#oathbreaker minthara

[trappedinafantasy37]

Aight, new chapter for To Be Free From the Gods → Chapter 36: Threads of Fate

After meeting with Devella at the Elfsong and learning more about the murders, the elves take a momentary stop at the Stormshore Tabernacle. Afterwards, they return to the Elfsong for a bite to eat.

Enjoy!

Sorry for missing yesterdays update. Was going through another bit of insomnia and had been awake for 48 hours.

[trappedinafantasy37]

Meh, I’m kinda torn on this myself. I do agree that Lolth hasn’t truly abandoned Minthara, especially since she’s a Baenre. I think Minthara only believes Lolth completely abandoned her because Lolth ignored her in Moonrise when she was on the verge of death and was praying for Lolth to help her. Now, Lolth actually does give all drow who disappoint her a second chance to regain her favor which would include Minthara. Lolth may be hateful and vindictive but, despite popular belief, she isn’t beyond reason nor is she stupid. Lolth is still a god and she has reason to want to keep as many clerics and paladins as she can. But the means of regaining that favor usually involve doing some pretty messed up things and often involves killing a lover.

Not to mention, if Lolth truly did completely abandon Minthara, she would have instantly devoured her the moment Minthara returned to the Underdark in her default ending, or worse. But Lolth absolutely LOVES chaos and she loves it more than she hates those who defy or betray her. And Minthara intends to bring a shit load of chaos when she returns (it's also the reason why I disagree with Minthara being placed as Lawful Evil, she is more Neutral/Chaotic Evil if anything). Especially since Minthara’s chaos involves waging war against the Baenre house which will shake shit up for the entirety of Menzoberranzan and Lolth is going to feed off all of that. Now the Baenre’s are her favorite, but Minthara is also a Baenre. She will most likely just reclaim the house for herself after killing her mother. If Minthara succeeds at what she wants to accomplish, I imagine it would be enough to regain Lolth's favor. It's only a matter of whether or not Minthara actually cares to receive that favor again, which I don't think she cares to.

However, I also think it is much more plausible that Minthara is a canon oathbreaker, but not by choosing. By swearing an oath to the Absolute, her oath with Lolth did indeed break, even if she did not choose to break it. But, that doesn’t really matter. When she leaves the Absolute, her oath with the Absolute also breaks. By this point, Minthara is an oathbreaker twice over. But, she does not swear a new oath to Lolth and has no intentions to. Her time with the Absolute has given her a newfound perspective of the gods and realizes that she wants nothing to do with them and would rather be free of them. If she is going to follow anyone's word she'd rather it be her own.

Instead, Minthara swears a godless oath to destroy the Absolute, which is why she isn’t an oathbreaker by the time she joins camp. However, she does have a line of dialogue in which she says she is unsure if her oath will still stand once the Absolute business is done and over with. Minthara's dialogue does directly state that if you do dominate the Elder Brain, she will swear an Oath of Conquest. But if the Elder Brain isn't destroyed, well, the path diverges a bit and it is a bit unknown as to what becomes of her oath. If she remains in BG with her romance partner, most likely she will keep her Oath of Vengeance. But, her intentions with the Underdark and her house kind of implies both Oath of Vengeance and Oath of Conquest.

Sorry for the rant. You have no idea how much time I had to spent researching Lolth and her relationships with clerics/paladins when I was writing my fanfic.

*WHEEEZE* wait... wait wait... WAIT. HOLD UP WAIT!!!! SO IF A PALADIN'S OATH BEING BROKEN MEANS THEIR DEITY HAS LEFT AND ABANDONED THEM AND THATS WHY THEY FEEL EMPTY, DOES THIS MEAN... WITH A STILL IN PLACE OATH..... *HEAVY BREATHING ON MY KNEES* DOES ... DOES THIS MEAN... LOLTH.... IS STILL WITH MINTHARA... AND HAS NOT ABANDONED HER COMPLETELY LIKE SHE THINKS????

[alicelufenia]

Thinking about my last reblog and how Baldur's Gate 3 character creation kinda fucked with my perception of paladins in the bg3 setting (it's specific version of the Forgotten Realms at least)

Since paladins don't get to select a deity at CC, I got the impression that paladins who's oath was not sworn before any particular god were more common than they really are.

