian but also the Player Character. It's the only one I've found so far that does this. If there are other mods that come along that just unlock his eyes, I'll be happy to include them here too.

Don't want to install mods or can't? Try the Blue 3 or Sapphire 4 eyes. Or if you want them to glow more then have central heterochromia Elf Blue 1 and 2 are nice options as well.

Fun fact: Dammon's eyes are blue with central heterochromia.

Oh, and there is also the option to go with his Early-Access eye color Elf-Gold 3 if you're feeling particularly nostalgic.

The Quick and Easy Way: Use: Transform into companions and NPCs - Ring of Metamorph (Last I checked Born to be Anyone is not compatible with Patch 7 still ;_;)

Want to make the player character and every companion in your party look like Dammon? Well, this is the mod for you. There is however a caveat. He's stuck in that blacksmith outfit. As in not even for love scenes will he get naked. Alas, the real Dammon model doesn't have a nude character model option-at least not yet. Any who...

Onwards to the rest of character creation!

But first, a few quick side-by-side final comparisons to confirm the appearance you should get when following this guide.

Head, Skintone, and Horn Color:

Head 4

Blush Tone 5

Malbolge Spires with Dusty 6 for both base and tip color.

Hair:

Style - Arabel Ribbon Hair Color - Blonde 3 Highlight - Red 6 Intensity 80.

Makeup (optional):

Eye Makeup - Butterscotch (Intensity 40, Metallic Tint 10, and Glossy 10) Limp Tint - Red 1 (Intensity 10, Metallic Tint 10, and Glossy 10) For makeup, I'm unsure if Dammon wears any but in all the images here I did add a subtle amount to try to make his eyes stand out a little. This might be helpful if you're stuck using Blue 3 or Sapphire 4. I thought to also add a tiny bit of gloss to his lips since he's not hanging out by his forge so much. This is just a personal preference.

In fact, Makeup 12 comes in handy for guys or gals in general at a 10 to 50 tint level to make their eyes look a little deeper set, tired even and um... more broody? Play around with this and other make-ups and have fun.

Scar (optional):

Dammon does have a scar over the bridge of his nose, under his right eye, and on his lower left lip. But on him, as seen below, it's faded. Scar 3 comes sorta close but it's rather distracting. Until we can get a scar depth or age slidder from Larian (or a mod) I would skip it entirely for now.

Class, Race, Voice, and Stats (optional):

According to the Wiki Dammon is an Asmodeus Tiefling but you could subrace him into Mephistopheles or Zariel as head 4 is available to all subraces. Changing his subrace might prove advantageous depending upon what class you wish to play.

For voice, nothing can replace Frazer Blaxland's, but... I found Voice 3, out of all of them, is similar in depth and warmth.

If playing as Dammon and you want to get as close to his abilities, and fighting style as possible, it's all an educated guess. This is only mine on one class example: Druid.

To start, I made sure that all his stats were at least 10 in everything just like his original. For the extra points left over, I put them into upping his Dexterity as it helps with dodging damage. After all, you don't need a lot of hp if you can dodge damage. I also put a few extra points into the main stat for his class and a bit in Charisma just to make conversation rolls easier. For background, I went with Guild Artisan to further help him with persuasion, give him some insight, and for roleplaying purposes since he was a blacksmith. For cantrips, I would highly recommend picking Guidance if available to further aid all conversation rolls.

I went with Druid because it lets him wield a scimitar right at the start. On the Nautolid you can usually find two of these weapons. "Who uses wooden tools!" Dammon shouts as he throws that ugly staff overboard into the fires of Avernus. The second reason is perhaps while he was in the grove he learned a thing or two. He did after all pick up a few skills while in Avernus, why not at the Druid Grove too? It's just one level and you could multi-class him into anything later on.

The third reason I went with Druid for class is your doppelganger gets a discount from Arron, the other merchant to be found there.

But of course, you can make him any other class you wish or multi-class him. I did so myself by adding dragon sorcerer and bard to him later on. This is just an idea, but one could use his playthrough to try and get the Jack-of-all-Trades achievement.

