Both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity Original Sin 2 provide players with thousands of options in the form of sidequests, treasures, areas, NPCs, and more. Those are, of course, totally optional but they flesh out the story quite a bit and it wouldn’t be the same game without them.

The world of Faerun is vast but players can, however, choose to only focus on the main story too. Depending on which route you go, the time it takes to beat the game will vary enormously.

So, how long does it take to complete Baldur’s Gate 3?

For a completionist who wants to complete sidequests and experience all aspects of the game, a full playthrough can take somewhere between 150-200 hours. Those who only focus on the game’s main story can reach the end of the game within 50-75 hours. Lastly, focusing on the main story but including the larger optional quests will take you about 90-100 hours.

Of course, there are a bunch of variables that factor in when considering the time it takes to beat the game. Regardless of which of the above categories you place yourself in, these elements will determine if you’re in the lower or upper range of the time span:

• Reloading: Sometimes, players will have to reload the game because they are killed in battle, die to traps, or are unhappy with the outcome of an action they take in either dialogue, battle, or the open world and want a second chance.

• Dialogue: Talking to every NPC and listening to the dialogue without clicking through it will prolong the game, as the dialogue is acted out by the characters. Dialogues are an essential part of the game and there are more than hundreds of hours of ‘possible’ dialogue in the game.

• Reading: The game is full of books, letters and notes. There’s generally little value to keeping them in your inventory after reading them, but sometimes the book, note, or letter will reveal something or be of utter importance for the game. Simply clicking read on the item will have your character speed-reading it in a second and reacting if there’s anything of value in the book. If you choose to read these books yourself, you’ll likely spend 10-20 hours doing so, as there are more than 500 readable items in the game.

According to howlongtobeat.com, the fastest recorded playthrough is 24 hours, whereas the slowest is 250 hours. I’m sure there are speedrunners who’ve completed the game in less than 24 hours, but few of us mortals have that type of knowledge of the game’s mechanics during our first playthrough.

How Long Are The Acts In Baldur’s Gate 3?

Baldur’s Gate 3 consists of three acts, each act contains a bunch of content. If every nook and cranny is explored, you can expect all of the acts to take a lot of time. With that said, they’re not equally long in terms of duration.

The first act of Baldur’s Gate 3 is estimated to take between 25-40 hours, depending on your playstyle and ambition. The opening act can both be slowed down and sped up by the fact that players haven’t gotten to know the game and its mechanics yet.

Some will be slowed by the lack of knowledge because they’re trying to understand and learn, others will neglect the amount of content Larian Studios put in their games and just brute force through the game.

The second act of Baldur’s Gate 3 makes up the bulk of the game’s playtime. The second act is partially played out in ‘The Underdark’ and contains a lot of story development, exploration, sidequest progression, and introduction of new characters.

Being the lead-up to the final act, the second act has a lot of optional content but also a lot of main-story content that has to be done in order to proceed to the last act. The second part of the game is estimated to take between 50-70 hours, but I can tell you that it is very possible to surpass that amount for the curious.

The third and last act of Baldur’s Gate 3 is set in the city of Baldur’s Gate, with a portion of the act set in surrounding encampments. The game’s finale is considered the shortest act of the three, but there’s still plenty of content to experience.

For completionists, the third act will be full of stuff to do as this is the last chance to complete sidequests, forcing you to scour every building to tie up any loose ends. So, the third act can take anywhere between 25-35 hours to complete.

Does this matter? Will you even notice when you’ve progressed from one act to another?

The time duration of each act doesn’t matter per se, but it can give you an idea of how much time you’ll spend in any given part of Faerun, as the three acts play out in different parts of the world. New characters are presented in each act along with new narratives and locations.

Familiar characters who you might’ve met during one of the acts can also reappear during the following acts. This creates a type of compounding effect, as you create more and more content for yourself in the upcoming acts the more sidequests and exploration you do during the early acts.

Quests will often overlap the acts, making it possible for a minor detail in the first act to become a large quest in the last act because of the story’s development.

You might pick up an item that seems to do no good at the beginning of the game, only to find out that the item is of great value when it is used properly, which you weren’t able to do prior to gaining said knowledge in later parts of the game.

For How Long Has Baldur’s Gate 3 Been In Development?

The plans for the game started when Wizards of the Coast gave Larian Studios the green light to produce the game. They were impressed by Larian’s game Divinity Original Sin 2, which was released in 2017. Wizards had, however, received a bunch of pre-release material sometime during either 2016 or 17.

The studio then released Baldur’s Gate 3 in August of 2023, meaning the game was in development for a 6-year period. The game was available for early access in October 2020, during which players only could experience the first act of the game.

It should be mentioned that we’re talking about the primary character here, the one you’re controlling. If you’re having problems with companions not following you around, then I recommend our guide that fixes that issue instead.

Those who played early access are probably familiar with this bug, but it seems like the bug has lived far longer than one had anticipated. Thankfully, it isn’t very difficult to fix.

So, what’s the solution to a character not moving in Baldur’s Gate 3 then?

If your character isn’t able to move, try teleporting or fast-traveling to another location or swapping to another character to see if you can move that character. Also, make sure your character isn’t encumbered. If it persists, verify the game files and restart the game. This might fix the problem. Should it not, consider loading an earlier save where your character wasn’t stuck.

Make sure you’ve downloaded the latest updates as they might contain hotfixes.

Hopefully, this should fix the problem for you. Continue reading as we’ll go into greater detail on how these steps can be applied. I’ve also included additional solutions to the problem if none of the above seem to work.

How To Fix Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Won’t Move Bug

As mentioned earlier, the problem appears in different ways. Sometimes, you’ll be notified by the game that your character has “0 movement” out of nowhere, while other times there will be no indication whatsoever – except for the character being unable to move, of course.

Swap Characters

A few of the times when I’ve happened upon this issue, I’ve been in luck because I was able to fix it by simply swapping to one of my secondary characters by double-clicking its portrait and moving it around. This has worked when it seems like your “clicks” aren’t being registered on the map.

For instance, I would left-click on the ground but no marker would appear and the character wouldn’t move. Swapping to another character would fix the issue and the stuck character could be controlled once again.

Verify Game Files

Another common reason why this error occurs is because of corrupt game files. Sometimes, files within the game folder will be damaged, causing the game to act out. The issue can persist even after reinstalling the game, but verifying the game files seems to fix it.

Here’s how you do it.

• Right-click the Game in your Steam library
• Select Properties
• Select Installed Files on the left-hand menu
• Click Verify Integrity of Game Files and wait for the process to finish.

Once done, the game files have been verified. You’ll be notified if any corrupt ones are found. Steam will replace those files automatically for you. Boot up the game to see if the issue has been fixed.

Teleport or Fast-Travel

You could try teleporting the character who is stuck by using spells or scrolls and positioning the character in another location. Alternatively, try fast-traveling to another location with your party to see if the character is able to follow you there.

If the character follows you to camp, taking a long rest might solve the issue. If fast-traveling can’t be used when that specific character is being controlled, swap to another character and access the map with that character.

Make sure all characters are linked together before porting, this can be done by connecting their portraits or clicking G on your keyboard.

Bonus: Try shoving your character as well.

Kill Your Character Then Revive It

Another solution that has worked a few times (but one that hurts your roleplaying) is to attack your own character until it falls then revive it at another destination. Sometimes, I’ve been able to simply place the character in another spot in close proximity to where the character was stuck.

Other times, I’ve had to go to Withers and have him resurrect the character in order for the character to be freed from the glitch. You can try both, I’d recommend going to Withers if you can move your other characters.

If not…. well, then you’ll have to get rid of all of them one by one and then revive them.

Remove Items From Your Inventory

If the character has been carrying too much weight, it will become encumbered, crippling the character partially. Depending on how much weight the character is carrying, it might prevent the character from moving altogether.

You can see if the character is encumbered by looking at the icons next to the character’s portrait. When you become encumbered, a large bag will appear next to the portrait. The color of the bag will change depending on how encumbered the character is.

Slimming the character’s inventory should remove the encumbered debuff, allowing you to move again. But we know for a fact that it doesn’t always work as intended.

Sometimes, the encumbered status will remain even after the items are removed from the character. Therefore, try moving your items to another character then slowly transfer them back to the encumbered character but stop before it becomes encumbered.

Dismiss the Character

If the character that’s stuck is a companion and your other characters are close to it, then talk to the immovable character with one of your other characters and tell it to go back to camp and wait for you there. Now, port back to camp and recruit the character to your party again.

When you leave camp, the character should be following you once again. This does not work if the stuck character is a custom character, as they can’t be dismissed to camp.

Should the character spawn in the same spot again once recruited, try moving away from that place within the open world before you recruit the character and leave camp.

Load an Earlier Save

If you’re out of luck and none of the solutions above have worked out, I hope your last save was around the corner as you might have to load that save in order to continue the game.

Players who are familiar with Dungeons and Dragons 5e will, without a doubt, have a great understanding of the damage system, as Baldur’s Gate 3 is built using DnD’s systems.

The system can be a bit overwhelming at first – even if you only focus on the battle system, as it has to take a bunch of different things into account when determining the outcome of an attack action.

We hope to make it easier for you to understand how the game works and how you can use that to your advantage in battles.

So, how does damage work in Baldur’s Gate 3? It’s hard to explain the matter simply, and I will go into greater detail to make it easier to grasp, but here’s a quick explanation.

