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InBaldur’s Gate 3, every dice roll can change your destiny and influence critical narrative beats. That said, it’s not a good feeling when one bout of bad luck derails the entire story. To ensure that a single bad roll doesn’t ruin your whole playthrough, the game features an ‘Inspiration’ mechanic.
By aligning your decisions and actions with your character’s chosen background, you’ll gaina point of Inspiration, which can be used to reroll your dice—rewarding you for playing accordingly with your character’s traits, bonds, and guiding principles. This guide will explain the Sage background and show you exactly how to obtain inspiration while playing as one.
The Sage Background, Explained
During the character creation process, you may choose from a wide array of backgrounds. These backgrounds grant youtwo skill proficiencies.They also provideunique dialogue optionsand influence how NPCs treat your character.
A Sage excels inunderstanding knowledge, lore, and history. They gain theArcanaandHistoryproficiencies.
Arcana
Base Ability Score: Intelligence
Arcana is commonly used to identify and interact withenchanted items or spells. Arcana is also used torecall loreabout spells, magic items, magical traditions, and the planes of existence.
History
Survival is commonly used whenrecalling informationabout Faerun’s past, including historical events, people, kingdoms, wars, and civilizations.
How To Get Inspiration As A Sage
As a Sage, your character will most often become inspired when exploring andreading ancient texts, historical wonders, or mysterious secrets.
you may only havefour Inspiration pointsat a time, after which you’ll only receive experience points for hitting these goals. Be sure touse them up before hitting the cap!
A Natural Alliance
Identify the Harper and Emerald Enclave armor.
The Harper and druid armor can be foundunder the broken bridgewest of the Emerald Grove. Pass by with your character to trigger aHistory checkto accurately recognize the symbols for what they are.
Secrets of the Sundering
Unlock and read the Book of Dead Gods.
TheBook of Dead Godscan be found inthe Dank Crypt dungeon. The book is on a table ina room to the west, withinthe northern wing(the room with the Jergal statue).
A complete walkthrough of the dungeon can be found in ourDank Crypt guide.
Secrets of the High Cheftain
Read Volo’s Guide to Goblins
This book can be foundon Booyagh Piddle, one of the goblins that can be found within theShattered Sanctumarea of the Goblin Camp.
Secrets of the Shadow Druids
Discover and read Faldorn’s Canticle: The Shadow Druid’s Doctrine.
You can find this book in theServant’s Quarters (X: -490, Y:-7) of the Emerald Grove. It’s found inKagha’s chest.
Roots of the Grove
Learn local history from the druidic frescos.
Interact with thefour druid frescosthat depict the legacy of the Emerald Grove. They can all be found within theInner Sanctum of the Emerald Grove.
Reanimator
Resurrect Gale according to his instructions.
After Gale dies (he needs tocompletely die, not just go unconscious),take a long restand follow the instructions provided by his simulacrum completely.
Secrets of the Necromancer
Discover the nature of the Thayan tome.
Explore thecellar under the Blighted Villageand find theNecromancy of Thaytomehidden within.
All Knowledge is Worth Having
Completely read the Necromancy of Thay tome.
After finding theNecromancy of Thaytomedetailed above,read it to completionby passing several increasingly hard Wisdom saves.
The Phases Unfold
Solve the Moon puzzle in the Shattered Sanctum.
At thebottom of the Shattered Sanctum, which can be accessed through the door within Priestess' Gut’s chambers,solve the Moon puzzleto unlock a path down to the Underdark.
A Solitary Spider
Find and read the arachnomancer’s journals in the Whispering Depths.
Explore theWhispering Depths dungeon,accessible through thewell in the Blighted Village. You’ll find a small cave where a drow arachnomancer has a journal of his research.
Secrets of the Sussur Tree
Use a sussur flower to disable an arcane turret.
Using the antimagic properties of asussur bloom, you candisable the arcane turretsfound in theArcane Tower.
The Forbidden Arcane
Read Omeluum’s notes on illithid magic.
These notes can bepickpocketed fromOmeluum, the mind flayerfound in the Ebonlake Grotto. Omeluum will appear after you speak to the hobgoblin merchant at the Myconid Grove.
Secrets of the Matron
Read the Educating the Unfaithful book.
This book can befound near Dhourn, the drow scholarpetrified by the Spectator.
