Cultural references

See also: List of references to previous Baldur's Gate games

Baldur's Gate 3 contains a number of Cultural References to other pieces of media, such as books, television, and other video games. These references are collected here, although this list is certainly incomplete.

Games

Chess

• Many of  Gale's in-combat remarks, like "Knight to king five" or "Pawn to cleric four", are referring to chess (or lanceboard) moves and follow the format of chess notation, though some of the pieces are named slightly differently in-universe. He uses the archaic ⁠descriptive notation rather than the modern ⁠algebraic notation.
• In Raphael's lanceboard game against Mol, he says, "Calimshan rules, dear. The first piece touched is the first piece moved." This is a reference to the ⁠touch-move rule in chess. It is also a direct reference to the Forgotten Realms book  Cormyr: A Novel, in which it is explained that the rule existed in  Calimshan, but not in  Cormyr.
• The puzzle in the Wyrmway's Chamber of Strategy is a ⁠chess puzzle.

Criminal Case

• The  Haunted One background goal ⁠Kill 'Em While They're Young might refer to one of the cases of this detective hidden-object game, bearing the same title.

Danganronpa

• Pre-ordered copies of the Japanese PS5 version of the game from publisher Spike Chunsoft came with a special Dice of Hope and Despair, "A special dice skin featuring Monokuma from the "Danganronpa" series", which is also published by Spike Chunsoft. In the Danganronpa series, Monokuma is a black and white robotic teddy bear who forces the students of Hope's Peak Academy to kill each other in deadly games. The dice is mostly white, but the "20" face is black with a symbol matching Monokuma's distinctive red left eye.

Divinity series

Most of Larian's previous games are part of the Divinity series, beginning with ⁠Divine Divinity (2002) and ending (for now at least) with ⁠Divinity: Original Sin (2014) and ⁠Divinity: Original Sin II (2017). The latter game has many things in common with Baldur's Gate 3, including the use of "origin characters" who can be chosen as the player character or recruited as companions; physics-based effects like surfaces and dippable weapons; and the ability to talk to most animals. Further, Baldur's Gate 3 runs on the 4th version of Larian's in-house Divinity Engine, originally developed for Divinity: Original Sin.

• Micheil Ros' pig Lulabelle is referenced in a Deception check during a conversation with  Manip Nestor, the Fist guarding the barn at the beginning of Act 3. This may only be available when the party members are caught sneaking into the barn.
• Tarquin, an NPC from Divinity: Original Sin II, is referenced in the lore surrounding Lenore De Hurst, as well as possibly in the  Client List in the House of Grief.

Voice Cast

Multiple Baldur's Gate 3 voice actors also worked on Divinity: Original Sin II:

• Amelia Tyler (Narrator) – Malady
• Andrew Wincott (Raphael) – Ryker
• Brian Bowles (Sceleritas Fel) – Narrator
• Bryan Larkin (Lump the Enlightened) – Slane
• Charlotte Lucas (Steelclaw) – Meistr Siva
• Chris Jarman (Ulder Ravengard) – Various NPCs
• Dan Bottomley (Stonemason Kith) – Paladin Cork
• Emma Gregory (Minthara) – Aetera
• Glen McCready (Zevlor) – Sir Lora
• Harriet Kershaw (Mol) – Bahara
• Harry Myers (Entharl Danthelon) – Lohar
• Jennifer English (Shadowheart) – Various NPCs
• Jessica Carroll (Disciple Z'rell) – Custom character
• Jessica Regan (Zethino) – Magister Bellworth
• Joseph Capp (Nere) – Shadow Prince
• Liane-Rose Bunce (Sharp-Eye Mirg) – Han
• Lucy Paterson (Cerys) – Gratiana
• Nicholas Aaron (Credited as Nick Aaron) (Wulbren Bongle) – Klaud
• Rachel Atkins (Lady Esther) – Windego
• Richard Cotton (Kith'rak Voss ) – Doctor Daeva
• Roger Ringrose (Balthazar) – Unknown
• Stephen Hogan (Volo) – Unknown
• Tamaryn Payne (Mizora) – Lohse
• Tracy Wiles (Jaheira) – Dallis

