Cultural references
There are several names and quotations in Baldur's Gate 3 that reference the Discworld series of comic fantasy novels by British author Terry Pratchett. The books are set in a world which is a flat disc, flying through space on the back of an enormous turtle, and parody many conventions of fantasy fiction - including some of the tropes of Dungeons & Dragons. Swen Vincke is a confirmed fan of the series, so it seems likely these are intentional.
This list is incomplete.
Characters
Quoth(e) the Raven
The Raven summoned by Find Familiar is always named "Quothe", the only standard familiar to receive a name. A raven of the same name is summoned by the Raven Gloves.
This is clearly a reference to Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven", which includes the recurring line "Quoth the raven: 'Nevermore.'" But Terry Pratchett also introduced a talking raven named Quoth (no "e") in Soul Music, and he reappears in Hogfather and Thief of Time. In those books he is the companion and flying mount of the rat equivalent of the grim reaper, the Death of Rats. Since the Death of Rats can only say "SQUEAK", he relies on Quoth when needing to communicate with humans, mostly Susan Sto Helit.
Items
Swires
Lupperdiddle Swires is a gnomish adventurer famed for their ability to leap extraordinarily high. While they don't appear in the game, they're mentioned several times in the name or description of various items, including the Potion of Glorious Vaulting, Swiresy Shoes and Swires' Sledboard.
Lupperdiddle's surname, "Swires", is the name of two different gnome characters who appear in the Discworld: Swires, the first gnome in the series, who appears in The Light Fantastic; and Buggy Swires, a member of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, who isn't known for leaping but does give aerial support by riding on various birds. (In Discworld, gnomes are only about six inches tall.)
Books
The following in-game books reference the Discworld:
- The Butler's Cane Has A Knob On The End - a reference to "A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob on the End", a bawdy Discworld tavern song frequently sung by the witch character Nanny Ogg.
- Another book (title to be confirmed) contains the sentence "If you're going to have crime, it might as well be organised." This quotes Pratchett's explanation of the Thieves' Guild in Ankh-Morpork, which in return for dues ensures no-one is robbed too much or too often.