The recent announcement of Baldur’s Gate 3 delighted many fans of the series around the world, but, unfortunately, at the moment almost nothing is known about the game itself. The third iteration of Baldur’s Gate 3 (both previous attempts to make the long-awaited sequel failed) is being developed by Larian Studios based on the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The game will center around the illithid invasion of Baldur’s Gate (the largest city on the Sword Coast), one hundred years after the end of the previous part of the series. And that’s all! We don’t even know if players will resist the illithids (most likely) or help them (possibly). Or maybe we can even play for the heroes of the occasion themselves?
Now that the facts have been exhausted, we can safely begin to speculate on what awaits us in the upcoming project from Larian. And, if it is almost impossible to predict plot twists and turns at such an early stage, then it is quite possible to guess what monsters players may encounter, as well as which the developers from Larian themselves will not be able to ignore. So let’s take a monster truck in one hand, a mug of dumplings in the other, and go on an exciting tour through the world of the Forgotten Realms. Happy reading!
Let’s start with those who have already been officially declared – illithids (they are also called mind flayers). In fact, this race is an octopus-like creature with four tentacles, and the humanoid body is only a carrier (usually humans or elves are used for this purpose). Illithids reproduce using squid-like larvae. And here we come across the first strange thing: in the trailer, cerebromorphism (yes, this process has its own term) occurs at an unusually fast pace. It’s not hard to imagine how this could strengthen the position of the illithids, given that the main limiter to their expansion is their small numbers.
Illithids are notorious for their psionic abilities, allowing them to enslave the will of other beings, as well as their diet limited to the brains of representatives of intelligent races. Their main goal is to restore their ancient empire, which was destroyed as a result of a large-scale slave revolt.
Interesting fact: In the trailer you can see a flying ship similar to the ones the illithids used during their dawn. Perhaps Baldur’s Gate was attacked by a faction that managed to survive the collapse of the mind flayer empire (for example, being stuck in the Shadow Plane for many centuries).
Illithid communities are controlled by a hive mind led by the Elder Brain, a huge creature that actually resembles a brain in shape. Any deviation from the norms of this merciless community is punished with all possible severity, including killing the illithid and devouring his brain, pardon the pun, by the elder brain. The invasion of these creatures on the surface is an alarming sign for the whole world, threatening to develop into a monstrous catastrophe.
They are beautiful! They are charming! And they have disintegrating rays, so you better not argue with previous statements. These levitating meatballs with eyes have captured the hearts of many DnD fans. And not so much because of its very specific appearance (which can appear in your nightmares), but because of its rich inner world. Every beholder firmly believes in two things: his own exceptional perfection and the envy of those around him.
The combination of enormous power with an extreme degree of egocentrism makes beholders completely unpredictable. Maybe they just need friends. Maybe they will soon get bored with their friends, and the beholder will turn them into stone decorations for his lair. Also, a young and ambitious monster may decide to create his own empire by capturing a city or small country. He may even succeed, which will make him a threat to the world order. Or maybe all his thoughts will be focused on enmity with another beholder, whose disgusting imperfection (for example, more eyes) will leave him no choice but to fight to the death.
Interesting fact: The beholder’s central eye creates an antimagic zone, which prevents not only his enemies from casting spells, but also the monster itself. Some beholders deliberately blind this eye to learn magic.
There are many types of beholders (even if most of them are not true beholders), but the most dangerous can rightfully be considered the tyrant of death – a beholder who became undead after a dream about life after death (they should not be confused with zombie beholders). This creature is capable of devastating an entire continent, simultaneously creating a huge horde of the living dead.
Before the gods, they ruled the world – huge fish-like monsters hiding in the watery depths – aboleths still cherish the dream of restoring their empire and taking revenge on their offenders. Someday they will definitely make their move, because aboleths do not forget anything and do not forgive anyone.
The psionic abilities of aboleths make https://jackpotcity-casino.uk/mobile-app/ them extremely dangerous opponents. They are capable of enslaving the will of both their followers and enemies. But the most effective weapon for them is sometimes the ability to recognize the hidden desires of creatures with whom they have established a telepathic connection. Aboleths can create illusions in their lairs, used both as rewards for their most loyal followers and as deadly traps for enemies. Both of them will most likely never be able to get out of there.
Interesting fact: Aboleths are omnivores, but prefer to feed on intelligent creatures in order to appropriate their knowledge for themselves.
Don’t underestimate the physical characteristics of these creatures. Those who resist psionic abilities will be hit with a barrage of blows. Slimy tentacles and tail will be used, causing devastating damage. In addition, there is a risk of encountering enslaved followers of this monster who are ready to give their lives for their master. It is almost impossible to defeat an aboleth in the water element, and attacking this creature in its own lair is real suicide. On the other hand, on land they become vulnerable, but it will be extremely difficult to provoke these ancient creatures to take such a rash step. And, like the icing on the cake, even if you kill an aboleth, its spirit will be able to transfer to the Elemental Plane of Water, where after some time it will receive a new body for itself. And believe me, this creature will not forget its killers. Never.
Wandering through the dark tunnels of the Underdark, you cannot let your guard down. Even the stones can eat you here. Don’t believe me? Then meet the ropeman! This cute creature waits for its victims, hiding among cave formations. Most likely, you will notice something is wrong only when vile tentacles begin to reach out to you. I haven’t said yet that this creature can even hide on the ceiling?
