Necromancy of Thay Guide (Read or Destroy?)

A terrifying book made of flesh can be found in Baldur’s Gate 3, labeled as the Necromancy of Thay, an object which you or any party character may read or destroy. Containing dark information that could provide a special buff, there are still risks to unlocking this artifact. In order to open the book in the first place, you’ll have to track down a magical object that is found in a dangerous area guarded by a tough boss.

To even access the contents of the Necromancy of Thay, you’ll need to gather the Dark Amethyst, an object found deep below the Blighted Village. The caves under here act like a dungeon, with multiple spider enemies in Baldur’s Gate 3 and a boss named the Matriarch. Once you defeat this creature, you are able to insert the gem into the book to open it, giving you the choice to read it at any time from your inventory.

Should You Read or Destroy the Necromancy of Thay?

The best choice here is to read the Necromancy of Thay to pass three Wisdom checks to gain a passive trait called Forbidden Knowledge. Each skill roll associated with reading the book are challenging, with the final check requiring a 20 or higher to succeed. However, if your custom character has specific racial backgrounds, you could have innate bonuses to your Wisdom score modifier for these tests.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Making A Custom Character (Tips, Stats, & Choices)

Reading the Necromancy of Thay also gives your character the Speak with Dead spell in Baldur’s Gate 3, allowing you to communicate with spirits along your journey. Giving the book to Astarion or Gale are good ways to build your relationships with these characters, who both may need the knowledge within the Tome for their reasons. Doing this also grants you Inspiration tied to your background goals.

The Forbidden Knowledge trait gives you a +1 bonus to all Wisdom saving throws and ability checks throughout your journey in Baldur’s Gate 3. Despite the advantages of this passive trait, there is a heavy risk of failing any of the rolls that take place while reading. If you or any party character fails a check trying to read the Necromancy of Thay, you gain the Whispers of Madness condition.

This affliction causes you or any character who failed to read the book to have a temporary disadvantage on Wisdom saves and checks until the effect wears off. If you don’t want to risk this outcome, you can destroy the tome by using any radiant attacks on it since the object has resistance to other damage types. While it might be better to read the Necromancy of Thay rather than destroy it, some may want to avoid taking any risks in Baldur’s Gate 3.