Although Baldur's Gate 3 uses the rulebook of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, the developers have added several custom rules and magic items to make the game more exciting. The Scroll of Artistry of War is one of those additions —a spell that doesn't appear in the official D&D manuals. But where to find it?
How to learn the Artistry of War spell in Baldur's Gate 3
If you've reached Act 3 of BG3, and you have been following Gale's quest The Wizard of Waterdeep, he may have shared with you his interest in visiting the bookshop Sorcerous Sundries. If you manage to sneak inside the vaults of this magic shop, you will find magic items, rare weapons, and other valuable loot. There are two ways to get inside the vault.
How to enter the Sorcerous Sundries Vault in BG3
The first method requires you to climb the stairs of the shop to the first floor, where you will encounter Lorroakan's projection. After speaking with him you will have to break into the room with the iron door to your left. When you enter the room, the Animated Armour next to Lorroakan's projection will try to kick you out; so I did the lockpicking with an invisibile Astarion and used my Tav's Charisma to convince the construct that I belonged to the staff.
Once inside the room you will find a key on top of the desk and another one on the bookshelf. On that same bookshelf there is also a Clasped Book; interact with it and a magic portal will appear in the middle of the room.
The portal leads to a room inside the vault. Don't let the invisible floor fool you; you can walk on top of it. Now, instead of crossing the wooden door in front of you, head in the opposite direction to an archway that seems blocked by a wall. A successful Perception check will reveal a button that leads into a corridor (image below).
Tip: cast See Invisibility on one of your characters because some loot is hidden from plain view.
After crossing the corridor, you will enter a room where you will find The Red Knight's Final Stratagem inside a Display Case. Lockpicking the case and interacting with the book will grant you the Scroll of Artistry of War.
How to break into the Sorcerous Sundries Vault in BG3
The second method (and the one I recommend) is to speak to Lorroakan's projection, cross the correct portal (the one on the left), and be transported to his tower. After a brief conversation in which he will ask you to hand over the Nightsong, you will be able to walk freely through the premises.
Head out to a balcony that has a broken balustrade and use Feather Fall to jump down onto the floor below.
Tip: if you don't have Feather Fall, you can always cast Web on the floor below, since landing on top of a web removes all falling damage.
From this balcony below, you will be able to break in through a window. Be careful, though, because the place is trapped. I used Gale to walk ahead of my party since the traps need a good Arcana check to be revealed (instead of the usual Perception).
In this room, you have to use the spell See Invisibility to be able to read the plaques below the Weave Buttons. Don't press the one that says Security because that will spawn Arcane Turrets.
The button that says Vaults (see image above) will take you right to the room where you will find The Red Knight's Final Stratagem inside a Display Case. Reading the book will reward you with the Scroll of Artistry of War.
Related: Best Spells in Baldur’s Gate 3
What does Artistry of War do?
Artistry of War is one of the hidden spells in Baldur's Gate 3, and it isn't available on any spell list in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It is a fifth-level Evocation Spell that behaves like an upgraded version of Magic Missile. The spell never misses and it fires six projectiles that deal 2d6+1 force damage each (for a total of 12d6+6).
Being one of the most powerful spells in the game, you could save the scroll for an important battle. But I recommend that you give it to Gale or any other Wizard in your party who can consume it to learn the spell and use it once every long rest.
For more on Baldur's Gate 3, check out Tavern Brawler Monk BG3 build guide or Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Cleric guide here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Nov 1, 2023 04:57 pm