Boo

"Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes!"

- Minsc

Boo was the pet and companion of the Rashemi ranger Minsc, having joined him shortly after he sustained an injury to his head.

While there was skepticism regarding the claim, Minsc insisted that Boo was, in fact, a miniature giant space hamster who was intelligent and could converse coherently with him. However, as Minsc was quite addled, it was unclear whether or not his claims were true, although they seemed to be acknowledged by the vistana seer Madam Eva during their time spent in Barovia.

History
In 1409 DR, a statue honoring Minsc and Boo was commissioned in Baldur's Gate by the merchant Orburt Lewel. The statue, known as the Beloved Ranger, depicted Boo cupped in Minsc's hands. It was a popular landmark and meeting point in the Wide. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the statue was actually the real Minsc and Boo under the effects of petrification magic.

In 1479 DR, a group of teenagers vandalized the Beloved Ranger statue, breaking off its hands and Boo. The vandals were later apprehended and the statue was fixed.

Sometime in the 1480s DR, the Beloved Ranger was accidentally struck by a wild magic surge caused by the wild mage Delina, as a result of an attempt to cast a spell at an attacking gargoyle. The surge dispelled the petrification effect, returning Minsc and Boo to life. The pair joined up with the thieves Krydle and Shandie to battle the Cult of the Dragon.

In the battle against Deniak, who had used his position in the Cult to perform a ritual in order to transform himself into a red dragon, Boo's effective attack against Deniak's eye provided a significant advantage to Minsc, Delina, and their companions.

Some time later, in Svardborg, Boo accidentally drank a potion of growth that had been dropped by Minsc, and temporarily grew to the size of a regular giant space hamster.

Behind the Scenes
In the Baldur's Gate series, Boo appears as an item in Minsc's inventory but if the player tries to remove him he scurries away and the protagonist receives a harsh glare from Minsc. He also features in Minsc's portrait in both Baldur's Gate I and II, but in the second game only his hamster squeaks are heard alongside Minsc's dialogue.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (mentioned only)
 * Card games:
 * Dungeon Mayhem: Battle for Baldur’s Gate
 * Comics:
 * Legends of Baldur's Gate
 * Shadows of the Vampire
 * Frost Giant's Fury
 * Evil at Baldur's Gate
 * Video games:
 * Baldur's Gate series
 * Neverwinter
 * Other appearances:
 * In the games Mass Effect 2 and 3, also from BioWare, the player can buy a "Space Hamster" in the human shop on the Citadel. In the Citadel DLC, Shepard tells the hamster to "go for the eyes" if anyone attacks it—something Minsc frequently says to Boo in Baldur's Gate 1 & 2.
 * Apparently, Boo once came to visit Wizards of the Coast's offices while making a media tour about Legends of Baldur's Gate and DMed a game of D&D.
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer mentions Minsc and boo as heroes of Rashemen in a loading screen.
 * Both Minsc and Boo have been added to Neverwinter Online in Module 6, released on 4/07/2015
 * In Torment: Tides of Numenera, you can meet a trader named Madelia Glittering who has three orbs orbiting her head, each containing a rodent. The rodents are named Bei, Bu and Bao, and are normally not for sale. However, it is possible to obtain Bao under certain circumstances. It grants one combat bonuses and the ability to blind enemies in exchange for an intelligence penalty.