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Help the Cursed Monk
Baldur's Gate 3

Help the Cursed Monk

Complete the Help the Cursed Monk quest in baldurs gate 3 Act 3. Deliver the Sentient Amulet to Shirra and decide whether to take the monk's curse.

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Complete the Help the Cursed Monk quest in baldurs gate 3 Act 3. Deliver the Sentient Amulet to Shirra and decide whether to take the monk's curse.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Make your way to Rivington in Act 3 to continue the quest.
  2. 2
    Locate Shirra, the cursed monk's granddaughter and a priestess of Ilmater, at the Open Hand Temple. Note that the temple has its own ongoing issues, but completing that quest is not required for this task.
  3. 3
    Upon learning Shirra is deceased, the cursed monk will manifest and state he can still use her remains.
  4. 4
    Head to the kitchen in the north-center of the temple and find the "Ornate Wooden Hatch" on the floor.
  5. 5
    Descend into the area below and navigate east, south, then west to find a room with four sarcophagi.
  6. 6
    Examine the plaques on each sarcophagus to identify Shirra's sarcophagus as the southwestern one. Saving your game beforehand is recommended.
  7. 7
    Upon examining Shirra's sarcophagus, you will be presented with a choice: bear the monk's curse or refuse it.

Should You Take the Curse from the Cursed Monk in Baldur's Gate 3?

When the cursed monk appears, he will explain his plans were thwarted by Shirra's death. You have two main choices: refuse to bear the curse or undertake it.

An optional [Arcana 15] check can inform you that taking the curse grants the ability to cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter.

If you refuse to bear the curse:

  • The cursed monk will attack, animating four zombies (Armor Class 8, 42 Hit Points each) to fight you.
  • Defeat the zombies and the monk.
  • The quest concludes with an unhappy but safe and lucrative ending. You will learn Tasha's Hideous Laughter and the Sentient Amulet will retain most of its powers, except for the "Talk to the Sentient Amulet" ability.

If you choose to bear the curse:

  • This choice has consequences, including madness, as the price for the ability to cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter.
  • The immediate effect is a -2 penalty to your Wisdom score (two separate -1 penalties).
  • You can attempt to resist the madness to mitigate or negate this penalty. There is no penalty for failing these checks beyond the potential Wisdom drain.
  • To resist, you must pass a pair of checks: either [Constitution 15], [Wisdom 15], or a combination of the two. You can also use an [Illithid | Wisdom 2] check by leveraging your tadpole.
  • Each successful check lowers the Wisdom penalty by 1. Passing both checks negates the penalty entirely.
  • Bearing the curse, whether mitigated or not, results in a happy ending.
  • The Sentient Amulet will become inert, losing all its abilities and effects, but it can be sold for some gold.
  • You gain the ability to cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter once per Long Rest as an innate ability. This ability consumes no spell slots or other resources but requires concentration and functions identically to the spell otherwise.
Tips
  • The zombies faced when refusing the curse are not a significant threat by Act 3.
  • Attempting the checks to resist the Wisdom penalty when taking the curse is always beneficial, as there's no downside to failing.
  • Leveraging your tadpole for the [Illithid | Wisdom 2] check can be an easier path to mitigating the Wisdom penalty.
  • If you refuse the curse: Learn Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Sentient Amulet retains most powers.
  • If you bear the curse: Learn Tasha's Hideous Laughter (innate, once per Long Rest), Sentient Amulet becomes inert but sellable.

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