There's technically a "Paladin of X" tag in game for dialogue, but the ONLY way to get it without mods is to also take a level of cleric and select a deity that way.

So when I made Alice as essentially a renegade paladin whose oath was sworn before no one except through her own conviction and fervor to self-actualize (she's Oath of Glory in canon) and that manifested divine power anyway, turns out that's really weird and uncommon in setting where most paladins swear an oath before a deity, and thus presumably are bound to tenets dictated by said deity (or the order of paladins they belong to, whether that reflects the true will of the god or not)

This is, in my defense, NOT how it works in tabletop 5e, where paladins select an oath but are not required to pick a deity (they still can pick one like many characters do, even those with no levels in divine casters). Giving a paladin a deity is more a nod to tradition, but RAW you're free to hold an oath without following a faith, just like you can be any alignment regardless of your oath (except maybe oathbreaker. BG3 even turns that on it's head by making it possible to be 'Good' as an oathbreaker, even restoring your oath, which isn't a thing in tabletop unless it's to repent for breaking it but without going full oathbreaker subclass)

Enter the most prominent paladin in Baldur's Gate 3, Minthara

Don't have any art saved to my phone so enjoy plushthara instead

She originally swore her oath of vengeance while in service to Lolth, to seek out and eliminate the enemies of the faith in Menzoberranzan (essentially part of the Lolthite Inquisition). This, by the way, is why she's so insightful when it comes to the other companions; it was literally her job to get good at reading people to find out what their deal was.

Her crusade against the enemies of Lolth led her and an army of House Baenre soldiers to Moonrise Towers, but instead of putting an end to the Absolute cult, she was captured, tortured for days, her soldiers killed or enthralled, and finally tadpoled and made to turn all that religious ferver and devotion towards serving the Absolute.

For this failure, Lolth abandoned her. As a Lolth-sworn drow (a problematic term basically made up for bg3 but works here) losing Lolth's favor is the most devastating thing possible, and there's almost no chance of going back. After being released from command of the Absolute by the Prism, she was, spiritually, alone for probably the first time in 250+ years of memory. Unless you come from a religious background only to lose faith later in life, you can't imagine what that's like (I don't ftr, but this is how I have come to understand it based on @spiderwarden's analysis)

And yet, despite this severing from a god that works Her way into every facet of Udadrow life, her oath endures. She remains a faithless (really faith-orphaned), but still undeniably spiritual paladin, bound to an oath that, for now, has her carrying out the same objective that sent her out of the Underdark before—destroy the cult of the Absolute, and seize that godlike power from those who control it.

When you rescue Minthara after romancing her in act 1, she says "You came. I prayed that you would, but there are no gods left for me." That raw-as-fuck line also spells out her current relationship to religion; IF a god would have her, she would be devoted. She even calls out to Lolth who, if the Spider Queen were to somehow take her back, she would in a heartbeat. With none answering her, she has no one but her savior, Tav/Durge, and their companions (whom she is now oath-bound to help whether she likes them or not)

And her natural inclination is to channel all that hurt, all that resentment and humiliation at being left with no divinity to know and to be known, into abject RAGE. Though she doesn't show it, I believe she is angrier and meaner NOW than she's ever been in life. That's why she talks about spitting on a shrine to Lolth, why she disapproves of offering tithe to any god at the Stormshore Tabernacle. Why she wants to BECOME a god, to become Absolute.

Hate is love betrayed. And I believe she had a LOT of love for Lolth.

Anyway this started as me musing on the spiritual nature of 5e paladin oaths in bg3, and kinda turned into character analysis for Minthara. Still, as the game's biggest example of a paladin who no longer serves any god but still commands divine powers to ⚔️SMITE Evil⚔️ by her oath, I think it came around in the end.

[selunite-emiri]

Minthara is Aneska's favorite person

[nikomedes]

me: “i have got to be more normal about the vampire. i have got to take a fucking. tolerance break from the vampire”

me: “i know. i’ll start my evil run i tried to do with durge and bailed on. i can be normal about this bc im just going to make everyone their worst selves” (<- deranged statement)

minthara:

me: “fuck”

[bhaalsdeepbat]

@justabiteofspite pointing out I had Astarion pull the ultimate 10 Charisma King move by having him kiss Gale once (then twice bc the game was bugged) then immediately went into asking Gale about his ex bitch mystra before going to bed

[m-for-musings]

Honey Webbing

Part XIII

!!! WARNING !!!