The tactics of this monster are simple: the ropeman waits for its prey (and it can be anyone), after which it releases its tentacles towards the victim, grabs it and pulls it into its huge mouth. Cutting tentacles is an almost useless task, since the creature is capable of regenerating them. However, this creature has a huge weakness: if unsuccessful victims manage to run away to a safe distance and initiate ranged combat, then the creature will not have enough mobility to respond to them or escape.
The illithid empire once spanned many worlds. Mind flayers enslaved a wide variety of creatures, including humans. But one day their empire fell. Undoubtedly this was a blessing for many, but not for all. Grimlocks are descendants of cultists who worshiped the illithids during their dawn, who were forced to flee persecution to the Underdark after the collapse of their masters’ power. What happened to them??
They turned into real monsters. These grey-skinned creatures constantly roam the Underdark in search of their next victims. Despite their blindness, they are perfectly oriented in space, thanks to their enhanced hearing and sense of smell. However, their degradation continues to this day.
Interesting fact: The name grimlocks itself is a reference to the Morlocks, degraded people from the science fiction novel by H. G. Wells "The Time Machine".
Often grimlocks serve other more powerful creatures. First of all, these are illithids, around whose worship many cannibal cults have grown up, considering eating the body of a sentient being sacred. Especially eating the brain by the illithid itself. Considering the specificity of their views and tastes, it is no wonder that most intelligent beings seek to destroy these creatures at the first opportunity. However, for the grimlocks themselves, the war, because of which they were driven underground, never ended.
Should we be afraid of skulls?? Yes, because in the world of the Forgotten Realms one of them may well be a demilich. How dangerous is an encounter with this creature?? Well, let’s start with the fact that a demilich is capable of killing a person with just one scream. And just one soul will be enough for him to restore his form, once again becoming a full-fledged lich. If a meeting with this creature takes place in its lair, then the chances of surviving such an encounter begin to sharply approach zero.
Interesting fact: The demilich can only be finally defeated by destroying his phylactery. Even if you kill the shell, after a few days it will rise again, albeit in its very inferior form.
Most liches strive with all their might to avoid the fate of becoming a demilich, but there are also those who consider this state to be very beneficial for themselves. While their mortal remains crumble to dust, these demilichs travel across the planes. If anyone comes across their skulls, a protective mechanism will work – the gems inserted into them will easily suck out the souls of those who disturbed the peace of the powerful necromancer.
Interesting fact: By the way, dinosaurs also live in the world of the Forgotten Realms. Even if their habitat is far from the Sword Coast and the Underdark, but knowing Larian, they simply cannot resist the temptation to add these creatures to their game. Especially such colorful representatives of these ancient reptiles as zombie Tyrannosaurs (yes, there is such a thing here).
One of the main threats in the Underdark are the drow – a race of dark elves whose anger and power keep the whole world in fear. What could be worse than meeting them?? Meeting with the drakes – those of the drow who incurred the wrath of their Spider Queen Lolth.
A drake is a hybrid between a drow and a spider. Along with the physical transformation, their mental state also deteriorates: most fighters become extremely aggressive. Usually the drow expel these creatures from their cities, after which they either begin to hunt alone in the dark tunnels of the Underdark, or become the leaders of flocks of giant spiders.
Consider a hypothetical situation: a brave adventurer is captured by an illithid. From this moment on, anything can happen to him, and death on this list will perhaps be one of the most merciful outcomes. Let’s say that a particular illithid has dreamed all his life of a pet that would watch over his slaves and ill-wishers. And thus, the light may appear… this.
Intelligence flayers are a torn brain (borrowed at no cost from one of the mind flayer’s victims) that have small, clawed paws. This creature is extremely dangerous because it is capable of not only reducing the victim’s intelligence to the state of a vegetable, but also taking control of its body. If the intelligence devourer succeeds in the latter, then the victim’s brain is completely eaten, thereby turning his body into an empty shell. Moreover, if the substitution goes unnoticed, this creature can use the new doll to lure other creatures into the domain of its illithid owner.
It is pointless to list all the peoples whose stay in the Underdark led to disastrous results, there are too many of them. But among these unfortunates there are those whose madness sets them apart even from the rest – Kuo-toa. In ancient times, this race of fish-men was driven underground by humans, where they fell under the heel of the illithids. Due to the inability of these simple creatures to withstand the psionic abilities of their masters, the minds of all Kuo-toa were transformed, making them unusually devout.
Even after the collapse of the illithid empire, the Kuo-toa continue to invent new gods for themselves. And most importantly, the energy of their collective subconscious is capable of materializing this essence. The forms that these deities take are usually chaotic and chaotic. For example, a female figure with the head and claws of a cancer. The same applies to their character – many Kuo-toa worship their gods not so much out of love as out of fear.
You’ve probably already encountered mimics. You may even recklessly think that after the Dark Souls or Prey series they are no longer scary to you. Ha ha ha, very in vain. In DnD, mimics won’t play giveaway with you. They can be not only objects, but also doors, walls, ceilings, towers, castles or even entire dungeons. And once you fall into the trap, getting out of their tenacious grip will not be easy.
Some individuals are able to develop their intelligence. You can negotiate with such people by exchanging food for the right of passage. Knowing Larian’s style, I dare to assume that in Baldur’s Gate 3 there will definitely be a weapon mimic that works for food.
That’s all for this. Of course, these are not all the unusual creatures that can be added to Baldur’s Gate 3. In addition, it is far from a fact that all of the monsters I have listed will be present in the game, because, after all, these are just my guesses. But what I am sure of is that when creating a game, one of the developers will definitely turn to the bestiary of this truly iconic role-playing system. Thank you for your attention!