Malus Thorm

Malus Thorm
Voiced by	Sean Baker
Information
Title	Shar's Scalpel
Race	Undead elf
Hometown	Reithwin Town
Family	Ketheric Thorm (nephew) Isobel (grandniece)

Malus is the undead master surgeon of the House of Healing, and twisted follower of Shar. Having somehow kept his personality despite being in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, he believes graceful pain and calculating mutilation are the key to truly embracing the ideals of his dark faith. At his depraved hospital, he tirelessly works to train his Undead Nurses to hone such skill, yet their hollowed state leaves them lacking in ability beyond being dutiful assistants.

“	The objective of the scalpel, sisters, is to soothe, for a scalpel, indeed, is an extension of Shar. See how the patient reacts when I but stroke the right nerve. Hear its comfort. Hear the melody of mercy. Pray, sister, show us the extent of your beneficence.	„
	— Malus Thorm instructing the Undead Nurses in their "medical practice."

Overview

Background

In life, Malus directed a shift in the House's purpose from tending to the sick and injured among the populace of Reithwin to exclusively serving the Dark Justiciars of Ketheric Thorm's army, as he believed keeping the latter healthy would help them serve Shar while the rest were better off left to her oblivion.

Quests

He plays the role of obstacle in the quest Wake up Art Cullagh, holding the quest item the Battered Lute.

Involvement

Arriving at the House of Healing and gaining entry to the surgery theatre, Malus will be busy educating his undead nurses on a poor 'patient'. While cordial at first seeing you as a new student, preaching his view of Absence being the way to understanding Shar. After mutilating the 'patient' he will urge to do the same to you. Beyond attacking to defend yourself, there are a mix of Skill Checks that can be done instead:

• A DC 14 Investigation check will lead to you pointing out the nurses aren't skilled enough for surgery.
• A DC 14 Religion check will let you use the ways of Shar to counter Malus own views.
• A DC 16 Persuasion check will suggest the nurses aren't ready and just make you sick instead of 'curing' you.

If any of these checks are successful, Malus will ask how to train the nurses properly, leading to two differing DC 21 Persuasion checks.

• Suggest that Malus offer himself up to be practiced on by the nurses, which he gleefully accepts. After a bloody scene in which they blindly hack away at his body, the nurses will become passive, and the master surgeon very much dead.
• Convince Malus to have the Sisters test their skills against each other, leading to a bloody brawl between them.

If the player has first read the Surgery and Physiology: A Sharran's Primer book in the room behind Malus, two additional options are available, both of which are instead DC 18, and both of which result in the nurses killing Malus:

• [INTIMIDATION] I have read your treatise. Initiate the final lesson, or die by my hand. (DC 18)
• [PERSUASION] ‘Only with sacrifice is mastery gained.’ For the sisters to learn, you must submit. (DC 18)

If the nurses were convinced to fight each other, the mad surgeon will press to tend to you next. He can be attacked, proving much easier to defeat without the support of his nurses. Alternatively, he can be convinced to do the work for you:

• A final DC 21 Persuasion check, requesting that Malus perform the procedure on you
• DC 21 Deception check with advantage for Sorcerer or Cleric, asking that Malus bless you with the blinding procedure

Awed by your diligence, Malus will happily make an example of himself, stabbing and killing himself through the eye.

Combat

Malus Thorm
Medium Undead
Level 7 Undead
Stats
Armour Class	18
Hit points	276 (Balanced) 358 (Tactician)
Movement speed	9 m (30 ft)
Weight	100 kg ( lb)
Initiative	+4
Ability scores
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 8 (-1)
Proficiency bonus	+3
Saving throws	Str +2 Dex +7 Con +2 Int +2 Wis +6 Cha -1
Resistances
Resistant	Piercing, Bludgeoning, Slashing, Fire
Features
Legendary Action: Wail of Loss Honour	Spend a legendary action to make your assistants cast Wail of Loss
Magic Resistance	Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Multiattack: Wounded (Malus Thorm)	Can Multiattack if your hit points are at 40% or less.
Opportunity Attack	Automatically attack an enemy moving out of your reach.
Turn Resistance	Advantage on saving throws against being turned.

Attacks and abilities

[[* Lash out with deadly claws, dealing 2d4+4Slashing damage. Action ]]

 Request Surgical Instrument ()

Request a tool for advanced surgery. Grants  Surgeon's Chosen onto one of the undead nurses, having them lend a unique Instrument of Loss for him, allow Malus to perform powerful and debilitating attacks. The surgical tools are the following:

•  Instrument of Loss: Bonesaw -  Bloody Bonesaw
•  Instrument of Loss: Syringe -  This Won't Hurt A Bit
•  Instrument of Loss: Trepan -  Terror Trepan
•  Instrument of Loss: Leech -  Lethal Leech

 Range: 8 m / 25 ft

Recharge: Per turn

 Bloody Bonesaw ()

8d8 (8~64) + DEX modifier Slashing

Hack at a target and possibly  Slow it.

DEX Save

 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft

 This Won't Hurt A Bit ()

8d8 (8~64) + Dexterity modifier Piercing

Jab a foe with a syringe and  Poison them.

DEX Save

 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft

 Terror Trepan ()

8d10 (8~80) + Dexterity modifier Piercing

Bore into a foe's brain and  Frighten them.

CON Save

 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft

 Lethal Leech ()

8d8 (8~64) + Dexterity modifier Piercing

Suckle a foe with hundreds of piercing teeth, making them  Bleed.

DEX Save

 Range: 2.5 m / 8 ft

 Lovely Assistant ()

The Surgeon reanimates the corpse of one of his nurses.

 Range: 8 m / 27 ft

Notable loot

• Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet
• Battered Lute

Gallery

• 

  Concept model by Nikolai Chugunov.

• 

  Model.

• 

  Malus' in-game model.

Related literature

• Surgery and Physiology: A Sharran's Primer
• URGENT: Request for Supplies, Sister Lidwin avails a Baldur's Gate surgeon of Malus's descent into madness under Shar

Notes by Malus Thorm

• Reithwin Necrology
• Surgeon's Memorandum

Books by Malus Thorm

• Surgeon's Research Notes

External links

• Malus Thorm on the Forgotten Realms Wiki