Digital Deluxe Upgrade

The Digital Deluxe Upgrade contains several references to Divinity: Original Sin II:

• It adds portrait paintings of the DOS2 origin characters Fane, Ifan ben-Mezd, Lohse, Marcus "Beast" Miles, Sebille Kaleran and the Red Prince to Act 1 as loot items.
• Characters who can use the  Perform action gain access to three additional songs, which reference Divinity: Original Sin II: "Of Divinity and Sin", "The Queen's High Seas", and "Sing for Me".
• The Divinity Item Pack contains several items from Divinity: Original Sin II: the  Mask of the Shapeshifter,  Cape of the Red Prince,  Lute of the Merryweather Bard,  Needle of the Outlaw Rogue and  Bicorne of the Sea Beast.

Dragon Age series

• On The Risen Road, there is a group of paladins of  Tyr. The leader is a man called  Anders who wields a weapon called the  Sword of Justice. This may be a reference to the characters Anders and Justice from ⁠Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening and ⁠Dragon Age II.
• Completing the quest ⁠Find the Missing Letters grants the inspiration ⁠Interrupted Communications to  Noble characters. This title alludes to a quest from ⁠Dragon Age: Origins called "Correspondence Interruptus", which also involves tracking down missing letters.

Dungeons & Dragons (various settings)

• The  Acolyte background goal ⁠Acolytes of the Demonweb Pits is a direct reference to the  Demonweb Pits. In Forgotten Realms lore, this is the 66th layer of the Abyss, governed by  Lolth herself. The inspirational event is granted upon convincing the spiders of clan Lur in Grymforge to abandon their duergar masters in favour of Lolth.
• The  Guild Artisan background goal ⁠Lantanna Marvel refers to  Lantan islanders from Forgotten Realms lore. According to it, the Lantanese were known for their advanced technology, including intricate weaponry and clockwork mechanisms. As islanders, they had to develop seafaring and ply far and wide for trade. The goal is fulfilled upon using the Submersible to reach the Iron Throne.
• The  Soldier background goal ⁠Rudolph Van Richtover My Dead Body is a combination of a common saying and the name of the most famous monster hunter within the Ravenloft horror campaign setting, Dr. Rudolph van Richten. His personality, in turn, is based on Professor Abraham van Helsing from Bram Stoker's ⁠Dracula. The goal is fulfilled by defeating  Cazador Szarr if he has managed to become a Vampire Ascendant.
• When trying to convince  Blaze Elin to let them enter the Wyrm's Rock Fortress, a  Warlock character has a unique  Deception line: they can threaten to put her name into the  Book of Vile Darkness unless she allows them to proceed. However, the roll has DC 30, and if failed, Elin promises to "shove their book somewhere vile and dark" in response. The book in question is an artefact, originally created by  Vecna. Its copy in Faerûn was written by  Bane, among others. The name is shared by sourcebooks for 3rd and 4th edition D&D, as well as the third film in the direct-to-video Dungeons & Dragons film series.
• The  Staff of a Mumbling Wizard and its associated cantrip  Firebolt? is likely a reference to ⁠Fizban the Fabulous of the ⁠Dragonlance setting; the wizard Fizban often appears befuddled and unable to remember the words of power to his spells, frequently preventing him from casting Fireball at opportune moments.

Fallout series

• On the far side of the Jungle at X: 1500 Y: 1480, there is a skeleton dressed in a torn full-body blue outfit, potentially a reference towards the Vault Dweller or Vault Suits from the Fallout series.

Final Fantasy XIV

• The popular MMORPG ⁠Final Fantasy XIV by Square Enix is referenced in the  Folk Hero in the inspiration event ⁠A Smile Better Suits.... This is an unfinished quote from the character Haurchefant, who says it during the main story of the Heavensward expansion. The full line is: "Don't look at me so. A smile better suits a hero." The phrase is repeated several times throughout the following expansions as a bittersweet form of encouragement.