If I had to go with an official class for him, my money would be on Artificer with a subclass of a Battle Smith, to be precise. The video down below explains what they are, and as early as Act II Dammon can literally craft us some bombs and free armor if you bring him the right things. He would be the perfect Artificer companion if we in the future get that class in a DLC. (And romance option-yes while keeping most of his mystery too, Frazer. This will explain just one example of how it's possible.)

Sadly, no official Artificer class yet but there are a few mods you can try out by just searching the term Artificer on the Nexus. But this mod looks so far the most polished and fleshed out called:

Hope all this info helps you have some fun. Please feel free to tag and share with me your Dammon creations! Need any help feel free to reach out, I'd be happy to help. Looking for my old guide? It's here.

*Full Disclosure: In the previous versions of my guide, I was mistaken about his skin tone being Blush 4. After a near-unhealthy amount of scrutiny of Dammon's model, I apologize for this mistake. It's Blush 5, and the majority of the screenshots, ones that focus on his appearance, have been corrected accordingly. I apologize for this mistake and any inconvenience it has caused.

[bakafox]

I've been struggling with my monk/rogue that was my first character, but for shits and giggles I rolled another multiclass monk.... My one regret so far is I didn't make her a half-orc to even just replace my first game... she's being a lot more fun at level 3 (one level sorc, 2 levels monk,) and has had an AC of 16 since level 2 when I gave her the first monk level. Eventually the enemy is going to catch up in level/rolls and start pounding her into the dirt but right now it's kind of hilarious watching so much just bounce harmlessly off her.

[herrfivehead]

Pure Nature Cleric (final itemization, feats, buffs, combat), or as I call it, "The Versatile Beyblade"

thief build fiendlock build eldritch knight build

Starting Stats: -8 STR -16 CON -15 DEX -8 INT -17 WIS -8 CHA

Quest-Sensitive Requirements: -Must save Thulla to be given Boots of Speed -Must give Omeluum mushrooms before entering the Shadowfell to buy Pearl of Power Amulet from it -Must either not use Shadowheart, or encourage her to kill Aylin to receive benefits from the Mirror of Loss

Feats: -Alert at Level 4 (+5 to initiative, cannot be surprised) -Ability Improvement at level 8 (+1 to DEX and WIS to increase them to 16 and 18 respectively) -Ability Improvement at level 12 (+2 to WIS to increase it to 20). Some might prefer War Caster to gain advantage on concentration saves, but I prefer the increased Spell Save DC and spell accuracy. Up to you.

Permanent Buffs: -Loviatar's Love (+2 to attack rolls and WIS saving throws when HP is at 30% or lower) -See Invisibility from Volo's Ersatz Eye -+2 WIS from Mirror of Loss -Tharchiate Vigor (20 temporary hit points at the beginning of each long rest, acquired from Tharchiate Codex in Ramazith's Tower Vault)

Optional: -Use Hill/Cloud Giant STR elixirs for increased STR, therefore increased likelihood that you'll land your melee weapon attack.

Armor: -Helm of Balduran (+1 AC, +2 healing at the beginning of every round, enemies cannot land crits on wearer) -Cloak of the Weave (+1 to Spell Save DC) -Luminous Armor (Inflicts 2 stacks of Radiating Orb* in a 3m radius whenever wearer deals radiant damage) -Luminous Gloves (Inflicts 2 stacks of Radiating Orb whenever wearer deals radiant damage) -Boots of Speed (Allows wearer to dash as a bonus action)

Jewelry: -Amulet of the Devout (+2 to Spell Save DC, additional charge of Channel Divinity per long rest) -Crusher's Ring (Grants extra 3m of movement speed) -Coruscation Ring (Inflicts 2 stacks of Radiating Orb on illuminated targets hit with spell damage)

Weapons: -The Sacred Star (Inflicts 1 stack of Radiating Orb on a hit with weapon, possibly turns undead) -Viconia's Walking Fortress (+3 AC, advantage on saving throws against spells, imposes disadvantage on enemies who use spell attacks, can deal 2d4 force damage and knock enemies prone as a reaction if hit in close combat) -Gontr Mael (illuminates in a radius of 6m, possibly inflicts Guiding Bolt on target on a hit, every short rest can use Bolt of Celestial Light to frighten targets, giving your ranged weapon attacks 1d4 radiant damage for the next 10 turns)

To Keep in Inventory: -Spellcrux Amulet (Allows you to regain any spell slot, even up to sixth-level, once per long rest) -Pearl of Power Amulet (Allows you to regain any spell slot up to third level once per long rest)

*Radiating Orb = a condition which illuminates the enemy and gives them -1 to their attacks. This condition can be stacked up to -10, and can be repeatedly inflicted every turn.