Whenever your character attacks, dice are rolled to determine if the attack hits. If the attack hits, the damage dealt is determined by rolling one or more dice representing the weapon used and then adding the ability modifier. Hovering over a weapon will show you what type of die is used to roll for damage. The target’s resistances and vulnerabilities are then put into the equation, affecting the final damage.

But in order for you to understand the concept better, I think we must go into greater detail. This will make it easier for you to anticipate how much damage your attacks will deal, and the likelihood of them hitting their target.

Ultimately, giving you more to base your in-battle decisions on.

How To Calculate Damage In Baldur’s Gate 3

Attacks in Baldur’s Gate 3 cost one standard Action to perform, with a few exceptions that we don’t need to mention now. Prior to performing the attack, there are two things to take into consideration.

• Will the attack hit?
• How much damage will it deal if it does hit?

This is then determined by rolling dice. You’ll see things like “1d4” or “1d20” everywhere in the game. The first number determines how many dice are used in the roll and the second number determines how many sides the dice have. A 1d20 can result in any number between 1-20.

The formula to calculate if an attack is a hit or miss is the following:

Your attack will succeed if the total sum of a 1d20 + your modifier exceeds the target’s armor class.

Your attack will fail if the total sum of a 1d20 + your modifier doesn’t exceed the target’s armor class.

So, a 20-sided die is rolled and a modifier is then added to the result of the roll to determine if the attack hits.

So, what’s a modifier and how do you know how high your modifier is? There are different types of modifiers, and which one is used depends on the type of attack you perform.

We’ve written an article that explains armor class in great detail. You can find it here.

Calculating Weapon Attacks In Baldur’s Gate 3

Let’s start by looking at a weapon attack

When performing a regular weapon attack, the modifier would be either the attacker’s Strength or Dexterity, depending on the type of weapon. Ranged, versatile, and finesse weapons are Dexterity-based, while the rest of them are Strength-based.

Let’s say that a character performing an attack with a strength-based weapon has 18 strength points. The modifier is then calculated by taking the character’s total strength minus 10 divided by 2. In this case (18 – 10 / 2 = 4) the character’s modifier would add an additional 4 to the 1d20 roll.

The formula for a regular weapon attack to hit would look something like this:

1d20 + Weapon-specific ability modifier + any proficiency bonus + any related feat bonuses = chance to hit

Wielding a weapon that the character is proficient in grants them a proficiency bonus in addition to the modifier and other bonuses that they may receive through feats, which characters are granted the first time at level 5.

With all of these effects in play, the character has a very high chance of hitting its attacks. It should be noted that wielding a weapon that the character isn’t proficient in will not only remove the bonus but also prevent the character from using the weapon’s unique traits.

Nevertheless, if the attack hits the target, then there’s a second sequence of rolls that are put in motion to calculate the damage dealt by the attack. The formula used to calculate damage looks like this:

Weapon’s damage + weapon-specific ability modifier + any related feat bonuses = damage dealt

If a rogue with 20 dexterity wielding a dagger performs an attack. The calculation starts by rolling the type of die used by the weapon. Daggers use a 1d4, which means the outcome will be a number between 1-4.

The weapon-specific ability modifier is then added. In this case, this would be the character’s dexterity. For a rogue with 20 Dex, that would equal 5 (20- 10 /2).

Feat bonuses are then added to the roll. For the sake of this calculation, I’ll skip those.

In this scenario, our rogue’s main hand dagger would hit for 1-4 + 5 damage. It works the same way for weapons that are strength-based.

Let’s look at how magic spells are calculated before we take resistances, vulnerabilities, immunities, and critical hits into the equation.

Calculating Magic Attacks In Baldur’s Gate 3

When it comes to magic attacks, the calculations are a bit different from weapon attacks. There are two types of magic attacks in the game.

• Magic attacks that use attack rolls.
• Magic attacks that use saving throws.

When calculating magic attacks that deal damage, the first part of the roll consists of determining if the spell hits. The formula used is similar to that of weapon attacks and looks like this:

1d20 + proficiency bonus + Spellcasting Modifier + any feat-related modifiers = chance to hit

Wizards, whose spellcasting modifier is Intelligence, have their Intelligence modifier added to their rolls much like rogues have their dexterity modifier added to their attacks. As a spellcaster, your spellcasting modifier is added to determine the effectiveness of the spells you cast.

If the attack hits, the damage is calculated just as a weapon attack is – but with the spellcasting modifier added instead of the weapon-specific modifier.

The part that makes magic attacks a bit different is the second type of magic attack. The one that uses Spell Save Difficulty Class (Saving Throws) instead of attack rolls. In short, they’re performed like this.

• Spell Attack = You Roll
• Spell Save = They Roll

Your character’s spell save DC determines how high the target must roll in order to pass the saving throw and mitigate the effects of the given spell.

Your spell save DC is calculated the following way:

8 + Proficiency Bonus + Spell Casting Ability Modifier

If the target meets or beats it, then they can take either half or no damage, depending on the spell’s description. Other than that, magic attacks work similarly to weapon attacks. They just rely on different stats.

But let’s continue looking at other things that impact the outcome of an attack and the damage it deals. By the way, I’d recommend learning a bit about disadvantage and advantage in Baldur’s Gate 3. Two mechanics that impact combat substantially.

Vulnerabilities, Resistances, and Immunities Baldur’s Gate 3

Now that we’ve calculated the damage input, we’ve got to take vulnerabilities, immunities, and resistances into consideration before we land on the final number of damage an attack makes.

To understand these, it’s imperative to understand that there are multiple types of damage in the game:

Physical (Non-magical)

• Bludgeoning
• Slashing
• Piercing

Physical (Magical)

• Acid
• Thunder
• Necrotic
• Fire
• Lightning
• Cold
• Psychic
• Poison
• Radiant
• Force

When any of these types of damage are dealt to a target. The target can be affected in four ways.

1. Vulnerable – Take x2 damage from that type
2. Normal – Roll normally
3. Resistant – Take 1/2 damage from that type
4. Immune – Take no damage from that type

Let’s imagine you’re up against a target who is vulnerable to fire. You strike that enemy with a weapon that you’ve dipped in fire. The weapon now deals 8 bludgeoning damage and an additional 4 fire damage.

Because the target is vulnerable to fire, the ultimate number will end up being 8 bludgeoning damage plus 8 fire damage, as the creature’s vulnerability to fire causes all your fire damage to double.

In another scenario, where the creature is resistant or immune to fire, the attack would either do 8 bludgeoning damage and 0 or 2 fire damage depending on if the creature was immune or resistant to fire.

You can find out about a creature’s weaknesses and strengths by left-clicking on them and selecting Examine. Use this information to your advantage when planning your attacks, as these things impact the outcome of your attacks a lot.

How Do Critical Hits Work In Baldur’s Gate 3?

In addition to all of the above, an attack can also be a critical hit or a critical miss.

• Critical hit: the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s armor class.
• Critical miss: the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s armor class.

Your attack roll must be a natural 20 (meaning the 1d20 attack roll is a 20 before bonuses are added) in order for the attack to become a critical hit. A critical miss, on the other hand, only occurs if the 1d20 roll is a natural 1.

Rolling an 18 and then having a bonus of +2 will net a 20, but it’s not a natural 20 and will, therefore, not result in a critical hit.

The numbers needed to perform critical hits or misses can be adjusted with feats and certain items, making it more difficult or easy to achieve them.

In addition to ensuring that the attack hits, a critical hit will also increase the damage dealt by the attack.

See, when you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice for the attack’s damage against the target. You roll all of the attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. Any relevant modifiers are then added as normal.

For instance, a rogue who scores a critical hit with a dagger will roll 2d4 for the damage as opposed to 1d4. The attack modifier is then added to the number. If the attack includes other damage rolls, such as a rogue’s Sneak Attack, then those dice are rolled twice too.

Some spells, like Hold Person or Sleep, cause the attacker to get an automatic critical hit. Some feats can increase the range of critical hits for certain weapons.

This means that some characters, when equipped with certain weapons, can deliver a critical hit when the 1d20 roll is both 19 and 20, increasing the chances of a critical from 1 in 20 to 2 in 20.

The custom-made character will follow the companions if they’re being controlled by you too. So you’ll always have your party following you as long as everything is working as intended.

However, we’ve received a bunch of questions regarding party members not following the controlled character, which we’ve researched to find all possible answers.

So, how can you fix companions not following you in Baldur’s Gate 3?

In order for a character to follow you, their portrait must be connected to yours. This can be done by dragging one portrait to the other until a link is created between them or clicking the G-key to automatically connect the characters. The two characters must stand close in order for the connection to work.

It’s important that the portraits stick to one another. You’ll notice a space between the portraits if they aren’t connected, but when they are there shouldn’t be any space between them at all.

If you have linked the portraits to one another but your companion still doesn’t follow you, there are other methods of getting them to follow you. When the official function doesn’t work as intended, you’ve most likely run into a glitch of sorts.

When your Baldur’s Gate 3 companions don’t follow you even though their portraits are linked to yours, there’s something wrong. This can be fixed by fast-traveling to any destination with your party, taking a long rest, or going to camp and then back to the open world again. Fast-travel with one character at a time if they don’t follow you automatically.

Traveling with all your characters to the same destination will ensure that they’re in the same exact spot, ensuring that they can be grouped once again. You can try doing this with your entire party, but there’s a slight risk of it not working since the characters don’t follow you.

If that’s the case, you’ll have to fast-travel one character at a time. To do this, double-click any character’s portrait on the left-hand side of the screen. This should move your camera to that character, indicating that you’re controlling that specific character.