The Elder Scrolls series

• The dragonborn trader  Exxvikyap in Rivington may be a vague reference to Lifts-Her-Tail, a character from an in-game book titled "The Lusty Argonian Maid", which is quite often encountered in all The Elder Scrolls games since ⁠The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Both are quite fond of the men they are working for and have a particular interest in spears. Besides, Lifts-Her-Tail, as the title suggests, is an argonian – a reptilian race in the realm of The Elder Scrolls.

Films & Television

'Allo 'Allo!

• When first encountering  Hope in the House of Hope, she says "You have to listen very very very closely. I will say this only once.", alluding to the famous phrase "Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once", a line spoken very often in the series by several characters, but mainly by Michelle Dubois, a woman in the French Resistance during WWII.

Apocalypse Now

• The  Soldier background goal ⁠Love That Smell alludes to a scene in the film ⁠Apocalypse Now in which an American military officer proclaims, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" as an attack on a civilian target commences.

Asterix and Cleopatra

• The  Guild Artisan background goal ⁠Special Iced Arsenic... Brew? references a song about poisoning a cake (a "special iced arsenic cake", according to the lyrics) from the animated film ⁠Asterix and Cleopatra.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

• The character  Geezer Loryss is a merchant in the Lower City who bemoans the destruction of his cabbage stand. This references the recurring Cabbage Merchant bit character in ⁠Avatar: The Last Airbender, who is a frequent victim of collateral damage from the heroes' adventures. Loryss also has unique dialogue for the  Monk class, referencing protagonist Aang's monastic character.

Beetlejuice

• Across the Devil's Fee in Lower City stands an NPC by the name of  Nelburn Frust, who tries to activate some item that should make him "lucky forever". To achieve the effect, he must pronounce three times the words "Scarab Sap", which actually is a periphrasis of the incantation that summoned the main antagonist in the Tim Burton film. The very mechanism of the summoning (saying the words thrice aloud) is the same as there, too.

Brandy & Mr. Whiskers

• The  Urchin background goal ⁠What Price Dignity? is named the same as one of the episodes of ⁠Brandy & Mr. Whiskers. Its plot, in turn, refers to a 1926 Ralph Walsh film, ⁠What Price Glory.

Community

• Lavernica's Home is a reference to Britta's character from ⁠Community season 2 episode 14: "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons".

Ghostbusters

• The  Outlander background goal ⁠I Ain't Afraid of No Shadows parodies a lyric from the title theme to the film ⁠Ghostbusters.

Gravity Falls

• The item  Shield of Shielding is a reference to the ⁠Gravity Falls episode "Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons", where a main character, Grunkle Stan, casts a spell of the same name due to rather unimaginative quick thinking.

Indiana Jones

• The  Guild Artisan background goal ⁠These Belong in a Museum! is a reference to ⁠Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy says this about historical artefacts being pilfered by private collectors.
• There is a corpse in the Jungle in the cave underneath the Skeleton near the magic ring that can be found in the area at X: 1570 Y: 1508. Based on its outfit, it may be a reference to Indiana Jones.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

• A spiky greatclub named the  Rat Bat can be found in the Waning Moon pub in Shadow-Cursed Lands. It may be a reference to the sitcom ⁠It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where in season 6 episode 10, "Charlie's Surprise Party", Charlie is gifted a bat covered with chains and nails, dubbed the "Rat Stick".

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

• The greataxe  Sethan and its abilities are a reference to a character in ⁠JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders named Alessi. Alessi wields an axe and possesses a stand spirit named Sethan that similarly wields an axe and has the power to de-age people, usually reducing them to young children.