What Combat Looks Like (Before level 5): -As a nature cleric your most valuable assets before access to Spirit Guardians are the cantrip Shillelagh (must have club or quarterstaff equipped) to boost your melee attack as a bonus action, Create Water, and Spike Growth, the latter two which prove valuable even in the late game. Guiding Bolt also does a fair amount of ranged radiant damage, not to mention the advantage it grants your allies against the targeted enemy. But spell slots are few and far between in the early game, so if you miss that attack, it's a massive waste of a spell slot. Better to use them for something that doesn't require an attack roll. -Create Water pairs well with any ally who has access to spells or cantrips that deal cold or lightning damage, as the Wet condition makes enemies vulnerable to this damage. Very useful if you have a druid, tempest cleric, evocation wizard, or draconic bloodline sorcerer in your party. -Spike Growth can be used on chokepoints, such as cave entrances, bridges, or stairs, so non-flying enemies with low jump distance and out of range to attack you must walk through the spikes, taking 2d4 piercing damage every 1.5m. -This pairs well with someone in your party who knows darkness, completely protecting your party from ranged attacks while your spell makes it hard for enemies to attempt melee attacks without taking massive damage.

Levels 5-7: -By level 5 or 6 one or two of your caster allies may deal more powerful versions of lightning or cold damage (such as Call Lightning or an augmented Ray of Frost from DB Sorcerer's Elemental Affinity), making Create Water more useful than before. -If you have a warlock in your party at this point, casting spike growth underneath their AoE of Hunger of Hadar can completely incapacitate some mobs, such as the Death Shepherds and ghouls on the Mountain Pass. -Most importantly, with level 5 comes Spirit Guardians, the most important spell in the build. As a third-level spell it deals 3d8 radiant (or necrotic, which will become necessary for enemies with Radiant Retort or Fleeting Protection) damage to any enemy within 3m, and deals an additional 1d8 damage for every level it's upcasted. -Due to having both Crusher's Ring and the Boots of Speed, you're incredibly mobile, dealing damage to any enemy you walk past. The next turn you can even disengage as your action to walk freely without worrying about opportunity attacks. -If you've found it, the Blood of Lathander is a great weapon for act 2, as it emits light and has a chance to blind undead who get near. It does mean sacrificing the use of Shillelagh, but ultimately worth it. Level 8 and Beyond: -At level 8 your subclass gives you a reaction called Divine Strike, which allows you to deal 1d8 elemental damage with weapon attacks. If you use the lightning or cold version on a wet enemy, the damage will be doubled. -By level 9 you'll have Insect Plague prepared-much like Spike Growth, it's an AoE spell that deals piercing damage to whoever walks through, but can affect flying enemies as well. -By act 3 you should have every radiating orb-stacking item equipped. In the first tun of combat, you cast the radiant version of Spirit Guardians and walk to harm nearby enemies, including those who have Sanctuary (which doesn't protect against AoE attacks), using Click Heels in your common tab to dash again and inflict damage on even more foes. Not only are these enemies taking radiant damage, but have 6 stacks of Radiating Orb on them. -On the second turn, assuming you've maintained concentration on your spell, you now have the choice between disengaging and moving around the battlefield again, or using your action to hit an enemy with the Sacred Star. As a reaction, you may be able to inflict extra elemental damage on the enemy thanks to Divine Strike. You'll also inflict yet another stack of Radiating Orb. -If for whatever reason you're rendered immobile or stuck behind your own casting of Spike Growth or Insect Plague, you can shoot an enemy with Gontr Mael. Since the weapon's special feature will allow you to deal additional radiant damage to your weapon, your enemies will still be afflicted with Radiating Orb. You may also, if you're less likely to miss than with the bow, use the cantrip Sacred Flame on an enemy. With higher WIS and a few items that increase SSDC, it should be significantly harder for enemies to save on it than in the early game.