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SENSITIVE CONTENT SUCH AS DETAILED DEPICTIONS OF SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND SUICIDE ATTEMPT

I flagged those parts with a [warning] before, so you can skip them if you want.

When Minthara awakes, the remnants of her nightmare were still fading as her vision cleared. The lingering sensation of endless falling sent a shiver down her spine, and she winced as a dull ache pulsed through her battered body, specially through her leg and shoulder, where blood-stained bandages were meticulously placed. Again. She barely had gotten rid of the previous set.

Glancing around, Minthara took in her unfamiliar surroundings. The simple yet well-appointed furnishings were immediately recognizable as Halsin's, but this was no longer the attendance room. The enormous bed, the adjoining bathroom, and the oversized clothes hung in complete disarray on the wooden hooks along the wall - while a pile of them occupied a chair behind the door - made it clear she was now in the druid's own bedchamber.

Minthara's armor and weapons had been carefully cleaned up and placed on the floor beside the bed, though they were in dire need of repair. She allowed herself a moment to appreciate the thoughtfulness of whoever had tended to her equipment, a small gesture that stood in stark contrast to the pain that permeated her weary body.

The memories came rushing back - the fight against the Cloaker, the searing pain, and her desperate attempts to summon her paladin powers during the battle, all to no avail. She had come perilously close to being killed for nothing, and the realization that her sacred gifts were beyond her grasp in the moment she needed it the most left her shaken to the core. But Minthara was not one to wallow in despair; her eyes narrowed with determination as she resolved to confront this issue head-on, unwilling to accept this loss of power.

Minthara sat on the edge of the bed, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared down at her hands, palms facing upward. Taking a deep breath, she began the familiar ritual, the words of the Oath of Vengeance spilling from her lips with unwavering conviction.

"I am the wrath of justice, the scourge of my enemies. Nothing shall stand in my way, no foe shall escape my righteous fury..."

She paused, closing her eyes, waiting for the familiar surge of holy power to course through her veins, to feel the weight of her sacred duty settle upon her shoulders once more. But nothing happened. The air remained still, the silence deafening.

Undeterred, Minthara tried again, her voice growing more fervent with each passing phrase. "I am the instrument of retribution, the harbinger of ruin unto those who betrayed me. My blows shall be swift, my vengeance sure-"

Once more, the words fell flat, the sacred magic that had once answered her call conspicuously absent. Minthara's eyes snapped open, a growing sense of dread coiling in the pit of her stomach.

Shaking her head, she steeled herself and tried a final time, her normally steady cadence wavering with a hint of desperation. “May my enemies make peace with whatever gods they give their pathetic prayers to. May they beg their mercy, for I will show them none. My oath is my bond, my resolve unbreakable. I am-"

But the words caught in her throat, the familiar rituals and prayers that had once flowed so effortlessly now escaping her. Minthara stared down at her open palms, her crimson gaze burning with a mixture of confusion and dawning horror as the realization struck her.

Minthara had never particularly cared much for being excommunicated by Lolth, the rigid adherence to dogma and divine servitude that had always chafed at her independent spirit. In fact, she thought she was better served as a godless paladin than as a puppet of the Spider Queen. But this… This was different. The powers of her sacred oath, the gifts that had once shaped her very identity, were gone. Minthara was a Paladin no more.

She stared at her trembling hands with growing dread, her mind being filled with horror as she desperately reached for the power that had once coursed through her veins, only to be met with a haunting, deafening silence. The golden light, the sacred magic, the inner fire that had once burned so brightly - all of it had vanished, replaced by a hollow, devastating emptiness that left her feeling utterly abandoned, stripped of the very essence that had once defined her.