Now open your map and select your desired destination to fast-travel to. Once the character has reached its destination, double-click the next portrait and do the same with the subsequent character until the entire party has been moved to the same destination.

Once there, connect their portraits. As mentioned earlier, clicking the G-key should connect all of the characters that are close to the character you’re currently controlling.

If none of these methods seem to re-establish your party, I recommend restarting the game completely to see if it works better once it has booted up again.

Why Your Baldur’s Gate Companions Stop Following You

In Baldur’s Gate 3, all of the characters currently in your party can be found on the left-hand side, where their portraits are showing.

The portraits can be used for a bunch of different things, such as managing newly reached levels, distributing loot by dropping it on the portrait, left-clicking the portrait for more options, and so forth.

This means that there’s a bit of activity in the area surrounding the portraits, which can lead to players accidentally removing the link between paired characters.

The same thing will also occur if you accidentally press G on your keyboard, which either connects or disconnects the group members from one another.

Most commonly, characters will stop following you when you’ve moved too far from them without them being able to follow. This often happens when some of your characters can jump further than others, which results in the weaker jumpers being left behind and disconnecting from the group.

Sometimes, a character will stop following you even if the portraits are connected just because there’s something blocking the character from reaching you.

Double-click the character’s portrait and manually move it to you. You should find items that can teleport characters quite early on (Misty Step) and these will come in handy when weaker characters can’t make long jumps.

But among the options, you’ll find the option to recruit the companion. Both single- and multiplayer campaigns can recruit companions to either join the party or stay at camp to converse or join the fight later on in the game.

These companions have their own stories, ambitions, and enemies. Players will be able to continue the companion’s quest, which opens up more cutscenes and sidequests when certain places are visited with the right companion in the party.

Naturally, after investing a good bit of time and gear into the companion, players have started asking:

Can you lose a companion in Baldur’s Gate 3 permanently?

Yes, you can lose your companion in Baldur’s Gate but it rarely happens without your consent. There are different story paths that result in companions permanently leaving the party or dying but players will have to make that decision through dialogue. Companions can also leave the party if they disapprove of your actions to the point where they’ve lost all respect, which takes a lot of time to achieve.

But it should be noted that none of the companions are necessary in order to finish the game, it will just play out differently than it would if you had kept them. This is made obvious by the fact that you don’t even have to recruit them in the first place. You’re always given an option.

Some companions will only be available to recruit if you’ve chosen a certain path early in the game, as you might’ve already built up a bad reputation or gone against their cause but most of them can always be recruited.

Can You Get Companions Back In BG3?

If your companion died in battle, then you’ll be able to bring them back by helping them up, casting revivify on them, or by talking to Withers in camp – if you’ve gained access to him.

If you and your companion end up fighting one another and the companion is killed, then you won’t be able to bring your companion back. Not even Withers wields powers strong enough to do so.

If your companion leaves you, you won’t be able to get the companion back either. They might, however, leave you temporarily in certain areas, but for very short periods of time then return again.

How Many Companions Can You Have In Baldur’s Gate 3?

Your party can only consist of four members, but you’re allowed to have as many companions as possible in your camp. As I stated earlier, there’s a total of 10 companions.

Those who you recruit without using in your party will find their place in the camp and receive experience when the rest of your party does, meaning they will have gained levels in accordance with the rest of your party.

You can also recruit hirelings, a type of custom-made companion without a backstory. This can be a good option if the other companions aren’t to your liking, but you’ll miss their stories.

Can You Beat Baldur’s Gate 3 With No Companions?

You don’t need companions in order to beat the game but it’s quite difficult without them. Without companions, you best have a good strategy and make use of the terrain whenever possible.

The most important part, possibly, is to collect experience from every possible source so your character grows strong early on.

Which Companions Are Easy To Miss In Baldur’s Gate 3?

To tell you the truth, there are plenty of missable companions in the game. But if you’re a completionist who wants to talk to every non-player character in the game and explore every nook and cranny of the map, then you’ll most likely run into the companions.

The following companions are considered more missable than others if you ask me:

• Gale – Found in the teleportation stone north of the crash site.
• Karlach – Found south of the Toll House along the stream.
• Minthara – The drow in goblin camp whom Halsin asks you to defeat.

The last one, Minthara, is probably the most missable as you’re on a warpath with the intention of getting rid of the leaders of the goblin camp.

There are three major roles, I would say. Do note that there are thousands of ways of composing your character skills, and any character can be a mix between the roles, but for the sake of this article, we’ll separate them first.

The first of the three is the damage dealer – these come in the form of glass cannons, which deal a tremendous amount of damage to both multiple and single targets but are very fragile. The second is the brute or tanky type, who can handle being the focus of the enemy on the frontline.

The third is the support type. This is a character who has more supportive spells than others and whose objective is to mitigate damage, replenish the party’s hit points when needed, buff the party with enhancing spells, revive dead players, and crowd-control enemies.

So, what are the best healers in Baldur’s Gate 3?

The best healing class in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Cleric with the life domain subclass. Clerics gain access to powerful healing spells at lower levels than other classes and have plenty of spell slots to cast them. The life domain allows clerics to always have their healing spells prepared, making extra room for other spells. Other viable healers include Land Druids, OoTA Paladins, and Bards.

However, it should be noted that healing should be a secondary focus in Baldur’s Gate 3, and I’ll explain why later on in the article.

Below is a more comprehensive list of all healers in Baldur’s Gate 3.

The Best Healing Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3

It’s important that you find a support character that you enjoy playing, as there are plenty of classes with healing abilities that work differently.

All of them are not equally effective and excel in different areas but personal preference is a big part of the game as so many elements can be mixed and matched.

One thing, for instance, is that damage always outpaces healing in Baldur’s Gate 3, which makes a healer with the ability to mitigate damage rather than only restoring it an incredibly powerful supporter.

The best way to maintain your party’s hit points is to win battles quickly, by either dealing a lot of damage or crowd-controlling the enemies to give your party an advantage.

Below is a deep dive into the primary healing classes in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Related Article: Do DnD Parties Need Healers?

Cleric

Clerics wield divine magic, and their toolkit has made them one of the best support classes in the game. They’re support-focused spellcasters with healing abilities, crowd-control abilities, buffs, and debuffs that give enemies disadvantage.

Aside from all that, they’re able to deal a lot of damage with the right type of abilities.

Their arsenal of healing spells consists of single-target heals and large area of effect heals, providing a mix of restorative spells for any situation. In addition to their powerful healing spells, they have spells like Feign Death or Death Ward that prevent characters from dying.

Clerics will grant the entire party support and provide a tactical advantage in almost every encounter. With the life domain subclass, the Cleric is able to cast healing spells without preparing them first, which frees up extra slots for other supportive or offensive spells.

Guidance, an ability that grants a bonus on ability checks, is another bonus of having a Cleric in your party. Overall, the Cleric is a great supportive class that grows strong quite early in the game but truly excels at the end of the game.

Paladin

The Paladin class harbors a few curative spells from the start of the game. Initially, Paladins are able to cast a single-target heal called Lay on Hands and a spell called Healing Radiance, which restores 5 hit points to any surrounding characters.

As the game progresses, the Paladin is given new and more powerful restorative spells, such as Aid, Lesser Restoration, and Revivify.

The Paladin can cast auras to protect allies, deal a good bit of melee-focused damage, have high hit points, and can defend themselves quite well.

Paladin healers are, therefore, more bulky healers that not only negate damage by healing, but also by preemptively protecting allies against it by buffing them or neutralizing enemies.

Our recommended subclass for a supportive paladin is the Oath of the Ancients.

Bard

Bards are jacks of all trades, capable of filling every role in the game. The class gives you a charismatic character that should front your dialogues due to their high skill bonuses.

In combat, Bards come with a bunch of different supportive spells that will grant your party bonuses to different types of rolls.

Their strength is the amount of utility that they have at their disposal. They’re usually lower than other classes in the damage output charts but they make up for it by making other characters more powerful through their buffs.

Druid

Druids are one of the most versatile healers in the game but have fewer hit points than some of the other classes. This is compensated for by a wide arsenal of varying abilities, both protective and offensive.

The class can shapeshift into various forms which grant the Druid hit points and effective abilities for damage output. When the Druid’s hit points are brought to zero while shapeshifted, the class is forced back into its regular form rather than dying, making it incredibly powerful.

The Druid misses some of the supportive abilities that Clerics come with, but they’re equipped to deal a fair bit of damage and protect themselves quite well by shapeshifting.

They start out with the curative spell Healing Word at level 1 and as the Druid progresses, the class picks up other supportive spells that grant protection and resistance against various elements.

At level 6, Druids gain access to Heal, which is a powerful healing spell that restores hit points and removes some negative status effects.

Do You Need a Healer In Baldur’s Gate 3?

You don’t need a purebred healer in your party in Baldur’s Gate 3, but you should absolutely have characters with both restorative and supportive spells in order to facilitate battles.

Potions, scrolls, and long rests are good ways of keeping your party replenished, but having a character with curative spells and the ability to blind, paralyze, or fear enemies is of incredibly high value throughout the entire game.

Strong enemies will deal a lot of damage to your party unless they’re given disadvantage, which you can achieve by using abilities such as hold person, blind, fear, turn undead, and so forth.

If your support character has a wide array of spells that mitigate damage or prevent it from happening, then that’s even more effective than re-healing the hit points lost from taking the hit.

Therefore, focusing on a mixture of supportive spells, damage abilities, and pure healing spells is the way to go when creating a designated support class. In this game, being able to deal damage in addition to healing is the way to go.

