Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Your most favortie tadpole power?

True...and more potentially....

The reasons why a a particular character would choose to use the powers is because they believe (albeit potentially incorrectly) that the risk reward ratio is acceptable. It certainly seems in keeping with Astarion's character that he would embrace the powers as the tadpole seems to have freed him in many ways. I don't think its immersion breaking for Astarion to believe there might be a way to control the tadpole or at least live with it to his benefit. He's already undead after all.

What if the Absolute is someone like Zariel who is using Netherese magic to create a new being, the "True Soul" a kind of hybrid Warlock. Empowered by the modified tadpole, safe from becoming a mindflayer so long as you remain faithful. There would certainly be some willing to make such a commitment (even if it is ultimately a lie).

True, but a wizard is able to study necromancy, to understand how it works and why it does what it does, what risks there are, etc, things you can't do with the tadpole. To provide a visceral example, imagine invoking tadpole powers is like reaching into a box of invisible knives. You might come out unscathed, but if you do it's by pure luck. Necromancy is like reaching into that same box of knives but fully lit. You're still likely to get cut, but you can at least do things to mitigate the damage, or at the very least understand how much damage is at stake.


Thats also not necesarily true ...
Our characzer can be educated enough to know regular ceremorphosis, just as Gale or Lae'zel are.

Or you ca be ignorant to the process as Astarion, Karlach or Wyll are.[/quote]

They know how normal ceremorphosis works, but not whatever bizarre aberration they're experiencing now.All they know is that it's not working the way it should and they have some unknown amount of time longer than they normally would. So knoweldge of regular ceremorphosis doesn't really help that much.


Maybe i remember something wrong ...
But isnt this said after some time? I believe first few uses seemed consequence free.
But even if not you find out only after ... it dont come with sign "warning coruptable powers are bad for your mental health". [/quote]

I'll admit that I can't exactly remember when the warning comes up either.


But you don't actually know what you're losing. And if you want to make a guess then well, you're dealing with creatures that eat and mess with mortal brains, and invoking power from a creature that's firmly in your brain. The first assumption most anyone would make is that you're losing something relating to your brain/mind. And even if you don't make that assumption, losing something that you don't know about, it could be unimportant sure, but it could also be very important.

*Corection: Can be ...

Its minor difference, but important.
Yes, you Wizard *can be* educated and really well aware of coruptng powers of necromancy ...
OR and that is also possible, that Wizard can simply be some dude who managed few basic cantrips, find some grimoar, and start learning from it ... and before you know it, he ding level 10 and no longer care that his weins starts to show up, his eyes seems watered, his skin is unnaturaly pale, and his muscles seems to be atrofic.

You said it yourself after all ... Wizard "is able" to study, but nothig more.


To recognize this you would need to metagame ...


Yup ...
Educated person can recognize that something is different within meere few hours ... since he is still fully aware of himself, any more time just adds value to this observation.

The question that person must ask then would be: Is that good, or bad sign?

And that is totally us to your character personality ...
- they can freak out anyway, well basicaly for any reason including "simply bcs!" ... just as Shadowheart do.
- or they can be completely cool, simply presume something went wrong and they are perfectly safe ... just as Wyll do.
- and of course, they can do infinite nuances between those two extreme states.


Oh please ...

Have you ever seen any educational video about drugs? Dont you know how those people keep repeating the same phrase?
Its: "Im not addicted, i can stop whenever i want" ... and we all know the truth, some of them know it aswell, they just cant force themselves to admit it, bcs truth is too scary.
Same situation is here ...
Yes, some could teoreticaly find out and admit that they have problem ... but for others, the truth is too scary ... so they will rather pretend that nothing bad is happening, and they are fully in control ... until it will be too late.

Same goes on our streets ... speed limits exists for reason, and yet from statistic around 70% of drivers ignore it ... why? Simple, they all believe that they are so good drivers, so nothing bad can happen to them.

In therms of netherese ceremorphosis, your own Ego is your worse enemy.


So ... lets put this argument to ice, so it dont spoil?


Exactly my point my dear uncolored spirit!

Even one step futher ... we dont even know if we are actualy "losing something" our character actualy had ... bare with me:

As far as i know, Narator only describe our feeling ... so we feel like we loose something that we can never get back ...
That may indeed be part of our self ... or something simmilar, that we loose, bcs we are changing.
OR! And i think i dont need to say that i find this option more probable, but i just did anyway.
It can be something spiritual ... or simply collorfull description of remorse ... we know that power is "unclean" ... and yet we used it, we were "pure" before and we lost that purity, forever, with no way to get it back ... like remaining scar on our soul that will never trully heal.

Thats why used virginity as an example ...
In some cultures even today loosing it before mariage is concidered quite bad ... other groups of people simply dont give a shit ... and there are even people who seeing having it as something bad.
And yet it can be described as "you feel like you lost something you will never get back".

They've never given me a good reason to use the power other than "look into the mind of these companions you don't like" or "convince this person you don't like to do something for you" when there's always another way that doesn't involve the tadpole. I just don't see any point to it.

also

Fair enough.


