I agree with everything except for the imps and intellect devourers. I think the narrative reasons overrule any need for them to be their normal powerful selves because of it being the tutorial level. Larian want the nautiloid level to be engaging and bombastic without being overwhelming/overpowering. Later in the game, I'm sure that intellect devourers and mind-flayers and imps and devils and cambions etc from the first area will all be back in their true forms without any of the limitations set by the tutorial. We know that imps *can* use invisibility and sting, we know that from summoning them, they're just disabled in the tutorial so that Tav and Lae'zel and Shadowheart don't get their shit rocked before the game even really starts. I'm fine with this because I don't think it takes away from their identity as monsters, and I think that the tutorial would be less fun the other way.
I do agree, though, that it would be cool to actually see the intellect devourers take over someone's body. I think adding this to the beach would be cool. The 'abducted nobleman' in the husk of the ship could be still alive when we get to him, with one of the intellect devourers taking over his brain and the other one coming at Tav's party. Move the tank of fluid that's in the centre of the ship husk and put it at the entrance instead, so that Tav/Shadowheart can blow it up and give themselves a tactical advantage before the devourers reach them. I think that could at least solve the monster identity issue without making it super difficult.
Other than that, I agree about the gnolls and mephits and minotaurs etc. There's no real reason for them to not be set-up as their traditional selves w stats and abilities intact. If Larian wants us to go against loads of rangers then put us against another group of bandits that have taken over a fort, and leave the rest of the creatures alone.
