Another thing about the party building. I felt like just around every corner was another party member just jumping out of nowhere... literally to join the party. This could just be an easy excuse for early access but, I hope this changes. I would like a little time and exploration to find new party members. They just seem thrown at me.
My guess would be that they ARE kind of thrown together. They were all on the same nautiloid ship. They all have the same batch of magically enhanced/controlled tadpoles, they are literally being psychically drawn together. This is the case in the real world, AND in their dreams. They are literally linked by their tadpole's magical/psychic connection.
As to OP's question re Astarion, he's a vampire *spawn*, not a full vampire... maybe that has something to do with it? Regardless, there are other elven vampires within the D&D law, so he is unique because of the tadpole, but he's not the only vampire infected elf.
Also, for those arguing that elves stop being elves when they turn... if this IS the case even for a spawn... loss of religious connection does NOT change their race, just their religious connection. He's still of elven blood, he still has pointy ears, he's still an elf. He's just a mostly undead elf with no connection to the standard deity and afterlife he would have had before he was turned.