Here I disagree and am confused because you refute this argument immediately later in your post. There's no way for your character not to know that what's going on with the tadpoles is an aberration. You should have changed within hours and you haven't.



I'll write this off as my nervous, timid brain being fundamentally unable to grasp that people could look at such a risk and not take the cautious route. It seems bizarre and insane to me, but people are weird.



I see the point you're making, but I don't think it quite links to my point. Also the idea that 70% of drivers ignore speed limits is horrifying and those people should never be allowed to drive. I just took my first driving theory test and it taught me that driving is too dangerous to let so many people do it. Clearly the standards are too low. But that's a whole other kettle of fish.


[/quote]

My problem with this argument is twofold. Firstly, if what we're losing is spiritual, that's not any better. This is a magical world with confirmed souls and afterlives. A scar on the soul isn't just a metaphorical issue, it can have very real consequences that may or may not present themselves before death. It's not really an argument for not taking the loss seriously. It's not just metaphorically unclean power, it's potentially metaphysically unclean. Losing one's virginity doesn't actually mark you metaphysically, and if it does we aren't capable of measuring that. But the forgotten realms is a place where such things CAN be measured, more often than not. At least, I have to assume so since we've been given no indication otherwise.

My second problem is with the idea that it's only a "colorful description" because it's describing something that our character is actively feeling. If it's trying to convey remose, then that's the game deciding how our character feels emotionally, which isn't good in an rpg. My interpretation that it's a literal feeling we experience, a tangible loss that can't be ignored and doesn't change based on the kind of person we are. So if we go by your assumption, then we're assuming the game is poorly designed in that instance. My stance tends to be that, unless there's further evidence that a thing is a mistake, I assume it's on purpose to some degree.

Thats what it means?
Im sorry, my misstake ... i thought that to call something "aberration" it needs to be so weird so you dont even believe it originates from this world (i know Illithids technicaly dont, but to make something THAT weid even to their standards) ... while what your characters would recognize would be at best that something is not quite right.

To put it into numbers ...
To be aware that something is not as it should be ... it would need to reach rating 1-3 on scale to 20.
To call it aberration ... it would need to reach rating 18+ on scale to 20.


It is ... but not impossible.
And thats my point.

I would never act like that myself ...
But then, i would also never travel to camp of strictly carnivorous goblins, that often have taste for humanoid flesh just in company of three complete strangers, from wich one allready tryed to kill me, and another one let it clearly known that she concider me less significant than insects beneath her feets.

I think we need to start thinking outside of our own box ... and supress our self-preservation instict a little since ... lets be honest, most of *us* would probably just shit themselves and die in few dozen seconds later after our awakening on Nautiloid.
At least im quite sure that i would. :-/


How so?

I set there the conection ... its psychological matter ... to confront your problem, you must admit you have the problem, and that is a big step ... especialy in situation where nothing presses you and it seems like ignoring the problem bares no consequences.


Well, its Czech statistics ... we have quite bad reputation about our driving in Europe. :-/
Its not so dramatic as it sounds ... i mean for purpose of statistic even person who drives 55km/h instead of 50 as they should are included as those who ignore the limit ... and that is basicaly no real difference.
On highways tho ... well, some take it to extremes there. :-/

And yes i agree ... those people should never be allowed to drive ... those and many, many, many, many more for various reasons. :-/
I drive Van for a living few years now ... and i swear to you ... you wouldnt believe all the stories i could tell. :-/


No, its an argument for possibility to be taken as seriously (or not) as willingly signing a pact with a fiend.


I could counterargument this ... but i really dont want to bring real world politics and religions here.


Indeed ...
But that only means that there is risk, or cost if you wish, involved ... i doubt anyone expected anything different.


I see ... well, maybe i expressed myself poorly.

I think your description is fitting ... but since we dont know what we lost, and its just some imaginary "something" its still quite hard to grasp and react on it. :-/

+1

On topic:

It's hard to choose my favorite. Probably in this order, from best to worst:

1. Fighter - always fun
2. Wizard - reflective shield is incredibly useful if timed properly
3. Bard - amazing ability
4. Sorcerer - I especially like being able to twin spell the ability
5. Rogue - the only issue I have with this is that it goes away too soon
6. Warlock - I like the mobility, but this one isn't higher because there are already so many options for misty step
7. Cleric - doesn't last long enough, but it's good when useful
8. Druid - I'm not particularly impressed with the shape's abilities, but I prefer it over the next two
9. Barbarian - that d4 of damage adds up quick, but maybe it's better at later levels?
10. Ranger - I just really don't like this one

Aesthetically and from an immidiate and practical POV, I like the sorcerer tadpower. But.... I actually feel proper scolded during the "you're endangering the rest of us! Now apologize to the group and be a good boy/girl" - speech, so I've since tried restricting myself a bit per playthrough. Emphasis on *try*, though... Somehow ended up becoming True Soul in my current playthrough before even finishing the druid/goblin issue (tbf, by the time I killed the hobgoblin boss, I pretty much cleared everything "on the surface", including killing Ethel, reading the Thayan book, and killing the "devilhunters" , and giving Gale the two items he needs.) I think I used the illithid/wisdom option a bit too often when trying to delve in to companions' thoughts.