Baldur's Gate 3: Mastering the Art of Non-Combat Strategies to Outsmart the Thorm Family

Upon Ketheric Thorm's transformation into an eternal monster, his entire family followed suit. In Baldur's Gate 3, as players venture into Reithwin within the distorted realm known as the Shadow-Cursed Land, they will encounter three formidable members of the Thorm clan who reign over their twisted undead minions.

The Thorm clan members possess an immense pool of hit points, making the fight against them anything but simple. However, Baldur's Gate 3 revolves around choices and character development, allowing a skilled player with a well-assembled party to defeat all three without resorting to physical or magical attacks, with the exception of Guidance. Here's how.

Malus Thorm

Malus resides in the House of Healing, situated northwest of the town center, where he fulfills the role of the chief surgeon. Additionally, he imparts the Sharran philosophy of healing to the undead Sisters.

Players have the opportunity to approach Malus directly and convince him to surrender immediately. However, easing this task is achievable by locating his private quarters. For this, players are advised to proceed towards the northern section of the House of Healing and explore the small room positioned to the north of the operating theater. Although the doors here are locked, accessing the room can be accomplished by either picking the lock or forcefully breaking through. By perusing the book titled "Surgery and Physiology: A Sharran's Primer" found on the table, players will unlock new dialogue choices when interacting with Malus.

Upon approaching the table, players will engage in a conversation with Malus. To initiate the conversation, they must avoid uttering the word "Attack" and instead select any other option. Subsequently, players can opt for Investigation, Religion, or Persuasion during the conversation, all of which require a skill check with a difficulty class (DC) of 16. It is advisable to choose the skill in which the speaker excels the most.

Successfully passing this initial check will unlock another round of skill rolls. There, players have the opportunity to convince Malus to allow the Sisters to practice on him or on one another. To achieve this, they must pass a skill check against a higher DC of 21. Alternatively, if the players choose to read the book, the first option changes, and they must succeed in an Intimidation or Persuasion check with a DC of 18.

By persuading Malus to allow the Sisters to use him as a practice target, players will earn XP for successfully defeating him, as well as obtain his valuable gear, including the Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet, a Supply Pack, and a Battered Lute. The Lute is a crucial item needed to awaken Art Cullagh. Alternatively, if players convince Malus to let the Sisters practice on each other, they will eliminate each other, thereby making the battle against Malus easier. Players also have one final opportunity to roll for Deception, aiming to surpass a DC of 21 in order to convince Malus to take his own life.

Gerringothe Thorm

The tollhouse in Reithwin, known as the southeast building, is under the control of Gerringothe Thorm, the town assessor. Gerringothe can be found wandering on the upper floor of the building along with her minions, Visages, which are giant glowing skulls.

In her role as the town assessor, Gerringothe requires the party to pay a toll in gold in order to cross the river. Initially, one gold piece is enough, but she will soon demand all the gold the party possesses. However, players of Baldur's Gate 3 have the option to deceive Gerringothe by placing all but two gold pieces in the camp supply box.

Opting for this path offers players the opportunity to immerse themselves in a unique encounter while receiving a Signed Trading Visa. This visa serves as a mystical scroll, enabling players to unleash the power of Flesh to Gold, a modified version of the Flesh to Stone spell. However, the rest of the party members will express disapproval towards the protagonist for succumbing to this form of blackmail.

Alternatively, players can inquire about the benefits of surrendering all their gold to Gerringothe. Subsequently, they will be presented with a Persuasion option to convince her to depart, or a Deception option to convince her that the speaker is her replacement. Both choices must surpass a Difficulty Class (DC) of 18.

Either way, players now have the option to select either a Deception, Persuasion, or Intimidation check, all of which must be made against a DC of 21. Succeeding in any one of these will result in Gerringothe exploding into a dazzling display of gold, while simultaneously causing all the Visages to shatter. Subsequently, players will be able to search Gerringothe and obtain the morning star known as Twist of Fortune, as well as explore the tollhouse to discover a mound of gold and various valuable items.

Thisobald Thorm

The final remaining Thorm in the lineage is Thisobald, who manages The Waning Moon, a distillery and tavern in town. Within the walls of The Waning Moon, a diverse group of customers and entertainers gather, yet they are all affected by the fatal consequences of Thisobald's latest concoction.

When the party arrives at Thisobald, the leader will be invited to sit at the bar. Thisobald will insist that they have a drink together. To continue the conversation, players must pick up the tankard. They can choose to either roll a Constitution saving throw or a Sleight of Hand check. In order to successfully navigate this encounter without a fight, the speaker must pass three of these checks. The Constitution saves have to beat a difficulty of 14, 16, and 18 (regardless of how many drinks are skipped using Sleight of Hand), while the Sleight of Hand check always requires an 18.

Failing a Constitution save will result in the players becoming Drunk, which will disadvantage Dexterity and Charisma checks. If a Sleight of Hand roll is failed, Thisobald will become offended and immediately initiate a fight.

Between each drink, Thisobald will request some conversation. After the initial beverage, Thisobald desires to listen to an account of exploration, whereas after the second drink, he craves a tale of triumph over an adversary. Both assessments rely solely on the Performance skill, with a difficulty class (DC) of 16. It is essential to note that players must select an accomplishment that the party has genuinely attained for these assessments.

In the event of a failed attempt, players are granted a second opportunity to sustain the conversation. However, their Performance options become exceedingly challenging feats, and the DC escalates to 18. If the players fail once again, combat shall ensue.

Thisobald presents the greatest challenge among the Thorms, as he possesses numerous checks that prevent defeat without combat. However, defeating him yields the most valuable rewards. In addition to acquiring encounter experience points, Thisobald provides crucial information regarding Ketheric Thorm's source of immortality and its location. Sadly, following this revelation, he meets his explosive demise due to consuming excessive amounts of his own concoction.

After Thisobald's defeat, players discover a Worn Key on his person, granting them entry to the distillery located behind the bar. Within the distillery, they stumble upon a table holding Thisobald's Research Notes, wherein the secret formula for creating the potent purple worm poison is explained.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on macOS and PC.