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Mirror of Loss
 | Spoiler warning: The following content contains unhidden spoilers for Act 3. |  |
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The Mirror of Loss is a large mirror found in both the Gauntlet of Shar at X: -645 Y: -735 and the House of Grief at X: -474 Y: -1650. The former is cracked and cannot be used for reflection, however the latter is functional and can be offered a memory by the user.
| “ | Where once the mirror showed nothing, there is now something. Memories, experiences, skills. All prised from the minds of others, and now offered to you, to choose from. |
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Overview
The Mirror of Loss found at the House of Grief can be used to gain a permanent bonus to one ability of the party member interacting with the mirror, and also a +1 to Charisma, in exchange for a temporary penalty. Each character may use the mirror independently, offering a sizable stat increase to the entire party.
Using the Mirror
Recognizing the Mirror's purpose
To access the benefits of the mirror, one party member must first pass either a 
DC 25 Arcana check or DC 25 Religion check to recognize the purpose of the mirror. Only 1 party member needs to succeed this check for all party members to gain access to the mirror.
This check can be completely bypassed by reading the 
Hastily Written Note found in the Night Orchid Cave behind a breakable wooden wall in the House of Grief's Armoury.
Furthermore, if this check was already done for the Mirror in the Gauntlet of Shar, the party will not be prompted to do so again in the House of Grief. [Needs Verification]
Sacrificing a Memory
Each party member will then have the option to to surrender a memory, or to pass a DC 25 Religion check to pray to Shar. They must pass the religion check to have a chance at receiving the +2 stat bonus (aside from one exception mentioned below).
They may surrender up to 6 memories to the mirror, one for each of their Ability Scores. Offering up a memory associated with a particular ability score will cause the character to be temporarily cursed with 
, a -2 penalty to the chosen ability. This curse lasts until the next Long Rest but can also be dispelled with 
. The curse is the only penalty for sacrificing a memory- there is no narrative effect on the story for doing so.
Each party member also has the option to pass a DC 20 Deception check to not sacrifice a memory but this will not work. On a success, it will only give them the generic memory dialogue and on a failure it will result in using up one of your memories and receiving without actually rolling for a memory.
A party member that read the 
Necromancy of Thay can also surrender the 
passive obtained from it. This guarantees that the character will receive the +2 bonus without needing to pass the Religion check and prevents them from receiving the curse. This is the one and only way to bypass succeeding the Religion check.
Offering memories without the Prayer
The way the Mirror works is hidden behind the code[note 1]. It will make a hidden roll for a number between 0 and 4, then offer one of several possible memories based on the result. The only beneficial memory among the five 0-4 memories is the Patriar's Memory which gives a permanent +1 Charisma.
- 0) You embody an officer of the City Watch. A comrade died because of you. The dead man's face fades away... but the identities of informants vanish as well.
- 1) Your mind is that of corrupt alderman, eager to forget his transgressions. You feel them fade away... but your faith in the goddess Selûne is devoured along with them.
- 2) You embody a heartbroken heiress, desperate to forget an unrequited love. The sadness flees from you... along with a string of numbers. A safe combination?
- 3) You embody a merchant, deep in mourning. His wife died, and he cannot bear to go on. Only the House of Grief can help him. (if the party met Arves outside the House of Grief, it will mention that he is the merchant in question)
- 4) Patriar's Memory: Disappointment floods your mind. You were sure to succeed Stelmane, but Lord Enver Gortash has stolen your support. All that charming and cajoling in the parlours of the Upper City, wasted. → gain +1 Charisma
It is also possible to re-roll the same memory you've already rolled. If you do, the mirror presents this generic dialogue instead:
- A jumble of memories clamour for your attention. They range from ancient to new. But none are yours.
The Prayer
The +2 bonus can only be achieved by rolling a 5 on the hidden roll, which is normally impossible without sacrificing .
However, if a party member succeeds the DC 25 Religion check to offer a prayer to Shar, they gain a permanent +3 bonus on all future attempts at the hidden roll. This means that it will result in a roll of 3-7, giving the character a 20% chance of receiving a useless memory (3), a 20% chance of receiving the Patriar's memory (4), and a 60% chance of successfully gaining the +2 bonus to any stat.
Each character has only one chance to pass the Religion check. Failing it will prevent them from ever getting the +2 bonus.
The character who underwent the Mapping of the Heart receives 
Advantage on this Religion check, while Clerics of Selûne have 
Disadvantage.
Offering memories after the Prayer
Once the party member has rolled a 5 on the hidden roll, this dialogue will appear:
- 5) You feel the presence of something, ancient and unknowable. It has taken notice of you. Where once the mirror showed nothing, there is now something. Memories, experiences, skills. All prised from the minds of others, and now offered to you, to choose from.
The character will now be able to select a permanent +2 bonus to any stat (up to a maximum of 24):
- General's Memory Claim memories of strength from a long-dead general, who marched under the banner of a vanished kingdom. → gain +2 Strength
- Thief's Memory Help yourself to the memories of seasoned thief's most daring exploits. → gain +2 Dexterity
- Barbarian's Memory Seize the memories of a barbarian, whose mind and body were tempered against hardship. → gain +2 Constitution
- Wizard's Memory Glean the secrets of a wizard who once stalked the library of Candlekeep. → gain +2 Intelligence
- Mother-Superior's Memory Turn to the wisdom of a drow. Once of Lolth, then of Shar.[note 2] → gain +2 Wisdom
- Bard's Memory Warm to the guile of a bard who could charm even a dragon. → gain +2 Charisma
Once a character has gained the +2 bonus memory, they cannot offer up any other memories to the mirror. This prevents them from receiving anymore ability score increases.[note 3]
Shadowheart Interactions
Disloyal
If Shadowheart is no longer loyal to Shar, she is entirely denied the mirror's benefits. The mirror will simply claim that she has already surrendered most of her memories to it and cannot offer up anymore. She is not given the opportunity to be cursed, nor receive a boon.
Furthermore, if she spared the Nightsong she will have Disadvantage on the DC 25 Religion check to offer a prayer to the mirror, even though passing this difficult check still yields no benefit. If she killed the Nightsong and only later turned her back on Shar, then she will have Advantage due to being a Dark Justiciar but passing the check still does nothing.
Chosen of Shar
If Shadowheart becomes a Dark Justiciar, overthrows the Mother Superior, and kills her parents to become Lady Shar's Chosen, she will automatically receive a permanent +2 bonus to the ability of her choosing without receiving a curse.
Becoming a Dark Justiciar gives her an advantage on the Religion check to offer a prayer to the mirror. However, passing it does nothing as it is not required for her to get the +2 bonus.
- Claim the Strength found in a spirit who has had to fight for her place in the world. → gain +2 Strength
- Steal the deft-handed prowess of someone trained in stealth all her life. → gain +2 Dexterity
- Seize the fortitude that lies in a heart denied a thousand times. → gain +2 Constitution
- Adopt the curiosity of a young child who hungered for knowledge forbidden to her. → Intelligence
- Absorb the wisdom of a novice who weathered harsh lessons and harsher punishments. → gain +2 Wisdom
- Embrace the cunning of a youth who learned to succeed through charm and deceit. → gain +2 Charisma
Related literature
Notes
- ↑ See the video in External Links for more details
- ↑ This memory appears to have been offered up by Viconia DeVir herself
- ↑ This can potentially lock a character out of receiving the Patriar's Memory if they rolled the +2 memory first