From terrifying dragons to towering giants, the creatures of D&D have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments in the game’s history. Each creature has its place and purpose in the story. Some of them are villains, some of them allies, and some of them have no standing.

In this article we’ve decided to take a look at the most powerful creatures players can encounter in the game. We’ll introduce the creature, and talk a little bit about their powers and their background. These creatures can then be used in your own campaigns!

Intellect Devourer (CR 2)

An intellect devourer, or brain dog, is an abomination that takes the form of a disembodied human brain with 4 bestial legs that carry it around. Most, if not all intellect devourers, are servants of mind flayers and are looked upon as dreadful beings in the Underdark.

As the name implies, these beings are capable of magically consuming another humanoid’s brain and absorbing energy from it while leaving the humanoid incapacitated as a result of the extraction. In some cases, the victim’s mentality will be crushed to the point where they’re dazed and unable to act.

As if the creature isn’t horrendous enough as it is, the Intellect Devourer can replace a humanoid’s brain after consuming it, it is then possible for the devourer to control the host body as it if were its own.

Should this happen to one of your party members, you’ll have to fight one of your own, as they’re no longer controlled by themselves.

Pyrolisk (CR 3)

Initially, one doesn’t think much of the Pyrolisk as the creature is depicted as a cockatrice-dragon the size of a chicken with a chicken-like head but as the battle starts, challengers will come to understand that the Pyrolisk is, in fact, one of the most dangerous creatures in Dungeons and Dragons.

They are malevolent creatures that thrive to spread mayhem. Pyrolisks attack most other creatures who come close to them, even unprovoked – but their worst enemies are the phoenixes. They’re considered mortal enemies to one another.

When you shed light on the Pyrolisks attack, you will understand why wreaking havoc and spreading mayhem isn’t difficult for them. The chicken-dragon-cockatrice has multiple abilities that deal lethal damage to its foes.

To their disposal are many attacks, but two stand out. The first one is the pyrolisk’s deadly gaze that sets anyone on the other end of it aflame, killing them unless they succeed in a saving throw or are resistant to fire.

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Second to none comes an attack known for being bizarre, it’s the 43-hit dice for a potential of 344 damage when the stars align for the Pyrolisk. Few challengers stand upright after being on the receiving end of this attack.

Black Pudding (CR 4)

Depicted as a structureless mass of tar, the Black Pudding is among the deadliest of the oozes and slimes that roam the underground sewer canals or temples of the world. This pile of goo is made even more lethal by the fact that it’s immune to damage.

Any attempts to damage the black pudding will cause the creature to split into two equally dangerous blobs. The monstrosity deals tremendous amounts of damage with every hit and its attacks penetrate armor with ease, making it suboptimal to allow the creature to multiply even once.

But even the black pudding is designed with a simple flaw that will allow players to deal damage to it without spawning clones, and that’s its weakness to fire spells. This is by no means obvious to anyone challenging the black pudding, which makes it a challenging and rewarding encounter.

Death Slaad (CR 10)

Among the slaad species, which are known for their unpredictable and chaotic nature, the Death Slaad is thought of as the strongest and deadliest. Being the pinnacle of a race that strives to bring evil and chaos to all gives the Death Slaad a lot of power and influence over other Slaad, but also other creatures.

This influence allows the Death Slaad to gather large armies and send them through with the intention of destroying peace and spreading chaos across multiple planes.

Death Slaads are capable of morphing into humanoids to disguise themselves, and even though their appearance transforms from truly monstrous into a persuadingly regular humanoid, they still maintain their true strength, making them incredibly powerful and deceitful.

Resistance to magic and the ability to wield a magic greatsword that deals tremendous damage is part of what makes Death Slaads scary.

Encountering a Death Slaad is not only a test of pure strength and stamina. Rather, the battle will force players to deal with the Slaad’s manipulative and strategic nature along with its intellect and raw force.

Defeating this malevolent creature will require players to use their resourcefulness, but it will make for a memorable triumph.

Aboleth (CR 10)

An eel-like anomaly with malevolent instincts, the Aboleth are a race of aquatic creatures with powerful psionic powers. Formerly, Aboleth were considered gods of the lakes but they were stripped of their status by the true gods, and the Aboleth have sought vengeance ever since.

These amphibians are immense, measuring 6 meters in length and weighing about 3000 kilograms at their prime. They do, however, continue to grow in size as they age, which is why some ancient Aboleth doubles the average size of their kin.

Armed with tentacles, these creatures can swing brutal melee attacks that can inflict a disease upon their victim. They’re even able to enslave it, should the victim fail his or her saving throw.

If a character connects with the Aboleth, telepathically, the monster can learn of the character’s greatest desires and exploit them.

Hecatoncheire (CR 11)

These creatures derive from Greek mythology. The word “hecaton” means hundred and “cheir” arms, making it the “Hundred-Hander”.

The hecatoncheire has been presented in various ways throughout the different editions of the game. The evolution of the monster started as a towering swarm of 50 heads and 100 arms armed with swords but has, in later editions, been depicted as a four-armed giant.

The monster’s body resembles that of a large tree and moves by using a series of roots at its base.

Nevertheless, the hecatoncheire is incredibly rapid because of its bizarre amount of arms, allowing it to attack a myriad of times during a single round. While it’s wise to attack the hecatoncheire from afar to be out of reach for the swarm of swords, one should still expect the abomination to be able to counterattack.

Challengers will be put to the test during this encounter where you’ll have to dodge a barrage of sword attacks in melee range or avoid enormous stones as they’re thrown against you at a distance. To make the encounter even worse, they’re capable of rejuvenating wounds that aren’t caused by divine weapons.

Beholders (CR 13)

Depicted as a floating blob with one rather large eye, a mouth, and tentacles armed with multiple smaller eyes, the Beholder is an abomination you won’t forget. The creature may not look like much at first glance but their kin reign supreme over other beings and consider themselves superior to all other creatures.

Beholders are not the most versatile creatures when it comes to their arsenal. There are a few noteworthy attacks at their disposal – the first being a fearsome bite attack and the second being their trademark attack, the eye ray.

The eye ray is what gives the Beholder more layers and adds complexity to the encounter, as there are multiple variants of the eye ray that have different effects. Among the 10 variants, there are two that are deadlier than the others.

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The death ray and the disintegration ray are both capable of depleting a character’s hit points in a single hit. Those who manage to avoid these rays might stand a chance against the floating eye monster.

Elder Brain (CR 14)

It comes as no surprise that a monstrosity called the Elder Brain has the ability to read thoughts and manipulate minds.

Portrayed as a giant floating brain in a see-through cover filled with harmful fluid, the Elder Brain has a truly monstrous appearance that matches its intentions.

As threatening and fatal an encounter with an Elder Brain can be, it’s made even worse by the fact that these creatures rarely go unguarded by their servants, the mind flayers.

Mind flayers are a highly intelligent ancient race that resides in the Underdark – a subterranean network of tunnels.

In their colony, the mind flayers are controlled by a hive mind, which acts as a repository for accumulated knowledge, memories, and intellect in the community.

This hive mind is the Elder Brain. With this in mind, you might understand why you won’t be able to attack an Elder Brain without having a swarm of mind flayers appear.

Purple Worm (CR 15)

Purple worms are enormous beasts capable of burrowing through solid rock. They’re famous for their insatiable hunger and immense size. Much like the sandworms in Dune, purple worms are able to sense vibrations in the ground and then quickly move toward the vibrations to devour whatever living thing they might find there.

The purple worm’s 80-foot-long body is covered in purple chitinous plates, and its enormous maws are capable of devouring a party member whole. It’s also armed with lines of razor-sharp teeth and at the end of its body sits a stinger that will incapacitate anyone who’s stung.

If you’re unable to levitate or move through the air, hiding from a purple worm is very unlikely. By creating a complex network of subterranean tunnels, the purple worm can move from one point to another with great haste.

Encountering a purple worm is a terrifying experience, their sheer strength and speed are enough to crush a human body, and their acidic digestive system will dissolve the toughest materials.

Purple worms are often found in underground caverns or deep within dungeons, where they often guard treasures or roam their habitat freely as apex predators.

Marilith (CR 16)

Depicted as some sort of reptile humans, Mariliths have a human female upper body while their lower body is that of a giant snake. Their upper body hosts six strong and quick arms wielding long swords, ready to throw a barrage of lethal strikes toward any foe who comes close.

They have connections in the Abyss, where they’ve acted as advisors to demonic nobility, trained demonic armies, and sometimes, climbed the ranks to the point where they’ve been considered demonic queens. Their intelligence and expertise in the field of warfare make them very valuable to those who seek to conquer the battlefields.

These aberrations are very quick to react, and anyone trying to surprise one will have to use their wits to not fail. The punishment, if caught, will be multiple strikes, by the aforementioned six arms – but there are more hazards in Marilith’s arsenal.

They have the ability to teleport to and from foes, making it incredibly hard to escape or kite the being from a distance. Its tail is used to knock players to the ground, incapacitating them.

Dragon Turtle (CR 17)

Deep down in the ocean roams one of the largest monsters in Dungeons and Dragons, the Dragon Turtle. A massive creature that combines characteristics from both dragons and turtles, the Dragon Turtle measures a staggering 70 feet in length and has the appearance of a massive turtle, but along its spine runs a row of jagged spines that resemble a dragon’s spine.

The Dragon Turtle is covered in scales that protect it from attacks, and as an aquatic creature, it can move speedily underwater. Unlike creatures in other domains, the Dragon Turtle isn’t evil in nature.