Kitchen Nightmares

•  Chef Marjoram in Lady Jannath's Estate can be heard berating  Falura for serving raw food, "You served this to Lady Jannath? It's RAW!", a reference to the famous scene with Gordon Ramsay in an episode of ⁠Kitchen Nightmares.

Monty Python's Life of Brian

• In Lavernica's Home, a dead drow named Incontinentia Figgin can be found. This name may be a reference to a scene in ⁠Monty Python's Life of Brian, in which a Roman noblewoman named Incontinentia Buttocks and her husband Biggus Dickus are mentioned. The last name "Figgin" may reference a certain ⁠sexual practice.

Parks and Recreation

• The  Charlatan background goal ⁠Not to Worry, I Have a Permit quotes a scene from ⁠Parks and Recreation in which Ron Swanson offers a park ranger a permit that simply says "I can do what I want".

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

• The  Charlatan background goals ⁠Always Trust a Dishonest Person and ⁠Never Trust an Honest Person both refer to one of the final scenes of ⁠Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where Captain Jack Sparrow explains that one can always trust a dishonest man... to be dishonest. The honest ones, however, should be watched out for, because they might at any moment do something incredibly stupid.
• Also, the title of a fictional novel mentioned in the letter  Dinner at Candlekeep?, sent to  Nansi Gretta, is Salty Dogs: Curse of the Rum Golem, seemingly an allusion both to the movie title and to the infamous refrain "Why is the rum gone?".

South Park

• The text of the book  Gondian Autoprinter Manual, although missing the question (????) marks, may nevertheless be a play on the profit meme that arguably originated from ⁠South Park.

The AristoCats

• The  Urchin background goal ⁠Alley Cats, granted for speaking to both  His Majesty and  Steelclaw, is a reference to a cat jazz band with the same name – supporting characters in the 1970 Walt Disney Productions animated film ⁠The AristoCats.

The Fifth Element

• The  Noble background goal ⁠Multipass is enthusiastically repeated a number of times by Milla Jovovich's character, Leeloo, in the film ⁠The Fifth Element.

The Karate Kid

•  Sa'varsh Kethk in the Classroom in Crèche Y'llek can be heard saying "Strike hard! Slice flesh! No hesitation!", a reference to the motto of Cobra Kai, the antagonistic dojo in the film ⁠The Karate Kid.

The Matrix

• The  Sage background goal ⁠They're in the Walls! might refer to a scene in the 1999 Lana & Lilly Wachowski movie ⁠The Matrix, where an officer figures out the route of Morpheus's crew's retreat by hearing Cypher's cough through a wall.

The Simpsons

• The Crawling Claws  Itchy and  Scratchy in  Lucretious' tent share their names with the titular characters of The Itchy and Scratchy Show, a show-within-a-show in ⁠The Simpsons.

Tomb Raider

• There is a corpse in the Jungle the cave underneath the Skeleton near the magic ring that can be found in the area at X: 1566 Y: 1503. Based on its outfit, it may be a reference to Lara Croft.

Vox Machina

• In the Elfsong Tavern are two patrons, Dame Guisarme and Bombasto, resembling ⁠Vox Machina's gnome cleric Pike Trickfoot and  goliath barbarian Grog Strongjaw. A Guisarme is a medieval polearm – or a pike.

Westworld

• The automaton  Bernard may be a reference to the host Bernard Lowe in ⁠Westworld.

Various Films

• During the game's opening cinematic, a ⁠Wilhelm scream can be heard from one of the townspeople abducted by the Nautiloid. This is a stock sound effect from the 1950s that became something of a meme after being included somewhere in every Star Wars movie. It has been used as an easter egg in many films, TV series, and video games since.

Literature

Bible

• One of the plaques on the bust pedestals in the House of Hope contains a phrase referring to the Biblical verse "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28).
• Also, Raphael's hit points and the amount of his "backup gold cache" in the House of Hope treasury are precisely 666, which is likely a reference to the Biblical ⁠Number of the beast.
• The  Noble background goal ⁠Lest Ye Be Judged originates from the Biblical verse: "Judge not, lest ye be judged" (Matthew 7:1).

