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Help the Spirit of the Amulet
Help the Cursed Monk is a quest attained in Act One of Baldur's Gate 3. It can be initiated by activating the Sentient Amulet. It cannot be completed until Act Three.
 | Spoiler warning: The following content contains unhidden spoilers. Read at your own risk. |
Objectives
Objectives and journal entries may vary pending player decisions and outcomes.
- We read the journal of a Dark Justiciar. He mentioned an amulet of great power that also made the wearer laugh. It was cast into the lava.
- We found the amulet. It's been possessed by a spirit. The spirit wishes to be returned to his granddaughter. She lives at the Open Hand Temple in Wyrm's Crossing.
- The longer we have the amulet, the worse the curse becomes.
- We reached the Open Hand Temple. We should look for the spirit's granddaughter - Shirra Clarwen.
- We learned that Shirra Clarwen passed away. She is buried in a crypt under the temple.
- If the player refuses to bear the monk's curse:
- The spirit possessed Shirra's body. We refused to take on his madness, putting a stop to him instead. His spirit will forever remain cursed.
- If the player agrees to bear the monk's curse:
- The spirit possessed Shirra's body. We agreed to take on the curse of his madness, allowing his spirit to pass on.
Walkthrough
The Adamantine Forge
Within Grymforge, the skeleton of a Dark Justiciar (X:-654, Y:424) contains a Dark Justiciar's Journal. Reading the journal, it mentions a cursed amulet that provided great power but also caused the wearer to laugh uncontrollably. The Justiciar threw the amulet into the lava, starting the quest to track it down. The cursed monk can be found possessing a sentient amulet within the Adamantine Forge. The amulet is inside a locked adamantine chest (DC 20) that is guarded by a Lava Elemental.
Once the amulet is picked up, they feel the urge to laugh, which needs to be resisted:
- Give in to the laughter.
- Drop the amulet.
- [WISDOM] Fight the urge. (DC 10)
- [DWARF][WISDOM] Squash all cheer and summon memories of your ancestral enemy - the mind flayers. (DC 10)
- [MONK][WISDOM] Quiet your mind. Let everything be still.
- [WARLOCK][WISDOM] Call on the power of your pact and resist the urge. (DC 10)
- [BARBARIAN][WISDOM] Kill the mirth. RESIST. (DC 10 with Advantage)
If the party manages to avoid laughing, the spirit of the amulet appears with a request. The Sharrans cursed him with eternal madness, a laughing curse. He wants to bestow the curse onto his granddaughter, Shirra, who lives in Wyrm's Crossing at the Open Hand Temple. He promises blessings unto the party if they agree to undertake this journey.
The Open Hand Temple
The Open Hand Temple (X:-19, Y:-5) where Shirra worships is in Rivington, north of the Circus of the Last Days.
Within the Open Hand Temple, Sister Yannis (X:-44, Y:-6) will be having a conversation with Investigator Valeria. They are discussing the recent murder of Father Lorgan, which Valeria is investigating. Allow them to finish their conversation, then answer some questions regarding the investigation. After this, there is a chance to ask where Shirra can be found. Yannis explains that Shirra passed away last year and they buried her in the crypt under the temple.
The crypt can be found via a hatch in the kitchen (X:-62, Y:3). Enter the double doors to the south, then enter the door to the west to find the resting place of Shirra Clarwen. Interact with the plaque on the sarcophagus in the southwestern area of the room, then open the lid of the sarcophagus. The monk's spirit automatically possesses the withered husk of Shirra's corpse and jumps out of the sarcophagus. Speak with him and he laments the death of his granddaughter, as she would have been willing to bear the curse on the wishes of her god, Ilmater. He asks who will bear the curse now, perhaps the party?
From here, the party can decide to volunteer to bear the curse or reject his offer:
- If it will bring you peace, I will bear the madness.
- Gods, no. I don't want to inherit your curse.
- And what happens if I say yes?
- [ARCANA] Ponder what you know of the monk's affliction. What are the consequences of accepting it?
If the party choose to bear the curse, there are three options to avoid negative consequences - a wisdom check, a constitution check, or an Illithid wisdom check.
- [WISDOM] Call on your wits and shield your mind's most vulnerable reaches. (DC 15)
- [CONSTITUTION] Steel yourself and guide the sensations elsewhere. (DC 15)
- [ILLITHID][WISDOM] Call on the parasite to absorb the strike. (DC 2)
- Accept the inevtiable. Allow your wisdom to drain.
- Enough! I want no part of this!
The player must succeed in these checks twice, it is possible to select the same check twice (except the Illithid one). Each failed check results in a permanent loss of 1 Wisdom.
If the party refuses to bear the curse, or stops partway through absorbing the curse, the monk becomes hostile. He raises the three other corpses in the crypt to attack the party and must be slain.
Rewards
as an action once per long rest (if the player agrees to bear the monk's curse)
- Agreeing to bear the monk's curse will present the player with two Saving Throws (see above). Each failure will subtract 1 point of Wisdom from your character permanently.
- This path also removes any magical effects from the Sentient Amulet in the player's inventory.
Sentient Amulet (Very Rare) a version of the amulet that does not require you to make Wisdom Saving Throws after using its powers (if the player refuses to bear the monk's curse and fights him)- 200 XP
Companion approval
Narrator: *Once again, you feel your wisdom draining away. Hilarious! Or is it?*
Pass 1 of the 3 checks:
- [WISDOM] Muster your senses, clear your mind. You will take the madness, but it will not take of you.
+3 - [CONSTITUTION] Hold firm. You will make this curse a gift. You will not surrender your wisdom. +3
- [ILLITHID] [WISDOM] Rally the tadpole, let it take the brunt of the damage. +3