I did some testing and came to the conclusion that using tadpole powers against companions messes up dream triggers.
This is my experience in a new run:
1st tadpole use: against novices Brynna and Andrick. Received the "you feel sated" cue upon use. Upon long rest, heard the voice saying "where are you?".
2nd tadpole use: against Lae'zel after talking to Zorru. Received the "something you'll never get back" cue. No dream triggered upon long rest.
I also tried substituting this tadpole use with one against Wyll during the conversation about his sending stone and the result was the same as described below. So it doesn't seem to be linked to Lae'zel specifically, but to companions in general (all tadpole uses not introduced by the "Authority" narrator line, I guess).
3rd tadpole use: against the goblins in the blighted village. Received the "bitten" cue. No dream triggered upon long rest.
4th tadpole use: against the guards at the entrance of the goblin camp. Received the "you are loved" cue. Long rest finally triggered the "twilight is darker than expected" cutscene and had the first dream.
5th tadpole use: against Klagga. Received the "gnawing absence of the center of your mind" cue. Upon log rest: Shadowheart's "something's wrong" cutscene triggered and Astarion came for a snack (this is long overdue since I found the boar before I used the tadpole the first time). No dream.
6th tadpole use: against a goblin noticing me interacting with the booze tub. Received the "Soon" cue. No dream.
7th tadpole use: against Crusher. Received "you are becoming" cue. Still no dream.
8th tadpole use: against lookout Trinza. The option is no longer marked as "Ilithid" but as "true soul"! No more cues. Upon long rest, second dream finally triggered.
9th tadpole use: against goblins throwing stones at Halsin. No cue anymore. Third dream triggered.
I didn't go further than that.
So, aside from the dream not triggering, using tadpole powers against companions also messes up with other camp events causing them to be delayed (e.g. Astarion's nightly visit).
Possibly, also Raphael's visit is being delayed, even though I cannot be really sure about this since I believe it's linked to other events such as having Nettie poison you (something I did not do in this playthrough).
Some things I've noticed:
- using the tadpole against companions does not always deplete your daily tadpole use. Using it against Lae'zel after talking to Zorru still allowed me to use the tadpole against the goblins at the blighted village or against Wyll. However, using the tadpole against Wyll when talking about his sending stone depleted my daily tadpole use and I couldn't use it again at the blighted village nor on Lae'zel.
- using the tadpole against companions in most cases does not seem to trigger dreams.
- using the tadpole against Lae'zel and then against Wyll successfully triggered the first dream.
- you can use the tadpole against Lae'zel when she tries to kill you for showing symptoms even though you have already used the tadpole that day (or you wouldn't be seeing that cutscene). I like having the option to use it, but it's not consistent with how the tadpole has been working so far.
- when using the tadpole against Wyll when talking about his sending stone the narrator says "Your left eye vibrates and a woman's voice echoes in your head". Shouldn't it be "your right eye"?
If only "Authority" tadpole uses trigger dreams, then using the tadpole against companions shouldn't trigger a warning/cue and maybe (just maybe) only "Authority" tadpole powers should be limited to once per day? That would solve the problem of using the tadpole against Lae'zel when she tries to kill you for showing symptoms.
In any case, at the very least using the tadpole with companions should not mess up dream triggers and camp events.