[benevolentcalamity]

I'm Quite Ten-tickled. [Mindflayer x Fem!Reader]

Cause I know a few people that would shout at me 'YOU NEED TO DO A MINDFLAYER' if they knew I existed. (That being about 1/4 of the Baldur's Gate fandom.)

Warning: This fic contains smut. I dunno if this equates to dubcon or what, but proceed with caution cause I have no idea what I'm doing.

There will be inaccuracies because I've only scanned a wiki and seen BG3 clips. Hopefully you guys still love me!

CURTAINS!

Come.

As though responding to the order tugging at your brain, the writhing tendrils part like a sentient curtain, before unwinding from around your arms. When the writhing prison at last gives way you're sent onto all fours, limbs limp from lack of use if only just to wriggle away from your tormentors. A cruel joke, this place, so wondrous and fascinating in its almost otherworldly structure... Yet, the moment you were pulled up by that grotesque tendril you regretted your brief study of them.

Was it a mistake, then? To push your brother out of the way even though he was the paladin? Surely he'd have laid waste to this ship by now - you simply doomed yourself to the fate he would have destroyed.

... It wasn't. At least this way he can go back to the church and mount a rescue. Not for you- alone, anyway. Everyone here that's still alive.

T'was the firelight outside that woke you to the siege. Buildings were being destroyed to kill the weak or scare the potential test subjects out into their range. You and your brother were two such folk - or to be more accurate he was the one. They always did look for the strong ones with 'potential', according to the horror stories of those that survived.

Did they know they were being researched? Or were they simply combing the continent for prey? ... Is this worth wondering if you're not sure whether tomorrow is what will be destroyed?

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

A scream, unholy and thick with suffering, pulls your hairs on end, your feet fusing to the floor for just a moment. Your heart leaps into your throat, hands growing so cold they could sustain ice-based sorcery. With a deep breath heat slowly creeps back into your fingertips, and a harsh swallow commands your legs to keep moving as though nothing's wrong.

Again, the order: "Come to me."

For the guided it isn't a long walk, any passing faces blurred or forgotten, the near and distant screams falling mute. In fact, as you get closer, only the order - and in turn the Mindflayer responsible - remaining. You hardly feel how your back straightens like a stiff beam as you prepare to be obedient.

To the rhythm of the squirming sound in your head, his elation pulses with the order in repeat. That he will rise above, and command the shared mind of his kindred...

How do you...?

A dizziness takes over, wavering your steps a moment, as the flesh doors open. The moment that his mind reaches you, you're again steady, as though his hands themselves guide you in this moment.

"There you are."

Tendrils flexing and curling, he stands, and for a moment they reach toward you. Before long they echo the movement of his hand, beckoning you with a roll of the fingers. Watching you cross the squishy floor he hums, voice digging into your mind fully as his innate power wraps around your mind.

A break from this is visible solely in how there's a momentary hesitation in your hand reaching for a tentacle. That disgust fades in a blink, however, as momentary as he'd allow. Only he can feel that, if anything at all, in the turmoil that is his kind's heart. They have one, beating in only the Queen of their collective consciousness. All else is simply them following nature's grand design.

Impatient, a tentacle reaches and wraps around your neck, cueing you to simply shed your clothes. Without hesitation you follow the order, some stray tentacles wandering about your body as they pull you yet closer. Further imprisoning your mind where it should be, the rest of them wrap about your head, loosing your hair from the ribbons as his hand guides your legs apart.

Curiosity is shared between you two, the tadpole shivering in fervor as his cold gaze pierces your own.

"If yours is the body I require..." You're turned around and guided onto his lap, legs split and held up in the air. "Then through you, I'll hold the key to my ascension. So, rejoice now, for I will become the Absolute, and your womb will bear Illithid that will see my will enacted."

Clouded, you swallow. "... I will be... of service," You breathe. "My Emperor..." A thrall, yet your form hasn't changed - it's simply too sad to see tentacles spring from your flesh. Well and, you're appetizing simply in more ways than satisfying one's hunger.