Instead, the Dragon Turtle has a neutral stand against others but keeps a strong territorial instinct to defend their territory against anyone who might be a threat.

This has made it possible for adventurers to concede part of their loot to the Dragon Turtle in exchange for safe passage through the turtle’s territory. Those who have refused

Death Knight (CR 17)

When a devoted paladin strays from his path and becomes corrupt without seeking to correct his wrongdoings before his death, the god he has pledged his life to will punish him by returning him to roam the earth as a Death Knight.

The former paladin can still find redemption for his sins – but most Death Knights fall into despair and become full of hatred against the god who cursed them. Instead, they devote their lives to spreading chaos and misery.

Having been powerful warriors in life, Death Knights wield lethal spells and abilities.

Death Knights are very interesting encounters in Dungeons and Dragons, as they’re not part of your run-of-the-mill creature pool. They aren’t killed by brute force or spells.

In fact, the Death Knight can’t be killed until the wicked actions the former paladin took during his living life have been redeemed.

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This will have the party investigating the Death Knight and the sins he performed with the aim of righting his wrongs so that he can return to rest peacefully ever after. Death Knights can be used for some pretty incredible storytelling, especially dark and tragic stories.

Nagpa (CR 17)

The Nagpa were once prominent elven mages devoted to serving the Raven Queen. When a pack of elven mages decided to plot against the queen to hinder her from completing a sacred ritual, the queen responded by cursing them.

The pack of mages was turned into Nagpas and banished to wander the material plane for the rest of their lives.

Their newly-acquired, somewhat hideous, form was that of a vulture-like humanoid with skeletal hands armed with Nagpa staffs, a staff with a bird-head. The Nagpa are unable to reproduce, and the race of the Nagpa will, therefore, one day come to an end when the last of their kin have fallen.

The Nagpa excels in the arts of arcane magic. They’re very selfish and reclusive, and do whatever they can to keep the knowledge of their curse from reaching the public.

Their kin does not require food or sleep in order to survive. They must, however, meditate for a big portion of the day in order to replenish their spells.

They’re not prone to aggression as long as their interests aren’t threatened. In fact, characters might end up receiving advice from a Nagpa if the creature isn’t provoked.

Dracolich (CR 17)

The Dracolich are remnants of dragons who’ve undergone rituals to become undead beasts. The ritual makes the once-dragon more powerful and gives it immunities and new abilities, such as the ability to control the undead. They’re soulless beings, as their souls are removed and spared in phylacteries when they become undead.

In battle, a Dracolich can frighten creatures and attack multiple times by using both their claws and maws. This combo leaves most characters with very little health left, if any.

Most who go into combat with a full-fledged Dracolich are either left on the battlefield or return with little to nothing left.

Additionally, the monstrosity has a powerful lightning breath that causes about 120 damage to anyone who’s struck by it. Defensively, the Dracolich can fly, making it easy for it to avoid melee attacks – in addition to this, it is also immune to multiple schools of spells.

Demilich (CR 18)

Prominent sorcerers and wizards who sought more power beyond death sometimes became liches, who were powerful undead casters. In pursuit of even more power, some liches would strive to become demiliches.

In order to become a demilich, a lich had to be separated from its body and then replace its body parts with soul gems. This required the lich to learn the art of creating soul gems.

In the process of becoming a demilich, the lich loses its extremities and torso. In the end, all that’s left is a floating skull that holds all of the soul gems created in the process. The soul gems could appear in other remaining parts of the liches body, but the most common form is a floating skull.

There’s no arguing why the Demilich has landed a spot on this list. The soul gems the skull holds are powerful enough to absorb a soul and the skull’s shriek is so horrifying that it leaves anyone exposed to it lifeless, with no possibility of resurrection.

Defensively, demiliches are immune to most attacks, making it incredibly hard to defeat one, should you encounter it. Only a small subset of rare weapons and powerful spells cause harm to the floating skull – so make sure you’re prepared if you want to stand a chance.

Oonga (CR 18)

The least conventional of the most dangerous creatures in Dungeons and Dragons might be Oonga. Created towards the end of the first edition of the game, the Oonga was introduced to allow players who had snowballed and become too powerful to still be challenged.

Depicted as an enormous version of King Kong in the scenario Isle of the Apes, the Oonga quickly became a household name as the towering creature was given incredible powers that not only matched those of some of the game’s strongest creatures but surpassed them.

Oonga has a lot of hit points, hits like a truck, is immune to mind control, and regenerates itself. Both dragons, demons, and giants were afraid of Oonga.

This is understandable, especially when you consider one of its most prominent attacks – its ability to pick a player up, squeeze him in its enormous grasp, drop him from wuthering heights, and stomp on whatever is left.

Balor (CR 19)

Despite their raw fury and desire for power, Balors are intelligent and persuading creatures. Through their ability to manipulate those around them, they worked their way up the ranks to command the legions of demons in Hell. To quench their thirst for power, Balors strive to take over the world by conquering it with their demonic armies.

Enveloped in an aura of darkness, Balors stand 12 feet tall and weigh up to 4500 pounds. Their grotesque and devilish body form is engulfed in flames. Much like pit fiends, Balors are armed with wings, venomous fangs, and razor-sharp claws.

But, as a symbol of their ability to command armies and battle fearlessly, Balors often dual-wield a flaming whip and a longsword charged with the power of storms.

However, even though their supreme ability to battle, Balors often favor scheming, plotting, and using their spells and long-range abilities to impact battles, rather than joining the legions on the frontlines.

The most powerful of the Balor’s abilities, Death Throes, is channeled when the Balor dies, causing the Balor’s flaming body to explode, sending massive pieces of burning flesh flying at high speeds. The explosion deals massive damage to the party and sets the surrounding area aflame.

Pit Fiend (CR 20)

In the unfathomable depths of the infernal realm, where chaos reigns and hellfire dances, a hierarchy or equilibrium must be upheld. The top of the demonic hierarchy of dominance is the pit fiend, who carves its path mercilessly through any imp or lesser demon foolish enough to impede its progress.

Known for their brutality, pit fiends have become both respected and feared in their domain. Should anyone who doesn’t belong there venture into Hell and encounter a pit fiend, they will have to use everything at their disposal to have a chance against the pit fiend.

Standing, 12-foot tall and weighing 800 pounds, the pit fiend is covered in scales, inflamed by their rage. The pit fiend’s back has two strong wings, giving the pit fiend a gargoyle-like appearance.

The pit fiend is a fearsome encounter, as it can use its maw, claws, tail, venomous teeth, and wings as weapons. If bitten, a character will suffer from a horrible disease known as devil chills.

Solar (CR 21)

Solars, a type of archangel, are the most powerful of all angels and celestials in Dungeons and Dragons. To some, they’re considered to be godlike but the Solars don’t want worshippers of their own. Instead, they only want to serve the divine power that they’ve pledged their allegiance to.

Deep within the flaming hell holes in the Abyss, the demon lords themselves fear the day a Solar makes an appearance, as they’re exceedingly powerful beings whom Orcus himself would stand little chance against.

Few beings are strong enough to challenge Solars for power, as the Solars have a vast arsenal of powerful attacks and spells. Armed with a greatsword that can slash through creatures with ease and even fight on its own while the Solar shoots fiery arrows, a Solar can face armies of feeble creatures without harm.

Dealing damage to one is no piece of cake either, as they’re highly resistant to magic and weapons.

Elder Titan (CR 21)

Among all of the giants in Dungeons and Dragons, the elder titans are colossal in comparison to the rest of their kin. Their immense size and strength make them an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

Anything in their path will be left in ruins as they rummage through cities armed with gigantic hammers or javelins.

Don’t let their size and exceptional strength fool you, they’re also extremely intelligent beings and skilled spellcasters. Some titans are even capable of becoming invisible and levitating. This mixture of cosmic size, brute force, and vast intelligence makes the elder titan extremely dangerous.

Molydeus (CR 21)

Deep within the Abyss, Molydeus serves as one of the demon lord’s most prominent and powerful servants, and are even considered superior to balors.

Depicted as a demon with a goat head and a snake attached to its back, the Molydeus is incredibly dangerous and masters a plethora of fearsome attacks that will leave few characters intact.

As the demon lords’ servants, the Molydeus are expected to and capable of withstanding the attacks of an entire party single-handedly without the help of their lords or other feeble creatures.

Standing about 4 meters tall and weighing 650~ kilograms, the demon is covered in red skin, and equipped with a set of lethal clawed hands.

In addition to its claws, the Molydeus often carry a unique demonic weapon linked to them. While the weapon could vary depending on the lord they served, it’s more often than not a demonic greataxe. These weapons are deadly but will dissolve when the Molydeus is slain to ensure no one else can harness its power.

Molydeus have plenty of magic abilities, a lot of resistance against different schools of magic, a set of powerful attacks, and a couple of legendary actions.

These attributes cause problems for any foes by themselves, but when combined, they offer characters the possibility to meet with something they’ve never seen before.

Empyrean (CR 21)

Empyreans are tall and graceful beings who never age and always maintain their beauty. Their titan-like appearance is the shell of an inside that’s controlled by strong emotions. So strong that the Empyrean can physically alter their surroundings based on their mood.

As for some of the other creatures on this list, Empyreans aren’t aligned to do evil. In fact, they’re kind and well-meaning – or at least most of them.

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Some Empyreans stray too far from their path and become corrupted or cursed by an evil deity. They’re then banished from their home plane and sent to the Prime Material Plane. Encountering an evil Empyrean is a completely different experience.