Her chest tightened, a wave of anguish washing over her as she confronted the humiliating truth. She had failed, her powers severed, her oath rendered meaningless. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she cradled her head in her hands. Minthara's shoulders shook with silent sobs, the weight of her failure crushing her. She had always prided herself on her unwavering determination, her unshakable resolve. But now, as she lay alone in this unfamiliar bed, she felt utterly adrift, her purpose in life seemingly slipping through her fingers. The drow curled in on herself, her typically stoic demeanor shattered by the anguish of her loss. She had always believed in the power of her word, her unyielding willpower a cornerstone of her identity. But now, as she lay in the druid's home, wounded and broken, she found herself questioning everything she had ever known. In that moment, as the tears continued to flow, Minthara felt more lost and vulnerable than she had ever been.

[WARNING: THE NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS DEPICT A SEVERE ANXIETY/PANIC ATTACK]

She wanted to scream, to lash out and destroy everything around her, anything to dull the ache that consumed her. But all she could do was weep, the tears streaming down her cheeks as the desperation began to swallow her whole. Her quickened heartbeat thundered in her ears, her ragged breaths shallow and insufficient, as if she were drowning in a sea of her own torment.

And there was the pain. A searing pain, like a thousand needles that spreaded through her body and concentrated on her chest, piercing and crushing her heart all at once. It was greater than any pain her body ever bore, spreading back to her limbs and her head, and she could not force it to the back of her mind like she usually did. The drow slid from the bed, her knees painfully connecting to the floor, clutching at her chest as the phantoms of her nightmares surrounded her. Their whispered voices echoed in her mind, each word a dagger to her already shattered heart.

"No one can save you, oathbreaker."

"No one wants you, not even the gods."

“You're a tool to be used and discarded.”

"You failed us, Minthara."

"You bring only death in your way."

[WARNING: SUICIDE ATTEMPT IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH]

Minthara reached for her dagger, her trembling hands barely able to grasp the familiar hilt. She stared at the blade, the sharp edge glinting in the dim light, and for a moment, the promise of oblivion seemed like a siren's call. With trembling hands she lifts the blade, her weakened arms barely able to hold it steady. She slowly points the tip of the dagger towards her heart. Her eyes closed as the pain consumed her, her head felt heavy as if it was made of lead instead of flesh. Her heart was tight in her chest as if it would explode, crushing her beneath the burden. A single thrust, a twist of the blade, and it would all be over. She would be free from this endless torment, this aching void where her purpose once resided. 

[SUICIDE ATTEMPT OVER]

"Pwetty ladyyyy!" The shrill voice of the young half-drow girl pierced the quiet of the room, her high-pitched tone jarring Minthara from her despondent reverie, stiffening as the piercing voice of the toddler shattered the heavy silence that had enveloped the room. Her limbs felt leaden, as if her very bones had turned to stone, trapping her there, on her knees, on the bedroom’s floor. She sucked in a shuddering breath, her heart still pounding in her ears, the frantic rhythm slowly steadying as her surroundings came back into focus. 

Minthara's eyes snapped towards the source of the sound, watching as the small child flung open the bedroom door, her tiny body weight swinging from the handle. Instinctively, the drow shoved the dagger she had been clutching under the pillows, her movement quick yet hardly precise. Fren released her grip on the door, her tiny feet pattering against the wooden floor as she ran towards Minthara, small arms wrapping around the drow's neck in an affectionate embrace. Minthara's expression was one of thinly veiled discomfort, her brow furrowing as she looked down at the girl.

"What are you doing here, child?" she asked, her tone clipped, betraying the turmoil that still roiled within her.

Minthara's muscles were tense, her body heavy yet in high alert, as if bracing for some unseen threat. She was clearly shaken, her typically stoic demeanor cracking under the weight of the despair that had consumed her in the moments before Fren's intrusion. 

“Why you cwying?” The girl asked, gazing up at her with those confused, yet innocent, adoring eyes. Minthara felt a flicker of... something. A sliver of that aching void within her seemed to ease, if only momentarily. But the drow quickly tamped down on the unfamiliar emotion, steeling herself against the vulnerability it threatened to expose.

“I, ah, the sun is too bright today.” Minthara said dismissively, waving a hand as she hurriedly wiped the remaining tears from her face. The drow didn't remember the last time she had succumbed to tears, the wetness on her cheeks feeling foreign and unsettling.