Guided by his desires, your head tilts back with the opening of your mouth. Pleased, he allows a tentacle to slip inside, which you suck on as another wraps around your hand and holds it up so it can be caressed. In the meanwhile his mind engulfs your body, the very will to pleasure you seeing your insides squirm and pool warmly. Without complaint or hesitance he watches, amused, as your skin flushes and your every muscle bends to his will.

"A-aah!"

Slipping through his pants with unceremonious mucus, his cock slips inside of you with the help of a tentacle or two. It's big enough, lumpy and undulating, slipping in and out as though with a mind of its own. His powerful hands keep your legs high up, another tentacle pushing into your mouth as it throbs, swirls, and churns inside of you. With each thrust it hammers in his dominion over you, the voices of the other Illithid fading out as his own mind worms its way from the collection.

Merciful he tugs the tendrils from your mouth, save for one at the tip of your tongue, and lets you breathe. As the engorging and pulsating cock pounds all the way to your cervix, your mind grows foggier until he's all you can even feel.

I... I can see it now...!

From your body, eggs the size of your fist, squishing and squirming with new life ready to form. They'll grow into an army, nay, a legion, that will serve the new Absolute. Never will you die, for only you are worthy of this blessing - and thus the only one that should be seated upon the blessed cock of the Emperor.

Sucking that tentacle back into your mouth, your moans are silenced once again, thumb rubbing the tentacle guiding your arm around his neck.

Undulating further, his cock squirms and engorges until it settles in for what feels like eternity. He lowers your legs to hang them over the arms of the throne, familiar tendrils wrapping around your ankles. Anticipation sees your body arch, his arms wrapping around your waist as the rest of his tentacles tighten around your head. Not in hunger or malice, but an overwhelming possessiveness that will never see you be rescued or taken from him by another.

Lowering to grab your hips, his own snap up into them, and you squeal, mouth gaping open as he mercilessly pounds into you. Pleasured cries and pleas for him to never stop reverberate through the ship, him not interested in silencing them. Encouraged by your pleasure he continues his powerful claiming of your womb, his own arousal and satisfaction stoked by your flaming hunger for more.

"Yes-! YES!" You cry. "Ohhh, my Emperor! Oh, my Emperor!" Your one hand caresses his slimy head, one of his hands coming up to hold yours. "Aaah! Aa-aaah! Aaaah! Gh- fuck! Ahhh!!!"

Your back arches, and light flashes in your eyes. After too short a time he shoots a load into you, neverending, until your stomach expands and then hangs. The hand holding your precious head falls to hold your belly. In what feels like no time it feels lumpy, already hard at work in proving he made a good decision keeping you alive after you'd robbed him of the paladin.

"There. Now, you will bear the trueborn, and with me rule this world and all beyond. May our bodies never age or fall to mortal malady, for we will be the architects of a world befitting only our ilk."

He reaches beneath your body, cock sliding back into its slit, and an egg slides into his palm.

"Until time itself withers."

[abigailmoment]

Hi! I'm Abigail. I write stories and games.

All of my work can be found on my website. Below there's a sampling of stories that are good places to begin.

I have a discord that's very friendly and I'm very responsive on it. I have a mailing list that goes out when I make new things.

I have an Ao3 account of fan fiction that is, at the moment, almost entirely dedicated to vampires from Baldur's Gate 3 being bad at communication. My most active story on it is currently: The Last Will and Testament of Cazador Szarr.

(Note--Cazador is dead and does not appear in the story.)

I have a Patreon that is a new experiment. It is very low pressure Patreon. I inevitably, create things. I will put many of them there. If you are interested in subscribing, please think of it as supporting my ability to create in general rather than purchasing monthly entertainment.

If you are in any way financially vulnerable, please don't give me money. I am stable and safe. If you want access to the stories here but can't afford a subscription please message me and I'll give you a free subscription.

That is a general rule. If you can't afford anything I've created, please ask me for it and I'll give it to you.

A text-based videogame. Cost: $3.99

Open Sorcery follows the development of an Elemental Firewall: a fire elemental bound with C++ code to protect a network of people and places. You guide her as she makes decisions and grows. She can learn things, develop relationships, and even gain sapience. Or she can burn everything with fire.