If I Can’t Have It…
Obtain all three clues about the Adamantine Forge
You can obtain all three clues by bringingNere’s headto the Myconids,encountering the Spectator(and saving Dhourn from it), anddefeating the Hook Horrorsnear Dread Hollow.
Encounter and defeatGerringgothe ThormandThisobald Thorm.
Hippocratic No More
Find the surgeon’s research notes.
These notes can befound in the House of Healing morgue dungeon, accessible via two entrances: a door west of the House of Healing, or an Ominous Crevice (X:-150, Y:105) east of the Grand Mausoleum waypoint.
Snuffed Spark
Find the dead aasimar’s journal.
This journal can also befound in the House of Healing morgue dungeon, accessed through two entrances detailed in the row above.
Theskan Tactician
Help Mol win the game of lanceboard.
When arriving at Last Light Inn for the first time, you’re able to find Mol playing lanceboard with Raphaelin the first-floor taproom. Help her defeat him to earn this point of inspiration.
Waking the Sleeper
Wake Art from his coma.
Art can be found in one of the bedrooms of Last Light Inn. He is a crucial component to completing theLift the Shadow Curse questline, and heshould be woken as soon as possiblebefore thepoint of no return in Act Two.
Our guide aboutdefeating Malus Thormand wakingArt Callughdetails exactly how to rouse Art from his catatonic slumber.
Corrupted Beyond Recognition
Discover how the shadow curse came to be.
Find and read the dead druid’s journal detailing the history of the shadow curse. The journal can be foundnear the Ruined Battlefields.
Tenets of Loss
Open the way into the Sharran Sanctuary.
The Sharran Sanctuary can be accessed bysolvinga statue plaque puzzlenear Reithwin town.
Partaking in Local Customs
Perform the ritual in the Sharran Sanctuary.
After solving the aforementioned statue plaque puzzle and entering the Sharran Sanctuary,perform a blood ritual at the altarafterpassing all three checks at the statues.
Brain Blast!
Solve the brain puzzle in the Necrotic Laboratory
Completethe neural node puzzlein the Necrotic Laboratorywithin the Mindflayer Colony under Moonrise Towers.
A Little Too Familiar with the Grotesque
Solve Balthazar’s library puzzle without making any mistakes
Complete thebookshelf puzzlein Balthazar’s librarybyplacing the heart on the altarwithout touching any of the incorrect books.
A Grand Prize!
Figure out and beat Akabi’s game.
Akabi islocated at the Circus of Last Days. His Wheel of Fortune game is rigged and can only be won through intervention, rewarding you with a legendary trident.
Assistant to the Extra-Planar Agent
Accept Valeria’s serial killer investigation
Progress through the “Investigate the Murders” questline until yourescue Valeria and Figaro, at which point she willask you to help herwith the investigation.
New Normal
Get scanned by a Steel Watcher
Atthe Southern Checkpoint,try to enter the citywithout any tricks. The Fist guard will ask that you consent to getting scanned by a Steel Watcher before you are allowed to enter.
Coronation of the Dreadmaster
Witness Gortash’s coronation.
you may meet and witness the coronation of Gortash onthe second floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress.
The Karsus of Our Times
Surrender Nightsong to Lorroakan
Lorroakan can be encountered at theSorcerous Sundriesmagic shop. Here, you canchoose whether togive the Nightsong to himorhelp her stand against him.
Blood of the Covenant
Find out what Araj has been up to.
Afterencountering Araj and giving her some of your bloodin Moonrise Towers during Act Two, encounter her again after her experiments go awry andexplode near the Blushing Mermaid. Speak to her to learn about her new experiments involving your blood.
Stopping the Repetition of History
Defeat Lorroakan
Lorroakan can be encountered at theSorcerous Sundriesmagic shop. Speak to the Nightsong about his search for her, andconfront thendefeat Lorroakanat the top of Ramezith’s Tower.
Heavy is the Head
Find theHelm of Balduran
you’re able to find this legendary helmetin the Wyrmwaysunder the city of Baldur’s Gate.
For exact instructions on how tolocate this and every other legendaryin the game, refer toour Legendary Items guide.
Knowledge of the Heart
Get the best possible outcome with a companion on Zethino’s love quiz.
Zethino can be found at theCircus of Last Days, where you can choose a companion to undergo her love test with you.
Refer to our Love Trial answers guide for all the correct answers to her quiz for each companion.