Brothers Grimm

• The books  Lacie and the Modrons and  The House on Drench Lane and Other Stories are authored by the Sisters Macabre, which is a reference to the ⁠Brothers Grimm, who were famous for compiling and editing many folklore stories into popular children's fairytales. The Brothers' stories were often intense, violent, and sexual in nature, some of which can be seen in the two books referencing them.

Discworld

Terry Pratchett's ⁠Discworld is a series of comic fantasy novels set on a flat world which travels on the back of an enormous turtle. While it developed into its own fantasy universe, it was born from and always contained elements of parody of other fantasy media – including Dungeons & Dragons. Larian's Swen Vincke has said on Twitter that the first book he gave to his wife was the Discworld novel ⁠Small Gods, and that he has converted "countless people" to the series via that book.

• In addition to the Poe reference (see below), Quothe the Raven is likely also a reference to the talking raven named Quoth (no "e") appearing in the Discworld novels ⁠Soul Music, ⁠Hogfather and ⁠Thief of Time. Quoth was originally a wizard's familiar, but in the novels, he is the companion, translator, and flying mount of the Death of Rats, the rat equivalent of the Grim Reaper.
• Lupperdiddle Swires is a gnomish adventurer famed for their ability to leap extraordinarily high. While they do not appear in the game, they are mentioned several times in the name or description of various items, including the  Potion of Glorious Vaulting,  Arsonist's Oil,  Shield of Returning,  Swiresy Shoes, and  Swires' Sledboard, as well as in  Brave. "Swires" is the name of two different gnome characters in 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 is not known for leaping but does give aerial support by riding on various birds. (On the Discworld, gnomes are only about six inches tall.)
• The in-game book  The Butler's Cane Has A Knob On The End is 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.
• The in-game book  You've Got Friends in the Guild contains the sentence "Their view is this: if you got to have crime, better it be organised crime!" This is a paraphrase of a line from the novel ⁠Men at Arms, attributed to Lord Vetinari, ruler of Ankh-Morpork, explaining the logic behind having a legalised Thieves' Guild.
• A group of dwarves in Rivington can be found enjoying several  Fried Rat Skewers. In Discworld, fried rat-onna-stick is a favourite dwarven delicacy.
• The in-game book  Lessons of Helm is written by someone named Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Doom Herring To Live O'Reilly. That is similar to a kind of name used in the Discworld novels like Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, No'-As-Big-As-Medium-Sized-Jock-But-Bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock, or Constable Visit-the-Infidel-with-Explanatory-Pamphlets. The last is in turn a parody of some real-life religious names, such as the 17th-century English Protestant preacher and politician Praise-God Barebone and his son Nicholas, a prominent economist, whom he supposedly christened If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barbon.

Edgar Allan Poe

• 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 Allan Poe's poem "The Raven", which includes the recurring line, "Quoth the raven: 'Nevermore.'"
• One of  Astarion's selection spam remarks, "Villains! Dissemble no more, I admit the deed! Tear up the floor - here, here! It is the beating of his hideous hea- oh, no, that's his brain. Where did I leave that heart?" contains a direct quote from the last line of Edgar Allan Poe's short story ⁠The Tell-Tale Heart.

William Shakespeare

•  Gale's combat remark, "What fools these mortals be", is derived from Puck's line in ⁠A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act 3, Scene 2): "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
• One of Gale's selection spam remarks, "All the world's my stage and you're just a player in it", is a paraphrase of a famous Jacques' soliloquy from ⁠As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7): "All the world's a stage,// And all the men and women merely players..."
• The  Folk Hero background goal ⁠Greatness Thrust Upon Them hails back to William Shakespeare's ⁠Twelfth Night, or What You Will. It is part of a phrase uttered by Malvolio, the steward of Countess Olivia. The full quote is "Some are born great; some achieve greatness; some have greatness thrust upon them."
• The  Haunted One background goal ⁠To Sleep, Perchance To Dream Tentacled Dreams is a parody of a line of the famous "To be, or not to be..." soliloquy from William Shakespeare's ⁠Hamlet.
• The  Sage background goal ⁠Heavy is the Head might also be a reference to ⁠Henry IV by William Shakespeare, where the king tells his page, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."

