Toggle menu
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Malus Thorm

From bg3.wiki
Revision as of 09:50, 14 August 2024 by Hawkeye (talk | contribs) (→‎Notes)

Malus is the undead master surgeon of the House of Healing, and twisted follower of Shar. Having somehow kept his personality despite being in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, he believes graceful pain and calculating mutilation are the key to truly embracing the ideals of his dark faith. At his depraved hospital, he tirelessly works to train his Undead Nurses to hone such skill, yet their hollowed state leaves them lacking in ability beyond being dutiful assistants.

Portrait Malus Thorm.png
The objective of the scalpel, sisters, is to soothe, for a scalpel, indeed, is an extension of Shar.
Malus Thorm instructing the Undead Nurses in their "medical practice."

Overview

Background

In life, Malus directed a shift in the House's purpose from tending to the sick and injured among the populace of Reithwin to exclusively serving the Dark Justiciars of Ketheric Thorm's army, as he believed keeping the latter healthy would help them serve Shar while the rest were better off left to her oblivion.[text 2][text 3]

Quests

He plays the role of obstacle in the quest Wake up Art Cullagh Wake up Art Cullagh, holding the quest item the Battered Lute.

Involvement

Arriving at the House of Healing and gaining entry to the surgery theatre, Malus will be busy educating his undead nurses on a poor 'patient'. While cordial at first seeing the talking party members as a new students, preaching his view of Absence being the way to understanding Shar. After mutilating the 'patient' he will urge to do the same to the party. Beyond attacking, there are a mix of Skill Checks that can be done instead:

  • A DC 14 Investigation check with advantage for Rogue to check nurses tools and point out that they're unusable
  • A DC 14 Investigation check will lead to pointing out the nurses aren't skilled enough for surgery.
  • A DC 14 Religion check will let the party use the ways of Shar to counter Malus own views.
  • A DC 16 Persuasion check will suggest the nurses aren't ready and just make the party sick instead of 'curing' them.

If any of these checks are successful, Malus will ask how to train the nurses properly, leading to two differing Persuasion checks.

  • A DC 21 with advantage for Monk or Bard to suggest that Malus offer himself up to be practiced on by the nurses, which he gleefully accepts. After a bloody scene in which they blindly hack away at his body, the nurses will become passive, and the master surgeon very much dead.
  • A DC 21 with advantage for Rogue or Fighter to convince Malus to have the Sisters test their skills against each other, leading to a bloody brawl between them.

If the party read the Surgery and Physiology: A Sharran's Primer book in the room behind Malus, two additional options are available, both of which are instead DC 18, and both of which result in the nurses killing Malus:

  • A DC 18 [Intimidation]] check: 'I have read your treatise. Initiate the final lesson, or die by my hand.'
  • A DC 18 Persuasion check: 'Only with sacrifice is mastery gained.’ For the sisters to learn, you must submit.'

If the nurses were convinced to fight each other, the mad surgeon will press to tend to the party next. He can be attacked, proving much easier to defeat without the support of his nurses. Alternatively, he can be convinced to kill himself:

  • A DC 21 Persuasion check, requesting that Malus perform the procedure on the party.
  • A DC 21 Deception check with advantage for Sorcerer, Cleric, Fighter, or Druid asking that Malus bless the party with the blinding procedure.

Awed by the party's diligence, Malus will happily make an example of himself, stabbing and killing himself through the eye.

Combat

Attacks and abilities

Bloody Bonesaw Bloody Bonesaw ()
D8 Slashing.png 8d8 (8~64) + DEX modifier Damage TypesSlashing

Hack at a target and possibly Slow Slow it.

DEX Save
 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft
Claws Claws ()

Lash out with deadly claws.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft
Lethal Leech Lethal Leech ()

Suckle a foe with hundreds of piercing teeth, making them Bleed Bleed.

DEX Save
 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft
Lovely Assistant Lovely Assistant ()
The Surgeon reanimates the corpse of one of his nurses.
 Range: 8 m / 27 ft
Request Surgical Instrument Request Surgical Instrument ()
Request a tool for advanced surgery. Grants Surgeon's Chosen Surgeon's Chosen onto one of the undead nurses, having them lend a unique Instrument of Loss for him, allow Malus to perform powerful and debilitating attacks. The surgical tools are the following:
 Range: 8 m / 25 ft
Recharge: Per turn
Terror Trepan Terror Trepan ()

Bore into a foe's brain and Frighten Frighten them.

CON Save
 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft
This Won't Hurt A Bit This Won't Hurt A Bit ()

Jab a foe with a syringe and Poison Poison them.

DEX Save
 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft

Allies

Potential allies (if Malus revives them with Lovely Assistant Lovely Assistant):

Notable loot

Gallery

Related literature

Notes by Malus Thorm

Books by Malus Thorm

References

Notes

Template:Notebewgin

  • If carrying the Sentient Amulet after dealing with Malus, regardless of directly fighting him or killing him with checks, the Monk's manifestation will comment on it: Hehehehe - a horrific display. There is no red deeper than a Sharran's blood.

External links