“It hurts my eyes too.” Fren gives her an acknowledging nod. “That's why daddy has curtains.”

“Yes, yes, very clever of him,” Minthara replied hastily. At the window, just like the little girl signaled, heavy curtains hang, not a single ray of sunlight coming through them. Her gaze swept the room, her senses on high alert. She painfully stood up, disentangling herself from the little child’s arms in a single, rigid motion as she tried to ensure that no one else had borne witness to her moment of weakness, her desperate contemplation of the unthinkable. The drow's grip on her composure was tenuous at best, and she could ill afford any further intrusions or prying eyes.

"You should not be here," Minthara stated firmly, her voice brooking no argument. She needed to regain her footing, to reclaim the mantle of the stoic, unyielding warrior she had always been. The alternative... The alternative was too frightening to contemplate. “Where is your father? Your siblings?”

Fren shrugged nonchalantly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Daddy is busy," she replied, "and Talia can't find me! I'm the best at hide-and-seek!"

Minthara's brow rose slightly at the child's attitude, a flicker of grudging amusement passing across her features. Before she could respond, a human teenager with curly, long hair appeared at the door, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy - this was Talia, one of the oldest of Halsin’s urchin flock.

"Fren! There you are, I searched the entire house looking for you!" the girl exclaimed, her gaze darting warily towards Minthara. With a desperate reverence, the teenager bowed politely. "I-I'm so sorry, ma'am, I didn't know she would disturb your rest!" she apologized, her voice trembling slightly.

Minthara regarded the teenager, a hint of fake disdain in her expression. "See that it does not happen again," she replied, her words clipped and laced with a subtle warning.

The girl's expression was one of flustered panic. "Yes, yes, of course, ma'am. I'm so, so sorry..." she rushed to apologize, hurriedly scooping up the toddler in her arms. Talia shot Fren a chastising look, quietly scolding the child for supposedly disturbing Minthara's rest, taking her away despite the little girl’s protests.

Minthara let out a quiet sigh, her gaze drifting towards the window, where the heavy curtains still blocked out the offending sunlight. Despite her stern demeanor, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the young half-drow girl. Fren's carefree innocence was a stark contrast to the turmoil that had consumed her own thoughts, and a more than welcome disturbance in her intentions. Minthara found herself reluctantly drawn to the child's untainted spirit, even if she would never admit it aloud.

<Part 12 || Part 14 >

[rosymourning]

The Apostate of the Absolute - a Minthara build

"Ready for battle."

Minthara is an Oathbreaker Paladin, smiting enemies with ease. She betrayed Lolth and was discarded by the Absolute, what comes next?

[check out my other builds!]

Gameplay Notes

This is a full class Paladin build, so the main gameplay loop is to hit hard and smite for a bunch of extra damage. As expected, the build has several good options for spellcasting outside of smites as well, with a bit of an added bonus of itemizing towards Poison damage. I chose to keep a mace as the main weapon, largely based on some character consistencies. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of playing paladins, so I’m sure there are a ton of ways for this to be much better than it is.

Stats and Leveling

Final build: Level 12 Oathbreaker Paladin

[see my comments about making/breaking Minthara’s oath below]

Minthara’s (default) stats: STR 16 / DEX 15 / CON 14 / INT 10 / WIS 12 / CHA 17

Level 1 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 1

Level 2 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 2

Fighting Style: Protection

Divine Smite [wow! you’re a paladin now!]

1st Level Spells [Command and Bless are top tier]

Level 3 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 3

Level 4 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 4

Feat: ASI+ DEX>16, CHA>18

Level 5 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 5

Extra Attack

2nd Level Spells

Level 6 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 6

Aura of Protection

Level 7 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 7

Aura of Hate [aka the best Paladin aura ever]

Level 8 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 8

Feat: Savage Attacker

Level 9 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 9

3rd Level Spells

Level 10 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 10

Level 11 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 11

Level 12 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 12

Feat: ASI+ CHA>20

Items

Armor - Blackguard's Plate (3 Murder Tribunal) [I always loot her armour in Act 1 and give it to Astarion lol]

Melee Weapon -

Xyanyde (1 Goblin Camp) [this has to be looted from Minthara at the Goblin Camp, she won’t have it in Act 2 - it’s not incredible, just cute for her to get her old weapon back]

