I must admit I like having Astarion in my group, I like the dialogues and interactions we have with him. I think he is a very interesting character (though clearly not the "good" one who is always willing to help 😉)
I choose the "good" options, but I still have no problem to get his approval or romance him.
And I like the rollercoaster of emotions my poor Tav must be going through, from being angry at him, to feeling sorry for him, with some flirting inbetween to make things even more complicated 😄
Yes, this would of course not be the best idea in real life, this guy needs a therapy, not a relationship. But this is an rpg, and as grown ups, I think we can all distinguish between a game, where we play a role (that does not necessarily mirror our real-life behaviour) and reality. At least I hope you all don't run around being little murder hobos 😉
For the reasons Gray Ghost mentioned, I am also a bit more lenient towards Astarion, after what had happened to him in the past 200 years. After that, I am not really surprised he acts the way he does.
Personally, I will wait till we know more about him before I fully judge his character. But the way he seems to be written (at least in my understanding), I think it would not be completely unrealistic if our character could have a bit of a more positive influence on him, towards a more neutral position. It would not feel completely out of place for me, depending on our characters decisions and behaviour towards him.
I wonder if one way to entirely free him from Cazador's control could be a True Ressurection spell. He mentions that he was turned into a vampire spawn nearly 200 years ago, so the time limit could be met. I know he is undead, not dead, but maybe if we would kill him first? Does anybody know if this is possible?
This way, he wouldn't need the tadpole anymore.
In general, it would be nice if we could have - to a degree - both, a "redemption" and a "corruption" arc for the companions; the way they are written, I think it would not be illogical.