From ground-shaking attacks to powerful spells, they’re a force to be reckoned with. With an armor class of 22 and 313 hit points at their disposal, their foes are in for a long fight.

Zaratan (CR 22)

The Zaratan, a turtle-like creature with a shell measuring hundreds of feet in diameter, is a beast to be reckoned with. Their metabolism allows them to live for thousands of years, during which sediment and plants will start growing on their shells, creating a sort of ecosystem on the monster’s back.

When submerged halfway, a Zaratan could be mistaken for an island because of the vegetation on their shells. They’re not evil, but they’re not good either. They’re just beings who you don’t want to get on the wrong side of.

These creatures are extremely dangerous and will strike back with the force of an army at anyone who’s provoking them or hindering their march forward. They do, however, spend most of their time sleeping inside their shell and reflexively swallow anything that gets close to the opening during their hibernation.

Fighting one is difficult, as the Zaratan’s movement creates dangerous shockwaves that the party must withstand. When damaged, the turtle will retract its body into the impenetrable shell on its back and wait until it has regenerated.

Sometimes, the Zaratan will go into a deep slumber which can last for decades once retracted. The encounter is, as you can imagine, difficult to navigate.

Kraken (CR 23)

A creature that can control the oceans wields tremendous power over those who seek to traverse it. By manipulating currents and the weather, Kraken can create the perfect opportunity to strike and sink both lonesome ships and entire fleets.

These colossal monstrosities can swallow foes whole. Anyone who survives being swallowed can fight the monster from within. Fighting a Kraken is no joke, even for the most stacked of parties, as the Kraken bears high stats and deals lethal damage with its tentacles.

Even though the Kraken is known for being a horrendous sea creature, it is by no means bound to the aquatic domain and can breathe out of the water. The deep trenches of the sea are its primary habitat, though.

Good luck fighting one. Hopefully, it doesn’t regenerate its tentacles once you’ve sliced them off or spew a cloud of black ink your way.

Ancient Red Dragon (24)

Challenging an ancient dragon, regardless of which one it is, isn’t for the faint of heart, as they’re some of the most dangerous creatures, and a fight with any of them is an obstacle that will drain or defeat even the most prepared party.

Among these unstoppable forces, the red dragon is known for being one of the strongest, only triumphed by Tiamat. It’s very evil, self-centered, and extremely protective of its treasures.

The red dragon is no tactician, unlike many other foes on this list. Instead, it snaps and goes berserk without any forethought. Their power and cruelty make them incredibly dangerous even without a plan. Having a monster of this size go into a blackout rage and act unpredictably will shock anyone.

During an encounter with the red dragon, the party can expect it to cast a fire breath that will either kill or severely damage the party, and a wing attack that can render characters incapacitated. In addition to their strong attacks, they’ve got a boatload of hit points and a high armor class.

Primus (CR 25)

Known as the lord of the Modrons, Primus is the supreme power that leads his race of lawfully aligned beings who inhabit Mechanus, the Plane of Law.

The fact that ending up on the wrong side of the law could lead to an encounter with Primus will have creatures reconsider their plans, as Primus has enough force to incapacitate most woes.

While Primus is no god, he comes very close. His entire demeanor conveys a sense of law, order, precision, and perfection.

Primus emerges from a pillar of energy, his upper body is that of a humanoid while his lower body is a column of spiral energies. His appearance is surrounded by a radiant aura that symbols his almost divine power and superiority.

As a talented spellcaster that rarely relies on his magic abilities, Primus has gathered enough brute force to use his melee attacks to fend off attackers who dare approach him.

Marut (CR 25)

The Maruts were created by Mystra to enforce the fundamental laws of the universe. Primarily, finding those who’ve found ways of denying or cheating death and ensuring they’re punished for it.

As enforcers of contracts throughout the Multiverse, Maruts have been given significant strength and power to be able to carry out the tasks they’ve been given. Maruts care about little except their duties given by the deities who they serve.

Maruts are mostly found on their home plane of the Mechanus, where clockwork creatures roam. They’re depicted as large mech-titans, humanoid in form but made of mechanical components, and wield no weapons but carry out lethal damage through brute force.

Once these colossal mechanical enforcers have spotted their target, they march toward it without doubt or pause and continue to pursue until the target has been eliminated and the task has been completed.

Maruts mainly rely on their fists of lightning and thunder to deal damage but they’re also able to channel bursts of arcane energy from their chest, which both damages and stuns enemies.

The Marut’s left fist, the thunder fist, emits a huge thunderclap that can deafen opponents for up to a minute when it strikes. The right one, the lightning fist, strikes with a great flash of electricity that can blind a foe for the same amount of time.

Demogorgon (CR 26)

The powerful demon prince, Demogorgon, is one of the most famous and feared villains in the game’s lore. He lived on the 88th layer of the Abyss, known as Gaping Maw, where he raised a palace known as Abysm, which consisted of two towers connected by a bridge at the top.

He is worshiped as a god by many other evil creatures. His two heads create a duality that plagues him as there’s an ongoing internal conflict between the two heads. Demogorgon is known for his cruelty, as he has a strong desire to spread chaos and destruction throughout the Abyss.

Demogorgon can be one of the most challenging encounters in the game to defeat, even for high-level players. His attacks deal a great amount of damage and his powerful abilities and magic can leave characters with little-to-no hp left. But as with most things in Dungeons and Dragons, the encounter can be made harder or easier.

Adding other creatures by the Demogorgon’s side is a surefire way of making the encounter harder. Another is to fight him in his own favorite domain – water.

Orcus (CR 26)

The Demon Prince of the Undead, Orcus, was once a powerful and wicked spellcaster on the mortal plane. His actions during life forced him to an afterlife in the Abyss, where he worked his way from the bottom to the top. The climb took thousands of years, during which he challenged many other demon lords for power.

Once at the top, Orcus showed very little compassion for the minions who served him. Those who serve under his rule and prove powerful and willing to continue his mission of spreading chaos are given a piece of his power, but they’re bound to him. Orcus’s goal is to create a gigantic necropolis under his command.

Vecna – Lich (CR 26)

Vecna, popularized by Stranger Things, is a former human king turned lich who was betrayed by one of his closest servants. Vecna isn’t bound to any single domain but roams all over the multiverse with the intent to bring destruction and gain dominion over other beings.

One of Vecna’s methods to gain sovereignty is to manipulate and expose others’ secrets. According to Vecna, every being holds a single secret that, when unearthed, gives others control of that being. Thanks to his incredibly keen perception, he doesn’t miss anything.

Vecna’s foes are usually met with a myriad of different powerful attacks, as he himself harbors tremendous powers. Among the least forgiving of his abilities, you’ll find horrible ways of altering reality and paralyzing his targets with his touch.

Tiamat (CR 30)

Dragon goddess of greed, queen of evil dragons, sister of Bahamut, and servant of gods Bane and Asmodeus – Tiamat isn’t just the mightiest of dragons, but one of the most powerful creatures in Dungeons and Dragons altogether.

Tiamat is depicted as a dragon with multiple heads, one for each color of the chromatic dragons (red, blue, black, and green).

Each head is capable of acting independently of the other heads and carries the powers of the chromatic dragon its color represents. During combat, these heads will cooperate and cast breath-like spells associated with their species.

Tiamat has the ability to claw and kick her victims with enormous force, but mostly when she’s airborne as the sheer size of her body makes it hard to do while standing. At the end of Tiamat’s tail sits a stinger that injects victims who are stung with a fatal venom.

This mixture of abilities in combination with Tiamat’s deity status and stats turn this dragon into a powerhouse few can triumph.

Tarrasque (CR 30)

Towering over most other creatures in Dungeons and Dragons, the Tarrasque has probably become the most infamous monster in the game, known for its hunger for destruction and ability to wreak havoc on everything it sets its gaze on. During a rampage, anything standing in the Tarrasque’s way will be left devastated.

Get Into DnD: The Complete Guide On How To Start Playing D&D

Everything about the creature is designed to be a symbol of brute force. Its appearance is much like that of a dinosaur with spikes along its back. It stands fifty feet tall and seventy feet wide, with an enormous maw capable of swallowing enemies whole.

Because of its sheer strength, the Tarrasque’s attacks are primarily hard-hitting melee attacks. In addition to its devastating attacks, the monster has a reflective carapace, which can redirect spells back toward the caster.

Players who are familiar with Dungeons and Dragons will, therefore, know their way around Baldur’s Gate with ease. A big portion of the player base has never been in contact with tabletop roleplaying games though, which has resulted in the game spawning a plethora of questions related to the game’s mechanics.

Two words that appear frequently in the game are “Advantage” and “Disadvantage” – whether it be in combat, during an action, or in a dialogue. They were both introduced in the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons to help streamline the somewhat scattered situational bonuses from the prior games.

Let’s start by looking at the meaning of each state and how you can obtain it.

What’s Advantage In BG3 and DnD?

In both games, the outcome of an action is determined by rolling dice. More specifically, a 20-sided die. Whenever a character makes an attack, tries to lockpick a door, or persuades someone in a dialogue, a dice is rolled to determine if the action will succeed or fail.

When a character has advantage, that character is given a second die that will be rolled at the same time and the die with the highest number will then be picked for the character’s action. Your modifiers (bonuses and penalties) are then added or subtracted from the roll.

This is extremely beneficial as it increases the chances for the player to hit attacks, succeed in dialogues, open doors, and much more. You can have advantage over another character or being in more than one way in any given situation – but the effect will never stack or grant more benefits.