Handmaiden’s Mace (3 House of Grief) [if you want a sword, use Blackguard’s Sword (3 Murder Tribunal) for the Dazing Smite feature, and instead take ASI+ STR>18 at Level 12]

Shield of the Undevout (3 Murder Tribunal) [I love this shield on Minthara, so once you get it, I think it’s worth dropping the dual wield]

Ranged Weapon - Gontr Mael (3 Steel Watch Foundry) [I try to spread out legendary items amongst the companions, which is why not every build has the Helm of Balduran (lmao), but I think this bow works well for Minthara]

Amulet - Broodmother’s Revenge (1 Emerald Grove)

Helmet - Diadem of Arcane Synergy (1 Creche)

Ring 1 - Poisoner's Ring (2 Moonrise Towers)

Ring 2 - Ring of Mind Shielding (1 Myconid Colony)

Gloves - Blackguard's Gauntlets (3 Murder Tribunal) or Poisoner's Gloves (2 House of Healing) [I genuinely cannot decide, so I will present both options and leave it at that]

Boots - Blackguard's Greaves (3 Murder Tribunal)

Cloak - Derivation Cloak (2 Moonrise Towers)

Lore and Flavor

I gotta be completely honest when I say that I think it is absolutely, entirely ridiculous for Minthara to be an Oath of Vengeance Paladin in this game. Minthara is not fighting the greater evil - she IS the greater evil. Given the options that we have in game, Vengeance is definitely the better option, but I really don’t think it fits her character. So… Oathbreaker it is!

Here’s where it gets weird and metagame-y and immersion breaking, which I am disappointed in myself for… Minthara has to break her oath. Apparently, betraying two gods is not enough. There are a few frustratingly immersion breaking ways to do this, including:

Respec into Oath of the Ancients or Devotion and kill a non-hostile NPC (like Z’rell in her office, for example)

Select an odd, out of character option for the He Who Was quest, forgiving Madeline

Personally, of these decidedly bad options, I’d prioritize option 2, since it doesn’t require a respec. Minthara does have some dialogue absolving herself of guilt for her actions under the Absolute’s influence, so it’s possible forgiving Madeline could make sense for her character. I just don’t know - there isn’t a nice, easy solution.

But I feel strongly that Minthara’s “canon” subclass should be Oathbreaker — strongly enough that I’ll do some janky shit to get there. Because when did Minthara swear an oath for the first time? Surely it would have been during her days serving Lolth. Then she betrayed Lolth and presumably broke her oath. If not then, then maybe she swore an oath to serve the Absolute after being tadpoled which now, under the protection of the Prism, she is turning her back on again. Or maybe, it was intended that she swore to get revenge on the Absolute for abusing her after being set free (which makes a LOT of sense to me… if Oath of Vengeance was actually about getting revenge…). Is it this exact dialogue scene? Is this when she swore her Oath of Vengeance? Regardless, here is the oath she supposedly took:

Fight the Greater Evil. Exerting your wisdom, identify the higher morality in any given instance, and fight for it.

No Mercy for the Wicked. Chasten those who dole out their villainy by wiping their blight from the world forever.

The DND 5e language is similar, but with notable differences:

Fight the Greater Evil. Faced with a choice of fighting my sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil.

No Mercy for the Wicked. Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not.

By Any Means Necessary. My qualms can't get in the way of exterminating my foes.

Restitution. If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds.

Most of these paladins end up being Neutral (often Lawful Neutral), because the vibe is very much that they’re doing good things but getting their hands very dirty while doing it. An Oath of Vengeance Paladin with the Cult of the Absolute as their sworn enemy is aiming to kill all the cultists and destroy the Netherbrain… Minthara is very much not trying to do that. She explains her goals very clearly: “In killing Ketheric, we fractured the cult’s leadership. When we break the other Chosen and claim their Netherstones, we can take control… The power of the enslaved elder brain could reshape the world. We could reshape the world… First we take the Netherstones, then the brain, then the world.” To wrap up the conversation, she mentions her oath, clearly expressing that her motivations are tied to it: “We have a purpose and a bond. By my oath, I will fight with you while that purpose holds.”