Other books

• The wolf  Isbeth in the Zhentarim Basement shares a name with the nearly-immortal queen of the Solis Kingdom in ⁠Jennifer L. Armentrout's fantasy book series Blood and Ash, described as an intelligent and ambitious, but cunning and cruel woman.
• The  Haunted One background goal ⁠Good Ol' Long Pig may refer to Alfred St. Johnston's Camping among Cannibals study about the culture of Polynesian tribes, where the author claims the "long pig" term to mean a roasted human body.
•  Merony, one of the charmed NPCs guarding the entrance to the Szarr Palace, when deceived, surrenders the key to the palace with the words "Of course. Enter freely and of your own free will!" The second part of her phrase is a quote from Bram Stoker's 1897 vampire novel ⁠Dracula.
• The  Acolyte background goal ⁠Those for Whom the Bell Tolled references Ernest Hemingway's novel ⁠For Whom the Bell Tolls; the title of this novel references John Donne's ⁠Meditation XVII, which contains the often-quoted line "Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
• One of  Gale's lines when selected in combat is "Gone with the Weave", which is a reference to Margaret Mitchell's famous novel ⁠Gone with the Wind.
• The book  The Quarta Sune is likely a reference to the ⁠Kama Sutra.
• The  Sage background goal ⁠All Knowledge Is Worth Having is a saying from Jacqueline Carey's ⁠Kushiel's Dart.
• The  Urchin background goal ⁠A Dish Served Cold is a reference to a well-known saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold". This adage appears in various literary and cinematic works. The first recorded comparison of revenge to a meal dates back to an 1846 novel by French writer ⁠Eugène Sue, Mathilde: Mémoires d'une Jeune Femme. This catchphrase also appears in Mario Puzo's ⁠The Godfather (1969), as well as in several movies: ⁠Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949), ⁠Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982), and ⁠Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003).
• The  Urchin background goal ⁠Artful Dodger is taken from the nickname of the leader of a street urchin gang in Charles Dickens's novel ⁠Oliver Twist.
• The name Nautiloid for the mind flayer ships in the Prologue and Act Three references not only the real-life marine species ⁠Nautiloid but also the Nautilus, the famous submarine ship of Captain Nemo in Jules Verne's novels ⁠Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and ⁠The Mysterious Island.

Other dramas, fables, and poems

• The  Guild Artisan background goal ⁠In the Palm of My Hand might refer to a line from William Blake's famous poem ⁠Auguries of Innocence: "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour."
• The  Guild Artisan background goal ⁠Trust and a Little Pixie Dust references J. M. Barrie's play ⁠Peter Pan, in which it is said that all one needs to make one's dreams come true is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust.
• Both the ⁠Pied Piper ( Charlatan background) and ⁠Slaying the Piper ( Urchin background) inspirations are a reference to a German fairy tale about the ⁠Pied Piper of Hamelin, who hypnotised the town's rats to follow him into deep water by playing a flute. After the citizens of Hamelin refused to pay him for this, the piper lured all their children to drown using the same trick.
•  Figaro Pennygood's first name may be a reference to the central character of the same name from Pierre Beaumarchais' trilogy of plays: ⁠Le Barbier de Séville ou la Précaution inutile (1775), ⁠La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro (1778), and ⁠La Mère coupable (1793). The best known of the many operatic adaptations are Gioachino Rossini's ⁠Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione (1816) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's ⁠Le nozze di Figaro (1786). His sister  Carmen's first name is likely derived from similar sources: a 1845 novel ⁠Carmen by Prosper Mérimée, and its namesake operatic adaptation by Georges Bizet (1875). Their father, Julio Facemaker, also has an opera connection: ⁠Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724) by George Frideric Handel, based on a libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym.
• The  Sage background goal ⁠If I Can't Have It... derives from an old Greek fable of ⁠The Dog in the Manger. While the dog does not eat the hay, it does not allow the horse to sate itself either.