Play on Steam.

Play on Android.

Play on iPhone.

A text-based fangame of BG3. Cost: Free.

Art by @cymk8

There's a monster made of dreams. It has its teeth in your companions. It builds nightmares out of their worst memories and drinks their pain. One of your companions has a very bad worst memory. A long, text-based video game.

Play online.

A text-based videogame. Cost: Free

You're a vampire hunter on your night off. You're getting a manicure, seeing a movie, and eating fast food.

But there's a vampire in this McDonalds. If you don't do something, then in one hour it will eat the cashier.

Play online.

A visual novel game in development.

You are John Watson. You're very worried about your best friend, Sherlock Holmes. You're right to be worried. Left to his own devices, he'll destroy himself with overwork and cocaine. Don't let him do that.

Wishlist here.

[mumms-the-word]

Illithid Souls

A Deep Dive Series

I've collected all my deep dives about illithid souls here for your convenience! These posts look into the question of if illithids have souls inside or outside of the BG3 game lore, with a more focused look in parts 2 and 3 at the cases of Tav/Durge, Orpheus, Karlach, and Gale.

Ultimately I came to my own conclusions, but I'm by no means trying to sell you on the idea that I'm the expert and can't be wrong. I wrote these mostly to gather lots of lore in one (or three) contained space(s) with both a textual and visual aspect, so that it makes lore-gathering/reading/viewing more fun.

As with all my deep dives, these posts are designed to equip you with some lore so you can build your own theories and ideas, but I do guide and organize my thoughts in ways that make sense to me, and present theories that I think are interesting or feasible. But lore is always a little hazy so I’m bound to be wrong or you’re bound to interpret things differently. Just have fun with the lore!

Without further ado~

---

Illithid Souls - Part 1

What’s up with mind flayers and souls anyway?

This post begins by defining what D&D calls a soul, which is notoriously hard to define in any capacity both in or out of D&D lore. We look briefly at what happens when a soul dies normally, what Withers has to say about mind flayers and souls, and what D&D guidebooks like the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and Volo's Guide to Monsters have to say about the afterlife, souls, and mind flayers. Basically, this is your intro to D&D souls lore before we get to how the game follows or ignores that same lore.

---

Illithid Souls - Part 2

The Case Studies: Tav/Durge and Orpheus

This post dives into some interesting context from the game for the Emperor, Tav/Durge, and Orpheus. Though I use Tav/Durge as the official case study here, looking at dialogue and reactions when Tav/Durge turns into a mind flayer, it's worth nothing that most Origin runs handle the mind flayer thing exactly the same way. This is where the D&D lore gets left behind a little bit and we get to really see how the game changes or adopts the concept of mind flayer souls. Read this one if you'd like a little more info about how your OC Tav/Durge might be affected by illithidness!

---

Illithid Souls - Part 3

The Case Studies: Karlach and Gale

The final post looks specifically at in-game evidence or lore for Companion!Karlach that turns into a mind flayer, as well as what unique options an Origin run Gale gets if he decides to become a mind flayer at the end of the game. I ended up with a lot of questions while writing this post and I don't have answers for all of them, but it was fascinating to see some of the unique stuff you only see if you make Karlach a mind flayer, or are playing as Gale and decide to become illithid. Karlach provides some additional context to what it's like to be a special mind flayer in BG3, and Gale's Origin endings as a mind flayer are certainly unique and strange. Worth reading parts of if you're interested in either character!

---

As with all deep dives and metas, this is all just for fun! Yes, I called days of research and writing and editing fun, because I'm a...well. A thorough bitch, as Swoop would say. But I couldn't fit everything that exists in these posts and I did make a couple of decisions to leave things out, like extended conversations with the Emperor and basically any mention of Omeluum (sorry Omeluum, love you buddy! you have a soul in my heart) because I just didn't know where to put those things in.

So basically, this is not the end-all, be-all of lore! I'm happy to answer questions in the replies or in asks as well, just know that everything will be couched as my opinion and that you are encouraged to interpret the lore in ways that suits your play styles, headcanons, or beliefs.

Just have fun with it!