So, how is it obtained?

How To Get Advantage In BG3 and DnD

Advantage can be obtained in many ways. We’ve compiled a list of different situations where a character will gain advantage to give an idea of the concept.

• When attacking while hidden (or surprising the enemy).

• When flanking an enemy, which happens when two allies are attacking from opposite sides of the enemy. (In Dungeons and Dragons)

• When the enemy you attack is prone.

• When the enemy you attack is restrained, asleep, or paralyzed.

• When one of the many spells or items in the game that grant advantage on the next attack is used.

• When the attacker has a high-ground position in relation to the target. (Only Baldur’s Gate 3)

• When a character has a class action that gives advantage. Rogue’s “Cunning Action” gives advantage on Stealth Checks, for instance.

• When the non-player character you’re trying to persuade is charmed or befriended using spells.

These are the most common situations that grant a character advantage when rolling – but there are many other occurrences that alter advantage on rolls, such as feats, which characters are given the first time at level 4, and racial traits which also grant advantage in certain situations.

It should be mentioned that any feat that allows a character to reroll a die, such as the Lucky Feat, only allows characters to reroll one of the two dice with advantage.

The benefit of being in a state of advantage is roughly equivalent to a +4 bonus to your rolls, meaning you’re 20% more likely to succeed on any roll. This makes advantage a very important mechanic to understand and master – as it is one of the greatest ways to impact the outcome of your actions.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, the maps are often very detailed and few battles are fought in locations where the environment can’t be used to your advantage. High-ground positions are one of the most easily accessible ways of doing it.

Another way to gain advantage over an enemy by using the environment is to shove said enemy off a ledge high enough to cause the creature to be prone after the fall.

What’s Disadvantage In BG3 and DnD?

Characters who are in a state of disadvantage in any given situation are also given an extra die to roll with but instead of picking the one with the highest number to determine the outcome, the die with the lowest number is picked.

You want to avoid being in a disadvantage at all costs, as you’ll need to pass the roll with two dice instead of one.

For instance, imagine that you need to roll 15 to pass a Wisdom check but the character rolling is at a disadvantage. When the character rolls, the dice must both pass 15 in order to pass the check – as the lowest number is picked. This state often produces failed actions and misses.

For obvious reasons, you’ll want to place your own characters in a position where they’re given advantage while the enemy is forced to roll with disadvantage, but accomplishing this isn’t always easy.

How To Avoid Disadvantage In BG3 and DnD?

So when are characters placed in a disadvantageous position? Some of the most common situations tend to be when:

• You attack in the darkness without darkvision.

• You make a ranged attack when the target is in melee range.

• You’re wearing armor or equipment that you aren’t proficient in.

• You’re frightened, blinded, or affected by other status effects that cause disadvantage.

The easiest way to avoid being at a disadvantage is to use equipment that you’re proficient in, as equipping a piece of armor that you’re not proficient in has crippling consequences.

Furthermore, ensuring that your character isn’t over-encumbered and that any hindering conditions that are inflicted on them are removed immediately are solid ways of preventing disadvantage.

This state can, as mentioned before, be caused by spells too. An example is Blur, a spell known to Wizards and Sorcerers in Baldur’s Gate 3 that puts the target at disadvantage. These spells are more useful than one might think, especially if you’ve grown used to brute forcing it.

Not only do they impose disadvantage on an enemy, making them much less likely to succeed, they can also make an enemy with advantage lose the advantage.

How? Well, advantage and disadvantage can cancel each other out.

(Below is an example where the environment causes both states, which cancel each other out. The same could be achieved by casting Blur on the target with advantage.)

A character could, for instance, be positioned on a high ground, giving the character advantage – while the character’s target is positioned in the dark, putting the same character in a state of disadvantage. The two states will then cancel out, resulting in a neutral roll with one die.

Wrapping Up

Rolls are, like it or not, a fundamental part of the game, and learning how to cope with these mechanics is most likely going to make the experience even more enjoyable.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, players are directly responsible for out-of-combat rolls, such as rolls in dialogue and lockpicking – the rest of the rolls are handled in the background by the game.

The same can be said for Dungeons and Dragons, where the Dungeon Master handles some of the rolls and the players cast the rest.

In fact, once a custom character is created, the character is stuck in the campaign. You can, however, change the character’s class – but that’s as far as you’re able to go with the official solutions provided by Larian as of today.

Larian has stated on Twitter that they’re working on fixing this problem, so players can have others join their campaign for a short while and then remove their friend’s custom-made characters and re-invite their companions from camp again, but until a solution has been implemented, players are left with four options:

1. Keep the character but change its class.
2. Keep the character as it is.
3. Mod the game through Osiris scripts to remove the character.
4. Load a save from a time before the other player’s character was created.

How To Change Class in Baldur’s Gate 3

While changing the character’s class is possible, it won’t change the character’s appearance, race, and background. You are stuck with what was picked by the other player for the character.

Nevertheless, if you’re happy with that and can justify only changing the character’s class, you can do so by talking to Withers in camp. He will offer you the possibility to change your class and specialization for no more than 100 gold.

If you haven’t found Withers yet, he’s located in a tomb found in the first section of the game. You can access the tomb by lockpicking the door north of the beach where the crash at the start of the game happened or by entering through the ruins southeast of Emerald Grove.

Withers is located in a sarcophagus at the end of the dungeon, where he’ll offer to help you after a bit of dialogue.

Remove Custom-Made Characters With Osiris Scripts In Baldur’s Gate 3

User Apk07 on Reddit posted a solution to this problem. The solution, as of now, is a script that uses built-in functions to remove a character from the campaign.

Once removed, the same player won’t be able to create a new character in that same campaign. Instead, when they’re invited to the playthrough they’re only allowed to spectate.

So, using this script to remove a character only to have the same player re-join the campaign with the intention of creating a new character won’t work.

In fact, there are a bunch of different problems that you can encounter when using the script. It is by no means a problem-free solution so make sure you’ve saved the game before running it. Known issues include problems with transferring items and removing characters in dialogue.

Minimize the risks before running the script by

• Removing all of the character’s items – send them to another player’s inventory.
• Take a long rest and make sure none of the characters wake up to dialogue or have someone in camp wanting to talk to them. There should be no pending dialogue when the script is running.

Running the Script

Step 1: Start by saving the game prior to running the script and name the save something along the lines of “Before Script” or “Pre Delete” to facilitate finding the file.

Step 2: Download and extract the 2 files from https://github.com/Norbyte/bg3se/releases and place them in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\bin.

Step 3: Launch the game. You’ll see a prompt window opening up in the background and the game will warn you that there’s a data mismatch. When warned, simply click close and the Play button will appear.

Step 4: Load the save file you want to remove a character from. Double-click the character’s portrait to ensure that you have the character you want to remove selected. Once you’re in control of the unwanted character you can alt-tab back to the prompt window that opened up in the background when launching the game.

Step 5: In the console, type the following commands one at a time and press enter between each command. Copy the UUID that you’re given after entering the second command and keep it at hand.
osi
print(GetHostCharacter())

Step 6: In the console, type the following commands (one at a time and press enter after each command) but change the “UUID-HERE” with the UUID you were given in the last step.

osi

   MakeNPC(“UUID-HERE”)

   SetHasDialog(“UUID-HERE”, 0)

   SetOnStage(“UUID-HERE”, 0)

   Osi.DB_Players:Delete(“UUID-HERE”)

   Osi.DB_Avatars:Delete(“UUID-HERE”)

   Osi.DB_PartOfTheTeam:Delete(“UUID-HERE”)

   Osi.DB_IsOrWasInParty:Delete(“UUID-HERE”)

   Osi.DB_GLO_PartyMembers_InPartyDialog:Delete(“UUID-HERE”, “NULL_00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000”)

   Osi.PROC_RemoveAllPolymorphs(“UUID-HERE”)

Osi.PROC_RemoveAllDialogEntriesForSpeaker(“UUID-HERE”)

Osi.PROC_CheckPartyFull()

Step 7: Your character should be removed from the playthrough – you can now create a subsequent save called “After Delete” or “Post-Delete”.

Step 8: Remove the files you extracted from the bin folder and launch the game properly, you should no longer receive warning prompts.

If you want to read more about the scripts on Reddit: Here’s the thread.

Considerations

It’s always easy to be wise in hindsight, but for those who are considering inviting a friend to their playthroughs, make sure you save prior to inviting them. You might end up playing for an hour or two together and then just leaving it – and you’ll be stuck with an unwanted character for the rest of your campaign.

Because of the number of people who have requested this function in-game, I think Larian should be close to implementing it or developing a fix as we speak. That’s what I hope for, as some of these unofficial fixes can be a bit scuffed.

Curses can be cast by good, neutral, and evil characters but they’re more often than not used by evil-intentioned creatures.

Curses come in different forms throughout the game and can be acquired through various means, such as cursed magic items, spells and rituals, and encounters with cursed creatures.

The effects of the curse can vary from impacting individual characters, places, or items to spreading to everything surrounding the cursed object or character. Curses can be removed but players must often overcome a challenge to find out how.

As simple as it may sound, there’s much more to say about curses in Dungeons and Dragons.

I feel like the framework for curses has been laid out for the Dungeon Master, but managing and picking the right type of curse requires a bit of balance in order for the curse to have a big enough effect to make it motivating to remove but not great enough to render a character useless.

What Types of Curses Are There In DnD?

