(...) ... but I feel like something as simple as making the dice roll check higher if you made him feed from Araj (thus reinforcing his views about the world) could work. I have at points thought "it'd be cool if Astarion realised this on his own, like Shadowheart" but it's such a survival mode moment that I understand that that's not the case. Again, the scene is pretty amazing to me so I feel like I'm just nitpicking.
That would be a nice and interesting way to have gameplay and choices affect the dice role, currently it's only lowered by gazing into his eyes. But overall I am not a fan of the drama of a scene hinging on a dice role. The dice role is good to accentuate the suspense but it shouldn't be a substitute for it.
Originally Posted by jinetemoranco
Tav's too distant yes, but I also disagree with some people I've see who wish to hug him after he stabs Cazador. I think that should stay his moment. You didn't mention it but I've seen that idea around and I just wanted to say my piece about that hahah
Agree, I think everything post stabbing is great as it is - no drinking from skulls needed, it's not the drinking from skulls ending - just the build up could be more intense, have a bit more blood splatter, take the scene a bit more to the edge.
Originally Posted by jinetemoranco
I agree he's too nice (moreso in the final battle than in the epilogues, where I think they've toned it down) but regarding the loss of the tadpole in the Spawn ending I do quite like what they've done with the vampirism metaphor.
Is there more in the final battle than that scene when Tav thinks about accepting the final tadpole from the emperor? I never got even that one because I instantly agreed to shrimp Orpheus - I am very ok with shrimping Orpheus - I just had Astarion scold me for even thinking about using Origin-Gale's bomb at the brain stem. Which is so on brand for Astarion. Everyone else asks why Gale hesitates, while Astarion sees right through it.
The romance epilogue is a bit too short for me to say anything real about it, it's lacking the middle portion. But in general I prefer it when sweetness comes from warmth, hope and the confidence of managing hard times together, rather than from ignoring problems. I recently saw Gale's proposal when Tav is a mind flayer and that's kind of perfect in this regard, addressing possible problems and countering them with warmth and confidence, and I wish the spawn ending had a bit more of that in the romance. That's the charm of bitter-sweet, no?
The Underdark ending feels like something he feels obliged to do. If you take the long route of talking about the other spawn in the post-graveyard dialogue it at least sounds like something he doesn't really want but maybe should do.
