You can't tell me that in the 200 years since Astarion was turned into a vampire that he didn't pick up more than the basics of picking locks.
Even worse is the thought that Gale was wandering the planes but still can't cast more than a couple of level 1 spells.
Astarion was a noble ... he never needed to pick some locks, they always invited him in, because his very presence meant an increase in prestige among the social elite.
And Gale probably was until now focused on magic, that dont involve combat.
There.