In Dungeons and Dragons, the use of curses can enhance the storyline, make for a challenge for the players, create interesting class builds, and mystify places and items. While curses have negative effects, these effects can be used by the Dungeon Master to challenge the party.

There are many layers to a curse and the way it works. On the first layer, you have the object, place, or character that’s cursed.

On the second layer, you have the mechanical effects of the curse, the detriment that those who happen upon it are affected by.

On the third layer, you have the origin of the curse, which doesn’t affect the curse mechanically but it adds to the storyline and may or may not give hints about ways of dispelling the curse.

The origin of the curse doesn’t need to be the item or person who cursed the player. Instead, the curse could have its origins far back in time, and he or she who created it might not even be alive anymore. This can then be used by the Dungeon Master to create fascinating lore.

Aside from all this, there are different types of curses, which also have an impact on how they should be applied to the game. Let’s look at them.

1. Bestow curse

Bestow curse is a 3rd-level spell found in the Player’s Handbook, allowing players to impose a variety of penalties on enemies, such as a disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. There are four suggested curses that can be used but players might create their own curses as long as they’re equally or less powerful than the suggested alternatives.

This is the most common way of accessing curses in Dungeons and Dragons for players, meaning they can use the curses against their own enemies rather than being affected by them themselves.

The suggested curses are tailored for combat situations, and their duration is determined by the level of the spell slot used. At 3rd level, the curse lasts for 1 minute, increasing to 24 hours when cast as a 7th-level spell.

If cast at 3rd or 4th level, concentration is required to maintain the curse, but using a 5th-level spell slot or higher eliminates the need for concentration. By using a 9th-level spell slot, you can impose a curse that remains until it is dispelled.

The specific effects of this spell depend on your DM’s interpretation, but it can typically be employed for temporary, surface-level curses that serve narrative purposes and have minor mechanical implications.

2. Cursed Magic Items

Cursed magic items in Dungeons and Dragons are meant to surprise characters when their effects are revealed. Therefore, you’ll get nowhere with the most common methods of identifying curses, including the spell identify.

There’s a section in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (Page 138) where cursed items are outlined. There are a total of 5 cursed magic items, excluding artifacts in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and they all require a bond to be created between the character and the item, also known as attunement.

Once attuned, the character will be unable to end the attunement, meaning the character can’t stop using the cursed item until the curse has been dispelled. Be it a shield, armor, necklace or sword, it simply can’t be removed as long as the subject is cursed.

The Dungeon Master determines what’s required of the character to break the attunement, which will free the character from the cursed item.

All in all, cursed magic items can be used for some incredible lore and character development when used wisely.

3. Monstrous Curses

Monstrous curses in Dungeons and Dragons refer to curses that afflict creatures with monstrous or supernatural attributes, often found in the context of monstrous races or creatures. These curses typically impact the creature’s physical form, abilities, or behavior.

This could be your typical banshee, who used to be a beautiful woman who was cursed to roam the earth as a banshee because of her vanity, or a formorian who was cursed because she (or he) did evil deeds and held little sympathy for others in her heart. Curses of this type often cause deformities and misery upon the character who’s cursed.

Some examples of monsters who can be creations of terrible curses include:

• Vampires
• Lycanthropes
• Demons
• Driders
• Mummies
• Nothics
• Perytons
• Undead

Some common monster encounters that can inflict curses upon the party in combat include:

• Werewolves (Bite): Inflicts the lycanthropy curse.
• Demilich (Vile Curse): The character has disadvantage on attack and saving throws until the curse ends.
• Lamia (Intoxicating Touch): Until the curse ends, the target has disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and all ability checks.
• Mummies (Rotting Fist): Inflicts mummy rot upon the target. The cursed target can’t regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target’s hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or other magic.

Curses can be avoided by saving throws as defined by the ability. Some curses last for a set period of time, some can be removed by additional saving throws, and some can only be removed by using magic.

How Can You Identify a Cursed Item In DnD?

This is one of those in-game rules that have no real consistent justification.

You might consider casting detect magic upon the item to find out if it’s a cursed item. Well, a cursed item does not show as magical, unless there is a secondary magical effect (+1 cursed sword). Therefore, neither Detect Magic nor Identify will show that an item is cursed, let alone what that curse is.

So, there are two major key pieces when it comes to curses. One of the pieces of the puzzle is finding out if the item is cursed, and the other one is to figure out the effects of the actual curse that the item harbors.

To make cursed items more interesting, the game has made it far more difficult to figure out whether an item is cursed or not and what the effects of the curse are. From my own experience, any character who is cursed in a campaign will have a harder time dealing with the curse than one would have initially thought.

This can, of course, be adjusted by the Dungeon Master. However, making curses rather difficult to detect is part of the point of using curses. They’re supposed to be narrative devices in the game and if they’re little-to-no hassle for the party, then they’re not going to impact the narrative as they can be overlooked with no consequences.

You, as the Dungeon Master, can control how the party can detect and reveal the cursed item. Some people like doing it through lore, which includes giving the party hints. This can be small subtle hints found throughout the campaign but also grand revelations. It can also be delivered as a “sensation” that the cursed character feels after having worn the item for a period of time or any time anyone gets close to the item.

Because curses often require attunement in order to be obtained, it would be unwise to allow players to identify the cursed item before they’ve been attuned to it. I know it sounds dumb to not have a way to reward players for being precautious before grabbing random items, but it would also make it too easy to dodge cursed items.

Players will understand that the item is cursed once they try to unattune from the item and notice that they can’t break free from the item or when they start suffering ill effects.

Cited from the DMG: (I believe it was page 138-139)

“Some magic items bear curses that bedevil their users, sometimes long after a user has stopped using an item. A magic item’s description specifies whether the item is cursed. Most methods of identifying items, including the identify spell, fail to reveal such a curse, although lore might hint at it. A curse should be a surprise to the item’s user when the curse’s effects are revealed.

Attunement to a cursed item can’t be ended voluntarily unless the curse is broken first, such as with the remove curse spell.”

How Can You Remove a Curse In DnD?

So, what can be done to end a cursed character’s suffering, freeing them from the darkness within? Removing a curse looks a bit different depending on what type of curse it is and who the subject is.

When it comes to cursed characters, the curse can be removed by a 3rd-level spell called remove curse, which is known to be used by clerics, paladins, warlocks, and wizards.

The spell has a casting time of 1 action / 6 seconds and requires verbal and somatic components. The caster must also be in contact with the cursed character or item while casting the spell.

Remove curse can remove the effects of bestow curse, end the attunement to a cursed magic item, and remove curses brought upon characters by monster abilities in combat. You can also remove the effects of bestow curse with dispel magic.

Curses won’t be removed from a cursed item when remove curse is cast on the item. This depends entirely on the item and any information regarding this should be stated on the item.

If you, as a Dungeon Master, have come up with the items it’s up to you to decide whether the curse is removed from the item or if the spell merely breaks the attunement to the item.

Greater restoration, a spell known by bards, clerics, and druids, can also remove curses from creatures. I’d say it’s a more powerful spell than remove curse and can, therefore, sometimes remove curses from items that remove curse can’t.

Our Favorite Cursed Items In Dungeons and Dragons

There’s a long list of cursed items that have been introduced in the different versions of the game throughout the year. I’ve handpicked the ones that we’ve had the most fun using in our campaigns. You are, of course, allowed to create your own cursed items for your campaign. But, without further ado, here’s the list.

Hell-Hound Cloak

One could think that this cozy cloak made from hellhound wool is a mere piece of clothing at first glance but it is not until the wearer starts experiencing the effects of the cloak that it becomes obvious that it is a cursed item.

The cloak will, once attuned to a character, allow the player to polymorph into a hell-hound for an hour. The sixth time the character is polymorphed into a hellhound, the only way to come back to human form is to make a saving throw. If the saving throw fails, the character is stuck in hell-hound form until dispelled or until his or her health points are depleted.

The longer the character is stuck as a hellhound, the harder it will be to revert the effect. With the right set of spells, the curse isn’t that difficult to deal with.

Wand of Orcus

The Wand of Orcus is a popular cursed item possessed by the Prince of Underneath, Orcus. The item has many cool properties, but a clear favorite is the ability to call for undead soldiers at will. The wand can also be used to cast spells like Power Word Kill, Finger of Death, and Speak With Dead.

The wand serves as a 3+ mace that deals 2d12 bonus necrotic damage on hit and uppers your armor class by 3. The hefty upside of the item is balanced out by the costly, it not fatal, detriment carried out by the curse.

If you fail to attune to the item by failing a Constitution 17 saving throw, the item will kill you immediately and raise you as a zombie. This makes it quite difficult for many low-constitution characters to handle the attunement. Even successful high-constitution characters will take damage upon attuning to the item, but they’ll survive.

Staff of the Forgotten One

Hailing from the campaign Tomb of Annihilation is another one of our favorite cursed items, the Staff of the Forgotten One. The staff can only be wielded by a warlock, sorcerer, or wizard and gives the wielder the following:

Immunity to being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, petrified, or stunned. Proficiency bonus to Arcana and History is doubled, and you won’t be attacked by undead creatures with a challenge rating below two unless you provoke them.

In addition to the passive effects, the staff also comes with seven charges that can be used to cast curses upon other creatures. The curse causes creatures to be unable to heal and makes them vulnerable to necrotic damage.

Seems nice, doesn’t it? But, because we’re talking about cursed items I’m sure you were well aware of the fact that there would be a downside. The staff is controlled by a mage who’s imprisoned within the staff, who will try his best to possess you every time you use one of the seven charges.