Adventuring in Faerûn is a dangerous gig. Whether you're investigating corruption in the city of Baldur's Gate or flying through the Nine Hells, you'll need to be on the lookout for all kinds of monsters on your journey. And because you might bump into anything from fiend to fey to elemental, it pays to be prepared.

Below, we've compiled some notes about a few of our favorite monsters from fifth edition that appear in Baldur's Gate 3. Though all of these creatures are dangerous, you may fare better with some by pursuing a fair and respectful negotiation rather than instigating a fight.

1. Cambion
2. Djinni
3. Drider
4. Dryad
5. Harpy
6. Imp
7. Redcap

Play As the Companions From Baldur's Gate 3

You can now select the companion characters from Baldur's Gate 3 when creating a premade character! Bring Astarion, Shadowheart, or one of your other favorite companions along on your adventure into tabletop D&D!

1. Cambion

Cambion are the result of mortals fraternizing with devils or demons. I suspect that the fiendish parent is usually an incubus or succubus, but I try not to think about it too much. Cambion take after both parents, physically appearing as a humanoid with fiendish aspects and boasting an affinity for enchantment magic and pyromancy. But be careful—some cambion can also alter their physical appearance, so you may not know you're even speaking with one! While they may be the offspring of a mortal parent, most cambion take after their fiendish heritage and grow into adults brimming with bloodlust and ambition.

You may have run into a cambion before when playing fifth edition. As denizens of rather extreme environments, they're resistant to some elemental damage as well as poison damage. From afar, they'll blast you with a Fire Ray that feels like taking a burning hands spell to the face, then quickly fly up close to stab you with a blazing spear. Cambions are also known to spot your barbarian and charm them into attacking your party. And if they find themselves in a pinch, they tend to plane shift out of danger.

2. Djinni

Djinni are genies that hail from the Elemental Plane of Air, where they rule the skies. And no, you can't wish for more wishes. In fact, you'll be quite lucky if you get any wishes at all. Though the djinni were once more commonly imprisoned in mundane items by mages, they are proud and powerful creatures. They prefer lives of luxury, surrounding themselves with good food and wine, crowded parties, and loud music. They also, by and large, get along best with mortals: Where the efreeti need you to bow, the dao demand tribute, and the marid require flattery, the djinni are the most likely to amiably take entertainment or gifts as payment for their services.

Experienced adventures know to entreat djinni with the respect and politeness their power and position is due, and they will often grant you the same. Despite their history with humanoid mages, many djinni are happy to negotiate with mortals for favors, goods, or information.

Among genies, djinni might be the least likely to harm you, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous—or capricious. They are similar to dragons in that they are prideful and extraordinarily powerful masters of their elements. Only test a djinni's power if you're curious what lightning tastes like.

3. Drider

The drider is what happens when your arachnophobia rises to 10 feet tall, looks you in the eye, and says, "I cast darkness."

Driders are drow who failed their Spider Queen's tests and were brutally transfigured into a half-spider hybrid as punishment. From then on, the drider is a pariah amongst drow society, living in isolation as a monument to their goddess' disappointment. Adventurers who wander too close to a drider's territory should beware, as these creatures sometimes lead packs of giant spiders. Even alone, they can use Spider Climb to fire their longbow from the ceiling, then conjure darkness to disorient their foes when it's time to scuttle away.

Remember too, that if a drider was a spellcaster in their prior life as a drow, they retain their ability to cast spells. These more powerful drider can cast bane, hold person, and silence on your party, or disrupt your wards with dispel magic.

4. Dryad

Fey guardians of the woods, dryads live and walk amongst the trees. Working together alongside other local sylvan creatures and druids, they protect their friends, as well as the flora and fauna of the forests. Dryads are bound to trees (sometimes by more powerful fey), their own health ebbing and flowing in response to the tree they call home. They are reclusive but curious, flitting through shadows to keep their distance from strangers while keeping them in sight.

If dryads believe their forest is in danger, they will intervene, bursting from the trees with shillelaghs and fury. Dryads can entangle their foes, teleport from tree to tree, and charm enemies into allies. If you run into a dryad, I recommend trying to befriend or negotiate with them—remember that even if you can defeat them, they probably have many woodland friends nearby.

5. Harpy

The harpy is a classic mythical monster that enjoys violence and slaughter and lures unsuspecting adventurers to their deaths.

Despite an outwardly terrifying appearance, the harpy can sing a magical melody that charms potential prey into approaching them. They then usually take up a position near an obvious danger, such as beyond a deadly pit or at the bottom of a steep cliff. Charmed victims will then mindlessly wander toward them, falling to their demise.

Harpies would prefer it if the victim stayed just a little bit alive after impact, though—no fun dismembering someone if they can't feel it.

6. Imp

It's a raven, it's a rat, it's… an imp? The imp is a tiny and tricky devil from the Nine Hells, renowned for carrying messages between infernal lords and spying on opposing factions. Imps are also jokesters who enjoy leading mortals astray. Whether they damn your soul or waste your time, they simply enjoy making your existence worse. Keep an eye out for their poison stinger—or an ear, I suppose, since the imp might be invisible.

It's easy to see why they're used for espionage: Besides being able to turn invisible at will, imps can also polymorph into a rodent or insect or bird, are resistant to magic, and can see through magical darkness. Despite being such common servants, imps aren't particularly efficient, reliable, or even loyal. But then, that's Hell for you.

7. Redcap

Leave it to the Feywild. If any plane could distill the concept of violence and turn it into a creature, it would be a realm of wild magic. There, emotionally-charged acts can leave a magical imprint on their surroundings, creating a breeding ground for new creatures. When someone acts out of intense viciousness and sheds blood in the Feywild or near it, redcaps can spring from the bloodstained earth.

Murderous, small, furious, and formidable, redcaps can be found in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. They look like fanatically homicidal little old men, clomping around in ironclad boots and wielding an almost-oversized sickle. Though the redcap is only three or four feet tall, don't let their stature fool you. Their physical strength competes with cambions and ogres. Though their iron boots aren't particularly stealthy, redcaps can dash pretty quickly to knock you prone with a swift kick to the shin.

Though they don't usually work in groups, some dark mages, hags, and even humanoid murderers can draw redcaps into their employ. If you find yourself suddenly attacked by a coordinated team of redcaps, you might have recently made yourself a powerful enemy.

Encountering D&D Monsters in Baldur's Gate 3

Once you've downloaded Baldur's Gate 3 and created your character, you'll be well on your way to facing down many of your favorite monsters from D&D. While you might want to intimidate some and consider befriending others, be sure to set any driders you encounter on fire.

Damen Cook (@damen_joseph) is a lifelong fantasy reader, writer, and gamer. If he woke up tomorrow in Faerûn, he would bolt through the nearest fey crossing and drink from every stream and eat fruit from every tree in the Feywild until he found that sweet, sweet wild magic.