Other aphorisms, idioms, proverbs, and quotes

• The  Charlatan background goal ⁠The News of My Deeds Was Greatly Exaggerated refers to the misquotation of a well-known phrase by Mark Twain, "The report of my death was an exaggeration" (often misquoted as "The news of my death was greatly exaggerated"), which he uttered in response to a death hoax in the New York Journal in 1897.
• The  Guild Artisan background goal ⁠Blood, Sweat, and the Other Thing, gained for participating in  Araj Oblodra's experiments, may derive from Winston Churchill's famous wartime speech in 1940 in which he said, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat", referring to the hardships of the ongoing war while also reaffirming his dedication to it. That line of Churchill's speech is itself a reference to a sermon by the Welsh preacher Christmas Evans, printed in 1837 and often referenced in Christian sermons and poems afterwards; it reads, "Christ the High Priest of our profession, when he laid down his life for us on Calvary, was bathed in his own blood, sweat and tears." Alternatively, the background goal may be a reference to the rock band ⁠Blood, Sweat & Tears.
• Another  Guild Artisan background goal, ⁠Simple Tools, Great Works, may hail back to a Vincent van Gogh quote, "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."
• A pair of mutually exclusive goals for the  Noble background, ⁠An Iron Fist and ⁠A Velvet Glove, are actually two halves of a well-known aphorism, "an iron hand in a velvet glove", describing a proper style of state-governing. It is variously attributed to several outstanding historical persons, from King Solomon to Niccolo Machiavelli to Charles XIV Johan of Sweden.
• The  Haunted One background goal ⁠Grabbing the Poker with Both Hands, gained by the Dark Urge for torturing  Liam in the Goblin Camp, refers to the idiom "grab [something] with both hands", meaning seizing an opportunity with enthusiasm and determination. The Dark Urge has unique and violent ways to mutilate Liam.
• The  Noble background goal ⁠Nobleborn as Below, so Above might be a reference to one of the verses from a Hermetic text known as the ⁠Emerald Tablet, popular among spiritual and occult practitioners like Helena Blavatsky in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. In Hermeticism, the "as below, so above" principle suggests a correspondence between the spiritual or heavenly realm and the physical or earthly realm.
• One of the idle remarks of the  Old Troutman on the Heapside beach is, "You can have any fish you like as long as it's halibut!" This is a parody of a famous quote by Henry Ford: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black."
• The  Outlander background goal ⁠Bumps in the Dark might refer to the idiom "things that go bump in the night", which is used to denote ghosts or other supposed supernatural beings, regarded as the cause of unexplained or frightening noises heard at night.
• The formulation of another  Outlander background goal ⁠Cat's Got Your Tongue? is a common idiom meaning the effect of being seized by surprise.
• The  Sage background goal ⁠A Foul and Awesome Display is a part of the quote by Kenneth Bainbridge, one of the head physicists who worked on the ⁠Trinity nuclear test. It was his firsthand account upon witnessing the first nuclear detonation on July 16, 1945. The full quote is "No one who saw it could forget it, a foul and awesome display."
• The  Sage background goal ⁠Hippocratic No More refers to one of the basic principles proposed by the ⁠Hippocratic Oath, formulated in Latin as "Primum non nocere" (First, do no harm).
• The  Soldier background goal ⁠The Best Offence is Virtually Nonsense is a parody of the adage "The best defence is a good offence".
• The  Soldier background goal, ⁠An Apple a Day Keeps the Scalpel Away is a parody of a common saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", which in turn is a modern version of a Welsh proverb, "Eat an apple on going to bed and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread".
• The  Urchin background goal ⁠Good Intentions is part of a common proverb, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions". Upon successfully "assisting"  Nina Dortmell, the party is attacked by a huge group of undead, led by her late brother,  Garret Dortmell.
• The  Urchin background goal ⁠Down with the Steel Oppressors! might be a reference to a 1768 political pamphlet by John Englishman, which is famous for its stance, "No liberty! No life! Proper wages, and down with the oppression!" "John Englishman" was one of the pseudonyms of ⁠John Wilkes, an English radical journalist, politician, and essayist.

