Highlights
- Baldur's Gate 3 is heavily influenced by the tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons, with the game mechanics and setting adapting from the D&D 5E and Forgotten Realms campaign.
- The Harpers are a major faction in Baldur's Gate 3, portrayed as an organization of spies that protect the common people from abuse of power and work to maintain balance and harmony in the realm.
- The Harpers operate covertly, often disguising themselves as common folk in order to gather information. They have a rivalry with the Zhentarim, a mercenary group in Baldur's Gate 3, and engage in covert missions to keep magical artifacts away from evildoers.
Fantasy role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate 3 often have different organizations that represent certain classes, races, and interests. Some fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 may be familiar with a faction called the Harpers, as the organization plays a significant role in Faerun lore and features heavily in the recent release of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. However, with as vast as something like D&D, fans would be forgiven if they've missed out on the Harpers.
Baldur’s Gate 3 and previous games in the franchise are heavily based on the popular table-top role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Everything from the gameplay mechanics down to the classes works the same way as in D&D, with BG3 adapting 5E. The setting of Baldur’s Gate 3 is also based on the tabletop RPG’s Forgotten Realms campaign, which is why factions like Harpers appear in both the latest D&D movie and Baldur’s Gate 3.
The Harpers’ Role in the World of Baldur’s Gate 3
The Harpers are a major faction in Baldur’s Gate 3, but players may not find too much info about them during their playthrough - especially given how vast is and how easy it is to miss out on small details. However, their role as an organization of spies comes through via High Harper Jaheira's companion quest, her interactions with other factions later on, and other odds and ends. Stitching it all together can still be complicated, but luckily, Dungeons and Dragons lore can fill out some background info.
The Harpers, according to the D&D: Forgotten Realms, are secret operatives that protect the common people from tyranny and other abuses of power from governments and political organizations. They strive to promote harmony and balance throughout the realm. They are decentralized, so they have small outposts scattered throughout Faerun. Members consistently gather intelligence, and if they gather any information about wrongdoings, they make a plan to deal with the threat in the most covert way possible. Their missions often involve keeping D&D's powerful magic items away from known evildoers and tyrants. As a point of connection, this is why the D&D movie shows the protagonists robbing a Harper vault that’s filled with magical artifacts.
How the Harpers of Baldur’s Gate 3 Operate in the Shadows
Beyond the Harpers that players directly interact with, it's possible there's even more in Baldur's Gate than what's known because, as spies, they often dress like common folk to avoid detection. Their origins and lore detail how they usually head into taverns as Bards and play tunes on their harp while listening in on conversations, which is why they’re called “Harpers.” Some Harpers also infiltrate monasteries and even theater caravans to get information from a diverse set of informants.
The Harpers have been around for an incredibly long time, so they're bound to make enemies. Harpers are considered rivals with another organization in Baldur's Gate 3 called the Zhentarim, a 200-year-old mercenary group that provides protection services to the merchants of Faerun. Just like any other organized crime syndicate, they often force their services on their clients and demand exorbitant amounts of gold for protection. It’s a clear abuse of power, which is why the Harpers regularly lock horns with the Zhentarim. The latter proactively tries to rid their territories of Harpers too, so they can conduct their shady business without interference. The Zhentarim have sizable bounties for high-ranking Harper officials, but of course, this rivalry is mostly background info for the Harper's core role in BG3.
The Harpers are one of the most interesting factions in D&D's Forgotten Realms, and it's no wonder why BG3, the movie, and others lean on them so heavily. Their interest and mystique add a fun roleplaying flavor to any D&D-related product, and that goes for Larian's latest game too.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available now on PC, with the PS5 version releasing on September 6, 2023.
