Within a certain area ofBaldur’s Gate 3, players may stumble upon the kuo-toa, a strange group of fish folk in the middle of an even stranger ceremony. A cluster of the creatures are praising a bloody altar, upon which a powerful redcap will appear if players get close enough to trigger the cut scene. Depending on how players handle the interaction, they may end up fighting the whole group,or they could gain a powerful new ally.
It’s an entirely optional encounter, and due to how strange the kuo-toa are, it’s one that sticks out for those who find it. But what exactly are these creatures, and why do they have the powers they do?The kuo-toa are lifted directly fromDungeons & Dragons, and the existinglore surrounding the tabletop RPGcan provide a bit more info on these fishy folk.
Who The Kuo-Toa Are In Baldur’s Gate 3
The History Of These Fanatical Creatures
Kuo-toa first appeared in 1978, deployed byD&Dco-creator Gary Gygaxfor a module called “Shrine of the Kuo-Toa.” Contrary to the more lanky and physically capable sahuagin, the kuo-toa are described as short, paunchy, and coated in slime. Yet they possess immense mental power, beingable to perceive invisible creatures or even those moving through other planes.They typically stick to the Underdark, however, since their eyesight is poorly adapted to the sunlight.
10 Weirdest Quests In Baldur’s Gate 3 You Don’t Want To Miss
Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of fascinating side quests for the party to discover and enjoy, but some are most definitely on the weirder side than others.
Much like another group of Underdark denizens, the duergar, the kuo-toa have ahistory with mind flayers.The illithid conquerors drove many kuo-toa into madness through psychic torment,and this corruption of the mind lingered long after the collapse of the mind flayer empire. The kuo-toa’s abilities, combined with their new madness, resulted in a rather peculiar set of powers and practices that show up inBaldur’s Gate 3.
The Kuo-Toa Have A Special Ability
The Power Of Belief
The kuo-toa’s madness caused them to beginbelieving in new gods, ones made up entirely by their own imaginations.The things they would see in other planes, combined with a general deranged mentality, led the fish folk to make their own deities, and their psychic power made them real. These gods, manifested and maintained by pure belief, would defend the creatures and empower them in turn.
The kuo-toa still have a somewhat hierarchical society, with certain members of their communities leading the rest in religious practices. As such, sometimes the beliefs of the few can overwhelm those of the many.
But other creatures can sometimes take advantage of the kuo-toa’s faith. This happens inBaldur’s Gate 3whenthe redcap going by BOOOAL convinces a group of kuo-toa to worship him. When the party finds this conniving fellow, they can challenge him and fight his horde of acolytes. Or, they can sacrifice a party member to get into the kuo-toa’s good graces. This may leave players one character short, but it does provide a powerful buff, a strong weapon, and a potential ally in the third act ofBaldur’s Gate 3.
