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Strange Ox
| “ | Hail Cyric! |
„ |
| — The real meaning of 'Moo' |
Involvement[edit | edit source]
Act One[edit | edit source]
Walking past the Strange Ox prompts a 
DC 10 Insight check to notice its odd behavior. A character who passes the check can talk to the Strange Ox via 
or 
Potion of Animal Speaking and make a DC 10 Arcana check to investigate further. Passing this check confirms the creature is not what it appears to be.[1]
The party must successfully pass a DC 10 Persuasion check, DC 10 Intimidation check, or DC 10 Deception check to pressure the Ox into revealing its secret. On success, the Ox tells the party that it is heading to Baldur's Gate but refuses to elaborate further.
Attacking the Strange Ox in Act One causes its caretaker, Toron, and neighboring oxen to become hostile. The ox drops pools of 
Acid when damaged. On death, it drops a 
that immediately explodes for 8d8
acid damage.
If completing 
and attacking the refugees, the Strange Ox disappears with the other oxen when the grove prepares for the siege, and can be encountered later on.
Act Two[edit | edit source]
Walking towards the Strange Ox in the stables of the Last Light Inn prompts a DC 10 Insight check to recall whether the player character has seen it before. Passing this check is not necessary to talk to the Strange Ox. With , the party can continue the conversation from the Emerald Grove. Regardless, the interacting party member must pass a DC 14 Persuasion, Perception, or Nature check to continue.
On success, the Ox telepathically shows images of disfigured corpses with the sound of screaming in the background. Failing the check causes the conversation to end, but it is still possible to continue speaking with the Ox, essentially skipping the check.
Pressuring it to reveal its true identity results in the Ox threatening the party. The conversation can either end here or the interacting party member can continue asking questions. Questioning the Ox further causes it to deform into a cyan Phasm Ooze and enter combat with the party [2]. Before doing so, it tells the player character that it was seeking a simple life of hay and a clean stable to live in. Alternatively, telling the creature its secrets are safe ends the conversation peacefully (
+1 
+1 
+1).
The Dark Urge may relate to the ox's revelations and can tell it about their own murderous nature, to which it remarks they may be a kindred spirit, but it only wishes to be an ox. The player character can either respect or chastise it for not giving in to its bloodlust - the latter option causes the Dark Urge to brutally attack the creature mid-dialogue, killing it without initiating combat as it struggles to retain its ox form until the very end.[3]
Alternatively, The Dark Urge can, after sharing its violent visions, choose to respect its wishes by answering, "I don't care what you might be behind it all; you're an ox to me." The Strange Ox responds to the Urge's discretion by regurgitating an 
Onyx as a gift.
Act Three[edit | edit source]
If the Strange Ox survives into Act Three, it can be encountered in Rivington at X: 36 Y: -149 on a hill west of the requisitioned barn. Approaching it triggers a DC 10 Insight check check to confirm its likeness. This time, the Ox is glad to see the party. It was worried about the party's mental health since the previous encounter, but perhaps it is just faking it because it needs something from them.
As previously, the Ox can be questioned about its true nature and, like before, doing so causes it to deform into his natural shape and become hostile. Any other conversation path leads to initiating . If deciding to help, it turns into an apple on the stable floor that can be picked up. The moment the party enter the Lower City with it inside a party member's inventory, the quest ends and it disappears, leaving behind his 
Shapeshifter's Boon Ring and a 
Slightly Slimy Note. If entering the Lower City before speaking to the Ox, it disappears and the quest cannot be started. If the quest was not previously started, the Ox cannot be recruited for .
Completing allows the party to summon it using a 
during . It reveals its true form as Phasm, a type of Ooze with a true form similar to an Ochre Jelly which can shapeshift into different monsters with unique abilities during combat.[4]
Combat[edit | edit source]
Attacks and abilities (Act 2)[edit | edit source]
)
Range: 18 m / 60 ft Attacks and abilities (Act 3)[edit | edit source]
)
Recharge: Per Turn 
Melee: 1.5 m / 5 ft Notable loot[edit | edit source]
Hat of Fire Acuity (only if killed in Act Two or Act Three)
Shapeshifter's Boon Ring (if killed or traded with in any Act or as a reward in Act Three)
Related literature[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ If the player character is a Druid, or possibly a Ranger, speaking with the Strange Ox may reveal it was discriminating in its choice of what kind of animal to present as: a rare Red-Backed River Ox.
- ↑ The Strange Ox has a hidden passive that generates a 3 m / 10 ft radius Acid surface when struck.
- ↑ If killing the Ox using The Dark Urge, no XP is gained aside from inspiration.
- ↑ The tooltip on the summoning action
reveals the Phasm's name to be Zlorb.