Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
Well the thing is ... they are not so super-powered actualy.

I mean yes, Astarion is old ... REALLY old ... But thats it. laugh That is his whole expertise ...
All he ever did was to appear on some culture action, charm some foolish noble lady and then lead her to his masters lair ... and i dont made this up, that is what he said to us.
This kind of life, no matter how long it is, dont give you much "adventuring experience". :P

Wyll ... i mean, yes he told us that he fighted hordes of incredibly strong enemies ... but once again, thats all, only HE told us ...
I know it might seem little odd that for one companion im quoting his own words as proof ... and for other i use them as disclaimer ... but concider others ... Goblin by Windmill, Spike, that Flaming Fist captain ... they all know him personaly, and they all concider him useless poser ... maybe those stories about his heroic deeds should not be taken too seriously. smile
Also, note what Volo did out of that attack on Grove gate. laugh

Gale ... well, this story should be self explanatory.
Since his orb consumes magic, i believe it dont sounds so unbelievable that he simply lost most of his power bcs of that. laugh
Some might question why is he even able to cast any spell ... and i dunno, i dont created that character, but if i had to guess ... i would say that as we level, he slowly learns to get control over how much he is able to restrain it.

The only companions that is supposed to be stronger than they actualy are ... are funny enough Shadowheart and Lae'zel ...
Lae'zel spend her whole life training and teaching to be as effective soldier as possible ... that is whole life purpose of her kind ... yet her power is exactly the same as any other fighter we create and technicaly lower than most fighters we meet. laugh

And Shadowheart just finished (not sucessfully tho) secred mission to obtain the artefact, so she should not be so lame logicaly. laugh

Astarion is a vampire spawn, which makes him significantly stronger and faster than your average adventurer. As an NPC vampire spawns start off with 82HP, has speed of 30ft, has natural AC of 15, and has damage resistance from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. He's on par with the bulette, hill giants, night hags, and elementals.

Wyll: even the player character knows Wyll, if you are Baldurian. It's not just the people who know him personally, it includes you.

Gale actually gives an explanation on why his magic is weakened, and it's not because of the Netherese Destruction Orb. It's because Mystra abandoned him. Which really makes me question his class selection as a wizard. I'd definitely make him a sorcerer if I were the DM.

Shadowheart is the only one who is a big question mark, partly because of
an almost-confirmed theory that Shadowheart isn't actually a Sharran cleric
. Not sure how the levels translate, especially considering Shar's clergy and their philosophy. She very well may have been an initiate, the lowest in the hierarchy.

Either way, by the time the party's level 15, Astarion could've been an ochre jelly, he'd still be super-powered compared to an average adventuring company. Midnight was a level 7 wizard when she ascended to godhood, and Laeral's level 19 in 5E. A level 15 party would be able to take out a young blue or silver dragon without any struggle. There shouldn't be a possibility that a level 2 party can wipe them out (most certainly not a vampire spawn with psionic powers).