Music

• The ring  To the Best of Wives and Mothers is a reference to the musical ⁠Hamilton, specifically to the song ⁠"Best of Wives and Best of Women", performed in the second act.
• The maul  Corpsegrinder is a likely reference to the stage name of ⁠George Fisher, the lead singer of the death metal band ⁠Cannibal Corpse.
• The note  Daralyne Nikley is likely a reference to the song ⁠"Darling Nikki" by the musical artist Prince.
• The flavour text of  The Red Knight's Final Strategem about 'a smattering of elemental strategy' is a reference to Gilbert and Sullivan's ⁠"Major-General's Song".
• The  Entertainer background goal ⁠Alien in the Big City may refer to the 1987 Sting song ⁠"Englishman in New York".
• The  Entertainer background goal ⁠Eclipse of the Heart references the 1983 Bonnie Tyler song ⁠"Total Eclipse of the Heart".
• The  Folk Hero background goal ⁠Chained, Unfortunate Souls is a reference to a composition ⁠"Poor Unfortunate Souls" from the soundtrack to the 1989 Walt Disney animated film ⁠The Little Mermaid.
• The  Folk Hero background goal ⁠In Need of a Hero might refer to the 1984 Bonnie Tyler composition ⁠"Holding Out for a Hero", first presented in the soundtrack to the Herbert Ross film ⁠Footloose.
• The  Haunted One background goal ⁠Who Let the Gnolls Out references the 2000 Baha Men song ⁠"Who Let the Dogs Out".
• The elven woman  Lug near the House of Grief can be heard humming and singing what appears to be a variation of ⁠"The Skye Boat Song", a Scottish song popularly known for being the theme song to the ⁠Outlander series, with the lyrics modified to fit the D&D universe.

Other

• The  Sage background goal ⁠Rennaissant Ingenuity alludes to Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the movable-type printing press, which propelled the mass spread of literature and thus had an immense impact on the development of the Renaissance cultural movement in Europe.
• The name of the cheerful and pragmatic dweller of Rainforest's Home in the Lower City,  Ratin Sesescor, might be a reference to the name of famous American filmmaker Martin Scorsese.
• The name of the tiefling refugee  Mol might be a reference to the name of notorious English pickpocket ⁠Mary Frith, alias Moll or Mal Cutpurse.
• One of the jokes that might be brought forth by the player character during the 'Laff Riot', a stage contest held by  Harvard Willoughby in Elfsong Tavern, goes, "Say, what's the difference between a dwarf and a bulette? You can't toss the bulette!" This refers to a practice of ⁠Dwarf-tossing, started in Australia in the 1980s as a form of pub entertainment. It may also be in reference to the scenes involving Gimli the dwarf and Aragorn in ⁠The Fellowship of the Ring and ⁠The Two Towers. Both describe Gimli's concern about whether his companion should (or should not) toss him over a distance he might not be able to jump over. These scenes are themselves a reference to the real-world practice.
•  Fist Eostre's name may be a reference to the Anglo-Saxon goddess ⁠Ēostre, making her name an Easter egg.
• The last name of the dragonborn bard  Quil Grootslang is a direct reference to a South African legend of a giant, diamond-eyed snake ⁠Grootslang hiding in a cave of Richtersveld.
• In the Polish localisation,  Skonal Dehann's name was translated to Mabert Rokłowicz, an anagram of ⁠Robert Makłowicz – a Polish food critic and celebrity.