Like with Shadowheart (who I desperately want to play as a Twilight Domain cleric after she betrays Shar), the actual best subclass for Minthara is simply not an option in the game. Minthara really ought to be an Oath of Conquest paladin. Check out the DND 5e Oath of Conquest, and tell me it doesn’t match perfectly:

Douse the Flame of Hope. It is not enough to merely defeat an enemy in battle. Your victory must be so overwhelming that your enemies’ will to fight is shattered forever. A blade can end a life. Fear can end an empire.

Rule with an Iron Fist. Once you have conquered, tolerate no dissent. Your word is law. Those who obey it shall be favored. Those who defy it shall be punished as an example to all who might follow.

Strength Above All. You shall rule until a stronger one arises. Then you must grow mightier and meet the challenge, or fall to your own ruin.

Like… come on. That is Minthara forwards and backwards. (To be clear - she’s definitely trying to get revenge as well, I just think that’s not the primary motivation.) But anyway, Oath of Conquest isn’t an option in game (at least vanilla - there are incredible subclass mods out there for those who are interested) so I don’t totally know why I’m even talking about it. Without that option, Oathbreaker is the way to go. She’s abandoned more gods than most people worship in their lifetime, and the main gameplay features of Oathbreaker are pretty fun to play with (Aura of Hate??? Like come on???)

My last comment is that, I know, I’m building Minthara late game with a mace. What the heck. But here me out - this is a cool and character-appropriate mace! The Handmaiden’s Mace appears in Baldur’s Gate 2 as well, where it’s looted off a Handmaiden of Lolth and has this description:

This mace has been crafted finely by the drow and specially treated to survive the glare of the sun. It was made for surface raids by the subterranean race... and its black metal glistens with a dark poison that seems to be generated from within and causes incredible damage upon a successful impact. The mace seems almost alive and warm to the touch, and slithers away from those whom it does not like... namely drow or those who are similar enough to not make a difference. In the hands of anyone else, the mace becomes mere dead weight.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s looted off Viconia in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace, with a description that references the previous game. Basically, this is a mace originally belonging to a Lolth-sworn drow that ended up with Viconia and eventually back with a Lolth-sworn drow! I think Minthara would be comfortable wielding it (she uses maces to begin with) and is one of a subset of people that actually can (if we go based on the Baldur’s Gate 2 lore). I also like Poison damage on Minthara, because it seems fitting with her drow heritage, but I guess that’s more of a personal vibe check than anything I’ve researched. The other mace is just to generally continue her dual-wielding maces set up until switching to a shield - keeping Xyanyde and giving it back to her once you save her (after she presumably lost it) is adorable, in my opinion.

[check out my build disclaimer for info about how and why I don't min/max or completely optimize builds, prioritizing lore and vibe instead]

[pricemarshfield]

i Need. to make a tav that’s obsessed with orin

[trappedinafantasy37]

Aight, new chapter for To Be Free From the Gods → Chapter 34: A Gentle Caress

The elves have finally finished up their investigation and visit Sharess Caress to share the findings with the Investigator. While in the brothel, the team decides to split up for their own interesting set of encounters.

Enjoy!

[hillhouses]

playing my evil durge run and my party is always lae’zel shart and astarion who i affectionately call evil gang. sometimes minthara joins us instead of lae’zel because she actually has a working brain sometimes

[alicelufenia]

My main file (out of the two paths I plan to go down with Alice) is now set up with both of her canon subclasses :) Glory and Shadow in one magical dark princess

And yes it still says Devotion and uses the Devotion tag for dialogue and oath breaking conditions, but honestly it's close enough.

[deadmegumi]

Busting out the slayer form during a fight while not having told anyone about it previously is so funny. Minthara lae'zel and astarion when the weird psycho they've been fucking turns into a massive flesh monster and bites balthazar's fucking head off

[hel-phoenyx]

What's up babes, I'm in a "need to create new Tav/Durges AGAIN" phase

[alicelufenia]

Gentle reminder you can make Minthara an oathbreaker by mental dominating the gnoll in Moonrise, please don't kill scratch Minthy is a dog person confirmed :(

[viiisenyas]

Aurelia Le Blanc- Cleric and Paladin of Tyr